Update on teenagers

Do you remember in a recent article, (yet another ‘would you believe it’), I reported on the ‘news’ that teenagers who lounge about watching television and undertake very little physical activity probably developed the habit when they were younger? Well I have an update on those teenage couch potatoes, this time from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Apparently, the common practice of putting a TV in your teenager’s bedroom actually increases the amount of television they watch.

Would you believe it? Their study, to be published in the May issue of Pediatrics Journal, was of nearly 800 teenagers and revealed that twice as many 15-18 year-olds who had a TV in their bedrooms said they watched at least five hours of TV a day, compared with those who did not have a television in their bedroom at all. And they are more likely to have unsatisfactory eating and study habits – and a tendency to weight gain and hypertension.A previous study found that having a television in the bedroom is a stronger predictor of obesity than the amount of time spent actually watching it. Perhaps it beams out fat rays, even when switched off – wonder if Dr Who would be interested in that as a storyline?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents refrain from putting a television in a child’s room. But despite the recommendation, about two-thirds of children ages eight to 18 have a television in their bedroom, the study found, and good luck to any parent who tries to remove it is what I say.

The Diced Diet

With the sun shining, and prospect of swimsuits by the sea beckoning, it might be time to think about a detox diet to get you in shape. There are plenty of versions on the market, but not many that are 100% natural and that you don’t buy in a can or a box but create yourself in your own kitchen.

Basil Shackletona South African rancher, devised something called the Grape Cure and is a big fan of raw foods, which many find to be very beneficial in healing a number of conditions. He claims the diet has great cleansing properties, and, if eaten regularly as a main meal during the day, will actually detox you and if you eat it five days a week it can cure rheumatism and skin rashes, and it is a guaranteed cure for normal constipation. That last one is clear when you read the ingredients list for one meal:

Ingredients:
· 2 ounces of well-washed raisins
· 1 medium eating apple
· 1 ripe and well-washed tomato
· 2 ounces mild milk cheese such as Gouda
· 2 ounces dry-roasted peanuts (no oils, fats, or salt)
· The juice of half a fresh, ripe lemon

Obviously organic is preferred, and if you want to try it then you start by washing the raisins several times in hot water, put them in a cup and allow to soak in really hot water for about ten minutes. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into another cup and add the drained raisins so that the juice just covers the raisins and leave for up to 20 minutes – the longer you leave it the sweeter the end result will be.

In the meantime, wash the tomato, cut into small pieces, and place in a bowl. Cut the cheese into small pieces add it to the tomato and tip in the peanuts. Finally add the raisins and lemon juice to the bowl, stir thoroughly and the meal is ready to eat. To gain the best benefit, you must eat it within 15 minutes of it being ready or the ingredients lose their natural vitamins and minerals through the being exposed to the air.

Eat slowly, chew it well, and don’t drink any liquids until two hours after the meal. For maximum health benefit, if you are trying this for a week as a detox, cut meat out for that time as well.

Lower your risk of gallstones

There is a simple way to do it – just make sure your diet contains plenty of the mineral magnesium. According to a new study, a diet rich in magnesium can reduce the risk of developing this very painful condition.

Researchers studied data of more than 42,000 men from ages 40 to 75 and found that those with the highest magnesium intake decreased their risk of gallstones by as much as 33 percent. Magnesium helps to keep down triglyceride levels and raise the levels of HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol)in the blood. Cholesterol is a major component in the formation of gallstones, in fact some gallstones are made up entirely of cholesterol,so it makes sense that higher magnesium levels will help to stop the gallstones from forming in the first place.

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant vitamin in the body, with 40 percent of it being found in our bones. It has plenty of other health benefits too and is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps your heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Research is also now focusing its role in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

What foods provide magnesium? Green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli are good sources of magnesium because the centre of the chlorophyll molecule (which gives green vegetables their colour) contains magnesium. Beans and peas, nuts and pumpkin seeds, and whole, unrefined grains are also good sources as is halibut and, strangely enough, peppermint. In spite of its benefits, magnesium consumption has declined over the years, partly as a result of our food becoming subject to so many more processes that deplete the magnesium, along with many other vitamins and minerals. As ever, a varied, wholegrain and natural food diet is your best bet.

Mercury fillings – Safe or not?

Mercury is the third most toxic poison in the world, and you may not be aware of it, but it has been used in amalgam dental fillings since the 1830′s and most amalgams composed of at least 50% mercury. The debate over its use has been ongoing for some time; I certainly had all my amalgam fillings removed and replaced some ten years ago when I first started reading, and writing, about the potential health risks. The situation now seems to be polarising, and so I offer you both sides of the argument so you can make up your own mind.

In the red corner are the Scandinavians: on January 1st this year, Norway became the first nation to impose a total ban on the use of amalgam fillings in dental work. Previous laws forbid the use of mercury-containing fillings in more vulnerable segments of the population, such as pregnant women and children, but the new law is the first to forbid the use of the toxic metal without exemption. Mercury has also been banned from all other products produced, imported, exported, sold, and used in the country. Minister of Environment and Development, Erik Solheim, stated that “Mercury is among the most dangerous environmental toxins. Satisfactory alternatives to mercury in products are available, and it is therefore fitting to introduce a ban.” Sweden has now followed suit with a ban on mercury fillings that came into place on April 1st (2008), this year and Denmark and other EU countries are now contemplating similar moves.

In the Blue corner are Britain and the USA who do not accept that there is any problem with the mercury and say that all the negative claims are either unsubstantiated by rigorous scientific data or simply not significant enough to be of concern. They are backed up by a European Union scientific committee study which has claimed that amalgam fillings containing mercury pose no health risk to the human nervous system. The Committee said it had investigated claims of a link between amalgams and a variety of systemic conditions, particularly neurological and psychological or psychiatric effects.

They concluded that no risks of adverse systemic effects exist and the current use of dental amalgam does not pose a risk of systemic disease.

The findings reflect the opinions of some dentists and governments, who have insisted the material is safer and more durable than alternatives, but patients’ organisations have disputed the results, claiming amalgam is dangerous and that anyone carrying an average of 2.5 grams in their mouths is at risk. Another patient organisation in Spain said it rejected the provisional report because it was partial and ignored the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other scientists’ recommendations.

What do I think? Well, many European countries, including Britain, advise against the use of amalgam for children and pregnant women, due to its impact on brain development. In fact, research published in March 2006 shows neurodevelopmental disorders in children have decreased following the removal of thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury, from American childhood vaccines. This led to the World Health Organization urging that Thimerosal be banned in U.S. vaccines.

Amalgam fillings raise the level of mercury circulating in the blood as the mercury leaches from the filling into the body and it is believed to harm children’s normal development. Relatively low doses of mercury have been linked to adverse neuro-development and many people who have displayed sensitivity to the substance have reported improvements in health upon removal of the toxic fillings. It is often recommended that is removed in those with compromised immune systems and sufferering from immune responsive disorders such as ME.

As other types of composite fillings have become strong enough to replace amalgams under practically any circumstance, it would seem time to look realistically at phasing mercury out as a potential health hazard. If the health angle doesn’t convince you, perhaps the environmental one might do so. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, medical waste incinerators emit 70,000 pounds of mercury into the biosphere each year, making medical use of the metal one of the leading contributors to mercury pollution. If you are thinking of having a tooth filling replaced, talk to your dentist and if you are having mercury fillings replaced that needs to be done with great care to avoid dust from the filling being absorbed back into your body. Ask your dentist if they are experienced in this type of removal and if they are not, it would be sensible to seek out someone who does this as a regular part of their practice work.

Yet Another ‘would you believe it’

Let’s hear it for Robert McMurray, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of North Carolina, who managed to get a grant to show that teenagers who lounge about watching television and undertake very little physical activity probably developed the habit when they were younger. I wish I had thought of applying for a grant to study that, who would have guessed that kids who were couch potatoes at age 7-10 were unlikely to turn into star athletes when they hit their teens?

It is actually a serious subject as lack of physical activity and poor aerobic fitness is usually combined with poor eating habits to produce a child at risk of metabolic syndrome. That is a cluster of risk factors that in combination certainly appear to increase the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses later in life.

According to Dr Murray, “This is the first study to examine the importance of childhood fitness levels on your metabolism as a teenager. Previously we didn’t know if low fitness levels were an influence. It’s obvious now that there is a link and this is something which we need to pay attention to by encouraging our kids to keep fit, or suffer the consequences later in life.”

The study showed that the unfit kids already had a higher body mass index, higher blood pressure, and a greater total cholesterol level than the children who undertook more exercise and that second group would not go on to develop metabolic syndrome risk factors. In fact the unfit teenagers were six times more likely to have had poor aerobic fitness as children and five times more likely to have had overall low levels of physical activity.

I would guess that if you asked most adults if there was link between low physical activity in children and how they behaved as teenagers, then certainly most parents would not be surprised at the findings.

Anyone know the contact details for the National Lottery Research Funding Applications? I have a great idea for studying the health benefits of breathing on a daily basis, as opposed to only once a week, and I am sure I could show some benefit from it.

Another benefit for coffee?

If you really enjoy your coffee, and have a high fat diet, then despite kind friends like me warning you of potential health problems, there is some new research that might cheer you up. It was reported by Jonathan D. Geiger, Ph.D., of the University of North Dakota, in the April issue of the Journal of Neuroinf – lammation, that animal tests appeared to protect the blood-brain barrier from cholesterol-induced damage in rabbits. Why is this important? Because high levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, perhaps by compromising the protective nature of the blood-brain barrier. Other experimental studies have suggested that caffeine has beneficial effects for a number of neurovascular disorders, including Alzheimers’ but it is not yet conclusive. So I sugest you go easy on the high fat cappuccino’s for a while yet.

Let them eat grass – Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass seems to be the hot health idea at the moment and you can’t go into a trendy juice bar – as I am sure you do every other day – without being offered an expensive shot of green liquid. Like all ‘hot’ ideas it has actually been around for some time. In fact it has been something of a cottage industry, rather the old sprouters on the windowsill that were seen in all healthy homes in the 1970′s, you now find trays of wheatgrass or, if they are flat dwellers like me, it’s probably ‘grow your own grass’ for the cats.

However, wheatgrass has many great qualities as a supplement to your diet but unlike the sprouts, you don’t eat it – you juice it to get the maximum benefit. So what are these benefits? Well, increasing numbers of people are turning to it in their fight against cancer, to boost their immune system, and as an essential part of any detox programme. Wheatgrass first earned its reputation from people with terminal illnesses, who took it at the eleventh hour after conventional medicine left them with no hope. In the 1970s, Dr Ann Wigmore opened the Hippocrates Health Institute, in Boston, nourishing terminally ill patients back to health with fresh squeezed wheatgrass and from then on it has been an underground health story passed on by word of mouth.

Wheat grass has been called one of nature’s finest medicines. It is perhaps the most nutritious and cleansing juice there is. In its natural state, wheat grass is indigestible for humans; so don’t go plucking it straight out of the field. However, wheatgrass juice is easily digested and its nutrients and enzymes are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, providing an instant boost of energy and ongoing nourishment. It is high in chlorophyll, potassium, calcium, and magnesium and is a highly effective detoxifier, especially for the liver and gallbladder. Wheat grass has nearly a gram of protein per teaspoon, and includes all eight of the essential amino acids, as well as 13 of the remaining 16. It contains Vitamins A, B1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 12; C, E and K. A teaspoon of wheat grass contains around 15mg of Calcium, 8mcg Iodine, 3.5mcg Selenium, 870mcg Iron, 62mcg Zinc, and many other minerals.

There is another good reason to take a daily shot of wheatgrass: it contains Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), and it has been found that cancerous cells have a deficiency, or a complete lack of, SOD. Anti-oxidants have the ability to mop up free radicals and so reduce or avoid cell mutation. Mutation is part of the first stage of cancer formation so, if you supplement your diet with wheat grass you will almost certainly be helping your body to avoid, or deal with, cancerous conditions.

You don’t have to drink gallons of the stuff either, the intense green juice is best taken in ‘shots’ of about 1tbsp at a time. Like all fresh juices it needs to be drunk immediately, it goes off in about 30 minutes, so cut from the tray and juice, or cut the shoots and keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator where they will retain their nutrients for up to seven days after cutting.

For those with an intolerance to gluten, do not be put off because the grain metamorphoses completely into a vegetable, with none of the allergic proteins common to the glutenous grains. You can indeed follow the advice of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who said “our food is our medicine and our medicine is our food”

Oh, and if you are not a gardener, even of the windowsill variety, then you will be delighted to learn you can actually buy the stuff ready grown, cut and ready to stuff in your juicer. Ask at your local health store as it can often be found as tablets or powder supplements and in bags in the chiller cabinet, or you can order trays of wheat, barley, oat and rye grass from this site: www.browfarmwheatproducts.co.uk

Whatever you do, start with small amounts as it is a powerful detoxifier and you can mix it with juice if you find the taste not to your liking.

How to lower stroke risk

Do you have plenty of asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, chick peas, oranges, wheat germ and kidney beans in your diet? If so, then you are naturally getting high levels of folate, which is a water soluble member of the B vitamin family, B9 to be exact. Folate is vital in protecting you against the risk of a cerebral infarction, the most common kind of stroke. In fact it accounts for 80% of all strokes, and so a recent study wanted to look at whether supplementing with vitamins, or increased intake of foods high in , could make a difference.

A dual study in Sweden and Finland have been looking at the relationship between folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and the amino acid methionine – all of which are involved with homocysteine production. Why should they be interested in that? Because high levels of blood homocysteine are linked to increased stroke risk, and much interest is being shown in how to use supplements, and diet, in a more preventive way in healthcare.

The findings of the study are encouraging if you are at risk of a stroke: those with the highest intake of folate had a 20% lower risk of stroke than those with the lowest levels.

These findings are based on the subjects’ normal, everyday, diet. They were not given any supplements or asked to eat any differently with special foods. So if you have any incidence of strokes in your family, it makes sense to include as many of these foods as possible in your diet. I certainly have a family history and much as I dislike Brussels sprouts, I must try to love them – although I think it will be my asparagus intake that goes up first!

Flu vaccine not as effective for heart patients

Obviously if you have heart disease, or cardiac problems, then the focus is solely on keeping the heart healthy. However, a report presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology by Dr Orly Vardeny, of the University of Wisconsin seems to imply that “heart failure goes beyond the heart, that there are other systems challenged by the condition.” This arose from his study which indicated heart failure patients may not have as strong an immune response to flu vaccine as healthy patients. This is not the time of year to be thinking of flu vaccines, but I am a great believer in looking ahead and being prepared. The report showed that patients with heart failure had a significantly lower antibody response to one of the three influenza virus strains found in the flu vaccine used for the study, compared with healthy patients. It has been previously established that heart failure patients are at an increased risk for developing influenza, which is why yearly vaccination is recommended for them, but it was reported by Dr. Vardeny that there are still high numbers of hospitalisations and deaths from influenza in heart failure patients, They do not yet know why the impaired response happens but believe it may be due to increased neurohormone levels, such as norepinephrine and angiotensin II. Further study is being done on the specific effects of norepinephrine or beta-adrenergic mechanisms in response to vaccines, but they do not suggest that patients with heart failure should stop getting immunised just yet.

The answer might lie in more preventive measures such as boosting the immune system through natural means by methods such as meditation, exercise and supplements such as additional vitamin C and immune boosters like ginseng and Echinacea. Belt and braces has always been good advice if you are vulnerable to infections and if in any doubt, please talk to your doctor about how a flu vaccine might affect you.

Antioxidants for ‘airport ears’

Do you live near to an airport or are you often exposed to loud noise on a regular basis? Are you suffering from hearing loss because of it? If so, you may be interested to hear of some new research, at present only being carried out on guinea pigs, that seems to show that having a good level of antioxidants might just make all the difference. The University of Michigan Hearing Research Institute carried out the study and they gave the guinea pigs a mix of antioxidants: vitamins A, C, and E, and magnesium one hour before they were exposed to the equivalent decibel level comparable to a jet engine taking off. The guinea pigs continued to be given the same amount of the antioxidant mix for a further five days after that single event. A test group were also exposed to the same decibel level, but with no antioxidants given.

When they compared the hearing levels of the two groups at the end of the five-day period, the group that had taken antioxidants experienced a significantly lower loss of hearing. So could it help us too? I will pass on information on phase two of the research, where the Michigan researchers are testing the same antioxidants on soldiers who are exposed to high decibel levels during training, and indeed often very frequently afterwards.

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