Massage Helps Deal With Bereavement
Truly it has to be said that nothing can truly help overcome the grief of bereavement, but without doubt there are things that can help. Support and offers of help are top of the list, plus a listening ear, but now it seems there is something practical you can do to help someone through those first dreadful weeks.
The April issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing has reported on a Swedish study where a 25 minute massage was offered for eight weeks to relatives who had lost a loved one to cancer. Participants ranged from 34 to 78 years of age and included widows, widowers, daughters and sisters. They were offered a choice of foot or hand massage and divided fairly evenly over what they chose. Only three of the participants had previous experience of soft tissue massage.
They reported that having a soothing massage helped provide much-needed consolation during an intense, stressful period of grieving. “Soft tissue massage is gentle, but firm” explains Dr Cronfalk, who carried out the research with colleagues from the Karolinska Institutet. “This activates touch receptors which then release oxytocin, a hormone known for its positive effects on well-being and relaxation. In this study the hand or foot massage was done with slow strokes, light pressure and circling movements using oil lightly scented with citrus or hawthorn.
The use of hawthorn and lemon as the oils is interesting as they would not naturally spring to mind first, lavender would normally hold that place. In fact I believe hawthorn oil is not much used in the UK, so it may be a particularly Scandinavian practice and it’s chief property is that of being sedative in effect. Lemon oil is probably best known for its antiseptic and antimicrobial properties but it reputedly increases concentration and awareness and helps to eliminate emotional confusion, which would fit with the grieving process. The main comments from the participants show just how helpful they felt it was and included:
1) “a helping hand at the right time. I didn’t know what to expect. I just felt I needed to do something to get rid of that pain and it seemed like a good alternative.”
2) “Something to rely on and the massage became something to look forward to. The therapist had cared for him and now she cared for me.”
3) “I could focus on my grief during the massage and that helped me handle the rest of the week. I was just lying there and no one expected me to talk about my feelings.”
All the participants used the word consolation and felt that the massages provide physical touch and closeness and helped to diminish the feelings of empty space and loneliness that people felt. If you wanted to offer practical help during a time of grieving, this could be a very worthwhile present to give if you felt able to do this yourself, and they would accept it.
If you want to give them a present of some massage sessions by a professional, and do not have a recommended aromatherapist in your area, then contact this website for a recommended practitioner, or to check is someone has the correct qualifications: www.aromatherapycouncil.co.uk/index_files/Page435.htm he British Association of Massage Practitioners.
Portable Probiotics for Travellers
Well the clocks have sprung forward and if you are thinking ahead to your holidays then these days, sadly, that means preparing yourself to cope with possible tummy upsets whether from food or your surroundings.
I am a big believer in probiotics for helping prepare your gut to deal with any problems and have tried many forms and packed pills, liquids and powders for that purpose. The main problem for travlleers is we want lightweight and portablilty in our remedies and Lifeplan have come up with Culture Care which should help you do that.
I recently had to have a course of antibiotics for a severe bacterial infection which made me face resemble that of a particularly pitiable adolescent. The redness I couild cope with but the itching drove me insane so I finally succumbed, but it’s an automatic reflex to take a probiotic with any antibiotic to help repopulate the gut with the beneficial flora that the drug wipes out.
When going on holiday, prepare your stomach similarly by taking Lifeplan Culture Care every day for two weeks before you go and that takes care of your health insurance at the gut level. If you then continue to take it for the two weeks of your holiday you will help maintain and protect the digestive tract from any upsets, such as holiday diarrhoea. Taking probiotics have been shown to cut the risk of contracting travellers’ diarrhoea by as much as 50% by eliminating unwanted bacteria from the body.
The main advantage to me though is the convenience as each pack of Culture Care contains 14 one-a-day sachets of dried powder, which are small and easy to pack and don’t need to be kept in the fridge. Add water to dissolve, or I prefer fruit juice as then I can ignore the fact it never seems to completely dissolve, and drink. Doesn’t have any discernible taste I could find and it is certainly convenient.
If you have any questions about probiotics or health-related questions then you can call Lifeplan’s nutritionists free of charge on 01455 556281. Culture Care is available from health stores or direct from their website at: www.lifeplan.co.uk/products/Culture-Care-x-14.htm?prodID=750
Flip Flops and Osteoarthritis
If you suffer from osteoarthritis in your knees then there may be no need to spend a lot of money on expensive specialist shoes. A study by Rush University Medical Center has found that flip-flops and sneakers with flexible soles are easier on the knees than clogs or even special walking shoes.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and a significant source of disability and impaired quality of life. A higher-than-normal load on the knees during walking is a hallmark of the disease, associated with both the severity of osteoarthritis and its progression.
Dr. Najia Shakoor, a rheumatologist at Rush and the primary author of the study, said “Traditionally, footwear has been engineered to provide maximum support and comfort for the foot, with little attention paid to the biomechanical effects on the rest of the leg but the shoes we wear have a substantial impact on the load on the knee joints, particularly when we walk.” They analyzed the gait of patients with symptoms of osteoarthritis while they walked barefoot and with four popular shoe types: Dansko clogs, which are often worn by those who have to be on their feet much of the day; stability shoes; Puma sneakers; and flip-flops.
The loads on the knee joints differed significantly depending on the footwear. For the clogs and stability shoes, the loads on the knee joints were up to 15 percent greater than with the flat walking shoes, flip-flops or barefoot walking. Knee loading was roughly the same whether the subject wore flips-flops or walked barefoot.
Several aspects of footwear affect the joint loading: heel height and stiffness of the sole being the most important. Earlier studies have shown that barefoot walking is associated with lower knee loads than walking with conventional footwear. Flip-flops and sneakers are flat, flexible and lightweight and seem to mimic the mechanics of walking with bare feet.
Clogs and stability shoes that are usually suggested to provide appropriate cushioning and support were shown to actually increase the loading on the knee joints, as opposed to shoes with less ‘support,’ flatter heels and more flexibility. But, bear in mind that flip flops could contribute to falls because of their loose-fitting design so maybe seek out some fancy sneakers instead.
GP’s Want Better Dietary Information
It’s not often the words doctor and diet information are found together, and if I am honest I would have preferred doctors and nutrition as the phrase, but I quibble. New research has revealed that doctors are having to deal with more and more cases of the four biggest health risks that can cut your life short, and they are related to, and helped by, diet and nutrition. A very healthy two thirds of the doctors polled want to have information on diet so they can give better advice.
They are on the right track as a new study led by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) estimates that smoking, high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and overweight and obesity currently can seriously reduce life expectancy. Men lose 4.9 years in men and 4.1 years in women. It is the first study to look at the effects of those four preventable risk factors on life expectancy in the whole nation.
I have always wondered why it isn’t part of their training, but better late than never say I and it seems that three in five of the doctors polled regularly go online to access that information. I was surprised that more than half (52 per cent) of doctors surveyed regularly prescribe supplements with two in five (41 per cent) prescribing a few times a month and one in ten (10 per cent) weekly. If your doctor isn’t doing so, then ask him/her why they are in the minority.
You would think they would be bombarded by information from nutrition companies but it seems they are missing a trick as GPs are being left out of the loop when it comes to communications around nutritional information.
You may think you are alone in looking up your symptoms on the Internet, but apparently the same survey found that 97 per cent of doctors are accessing it for professional purposes so you can swop web addresses with them!
Shifts Can Harm, But Artichokes Can Help With IBS
As recent figures show that 22% of the population in the UK suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, anything that can help is to be welcomed, especially if it is natural – but more of that later.
What certainly won’t help is if you are a shift worker, as new research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology shows that it has a significantly increased risk of developing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and abdominal pain. “We know that people participating in shift work often complain of gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramping, constipation and diarrhoea,” says Sandra Hoogerwerf, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School where the research was carried out.
These are also the same symptoms of IBS and so the study followed three groups of nurses who were either working on permanent day shifts, permanent night shifts or rotating shifts between day and night. Your colon has its own biological clock and that’s what increases the likelihood of having a bowel movement in the first six hours of the day and shift work can cause chronic disruption of that biological rhythm. This can result in that clock to be constantly thrown off and needing to adjust, creating symptoms of IBS.
The researchers say their study suggests that sleep disturbances do not completely explain the existence of IBS or abdominal pain associated with shift work but their findings suggest that nurses on shift work, particularly those who participate in rotating shift work, have a higher prevalence of IBS and abdominal pain than others.
Natural Help
IBs can be particularly difficult to treat medically and there are a number of self help options available that most sufferers turn to. Studies and clinical trials have shown that extracts of artichoke were able to relieve the symptoms for those suffering a constant upset stomach or indigestion. This led to the idea that artichoke could also have benefit sufferers of IBS and a UK study showed that an amazing 96% of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) rated artichoke leaf extract as better than or equal to previous therapies administered for their symptoms.
If the idea of artichokes for breakfast, lunch and dinner doesn’t appeal you could take the easy way out and get the same benefit from a herbal tea from Natur Boutique that has the same benefit. If you can’t find it in your health store, go to www.drinkherbaltea.co.uk
Please be aware that pregnant and breast feeding women should seek advice from their doctors before using artichoke extracts and it should not be taken in the presence of gallstones or other bile duct occlusion, due to its bile stimulating effects.
Vitamin D Supplements Can Help Reduce Heart Disease Risk
There is an ongoing and endless argument in the medical world about whether nutritional supplements have any real value in the west so it’s good to hear good news for once. It was reported at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific session in Atlanta, Georgia this month that treating Vitamin D deficiency can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
Vitamin D is certainly recommended to reduce bone disease and fractures, but this is the first time it has been suggested to treat heart disease. Two new studies undertaken at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Utah last year have claimed that preventing and treating heart disease in some patients could be as simple as supplementing their diet with extra vitamin D. Doctors recommending supplements, what is the world coming to?!
Researchers demonstrated a clear link between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk for coronary artery disease in studies lasting over a year each and involving over 40,000 patients with low vitamin D levels. In the first study they found that 47 percent of the patients who increased their levels of vitamin D between the two visits showed a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. The second study was even more impressive as patients who increased their vitamin D levels to 43 nanograms per milliliter of blood or higher had lower rates of death, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, high blood pressure, depression, and kidney failure.
While exposure to 20-30 minutes of sunlight can provide up to 10,000 IU, of vitamin D you need to be sure to use sunscreen and avoid the hottest parts of the day in order to avoid sunburn and the harmful UV rays associated with skin cancer. Supplements can help boost your levels all year round and although the current RDA Recommended Daily Allowance) for vitamin D is around 400 IU for adults, 1000 IU for babies up to 2 years and between 500 – 1000 for older children the doctors taking part in the two studies feel that the ‘normal’ levels are too low.
They suggested increasing vitamin D intake by 1000 to 5000 international units (IU) a day, depending on a patient’s health and genetic risk for coronary disease. However an excess of vitamin D can cause nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness and weight loss so always check with your doctor before exceeding the RDA and have a blood test to accurately determine the levels in your blood.
Seaweed Extract May Be A Treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system and is classified into Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s types, which are then further classified into B-cell and T-cell groups. Unfortunately some forms of B-cell lymphoma are especially resistant to standard treatment and so the search has been on for new therapies.
Research underway at the Hashemite University in Jordan to see whether seaweed extract could hold the key has evolved into trials with a commercially available seaweed extract at the University of California, Berkeley, and Royal Hobart Hospital in Australia.
They are investigating active compounds derived from a natural source seaweed treated as they contain fucoidan. This is a sulfated polysaccharide that is similar to heparin in chemical structure and that has been reported to have anti-tumour activity in mice. They found that
the extract did inhibit the the growth of lymphoma cell lines, while leaving the control healthy cells intact. The researchers also noted a significant pattern of activity in the genes known to be linked with apoptosis, or cell death, in lymphoma.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is where this result was aired and they have called for more study and phase II or III clinical trials involving seaweed extract.
Research Proves High Blood Pressure Reduced With Celery
Simple self-help measures go a long way to reducing blood pressure and if you have already undertaken daily walking and stress reduction then it might be an idea to adding celery to your diet.
The health-giving benefits of celery are not new: the original Father of Medicine was Hippocrates who prescribed drinking celery juice to patients suffering from nervous tension and Chinese medicine has long recognized celery juice as able to reduce high blood pressure. However, now science has got in on the act to ‘prove’ whether it works, and I am happy to report that all those millions of people who have tried it over the centuries were absolutely right.
Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood pushing against the walls of the arteries and if the pressure rises significantly and remains there for an extended period of time, it can cause serious damage to the body. A blood pressure reading is measured by two numbers. The systolic (higher) number is the measure of pressure the blood exerts while the heart is beating and the diastolic (lower) number is the measure of pressure the blood exerts while the heart is relaxed. The ‘norm’ if there is such a thing is to aim for an optimal blood pressure of 120/80.
The University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) is credited with carrying out one of the first scientific studies of celery’s effects on blood pressure. In one of the reported results, the father of a scientist at UCMC experienced a drop in his blood pressure from 158/96 to 118/82 after just one week of eating about four stalks of celery a day. It has this effect because it contains active compounds named phthalides which naturally relax the muscles in and around the walls of the arteries. This causes those vessels to dilate, creating more space inside the arteries that permits the blood to flow at a lower pressure.
Phthalides also have been reported to lower blood pressure and promote a healthy circulatory system by reducing the level of stress hormones in the body by their high content of the minerals magnesium, potassium, and calcium. These all have calming effects on the nervous system, and that naturally helps balance stress levels.
If you want to try it then please juice or eat around four sticks a day – wonderful though baked celery in cheese sauce is, it just won’t give you the same benefits.
Glucosamine That Melts On Your Tongue
Many adults take glucosamine to treat symptoms relating to osteoarthritis, joint stress and injury and in order to protect joints and connective tissue as we age. Glucosamine is an amino sugar that is produced in the body from glucose, and is essential for the production of cartilage and synovial fluid. It is normally taken as a supplement in tablet form, but as the suggested daily dose is 1500mg not everyone is happy with swallowing fairly large tablets.
If that’s you, then a new form of glucosamine might be the answer.
Flexi-melt™ is a high purity form of Glucosamine Hydrochloride in the form of a natural citrus flavoured tablet that Flexi-melt that utilises, a unique ‘Soft-melt’ system, which means that tablets feel smooth on the tongue before quickly disintegrating in the mouth. Each Flexi-melt tablet contains 750mg of glucosamine hydrochloride, with a high percentage (83%) of actual glucosamine. .
There are two forms of glucosamine and it helps to know which one your supplement contains. Glucosamine sulphate or glucosamine hydrochloride: glucosamine hydrochloride is a smaller molecule than sulphate and contains a higher percentage (83%) of glucosamine than the sulphate (65%). This means that you need to take less glucosamine hydrochloride to achieve the recommended daily dose of 1500mg. Compared to glucosamine sulphate, glucosamine hcl does not contain potassium salts which makes it a better choice if you are on any medication for hypertension.
Dr Patricia Mcnair specializes in Medicine for the Elderly at Milford Hospital, Surrey, England backs up the claims for glucosamine: “Studies have shown that glucosamine can help to keep the joints healthy and may, for example, reduce the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee. And unlike some other common pain relievers it has a good safety profile “
The recommended daily dose of Flexi-melt is two tablets a day and you should find it in leading pharmacies and health food shops. If not, go to the website at www.flexi-melt.co.uk
US Courts Back HRT and Breast Cancer Risk
It was as far back as 2002 that the link between breast cancer and HRT was first reported and the drug companies have been fighting a fierce rearguard campaign ever since. It was the Women’s Health Initiative study who came to this conclusion after a long term and massive research project and began around 8,000 lawsuits in the US.
Now in a record breaking judgement by a Philadelphia state-court jury, Wyeth, a division of Pfizer, was ordered to pay $6 million in punitive damages to Audrey Singleton, a retired school bus driver from Alabama,who developed breast cancer after taking the company’s menopause drugs. The award included $3.45 million in compensatory damages and $6 million in punitive damages awarded to punish the company for their conduct. Audrey Singleton alleged that Wyeth knew about the risk of breast cancer from Prempro and failed to warn the public about the risk of the drug.
The jury made this award on the basis that the company failed to warn about the risks of the drug and took only minutes to come to their decision. Audrey Singleton began taking Prempro in August 1997 and a mammogram taken at that time was normal, but in January 2004 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and stopped taking the drug. Until 1995, many patients combined Premarin, Wyeth’s estrogen-based drug, with Provera which is high in progestins – synthetic progesterone – and Wyeth combined the two hormones in Prempro.
Despite being diagnosed, her physician suggested she stay on the medicine, which Pfizer seem to think lets them off the hook but this verdict is Wyeth’s seventh loss in ten cases to have gone before juries and the fifth in a row over the drug.
All of the lawsuits focused on allegations that the drug company’s failure to warn consumers and the medical community about the risk of Prempro side effects caused them to develop invasive breast cancer. The company’s attorneys are still continuing to appeal the verdict, as they have in the previous cases, but there can now be no woman who is unaware of the potentially fatal link between HRT drugs and breast cancer.
