Cheer up your heart

I was extolling the virtues of laughter in this article about laughter yoga, and now here’s another of my favourite stress busters which can have a wonderful effect on your heart health. No drugs and no side effects are involved you just need to listen to some joyful music and the function of your blood vessels will be vastly improved, and that’s good for your heart.

No I didn’t make it up just because I love listening to music, it’s based on research presented by the University of Maryland School of Medicine at the recent American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting in New Orleans. So, tune in your radio, or get out your favourite piece of music – the only criteria is that it must give you a great sense of joy – so whether it’s Bach, the Beatles, or Bonzo Dog they will all have the same health-giving benefits.

What happens when you listen to music is that the tissue in the inner lining of your blood vessels dilates and that increases blood flow. Known as the endothelium, the lining of blood vessels has a powerful effect on health, especially the development of cardiovascular disease, because it regulates blood flow and adjusts blood thickening and coagulation. Plus, at no extra cost, it releases substances in response to wounds, infections or irritation. So be kind to it and play it something wonderful! Don’t however put on the funeral march or anything that stresses you like heavy metal, as if then your blood vessels will narrow and restrict blood flow.

For the statistically minded, the research showed that blood vessels dilated an extra 26% for joyful music and music that stressed the listener narrowed blood vessels by 6%. I think it might be time to give up listening to Leonard Cohen – or at least ration my intake on health grounds. Oh, and I also know that signing has the same good effect, and as I have been lucky enough to be in a couple of passenger choirs on cruise ships recently I can highly recommend it as both joyful, and stimulating as you try to remember the words and work out if it’s you or your neighbour that is singing off-key!

Diabetes Updates

With over 2.3 million diabetics in the UK, and a further 750000 people who have the condition but don’t know it, I like to keep you updated and there are two new developments to report this week – both involving everyday food items.

First let’s do the positive and give you yet another reason to eat more fish. A UK study has found that in a study of 517 diabetics those who had fish less than once a week were four times more likely to have albumin in their system, a protein whose presence indicates kidney damage. This is a serious complication of diabetes and the study suggests that eating fish at least twice a week could help protect diabetics from this potential problem. The researchers didn’t single out any particular variety of fish, so help your diabetes, and your heart, by having oily fish like salmon and salt water fish like haddock at least twice a week to get the maximum benefit.

Fish is also of benefit for eye health, so keep reading.

AND A WARNING If you go to work, or play, on an egg then you want to rethink your breakfast options. Over twenty years of research funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute seems to indicate that people who eat eggs every day may substantially increase their risk of type 2 diabetes.

Men who ate seven or more eggs a week were 58% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not eat any eggs. However, the problem is potentially greater for women as they are 77% more likely to become diabetic if they ate an egg a day. The research was reported online in the magazine Diabetes Care.

A single egg contains about 200 mg of cholesterol and adds about 1.5 g of saturated fat to the diet, both of which increase diabetes risk, and the exact risk figures are:

Men
9% for less than one egg a week
9% for one egg a week
18% for two to four eggs a week
46% for five to six eggs a week
58% for seven or more eggs a week

Women
% for less than one egg a week
3% for one egg a week
19% for two to four eggs a week
18% for five to six eggs a week
77% for seven or more a week

This does not mean giving up eggs entirely, they are a beneficial food, but it might be wise to limit your intake if you have any other risk factors for diabetes. These include being overweight, not taking any exercise, and long term use of drugs such as diuretics and steroids as they can impair insulin secretion from the pancreas.

Osteoporosis and red grapefruit

I have mentioned the health benefits of red grapefruit in a previous issue, and now it seems that the pulp may increase bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. At present it is estimated there are three million people with osteoporosis in the UK and that half of all women and one in five men over 50 will break a bone from having this condition.

Researchers at Texas A&M University have published the findings of their recent research in the journal Nutrition and it is good news for anyone at risk of osteoporosis or having a family history of it. Their trial was conducted on rats and found that when they divided the group into three and fed them a different diet. The rats given red grapefruit pulp in their diet showed significantly lower calcium loss from their bones and lower levels of urinary deoxypyridinoline.

Rats on the non grapefruit diet showed the exact opposite with higher levels of calcium loss and urinary deoxypyridinoline – both of which are indicators of bone bone breakdown and a greater risk of osteoporosis.

The more grapefruit the rats had, the greater the protection. So follow their example and eat red grapefruit every day to help ward off osteoporosis.

3D images of your arteries now on show!

I love science, it is amazing to see the developments and increase in our knowledge that would have seemed unimaginable a few years ago. You need healthy arteries, and up to now it hasn’t been possible to get an all round view of them to help your doctor and surgeon to get a complete picture of what is going on. Now, it is a reality according to a report this week from Massachusetts General Hospital. They have shown the first 3-D all round view of the lining of a patient’s right coronary artery and it revealed a recently placed stent and lipid deposits. No more guesswork for the surgeon as they will be able to see more clearly and check for areas of inflammation or the calcium or lipid deposits that can cause a heart attack. Mass General developed the optical frequency-domain imaging (OFDI) device to get the 3-D views inside a human artery. The previous imaging device made by the same investigators could only examine tissues one point at a time, but this one can look at more than 1,000 points of artery tissue. The surgeon uses the device to physically probe through the coronary artery and as wavelengths are emitted and reflected back, they can in seconds get the data they need to create the detailed microscopic images.

Dr. Gary Tearney, associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School sees very positive benefits for this new technology. “The wealth of information that we can now obtain will undoubtedly improve our ability to understand coronary artery disease and may allow cardiologists to diagnose and treat plaque before it leads to serious problems.” A further development is the combining of the OFDI probe with intravascular ultrasound as it is not able to penetrate deep into tissues. This was the first venture, and it is hoped to have it available to surgeons within 1-2 years.

Christmas caution

As a child I received a tin of Quality Street, a box of Black Magic, a chest of All Gold and various other chocolate treats every Christmas. After the war that kind of easy access to things we had done without was irresistible, now 60 odd years later we can see the dangers. A recent study in the USA of obese children as young as 10 showed that they had the arteries of 45-year-olds and other heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart disease. Currently about a third of American children are overweight and one-fifth are obese and although many parents think that this kind of puppy fat will melt away as they get older it is establishing eating patterns and health habits that are best avoided. Ultrasound tests on the children found that they also had more rigid arteries than was expected and this is a possible sign of plaque deposits starting to form. So if you are buying presents for children, exercise love with caution and cut down on the selection boxes and chocolate in general.

Natural Christmas ideas

You know how keen I am for you all to rush out and try a herbal tea occasionally, and this present makes it easy – and fun. Teastar is a beautifully coloured star containing a mix of individually wrapped organic loose leaf teabags. It comes from one of my favourite tea companies, called Today was Fun, and you don’t just get amazing teas you also get an inspirational message with each one to read while you wait for it to brew. Each star has a ribbon threaded through the top and once opened, the box is like an old fashioned paperyap yap toy. You can peer inside and choose which tea you’d like to brew and then read the individual message attached to each bag. At the end of a dinner party when the inevitable who wants coffee/tea/herbal question is asked you could just put the star in the middle open it up and ask people to choose which one they want. Each star contains 2 x Happiness teabags, 2 x Sleepy, 2 x Inspiration, 2 x Love and 2 x Friendship for £9.99. I would hold off on the sleepy tea though, unless it’s you who are hosting the party!

Now about those socks, obviously I wouldn’t suggest anything so mundane but one idea I did find at the Mind Body Exhibition was some very ‘Star Trek’ looking socks. They have been designed by a reflexologist to help relieve pain and have unique patented ridges which stimulate specific reflexology zones on the bottom of the feet as you walk or stand. They look odd, but then who is going to see them inside your shoes? They have good testimonials from satisfied users, and are machine washable and apparently 91% of wearers say Reflosocks help to alleviate their aches and pains. Go have a look at www.reflotherapies.co.uk

The power of potted plants

The idea that plants can help your health is not a new one. I can remember everyone in my office in the 1970′s bringing in spider plants as there was a theory that they would help to have near a computer. It’s not just a theory, as many users have claimed they are effective in removing potentially harmful chemicals-including those in paints, varnishes, dry cleaning fluids, car exhaust fumes and tobacco smoke-from the air in your home.

The top 9 Air Purifying Plants are:

Dragon tree
Ivy
Ficus
Philodendrons
Spider plants
Peace lilies
Ferns
Chrysanthemums
Palms

Till now this has been anecdotal evidence – the kind I most like as it means that real people have found real results with it – but now, Japanese scientists are developing genetically engineered plants that can absorb formaldehyde. This is a pungent chemical compound used as adhesive in building materials and furnishing and is seen as a major factor in what is known as sick-house syndrome. This is now more common as people experience headaches, dizziness and other health problems triggered by the chemicals now found in most homes.

Researchers expect the plants to absorb formaldehyde, along with carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, and they found that the level of toxic gas fell to around one-tenth of the original level. They are now trying to apply the technology to common foliage plants, but in the meantime I am going out to buy some more spider plants and a large bunch of chrysanthemums.

Laughter yoga

With so much doom and gloom around we need all the help we can get, and this wonderful therapy is based on something we all knew when we were children. When you laugh, you feel better but sadly although children laugh about 400 times a day that has been whittled down to a mere 15 times when we are all grown up.

Developed by Madan Kataria, a family physician from India, laughter yoga is not really about humour (or yoga), but rather exploits the natural human tendency to laugh when others laugh, so you initiate it and see who joins in. Try smiling generously when you greet someone and you will see it returned, expand a smile into a laugh and people will join in. You can feel inhibited, embarrassed or a complete loon – or you could just decide today is your day to have some fun because research shows that when a group of people forces laughter, it quickly transitions to real, spontaneous laughing.

It is also a great stress reliever and particularly works well for companies to create a positive work environment. Laughter Solutions devise Laughter Workshops, Training and Team Building sessions, and they point out the health benefits of some good hearty laughter. It will naturally increase oxygen levels in the body and releases endorphins from the brain cells, to promote a sense of well- being and raise existing energy levels.

If you are lucky enough to live in Ireland, then you have easy access to their services and they can of course travel to the UK to bring the gift of laughter to your company. Founded and run by Anne McDonald, a creative artist, coach and Laughter expert, I can’t recommend them highly enough. She certainly made me laugh – do wear waterproof mascara if you attend one of her workshops, or none at all if you don’t want to look like a panda from the tears running down your face. As two satisfied customers said, “It’s the most fun I have ever had in a business suit.” “I laughed till I cried and felt a million dollars afterward.”

You will find Anne McDonald at www.mcdonaldcoaching.com/laughter.htm

Enforced vaccinations?

The subject of vaccinations for children is an emotional subject with parents feeling strongly for and against. I don’t have children so I can’t say what I would do, but I do believe strongly in the individual’s right to choose. That is why I want to draw your attention to a petition before Parliament by Mary Creary, a Labour MP. She wants to make vaccinations compulsory for children and if parents refuse she suggests their children should not be allowed to attend school and the parents should not receive child benefits.

Many alternative therapists, particularly homoeopaths, are against wholesale vaccination on health grounds as they can compromise the immune system of a developing child and they have got up a petition to voice their protests. Anyone can sign who wishes to and they have nearly six and a half thousand signatures so far.

The closing date to sign online is 29th November so you don’t have much time to make your voice heard. Here’s the link: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/forcedvaccines/

This is now closed – You can still see the results of the petition online at the link above.

Breakthrough for wheelchair users

Manually operated wheelchairs can take a lot of effort, but a new British invention which can be attached to any standard wheelchair can reduce the force you need to propel it by a staggering 40%. This means that the user can go further with greater ease, and with less strain on the body. This revolutionary system was conceived by Robert Orford when he was just 19 and after six years of research and development, helped by Professor Michael Craggs, Director of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, the NuDrive system is available in the UK.

Disabled writer and BBC presenter Lara Masters, spoke about the challenges disabled people face and the need to be resourceful: “I try to see my physical restrictions as creative challenges and NuDrive symbolises my philosophy by presenting an opportunity for wheelchair users to maximise the potential of their “pushing power”, she said at the launch in October. With NuDrive, the user can propel themselves forwards and backwards, manoeuvre and brake, simply by pushing the levers – there’s no need to spin the wheel rims by hand. This improves posture and shifts the shoulder loading, helping to prevent shoulder strain and injury. It also makes going over uneven ground and up inclines a lot easier.

The ergonomically designed Drive Units allow users with arthritic or weak hands to self-propel as it requires no finger or hand dexterity. By removing the need to grip and release the wheel rims, NuDrive also eliminates the threat of Repetitive Strain Injury, protects hands from abrasion, and keeps your hands clean too. NuDrive attaches in seconds to almost any manual wheelchair with 24inch metal spoked wheels so there’s no need to buy a new chair. The concept is simple, but the technology is cutting edge and wheelchair users with a range of medical conditions and disabilities were involved throughout the research.

NuDrive costs around £349 and is 0% VAT rated, and what I particularly liked is that the company only employs qualified physiotherapists as sales clinicians to make sure you get the right advice as to whether it is suitable for you or not. For more information go to www.nu-drive.com where there is a interesting video on how it can improve the performance of your wheelchair, and reduce the strain on you.

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