MRSA – Don’t depend on your doctor

We tend to put a lot of faith in our doctors, we believe they know they more than we do and have access to greater information and resources. All of which can be true, but I would like to return you to one of the basic principles of good health: you are your own best first resource, certainly in terms of your everyday well-being. The better you take care of yourself, the better able you are to monitor potential illnesses by being aware of the warning signs and paying attention to good old fashioned virtues like getting enough sleep, eating and drinking sensibly, taking regular exercise and finally, and most importantly, not ignoring basic rules of hygiene.

MRSA is now a real problem for all of us, and I was horrified to read that in a recent survey an amazing 1 in 5 GPs admitted that they had poor knowledge of the MRSA superbug and how to treat it. This is not because they are too busy to read the information they are being given, because the other staggering statistic that emerged was that 62% of doctors had not received any information on what to do if they suspected somebody had the bug. As a woman with a long memory, I looked up an item I wrote about four years ago where it was reported on 04 November 2004 that more than one million NHS staff were to get MRSA prevention training, presumably they haven’t got round to the poor old GP’s yet.

As MRSA is usually passed on by human contact, often from our hands, there is the most simple of preventive acts you can take. Supermarket shelves now offer a number of different anti-bacterial and anti-microbial sprays and gels for you to carry with you – and they are a good second stage of protection, but the first is to be totally vigilant about washing your hands. Not just after using the bathroom, but always before you have any contact with food or drink. One of most common ways to pick up a bug is from using a handrail on a staircase in a public area such as the underground, on a bus or in a theatre – most people either hold on as they walk up and down, or just touch it lightly for extra balance and security. That is where bugs can be passed – not by direct contact with someone else but the indirect contact from the skin of the hands.

It’s not rocket science, it’s what we were taught as children, but regularly and thoroughly washing your hands it could help prevent you being affected by a very unpleasant bug indeed.

Postponing a family? New menopause predictor

Today, many couples often postpone having children until after age 30, although many do not realise that a woman’s fertility is linked to her menopause and some women are sterile as early as their thirties, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism by Dr. van Disseldorp of the University Medical Centre, at Utrecht in The Netherlands. It is clear that knowing when menopause may occur could greatly affect their decision on when to start a family, and now there is new research to show that a easy-to-measure hormone may be a better predictor of menopause than actual chronological age.

Women are born with all of the eggs that they will ever have, and they lose them throughout life until menopause, when none are left. The Utrecht study has revealed that the age when menopause begins might be easily predicted by a hormone correlated to the number of antral follicles in the ovaries. Antral follicles are small, about 2-8 mm in diameter, but they can be seen, measured and counted with ultrasound.

As women age they have less eggs remaining, and therefore they have less antral follicles visible on ultrasound. The researchers in Utrecht took this a stage further and looked at the levels of the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), which is closely correlated with the number of antral follicles. So a simple blood test for this hormone can accurately predict the age of onset of menopause. The average age in the West is 51, but women planning on a late family may want to have a more accurate assessment before leaving it to chance.

Was this natural sweetener ‘Miracle Berry’ nobbled?

Regular readers of this newsletter will know that I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners. Partly on taste grounds, and mostly on well-established health risks but the belief has always been that there wasn’t anything better. It was Tom Mangold, speaking on Radio 4, who alerted me to the fact that actually there was, so in case you didn’t catch the programme here’s the gist of it.

In the 1970′s, Robert Harvey, an American entrepreneur,c arrying out research in his New England laboratory when he came across a plant called Synsepalum dulcificum. This is a wild, small, red, berry grown in West Africa, which, when chewed lilterally turns sour food and drink sweet. Finally, here was something that had the potential to be a safe, non-fattening sugar substitute and an alternative to what were then the new-to-the-market artificial, chemical, sweeteners. In early trials it received a warm reception among diabetics who were able to enjoy sweet flavours without worrying about their sugar intake and from dieters anxious to avoid high-calorie desserts.

Although the berry itself is not sweet, it contains an active glycoprotein molecule, with some trailing carbohydrate chains, called miraculin. When the fleshy part of the fruit is eaten, this molecule binds to the tongue’s taste buds, causing changes to how they taste – in particular bitter and sour foods like lemons and limes will taste sweet after chewing a berry and this effect lasts up to two hours.

Harvey and his colleagues were able to process the berry’s ‘miracle’ ingredient to make it marketable and they devised a test. They coated some sugarless ice lollies with the berry process and mixed them up with ordinary, sugared lollies and gave them out in a Boston playground. The result was that all the kids preferred the Miracle Berry lollies to the sugared ones, showing that the berry is a taste enhancer and, with no sugar present, the lollies didn’t rot the teeth and contained no calories. “It was junk food without the junk,” as Harvey said, and he realised he was sitting on a billion dollar project that could have had profound implications for the epidemic of obesity in the US, and the developed Western world.

He got huge backing including Barclays Bank and the Prudential and soon had hundreds of thousands of miracle berry plants growing in Jamaica. The American Federal Drugs Administration seemed to be ok with the product and then in 1973 his offices were burgled and the data files ransacked. It was clearly a case of professional ‘industrial espionage’ and was followed in 1974, on the eve of the product launch, by another body blow. The FDA, which had previously indicated it would clear the product for use, now reclassified the berry as an additive, and like any artificial ingredient, it would now have to submit to years of testing for safety and efficacy. They immediately ordered all Miracle Berry products to be withdrawn at once.

Conspiracy theorists may conclude that there was a lot at stake for the fledgling artificial sweetener industry and too much money at stake to risk an all-natural product taking over a billion dollar market. We will never know, but if you want to try it for yourself the berries are available to buy on the internet and even on ebay. There is also an informative UK website, www.miraclefruit.co.uk who have been overwhelmed with orders since the programme went out – so finally the berry’s time may have come. It has already done so in Japan where it is being sold in tablet form to aid dieters.

Cancer survival – Surprising findings

It has just been reported in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology that a study done in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has shown – perhaps surprisingly – that many cancer survivors don’t follow healthy lifestyles.

Apparently they are more likely to be non-smokers (82.6% to 91.6%) than adults in the general population (79.5%) which with the worldwide smoking ban is not so surprising, but the fact that they are not more prone to exercise to recommended levels, or to have a healthy diets with the recommended ‘five a day’ of fruit and vegetables, certainly is.

In a study of more than 9,000 patients with a history of various cancers, it was seen that a staggering 80.9% to 85.2% were not following the healthy eating guidelines. This is despite evidence that shows that those patients with a history of cancer had a significantly improved quality of life if they followed the three golden rules of survival: exercise, no smoking and plenty of fruit and vegetables. In fact, only about one in 20 of all the patients were following all three recommendations, so if you have a cancer survivor in your family make it a point to see they understand how important a healthy diet is to live a longer, and better lifespan.

Cancer update on apricots

One of the many natural supplements that keeps resurfacing in connection with cancer treatment, and prevention, is apricot kernels. I recently met a lady who has had cancer who has been taking them for some time and is convinced they have helped her. The evidence on this is not cut and dried, but there is certainly a body of anecdotal evidence and some clinical trials that seems to support this view, but there are also very clear dangers in this somewhat innocuous fruit.

It has been suggested that eating 7-10 Apricot Kernels a day may help to prevent cancer, alongside a healthy lifestyle and a good diet though this is outside the limit recommended as safe by many authorities. Certainly apricots themselves have been held up as the substance that helped the Hunza to achieve their very long life span, and relative freedom from cancer. Apricot Kernels are especially rich in Vitamin B17, which is also known rather confusingly by three different names: Amygdaline, Amygdalin or Laetrile. It is B17 that is the substance that is believed to both help prevent cancer, and have a direct impact upon cancer cells and many of the best sources we simply do not eat. For instance, we core our apples, and peel our parsnips and usually give the compost heap the B17 we need for ourselves. The best source is in apricot kernels and the lady I referred to at the beginning of this piece tells me she buys the ground kernels from Dayspring on 01483 418258. They also have a website at www.anticancerinfo.co.uk/suppliers.htm for more information.

The kernels should be chewed, or ground and sprinkled on food or in fruit juice. An excellent way to take Apricot Kernels is to fill a jar half full, add a 1/4 of a jar of organic or Manuka honey and mixed well with a fork, and keep in a fridge or cool cupboard. The kernels can then be added to fruit and muesli or simply taken straight from the spoon. For anyone who is not ill but wants to guard themselves from cancer they should just take a small amount – say a small half teaspoon of the ground kernels, but for more treatment levels up to three full teaspoons is usual, but I strongly suggest you consult with a qualified natural practitioner before you begin on a regime such as this.

Food Sources:
There are many foods that contain Vitamin B17 in varying amounts and these include: apple seeds, alfalfa sprouts, apricot kernels, bamboo shoots, barley, beet tops, bitter almond, blackberries, boysenberries, brewer’s yeast, brown rice, buckwheat, cashews, cherry kernels, cranberries, currants, fava beans, flax seeds, garbanzo beans, gooseberries, huckleberries, lentils, lima beans, linseed meat, loganberries, macadamia nuts, millet, millet seed, peach kernels, pecans, plum kernels, quince, raspberries, sorghum cane syrup, spinach, sprouts (alfalfa, lentil, mung bean, buckwheat, garbanzo), strawberries, walnuts, watercress, yams.

WARNING!
I would not be responsible if I didn’t repeat that you need to use apricot kernels with caution. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment suggests that you eat no more than one or two apricot kernels a day. This is because they have a high natural level of amygdalin and, during digestion, highly toxic hydrocyanic acid is released from it. This can lead to symptoms of acute poisoning like cramp, vomiting and respiratory distress. At high doses it can even lead to a fatal respiratory paralysis, which can lead to severe, acute poisoning. At very high doses it can even prove fatal.

Frog skin and lizard spit?

No it’s not an attempt to take you into Shakespearean realms with the Witches in Macbeth, but what is actually being touted as the latest treatment for diabetes. There is a growth market in diabetes because it has reached epidemic proportions, and the buzz word in all product areas at the moment is ‘natural’ but in this instance, happily for the frogs, the scientists have yet again identified an active natural ingredient and then set to and produced a synthetic version. No problem for that on the frog front, but this is exactly what happened with white willow bark whose active ingredient is salicylic acid and together with all its other component parts helps cure headaches. Science isolated the salicylic acid and gave us aspirin, but without the natural buffering ingredients that ensured that it didn’t upset the stomach.

So what’s so special about frog skin? Researchers found that a substance, called pseudin 2, secreted in the skin of the South American shrinking frog stimulates the release of insulin in the body. From there, they created a pseudo-pseudin that they claim has the same benefits and no side effects. The researchers also claim that the synthetic version of pseudin is actually better than the natural version.  Well that’s what they said about aspirin, and if this goes on that poor shrinking frog is going to shrink out of existence as they keep using it for research.

Type 2 diabetes can be handled through managing diet and lifestyle, unless you really want to kiss a frog or deprive it of its skin?

Restless legs – Peace at last?

The headline may be mildly amusing, but Restl(RLS) certainly is no joke for sufferers. The name is highly apt because this is a condition in which you have very unpleasant sensations of tingling or itching in the calves, thighs, feet or arms and feel extremely uncomfortable while you’re sitting or lying down. It seems to help if you get up and move around to alleviate it – in other words it makes you restless.

It affects both sexes, can begin at any age and may get worse as you get older. Because it is often worse at night, restless leg syndrome can disrupt sleep so you start taking siestas and are less alert during the day, It certainly makes any form of confined travel, such as in an aeroplane, extremely difficult. Now there is news from the USA of a skin patch, which although intended for use on those with Parkinson’s disease, has in trials proved helpful for Restless Legs Syndrome. The rotigotine patch, a dopamine agonist, improved the trial subject’s condition by about 36%. The researchers are optimistic that this once-a-day application will be easier for patients than the current 2-3 times a day for oral medicine. The patch is FDA approved for Parkinson’s but not yet for Restless Leg Syndrome, but it may be worth talking to your doctor about to see if it is available here yet.

The key factors in keeping your kidneys healthy

As we get older, it is vital to keep your kidneys functioning at their optimum best and there are two very simple ways to do that which I will explain shortly.

First do you recognise the amazing job your kidneys do for you? Each one is not much bigger than a pack of playing cards and weighs only 4-5 ounces and yet they handle nearly 25 percent of the total amount of blood that your heart pumps while you’re resting and they consume the same amount of your body’s supply of oxygen. They need all that blood and oxygen because they have five critical functions to perform for you:

1. Keeping your blood clean by filtering it of waste products and eliminating these waste products from your body as urine.

2. Helping maintain your body’s fluid composition.

3. Stimulating the production of red blood cells in your bone marrow by secreting a hormone called erythropoietin.

4. Helping maintain your blood pressure by producing an enzyme called rennin

5. Convert vitamin D to its most active form for use by the body.

One of the most vital functions your kidneys carry out for you is in the process of creating urine through an incredibly complex filtering system and tip number one is to make it easier for it to do that by drinking plain water when you are thirsty. Small amounts drunk regularly is better than a large amount in a short period of time.

Those two tips for keeping our kidneys health as we age?

The first is to not eat too much protein as it leads to greater workload on your kidneys, which must filter a by-product of protein metabolism called blood urea nitrogen (BUN) out of your blood. How much is too much? Well, if you have healthy kidneys, you can safely eat up to half of your body weight (in pounds) in grams per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds and are in good health, you can safely eat up to 75 grams of protein from minimally processed foods per day. If you have problems with your kidneys, you should certainly decrease this amount to reduce the strain on your system. If you are not sure, then ask your doctor to monitor you as there are tests you can take to determine how well your kidneys are processing protein.

The second is not to take Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin on a regular or frequent basis as they are known to cause kidney damage and disease. Such over-the-counter pain medications probably don’t pose significant danger if your kidneys are relatively healthy and you use them for emergencies only, so we are back to my cold again – thank goodness I don’t get more than 2 or 3 a year!

In the USA, one in nine adults has kidney disease and the best advice as ever is to be preventive and proactive. The same old boring, essential, stuff about a healthy non-processed diet, plenty of rest, exercise and freedom from stress. Take your body on holiday every day and get out into the fresh air – your body, including your kidneys, will thank you for it.

Painful Hands?

If your hands are painful, do you know for sure whether what causes it? You could have arthritis or might it actually be Carpal tunnel syndrome, one of the most common forms of Repetitive Strain Injury? About three in 100 of people in the UK suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and it is characterised by pain, tingling or numbness in the hand.

About half of all carpal tunnel cases are work-related, and it a ccounts for the highest number of days missed at work compared to all other work-related injuries or illnesses. The condition develops when the median nerve in the wrist becomes compressed as it passes through the carpal tunnel, the narrow passageway of bones and ligaments on the underside of the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. Symptoms include:

· difficulty holding objects
· difficulty performing repetitive movements without pain
· numbness, burning pain, tingling in hand or wrist that increases at night

Some professions are more vulnerable to this condition than others. Particularly at risk are musicians, particularly pianists and violinists, hairdressers, reflexologists and masseuse, manual labourers, computer operators, and even surgeons. If you already have arthritis or any rheumatic conditions then this again can increase the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome as can conditions such as obesity, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and diabetes.

What can you do about it?

Well painkillers, cortisone injections, splints and surgery (usually the final option) are the conventional route to go. However, my personal experience of a small sample of people I know that have had it done is that it needs to be carefully considered before you go under the knife. It can be painful and success is certainly not guaranteed, even orthopaedic surgeons admit that although surgery can cure night symptoms and transient tingling, if the nerve has been damaged as a result of carpal tunnel syndrome it probably won’t fully recover and complications from surgery can include complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS),which will permanently affect hand function.

On the alternative front, there are several options available:

1 Acupuncture can relieve the pain as it releases natural pain-relieving chemicals into the body, promotes circulation and balances the nervous system. If you can’t abide needles, then Acupressure will do the same job but usually takes a little longer to be effective in my experience.

2 Vitamin B6 deficiency has been associated with carpal tunnel syndrome in several research studies. If your diet is low in food sources such as sweet potatoes, avocados, brown rice, sunflower seeds, chick peas, salmon, pork, chicken, turkey, potatoes, bananas, and mangoes then supplementing with 50 mg 2 to 3 times a day is the suggested dose. At particular risk of B6 deficiency, in addition to poor diet, are those using oral contraceptives or HRT. The maximum intake of B6 from all sources should be less than 200 mg a day, unless otherwise recommended by your doctor or nutritionist.

3 Vitamin B12 – a study looked at the effectiveness of vitamin B12 for people with carpal tunnel syndrome due to overuse of the nonparalyzed arm after a stroke. For two years, 67 people in the study received 1500 mcg of vitamin B12 a day, and the remaining 68 did not. After two years, there was significant improvement in the group taking vitamin B12 compared to the untreated group. B12 is normally found in organ meats, and vegetarians may find they need supplemental amounts via injection which is often available on the NHS.

4 Enzyme supplements such as bromelain, found naturally in the juice and stems of pineapples, which are believed to help with the digestion of protein and may help to reduce tissue swelling associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. It can take several weeks to notice results.

5 One of my favourite homoeopathic remedies is Arnica, and in a double blind random study by the Department of Plastic Surgery of Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex, they found that arnica can speed up the recovery of hand surgery compared to a placebo. They used a combination of tablets and arnica ointment and saw a significant reduction in pain after two weeks.

Avoiding lung cancer – Go with green

It is one of the most common and deadly chronic diseases that afflicts both men and women, and you don’t have to be – or have been – a smoker to contract it. Women in particular are more susceptible to lung cancer than men. In fact, about 80 percent of non-smokers who develop lung cancer are women and it is responsible for more deaths than ovarian, breast, and uterine cancers combined.

One simple, natural, everyday habit that can help you avoid it is to think green. We have seen how you need your greens for magnesium, but there is one green vegetable that stands leaf and root above the others for its potent combination of antioxidants and flavonoids.

Leafy greens such as spinach, cabbage, and kale, are all excellent but the king of them all turns out to be not some exotic hard-to-get item but your ordinary lettuce. At least it is according to a study done by researchers at Spain’s Galician Public Foundation for Health Emergencies who examined the correlation between fruit and vegetable intake and lung cancer risk. Of the 600 subjects, nearly half were lung cancer patients, and the rest were cancer-free and all from the same area in Northern Spain. At the conclusion of the trial an analysis of each subject’s dietary intake revealed no link between fruit intake and a reduced risk of lung cancer BUT those who ate at least one serving per day of leafy green vegetables – particularly lettuce – had half the risk of lung cancer compared to subjects who only ate these types of vegetables a few times each week. Other ‘highly commended’ foods for avoiding lung cancer were also noted to be tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, and turnip tops. These vegetables have this protective effect because they are abundant in vitamin A, so all round it looks like a daily salad has even more going for it – just keep the dressing a simple one of olive oil and lemon juice and you max the health benefits even more.

If you are concerned you might be vulnerable to lung cancer, these are the primary warning signs:

- A cough that changes character (such as severity or frequency)
- Coughing that wakes you up at night
- Shortness of breath
- Blood in sputum

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