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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Monday, Aug 31st, 2009 ↓Natural Therapies: Simple Solutions for Complex Problems →
Aug 31, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— One question I’m routinely asked is “If you had to recommend just one supplement for __________ (fill in the blank), what would it be?” I could easily spout off a laundry list of safe, natural therapies for virtually all common health concerns. Narrowing it down to only one therapy per condition is much more of a challenge, but based on recent patient and subscriber feedback, here goes.
Manage Pain With MSM
For joint and muscle pain, I’ve been hearing great things about MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), a naturally occurring sulfur compound and close chemical cousin of DMSO-that doesn’t have DMSO’s obnoxious smell. MSM relieves pain by several mechanisms. It’s a powerful anti-inflammatory, it blocks the pain response in nerve fibers, and its sulfur may help with cartilage regeneration.
One of our patients, the mother of a Whitaker Wellness doctor, was bothered by nagging pain in her neck and shoulders- until she started taking MSM. Another patient, who is an actor, used to have such excruciating pain in his knees that he’d have to take Vicodin before going on stage and was considering arthroscopic surgery. He reported miraculous results with MSM and no longer requires painkillers. The suggested daily dose of MSM ranges between 1,200 and 6,000 mg. Start low and increase as needed.
How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Occasional sleeplessness is a very common concern. I used to recommend melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your “body clock”; valerian, an herb with mild sedative effects; or L-theanine, an amino acid with profound relaxing properties. Each of these worked for some people, but not everyone. Then I tried them in combination, and bingo! For the majority of patients and subscribers, this combo engenders a good night’s sleep.
Tom, a VP at the company that publishes Health & Healing, shared his story. He was eating right, exercising, and taking vitamins, but when it came time for bed, despite the fact he was physically and mentally drained, he still sometimes had trouble falling or staying asleep. Since he started taking this supplement, however, he sleeps like a baby.
Look for combination sleep products in your health food store. Suggested doses are 1,000 mcg melatonin, 500 mg valerian extract, and 200 mg L-theanine 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime.
V8 Gives Hypertension the Boot
Experts predict that an astounding 90 percent of middle-aged Americans will develop hypertension at some point in their lives. This sounds extreme, but I have to admit that many of the patients who come to my clinic have high blood pressure. Fortunately, we are very successful at getting them off drugs with diet changes, exercise, and a handful of supplements. But if I had to select just one thing for high blood pressure it would be Low Sodium V8 Juice.
Low Sodium V8 has a slight blood-thinning effect, which reduces pressure on the arteries, and it’s loaded with potassium, which balances sodium and helps lower blood pressure. One of the many patients who has benefited from this therapy is Ted, an old friend of mine. After struggling with hypertension for years, Ted took me up on my suggestion to drink 12 ounces of this juice every day. Much to his surprise, this simple step worked to normalize his blood pressure.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: natural remedy supplement prevention treatment pain MSM joint muscle sulfur anti-inflammatory cartilage regeneration sleep melatonin valerian amino acid V8 hypertension blood pressure blood cardiovascular flaxseed cholesterol zinc lutein energy ribose fatique
Strong Thighs May Mean Less Knee Pain for Women →
Aug 28, 2009 (Therapytimes.com)—Stronger thigh muscles can help protect women, but not men, from the pain of arthritic knees, a new study finds.
The knee is the most common joint affected by osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, a major cause of disability in the United States, researchers say. In the United States, nearly 27 million adults suffer from osteoarthritis, and 16% of cases in people aged 45 and older affect the knee. Almost 19% of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis patients are women and 13.5% are men, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, the new study finds that “stronger quadricep [thigh] muscles may protect older adults from developing the combination of osteoarthritis on X-ray and daily pain or stiffness in their knees,” said lead researcher Dr. Neil Segal, director of the Clinical Osteoarthritis Research Program at the University of Iowa.
“We already knew that quadriceps strength was associated with better ability to walk and get up from a chair,” Segal said. “However, one implication of these new findings is that quadricep strength may protect against developing symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.”
For full article, see link above.
Tags: strength knee pain prevention women woman muscle arthritis joint osteoarthritis quadricep
Drinking Cola Causes Muscle Weakness, Bone Loss →
Aug 21, 2009(NaturalNews.com)— People who drink more than two quarts of cola per day may induce severe and possibly fatal potassium deficiency, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Ioannina, Greece, and published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
“We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before, and a number of health issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone demineralization and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes,” researcher Moses Elisaf said. “Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions.”
Researchers reviewed the cases of several patients who had consumed between two and 10 quarts of cola per day, including two pregnant women. One of these, a 21-year-old who drank as much as three quarts per day, was admitted to the hospital for persistent vomiting, fatigue and appetite loss. The other was admitted after drinking seven quarts per day for 10 months and suffering from progressive weakening of her muscles.
Both women recovered after they stopped drinking cola and were treated with intravenous or oral potassium.
Potassium plays a critical role in the functioning of the body’s nerves, muscles and heart. Critical deficiency like that experienced by the patients in the University of Ioannina study can lead to cramping, paralysis, irregular heartbeat and even death. In one of the cases studied, a man suffered lung paralysis after drinking 10 quarts per day.
For full article see link above.
Tags: cola soda pop coke muscle nerve postassium vomiting fatigue weakening paralysis cramping heartbeat death consuming bone demineralization hypokalemia tooth teeh diabetes
10 Reasons Why Exercise is Good for Your Weight →
Aug 20, 2009 (Mercola.com)—A recent Time magazine article, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin,” is misleading at best. Exercise is critical to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight, especially when paired with healthy eating habits. Countless studies, numerous experts who study exercise, and the millions of people who have lost weight all attest to the fact that working out works.
1. Exercise zaps belly fat
Regular moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise has the greatest impact on reducing abdominal fat — the dangerous fat that increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease.
2. Exercise controls calories
You need to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight. Regular exercise uses up excess calories that would otherwise be stored as fat.
3. Exercise keeps lost pounds MIA
Ninety percent of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for a year do about an hour of physical activity a day.
4. Exercise boosts metabolism
You’ll lose fat when you diet without exercising, but you’ll also lose muscle, which means you’ll burn fewer calories. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the more calories you’ll burn.
5. Exercise does more than the scale shows
If you gain 3 pounds of lean muscle and lose 4 pounds of fat, you’ve actually experienced a 7-pound improvement in your body condition, despite the scale only showing 1 pound of weight loss.
6. Exercise curbs emotional eating
Working out has been proven time and time again to help regulate mood, which has a direct effect on people who eat when they’re stressed or upset.
7. Exercise creates a healthy chain reaction
Healthy habits tend to cluster together. When people make positive changes, like getting more exercise, they tend to work on other health improvements as well, such as eating better.
8. Exercise brings on the fun
Rock-climbing is more exciting than eating a celery stick. That’s why it’s sometimes easier to be active to stay slim than to maintain a strict diet.
9. Exercise stops hunger
People who exercise and diet are actually less hungry than those who only diet, according to at least one study.
10. Exercise ups energy
Regular physical activity increases stamina by boosting your body’s production of energy-promoting neurotransmitters. That gives you even more motivation to get moving and shed pounds.
Sources:
Fitness Magazine August 19, 2009Tags: exercise energy hungry eating fun diet nutrition positive change mood emotion body condition fat muscle metabolism weight physical activity calories aerobic abdominal diabetes heart disease thin
Tags: teeth tooth replace jaw mouth dential osseointegration artificial impant titanium inflammation allergy autoimmune risk metal chronic fatigue syndrom pain muscle nerve depression skin
Higher Muscle Density Reduced Risk Of Hospitalization In The Elderly →
Aug 7, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Older adults who have less strength, poor physical function and low muscle density are at higher risk of being hospitalized compared to adults with more strength and better function. That’s the finding of a new study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
The study also found that muscle density, a measure of how much fat compared to lean tissue there is in the muscle, is a more accurate gauge of a person’s risk of hospitalization than muscle mass or size. The relative risk for hospitizations was 50% higher for those with poor walking or less dense muscle mass
“Our research suggests that we need to re-think the way we define sarcopenia or age-related muscle loss,” says Peggy Cawthon, PhD, MPH, a scientist with the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute and the lead author of the study. “Many definitions of sarcopenia today tend to focus on lean mass or muscle size, our study shows that is looking at the wrong factors. We found that muscle strength or performance were much better ways of measuring function.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: muscle density prevention hospitalization elderly physical function strength fat tissue walk walkingm sarcopenia
Sun Exposure May Trigger Certain Autoimmune Diseases In Women →
July 30, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight may be associated with the development of certain autoimmune diseases, particularly in women, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health.
“This study found that women who lived in areas with higher levels of UV exposure when they developed an autoimmune muscle disease called myositis were more likely to develop the form known as dermatomyositis, which weakens the muscles and causes distinctive rashes, instead of the form called polymyositis that does not have a rash,” said Frederick W. Miller, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Environmental Autoimmunity Group, Program of Clinical Research, at NIEHS. “Although we have not shown a direct cause and effect link between UV exposure and this particular autoimmune disease, this study confirms the association between UV levels and the frequency of dermatomyositis that we found in a previous investigation,” said Miller.
For full article see link above.
Tags: sun exposure UV ray ultraviolet risk autoimmune muscle disease myositis dermatomyositis weakness rash women woman
Health Tip: Why Do My Muscles Twitch? →
July 28, 2009(Therapytimes.com) — Muscle twitches, especially involving the eyelids, calf or thumb — are fairly common.
Rarely, they can be a sign of a nervous system disorder, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says. Signals of a serious muscle problem include a change in muscle sensation, size, and a feeling of muscle weakness.
On the other hand, most muscle twitches aren’t anything to worry about and only last for a few days or less. The NLM offers this list of common causes:
- Having a dietary deficiency.
- Getting too much caffeine.
- Taking certain medications, such as steroids, estrogen hormones or diuretics.
- Exercising.
- Having anxiety or stress.
— Diana Kohnle
Tags: muscle twitch caffine weakness diet deficiency medication steriod estrogen exercise anxiety stress
CLA may protect against elderly muscle loss →
July 24, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) prevented age-related muscle loss in mice, says a new study using Lipid Nutrition’s Clarinol ingredient.
Mice receiving daily supplements of the commercially available CLA showed higher muscle mass than control animals, according to findings published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.
CLA (conjugated linolenic acid) is a fatty acid naturally present in ruminant meat and dairy products. Due to changes in the Western diet, average intake of CLA has fallen; if the fat is removed from a dairy product to make a low fat version that will be acceptable to consumers, CLA is removed along with it.
For full article see link above.
Tags: cla prevention elder muscle loss supplement linoleic acid fatty acid diet dairy
Heart Transplant Recipients Can Improve Fitness And Perform High Intensity Workouts →
July 13, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Heart transplant recipients’ cardio-respiratory fitness is around 30 to 50 per cent lower than age-matched healthy sedentary individuals. As a result, exercise rehabilitation should be very important to these patients, and a University of Alberta study shows they can improve their overall physical fitness.
Mark Haykowsky, in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, led the largest randomized exercise intervention trial in heart-transplant patients, which was published in the April edition of American Journal of Transplantation. The study involved 43 participants, half sedentary, and the other half on a 12-week exercise program. He found that exercise improved cardio-respiratory fitness, muscle mass and maximal strength; surprisingly, however, exercise training didn’t improve heart or blood-vessel function. Those exercising improved the size of the muscle mass, but blood vessels were still hardened and the heart’s ability to fill and relax was not improved.
For full article see link above.
Tags: cardio cardiovascular circulatory rehabilitation exercse heart transplant fitness muscle strength surgery blood vessel function
Two Dietary Oils, Two Sets of Benefits →
July 9, 2009 (Mercola.com)—A study comparing how two common dietary oil supplements affect body composition suggests that both oils can lower body fat in obese postmenopausal women with Type 2 diabetes.
In the study, 16 weeks of supplementation with safflower oil reduced fat in the trunk area, lowered blood sugar and increased muscle tissue in the participants.
Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for the same length of time, on the other hand, reduced total body fat and lowered the women’s body mass index (BMI), a common health measure of weight relative to height.
All of the women in the study took one oil for 16 weeks, followed by the other oil for an equal amount of time.
Sources: Eurekalert July 7, 2009
Tags: oil diet supplement fat body composition blood sugar muscle tissue safflower conjugated linoleic acid BMI weight
Motion Analysis Helps Soccer Players Get Their Kicks →
July 9, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)— As soccer continues to grow in popularity, injuries to soccer players are likely to increase as well. Certain injuries fall into gender-based patterns and new research at Hospital for Special Surgery suggests some underlying causes that could help lead to better treatment, or even prevention for present and future soccer stars.
Data presented at this year’s American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine meeting in Keystone, Colo., explores the differences in soccer kick dynamics based on gender. With the use of video motion analysis at the Leon Root Motion Analysis Laboratory at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, researchers were able to examine the dynamics of the kicking motion.
“Prior to this kick study, there had been very little motion analysis to show what was going on during the soccer kick,” said Robert Brophy, M.D., lead investigator and former resident and fellow at Hospital for Special Surgery. “We know that female soccer players face a greater risk of ACL injury and patellofemoral problems and male players are more at risk for sports hernia. We used motion analysis to determine if the two types of players have different alignment and muscle activation that might correlate to the injury patterns.”
For full article se link above.
Tags: soccer injury prevention muscle kick women woman men man hernia ACL patellofemoral rehabilitation risk motion
Muscle Rubs: Use For Pain Is Questionable, Review Finds →
July 8, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—There is not enough evidence to support using gels and creams containing rubefacients for chronic and acute pain, according to a systematic review by Cochrane Researchers. Rubefacients cause irritation and reddening of the skin, due to increased blood flow. The review focused on formulations containing salicylates, which are widely prescribed or sold over the counter as topical treatments for sports injuries and muscle pain.
“At present, due to a lack of high quality evidence, we can’t say exactly how effective rubefacients are for acute injuries and there are certainly other more effective treatments which could be prescribed for use in chronic conditions like osteoarthritis,” says lead researcher Andrew Moore, of the Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics at the University of Oxford in the UK.
For full article see link above.
Tags: muscle rub pain use gel cream rubefacient chronic acute irritation blood circulation skin salicyate injury osteoarthritis
Muscle Rubs for Pain Not All That Great →
July 7, 2009
by Marijke Durning, RN
Do you like to use a medicinal rub to soothe those aching muscles or sore joints? If so, you could be wasting your money, according to a review of studies that looked at the rubs’ effectiveness.
Muscle rubs and ointments are sold on the basis that rubbing them over the sore areas help relieve the aching from overuse. Some smell very strongly, while others claim to be more discreet. These are called rubefacients , which cause local irritation and redness, as blood flow increases to the skin surface. The study review looked at rubs that contained salicylates , a pain-killing substance. Some are available over-the-counter and others are obtained by prescription. The researchers found 16 studies of 1,276 people total with either acute or chronic pain. According to a press release issued by the publisher Wiley-Blackwell , “Results from four studies showed topical salicylates performed better than placebos against acute pain, but excluding lower quality studies meant the results were not statistically significant. When used for chronic conditions, salicylates performed better than placebos. However, only one in six patients with chronic pain benefited substantially from using the muscle rubs compared to one in three using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs”
More studies are needed to look into this type of treatment though.
Muscle Damage May Be Present In Some Patients Taking Statins →
July 6, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Structural muscle damage may be present in patients who have statin-associated muscle complaints, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Statins are one of the most widely prescribed medications in the world, given their importance in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Many patients on statins develop muscle weakness and pain. In some cases, muscle biopsies show underlying structural injury, even in patients without elevated levels of circulating creatine phosphokinase.
The study, by researchers from the University of Bern, Switzerland and the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, looked at muscle biopsies from 83 patients, 20 of whom had never taken statins. They found significant muscle injury in patients who had taken statins, including several who had discontinued medication before the biopsy.
“Although in clinical practice, the majority of patients with muscle symptoms improve rapidly after cessation of therapy, our findings support that a subgroup of patients appears to be more susceptible to statin-associated myotoxicity, suffering persistent structural injury,” write Dr. Annette Draeger from the University of Bern and coauthors.
For full article see link above.
