The studies, presented at the meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes here, add to a growing body of evidence linking depression and other mental disorders to diabetes risk. Symptoms of depression or psychological stress were associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in men, but not in women, Swedish researchers reported A team from Canada said surveillance data suggest that "people with diabetes had a higher prevalence of all mental illnesses compared with people without diabetes."
The rate of affective and anxiety disorders was more than 30% higher in people with diabetes who were younger than 50 men with the highest level of depressive symptoms had a nearly four-fold risk for type 2 diabetes, In the Canadian study, Lauren C. Brown, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and colleagues,found people with diabetes
had a higher prevalence of all mental illnesses compared with people without diabetes, and this
finding was consistent over the examined time period." People with diabetes also had a more than a two-fold higher prevalence of non-organic psychoses than people without diabetes Given the increased rate of mental illness in people with diabetes, "research should focus on strategies to minimize complications and mortality in this population with comorbidity, " the authors wrote.
DANGERS OF HYPOTENSION OR LOW BLOOD PRESSURE
You may be wondering if there are dangers from "hypotension" or "low
blood pressure"? Yes, surprisingly, low blood pressure can be as
dangerous as "high blood pressure" or "hypertension"! Furthermore,
few people realize that hypertensive patients can suddenly, without
warning, become hypotensive.
Systolic pressure represents the upper number blood pressure reading
signifying the amount of pressure exerted against the arterial wall
in the pumping phase of the heartbeat. Adults registering 140 mmHg or
higher are considered to have high blood pressure but doctors are
vague about what constitutes low blood pressure. Some say it could be
considered low if the systolic pressure is below 100 mmHg. Most
patients who are believed to have low blood pressure have a serious
challenge in getting their blood pressure to rise. Typically, medical
examiners do not regard this as a problem.
How do we check for low blood pressure?
The best way we know is to check the blood pressure of the patient
while he or she is sleeping. When the patient awakens at a 65-degree
bed slope, then check the blood pressure again. Now compare the two
readings. In a healthy individual, the blood pressure reduces when
you awaken at a 65-degree slope, but it quickly returns to normal.
However, individuals who experience low blood pressure will have
their blood pressure elevate. It could take several minutes to hours
or NEVER to normalize depending on the individual.
What happens to the blood pressure when you wake up suddenly?
Blood flow to the brain slows for several seconds followed by vertigo
(dizziness) and possibly vomiting in the individual experiencing low
blood pressure. You can easily see how this condition paves the way
for stress and degeneration in other areas.
How do temperature changes affect blood pressure?
We all know that if you suddenly enter a cold air-conditioned room
during the summer, or come from the cold outside during winter into a
warm room, your blood pressure may decrease. For vulnerable persons,
sudden low blood pressure may occur, especially when other stressors
are added to sudden atmospheric temperature changes. There may be
more reasons aside from stress, but stress is surely one of the
reasons!
You might be thinking this could happen to hypertensive persons as
well. Yes, it can easily happen to them! Heart attack and cerebral
stroke are believed to be caused by high blood pressure. As you know,
high blood pressure weakens blood vessels and promotes thrombus
(blood clots).
Effects of Bathing on Blood Pressure
We have gathered data about fluctuating blood pressure before and
after a bath among people with hypertension compared with people with
normal blood pressure. According to this information, people with
hypertension experience an elevation in blood pressure immediately
after bathing followed by an immediate drop to low blood pressure.
However, for these individuals, blood pressure does not return to
normal or it seems to have difficulty returning to normal.
This post-bath sudden high blood pressure level may be accompanied
with dangerous signs such as:
1. Collapse during the bath.
2. Danger of brain anemia.
3. Danger of heart attack
4. Blood vessel bursting causing stroke or sudden death
Why is it difficult for a person with hypertension to return to
normal blood pressure following bathing?
Actually, a sensor that perceives the blood pressure in the wall of
the blood vessel of our neck carries out the role of adjusting the
blood pressure. However, the sensitivity of this sensor may dull for
people suffering with arteriosclerosis and the like. This makes it
more difficult for the blood pressure to return to normal.
How to Prevent Hypertension During a Bath
To prevent hypertension, daily care and attention is required to
maintain normal blood pressure.
1. Avoid taking a bath after drinking. Drinking causes the blood
pressure to go down easily.
2. During winter, warm up the bathtub and the bathroom before
taking a bath to avoid sudden rise of blood pressure. When the
bathroom is cold, your blood pressure may rise easily.
3. Very hot water and long hot water bath should be avoided.
4. Rest your arm on the edge of the bathtub. This is a preventive
measure to keep you from drowning in the bathtub.
How to Prevent Unexpected Decrease in Blood Pressure
There are people whose blood pressure decreases after each meal. This
is because strong blood flow is required for stomach and intestines
to break down food, converting it to blood. This requires a great
outlay of energy. Thus, a shortage of blood occurs in the heart and
the brain, which contribute to poor blood circulation and low blood
pressure.
Many sales clerks in the malls or supermarkets standing all day,
contributing to symptoms of low blood pressure due to gravity pooling
of blood in the lower extremities. So what is the solution to this
problem? A simple cup of coffee or pair of tight or fishnet-type
stockings can help greatly. If you belong to the group experiencing
low blood pressure after meals, then, drink a cup of coffee before
and after your meal. How does this help? The answer is very simple!
Coffee contains caffeine that narrows the blood vessels! If you
belong to the group experiencing low blood pressure due to your work
requiring that you stand all day, then use a pair of tight or fishnet
stockings. In this way, your blood pressure will not decrease as you
expect! How does a pair of tight stockings prevent low blood
pressure? The answer is also simple! The flow of blood to your feet
will be limited by restricting their capacity for expanding to take
on more blood volume.
Do these simple ways of treating low blood pressure have any side
effects? Yes, they may have side effects if you will continue doing
them for several weeks. Try it for one week only. After a week, it is
possible that you will not be suffering from sudden low blood
pressure anymore! This is the power of simple, natural remedies. It's
wonderful, isn't it? Of course, there could be many other reasons
that contributing to low blood pressure. Consult your doctor if
necessary.
blood pressure"? Yes, surprisingly, low blood pressure can be as
dangerous as "high blood pressure" or "hypertension"! Furthermore,
few people realize that hypertensive patients can suddenly, without
warning, become hypotensive.
Systolic pressure represents the upper number blood pressure reading
signifying the amount of pressure exerted against the arterial wall
in the pumping phase of the heartbeat. Adults registering 140 mmHg or
higher are considered to have high blood pressure but doctors are
vague about what constitutes low blood pressure. Some say it could be
considered low if the systolic pressure is below 100 mmHg. Most
patients who are believed to have low blood pressure have a serious
challenge in getting their blood pressure to rise. Typically, medical
examiners do not regard this as a problem.
How do we check for low blood pressure?
The best way we know is to check the blood pressure of the patient
while he or she is sleeping. When the patient awakens at a 65-degree
bed slope, then check the blood pressure again. Now compare the two
readings. In a healthy individual, the blood pressure reduces when
you awaken at a 65-degree slope, but it quickly returns to normal.
However, individuals who experience low blood pressure will have
their blood pressure elevate. It could take several minutes to hours
or NEVER to normalize depending on the individual.
What happens to the blood pressure when you wake up suddenly?
Blood flow to the brain slows for several seconds followed by vertigo
(dizziness) and possibly vomiting in the individual experiencing low
blood pressure. You can easily see how this condition paves the way
for stress and degeneration in other areas.
How do temperature changes affect blood pressure?
We all know that if you suddenly enter a cold air-conditioned room
during the summer, or come from the cold outside during winter into a
warm room, your blood pressure may decrease. For vulnerable persons,
sudden low blood pressure may occur, especially when other stressors
are added to sudden atmospheric temperature changes. There may be
more reasons aside from stress, but stress is surely one of the
reasons!
You might be thinking this could happen to hypertensive persons as
well. Yes, it can easily happen to them! Heart attack and cerebral
stroke are believed to be caused by high blood pressure. As you know,
high blood pressure weakens blood vessels and promotes thrombus
(blood clots).
Effects of Bathing on Blood Pressure
We have gathered data about fluctuating blood pressure before and
after a bath among people with hypertension compared with people with
normal blood pressure. According to this information, people with
hypertension experience an elevation in blood pressure immediately
after bathing followed by an immediate drop to low blood pressure.
However, for these individuals, blood pressure does not return to
normal or it seems to have difficulty returning to normal.
This post-bath sudden high blood pressure level may be accompanied
with dangerous signs such as:
1. Collapse during the bath.
2. Danger of brain anemia.
3. Danger of heart attack
4. Blood vessel bursting causing stroke or sudden death
Why is it difficult for a person with hypertension to return to
normal blood pressure following bathing?
Actually, a sensor that perceives the blood pressure in the wall of
the blood vessel of our neck carries out the role of adjusting the
blood pressure. However, the sensitivity of this sensor may dull for
people suffering with arteriosclerosis and the like. This makes it
more difficult for the blood pressure to return to normal.
How to Prevent Hypertension During a Bath
To prevent hypertension, daily care and attention is required to
maintain normal blood pressure.
1. Avoid taking a bath after drinking. Drinking causes the blood
pressure to go down easily.
2. During winter, warm up the bathtub and the bathroom before
taking a bath to avoid sudden rise of blood pressure. When the
bathroom is cold, your blood pressure may rise easily.
3. Very hot water and long hot water bath should be avoided.
4. Rest your arm on the edge of the bathtub. This is a preventive
measure to keep you from drowning in the bathtub.
How to Prevent Unexpected Decrease in Blood Pressure
There are people whose blood pressure decreases after each meal. This
is because strong blood flow is required for stomach and intestines
to break down food, converting it to blood. This requires a great
outlay of energy. Thus, a shortage of blood occurs in the heart and
the brain, which contribute to poor blood circulation and low blood
pressure.
Many sales clerks in the malls or supermarkets standing all day,
contributing to symptoms of low blood pressure due to gravity pooling
of blood in the lower extremities. So what is the solution to this
problem? A simple cup of coffee or pair of tight or fishnet-type
stockings can help greatly. If you belong to the group experiencing
low blood pressure after meals, then, drink a cup of coffee before
and after your meal. How does this help? The answer is very simple!
Coffee contains caffeine that narrows the blood vessels! If you
belong to the group experiencing low blood pressure due to your work
requiring that you stand all day, then use a pair of tight or fishnet
stockings. In this way, your blood pressure will not decrease as you
expect! How does a pair of tight stockings prevent low blood
pressure? The answer is also simple! The flow of blood to your feet
will be limited by restricting their capacity for expanding to take
on more blood volume.
Do these simple ways of treating low blood pressure have any side
effects? Yes, they may have side effects if you will continue doing
them for several weeks. Try it for one week only. After a week, it is
possible that you will not be suffering from sudden low blood
pressure anymore! This is the power of simple, natural remedies. It's
wonderful, isn't it? Of course, there could be many other reasons
that contributing to low blood pressure. Consult your doctor if
necessary.
Criteria for diagnosis of diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disorder caused by the inability of the body to either produce or properly utilise insulin, the hormone responsible for sugar metabolism. As a consequence, the blood sugar levels rise and persistent elevation affects blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves etc. Type 1 diabetes is an auto immune disease in which the body's immune system produces antibodies, which destroy the cells producing insulin in the pancreas. It has an acute onset and is usually seen in children. Due to absence of insulin, patients need lifelong insulin injections. Type 2 diabetes, in contrast, begins as a resistance of the body to the action of insulin. This necessitates increased insulin production but finally this decreases and diabetes develops. Type 2 diabetes is usually seen in adults and people who are overweight. But with increasing obesity, this is occurring more often in young people.
Criteria for diagnosis of diabetes:
Random blood glucose > 200 mg/dl* with symptoms (increased thirst, increased urination and unexplained weight loss)
Fasting blood glucose > 126 mg/dl*
2 h blood glucose > 200 mg/dl* following an oral challenge with 75 g glucose
* This should be repeated on another day to confirm
Treatment aims to maintain:
Hb A1C <> 40 mg/dl Women > 50 mg/dl
Triglycerides <>
Criteria for diagnosis of diabetes:
Random blood glucose > 200 mg/dl* with symptoms (increased thirst, increased urination and unexplained weight loss)
Fasting blood glucose > 126 mg/dl*
2 h blood glucose > 200 mg/dl* following an oral challenge with 75 g glucose
* This should be repeated on another day to confirm
Treatment aims to maintain:
Hb A1C <> 40 mg/dl Women > 50 mg/dl
Triglycerides <>
Stroke
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Steps
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm , Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the party. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some ?don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR! .Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE .
T *Ask the person to TALK , to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently: It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
{NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue... if the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke}
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency services immediately and describe the symptoms. This is URGENT
Diabtes Treatment and Ayurveda
According to Ayurveda, Prameha is of 20 types. Diabetes is one among them called Madhumeha. All the diseases that come under Prameha are characterized by polyurea.
According to Ayurveda the treatment of Diabetes can be divided as follows...
1. Regular exercise-
Ayurveda has said that one should do regular and suffer hardships. Ayurvedic texts say that diabetes patient should do hard works like digging a well and pond, walking long distance and doing asana.
From this we can understand that from ancient time onwards it was known be a disease of lazy people and they knew the importance of exercise in this disease.
So it should be understood that only medicines will not have any effect on Diabetes
2. Contolled food habits-
Diabetes patient should control their food. They should not eat food and fruits which are sweet. They should also keep away from tender fruits of those fruits which become sweet on ripe. They should also avoid foods that are rich in starch content
3. Medicine-
The role of medicine comes only last according to Ayurveda. Ayurveda mentions many medicines like Chandraprabha vati,Nisha Kathakadi kashayam are very effective here.
However there are some single drugs which will be very effective in diabetes. I will mention a few here
Curry leaves - Leaves are taken, dried and powdered and taken after food, morning and evening.
Fenugreek (Methi) - Methi is a good medicine for diabetes. It can be taken by the following ways.
* 1 teaspoon of powder taken in empty stomach early morning.
* The fenugreek which is kept in water overnight is taken along with the water.
Gooseberry (Amalaki) - Drinking 15ml of Amalaki along with 5g of turmeric powder (Haldi) can cure Diabetes soon. It can be taken twice a day in empty stomach.
Bilwa (Aegles marmelos) - * Take 5-6 leaves in early morning in empty stomach
*The leaves are dried and powder is taken early morning
It should be noted that these medicines will have varied results in different individuals.
Results will be seen after taking it for 2-3 months. It is advised that you don’t stop your medicines while taking these
3. Knowledge about Diabetes-
All diabetic patients should have knowledge of their disease. This knowledge will help them to keep them selves away from factors that increase their disease. They should also keep in track of the latest development in treating diabetes. A good knowledge about diabetes and its complication can help them from future troubles. Chronic Diabetes can affect Eyes (Diabetic retinopathy),Nervous system(Diabetic retinopathy),it also lead to delayed wound healing.
So know Diabetes and its nature.
According to Ayurveda the treatment of Diabetes can be divided as follows...
1. Regular exercise-
Ayurveda has said that one should do regular and suffer hardships. Ayurvedic texts say that diabetes patient should do hard works like digging a well and pond, walking long distance and doing asana.
From this we can understand that from ancient time onwards it was known be a disease of lazy people and they knew the importance of exercise in this disease.
So it should be understood that only medicines will not have any effect on Diabetes
2. Contolled food habits-
Diabetes patient should control their food. They should not eat food and fruits which are sweet. They should also keep away from tender fruits of those fruits which become sweet on ripe. They should also avoid foods that are rich in starch content
3. Medicine-
The role of medicine comes only last according to Ayurveda. Ayurveda mentions many medicines like Chandraprabha vati,Nisha Kathakadi kashayam are very effective here.
However there are some single drugs which will be very effective in diabetes. I will mention a few here
Curry leaves - Leaves are taken, dried and powdered and taken after food, morning and evening.
Fenugreek (Methi) - Methi is a good medicine for diabetes. It can be taken by the following ways.
* 1 teaspoon of powder taken in empty stomach early morning.
* The fenugreek which is kept in water overnight is taken along with the water.
*The leaves are dried and powder is taken early morning
It should be noted that these medicines will have varied results in different individuals.
Results will be seen after taking it for 2-3 months. It is advised that you don’t stop your medicines while taking these
3. Knowledge about Diabetes-
So know Diabetes and its nature.
TERMERIC POWDER AND MEDICINAL VALUES
Medicinal uses and home remedies with turmeric(Haldi)
Intestinal disorders:
• The juice of the raw root or the powder of the dried root mixed and taken with milk or water is very effective for intestinal problems.
• The same juice is good for new mothers soon after delivery. It not only helps in faster contraction of ovaries and inner parts after delivery, but also improves the overall health and promotes breast milk secretion.
Anemia:
Turmeric is a rich and ample source of iron. Have a teaspoon of raw turmeric juice with a bit of honey, if suffering from anemia.
Asthma:
A teaspoon of turmeric powder with a glass of warm milk helps in fighting bronchial asthma and cough. It not only gives relief but also acts as a preventive from further attacks.
Sprains and wounds:
Apply a medicinal paste of turmeric (turmeric powder mixed with sweet lime juice and salt) on sprain swellings. This paste gives quick and long lasting relief. Powder of turmeric should be sprinkled on wounds/ulcers for speedy healing.
Cuts and burns:
It should be immediately applied on cuts, bleeding or burns. It is an antiseptic and stops bleeding and heals the cut or burn.
Smokers should be treated like drug addicts
Smokers should be treated like drug addicts, say doctors -By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
Published: 05 October 2007
Smokers should be treated the same as heroin addicts and offered tobacco substitutes that deliver the same hit of nicotine without the harm, doctors say today.
The number of people smoking is declining by only 0.4 per cent a year and a new approach is needed to protect those who continue to smoke from the lethal effects of their habit.
Half of all smokers will die prematurely if they do not give up, 150 million of them worldwide in the next 20 years. One hundred million died last century and one billion are projected to die in the 21st. Yet the only response is to warn people not to start smoking or to tell them to stop.
The Royal College of Physicians today calls for a middle way in the approach to smoking, based on "harm reduction," which it says holds real potential for saving lives. By getting smokers to switch to safer forms of nicotine, they would avoid the damaging effects of the burning tobacco that delivers the drug.
Professor John Britton, a lung specialist at the University of Nottingham and chair of the RCPs Tobacco Advisory Group, said: "Smokers smoke because they are addicted to nicotine but it isn't nicotine in cigarette smoke that kills – it's the hundreds of other toxic chemicals that come with it. There are millions of smokers who can't quit and those people need nicotine products that can satisfy their addiction without killing them."
Existing products, such as nicotine chewing gum and patches, were unsatisfactory because they were designed as aids to stopping smoking rather than as substitutes for it. They delivered a steady, low level of the drug, rather than the hit of nicotine that smokers craved.
Tobacco companies had tried for decades to develop a safer cigarette but their efforts had been "pretty pathetic," Professor Britton said. The medicinal market for nicotine gums and patches was so tightly regulated that it prevented innovation.
"We need to liberalise the medicinal market and introduce a decent cigarette substitute. We may end up with millions of people addicted to nicotine inhalers, but so what? Millions are addicted to caffeine," he said.
A national Nicotine Regulatory Authority should be set up to monitor the developments and control the market in order to prevent exploitation by the tobacco companies, he said.
Harm reduction is an established principle in the treatment of drug addiction, where addicts who cannot give up their habit are encouraged to switch to a safer drug. In Sweden, an oral tobacco product called snus that is chewed instead of smoked has been available for decades, and the country has the lowest smoking rates in the world among men at 13 per cent, half the rate in the UK.
Snus is banned in the European Union but Professor Britton said it was an example of the kind of product that needed to be developed. "It would be premature to lift the ban but we need to research a whole range of other products. If there is something in there of benefit to public health then let's have it."
Critics attacked the proposal yesterday, warning it could increase smoking. Professor Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene said in The Lancet there was a danger tobacco companies would promote cigarette substitutes as an extension of smoking – in public places where tobacco is banned, for example – rather than as a substitute for it.
Ash, the anti-smoking pressure group, however, has backed the Royal College of Physicians report and called for a review "to allow safer nicotine products to be made available while ever stricter measures are applied to tobacco products to deter their use."
Nicotine substitutes
Published: 05 October 2007
Smokers should be treated the same as heroin addicts and offered tobacco substitutes that deliver the same hit of nicotine without the harm, doctors say today.
The number of people smoking is declining by only 0.4 per cent a year and a new approach is needed to protect those who continue to smoke from the lethal effects of their habit.
Half of all smokers will die prematurely if they do not give up, 150 million of them worldwide in the next 20 years. One hundred million died last century and one billion are projected to die in the 21st. Yet the only response is to warn people not to start smoking or to tell them to stop.
The Royal College of Physicians today calls for a middle way in the approach to smoking, based on "harm reduction," which it says holds real potential for saving lives. By getting smokers to switch to safer forms of nicotine, they would avoid the damaging effects of the burning tobacco that delivers the drug.
Professor John Britton, a lung specialist at the University of Nottingham and chair of the RCPs Tobacco Advisory Group, said: "Smokers smoke because they are addicted to nicotine but it isn't nicotine in cigarette smoke that kills – it's the hundreds of other toxic chemicals that come with it. There are millions of smokers who can't quit and those people need nicotine products that can satisfy their addiction without killing them."
Existing products, such as nicotine chewing gum and patches, were unsatisfactory because they were designed as aids to stopping smoking rather than as substitutes for it. They delivered a steady, low level of the drug, rather than the hit of nicotine that smokers craved.
Tobacco companies had tried for decades to develop a safer cigarette but their efforts had been "pretty pathetic," Professor Britton said. The medicinal market for nicotine gums and patches was so tightly regulated that it prevented innovation.
"We need to liberalise the medicinal market and introduce a decent cigarette substitute. We may end up with millions of people addicted to nicotine inhalers, but so what? Millions are addicted to caffeine," he said.
A national Nicotine Regulatory Authority should be set up to monitor the developments and control the market in order to prevent exploitation by the tobacco companies, he said.
Harm reduction is an established principle in the treatment of drug addiction, where addicts who cannot give up their habit are encouraged to switch to a safer drug. In Sweden, an oral tobacco product called snus that is chewed instead of smoked has been available for decades, and the country has the lowest smoking rates in the world among men at 13 per cent, half the rate in the UK.
Snus is banned in the European Union but Professor Britton said it was an example of the kind of product that needed to be developed. "It would be premature to lift the ban but we need to research a whole range of other products. If there is something in there of benefit to public health then let's have it."
Critics attacked the proposal yesterday, warning it could increase smoking. Professor Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene said in The Lancet there was a danger tobacco companies would promote cigarette substitutes as an extension of smoking – in public places where tobacco is banned, for example – rather than as a substitute for it.
Ash, the anti-smoking pressure group, however, has backed the Royal College of Physicians report and called for a review "to allow safer nicotine products to be made available while ever stricter measures are applied to tobacco products to deter their use."
Nicotine substitutes
- Snuff – ground tobacco that delivers nicotine via the lining of the nose.
- Snus – popular in Sweden. Ground tobacco in muslin that is sucked.
- Eclipse and Accord – safer cigarettes launched in the 1990s designed to deliver nicotine with less tobacco. Not popular.
- Nicotine inhaler – delivers the drug direct to the mouth and reproduces the feeling of smoking.
- Nicotine nasal spray – delivers nicotine to the nose
- Nicotine gum – chewable nicotine
- Nicotine patch – stuck on the skin, delivers a steady low dose of nicotine over several hours
Tea Tree Oil
First - Be careful when buying Tea Tree Oil. Tea Tree Oil is available commercially in a range of grades. It is worthwhile to use the best quality oil you can find. Very often, you get what you pay for. Make sure to find out what kind of Tea Tree Oil you are getting.
You want to look at the Cineole and Terpinen-4-ol numbers.
Cineole:
The lower the number the better. Tree oils with high cineole content are thought to be of poor quality and more likely to cause skin irritation.
Terpinen-4-ol: The higher the number the better. Terpinen-4-ol appears responsible for most of the antimicrobial activity of tea tree oil.
Australian standard for Tea Tree Oil (AS2782-1985) requires a maximum cineol content of 15% and a minimum terpinen-4-ol of 30%.
Categories of Tea Tree Oil: Cineole / Terpinen-4-ol Concentrations:
Pharmaceutical Grade: 3% or less Cineole; 37% or more Terpinen-4-ol
Cosmetic Grade: 5% or less Cineole; 35% or more Terpinen-4-ol
Technical Grade: 10% or less Cineole; 30% or more Terpinen-4-ol
Properties: aromatic, antiseptic, anesthetic (mild), antibacterial, antimicrobial, disinfectant, fungicide, germicide
History: Tea Tree Oil, also known as Melaleuca, was used as a general antiseptic by the aborigine tribes for thousands of years. Aborigines were known to chew on the leaves. It was used as a medicinal agent for cuts, burns, bites and many, skin ailments. Famous British explorer Captain Cook is held as the man responsible for the name 'tea tree'. In 1770 when he and his men landed at Botany Bay, Cook brewed the leaves of the tree for his men to drink to prevent scurvy. As early as 1923, clinical trials in Australia began to provide scientific evidence for tea tree's antiseptic and bactericidal properties. Its importance made it standard issue for the soldiers in the Australian Army during World War II.
Common Uses: Used topically for all skin ailments, cuts, burns, acne, cold sores, irritations of mouth and throat.
Tea tree oil is an important component of any first aid kit. It can help with many minor conditions that commonly occur. Used topically for all skin ailments, cuts, burns, acne, cold sores, boils, warts, vaginal infections, ringworm, skin rashes, impetigo, herpes, corns, lice, insect bites, insect repellent and fungal infections. It has valuable properties for healing and preventing infection. Tea tree oil acts as a mild anesthetic when applied to painful areas and to soothe cuts and burns. It can help heal as well as reduce scarring. Tea tree oil can be used to deter fleas, insect bites and stings. (The FDA does not allow the use of the word "repellant" on any natural insect deterrents so I use the word "deter" instead.)
Tea tree oil contains at least 48 different organic compounds. The compounds work together to produce the healing abilities found in the oil. Research done in the 1950s and early 1960s found that tea tree oil is a germicide and fungicide with additional characteristics of dissolving pus and debris. Recent studies have found it effective for thrush, vaginal infections of Candida albicans, staph infections, athlete's foot, hair and scalp problems, mouth sores, muscle and joint pain, pain, and boils. Tea tree oil is a valuable antiseptic for skin infections. It is able to penetrate the epidermis to heal from within. Clinical studies have found that tea tree oil can heal quickly and with less scarring than other treatments. The oil is even effective against Staphylococcus aureus, which is often difficult to treat and is becoming resistant to antibiotic therapy. Tea tree oil has been found to be effective against many organisms including E. coli, Candida albicans, herpes virus, and many others.
Tea tree oil is an effective bactericide. It is safe for healthy tissue. It is a strong organic solvent and will help heal and disperse pus in pimples and wounds. It has been used to neutralize the venom of minor insect bites. It is able to kill bacteria by penetrating the skin layers and reaching deep into abscesses in the gums and even beneath the fingernails. It has been found to have some of the strongest antimicrobial properties ever discovered.
Tea tree oil is used as a disinfectant to purify air. It is suitable for home use as well as in a hospital room as it does not interfere with other treatment for the patient.
Tea tree oil can be used for removal of warts and to heal chicken pox blisters. It can be applied directly to heal cuts and bruises. It is so seemingly mild and non-poisonous that it can be used for mouth ulcers.
Tea tree oil is even effective against Staphylococcus aureus, which is often difficult to treat and is becoming resistant to antibiotic therapy. Tea tree oil has been found to be effective against many organisms including E. coli, Candida albicans, herpes virus, and many others.
Uses as a General Antiseptic & Cleanser
Add 1 teaspoon of 100% pure oil to 1 1/5 gallons of water when washing windows, floors, toilets, bathrooms and kitchen surfaces.
Add 2 teaspoons of 100% pure tea tree oil to washing machine for a fragrant, fresh wash.
Household ants and other pests dislike tea tree oil, so a few drops put at the point of entry will deter them. Wipe cupboards out with an oil and water solution to deter cockroaches
Remove scuff marks from a vinyl/linoleum floor by rubbing with a damp cloth to which pure oil has been added.
Room Spray: 5 drops of tea tree oil to 2½ cups water. Spray around room to refresh and give a cooling effect.
Refrigerator gaskets stay fresh and clean if you wipe them over occasionally with a tea tree oil/water solution.
Shower doors stay cleaner if you wipe them over with a tea tree oil/water solution. Helps prevent soap sum build-up.
After washing down walls and removing grime and mildew, wipe over again with a tea tree oil/water solution to prevent mildew regrowth.
To remove chewing gum from hair, apply pure oil.
Diaper Cleanser: Add 20 drops tea tree oil to approximately 1 gallon of water, stir, then soak diapers overnight.
Other Uses:
Apply 1 or 2 drops Lavender oil and Tea tree oil directly to cuts, scrapes, or scratches to promote healing.
Add 3-5 drops of Tea Tree oil to 30ml of base oil and massage in for rheumatic pain. Twice daily.
As a disinfectant measure add approximately 3-5 drops to the bath water. Helps with skin infections.
To make a tea tree mouthwash, add 3 to 4 drops of tea tree oil to 6 ounces of water and swish gently around your mouth before spitting out.
Apply 1 to 2 drops of oil to your toothbrush before you brush your teeth, then apply toothpaste to brush. Not only will this addition assist in keeping your mouth, breath and gums healthy but aids in fighting plaque.
Dab pure oil onto mouth cankers, abscesses and site of toothache for relief.
Cautions & Comments: For those with sensitive skin, it is bets to dab a tiny drop of the oil on your skin before applying it liberally on your desired areas. If you feel no irritations within half an hour, it is safe to assume you have no allergy towards tea tree oil.
Uses for Pets:
Caution: Before using tea tree oil your cats please read this: Tea Tree Oil & Cats
Rarely, if ever, should high doses of undiluted tea tree oil be used on dogs, cats, ferrets and other small pets. A 15% tea tree oil dilution is recommended and usually just as effective as pure tea tree oil.
How to make a Pet Care: 15% Tea Tree Oil Mixture: As a base use 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) of non-allergenic fragrance free cream, gel, glycerin, lotion, sweet almond oil or cold pressed olive oil and then add 50 drops of pure tea tree oil. Mix well before applying. Store in a properly tabled glass container in a cool place away from light.
· To make a natural flea collar, saturate a short piece of cord or soft rope with Tea Tree oil, roll up in a handkerchief and tie loosely around the animal's neck.
· To help deter fleas add one (1) capful of pure tea tree oil to your pet's bottle shampoo.
· Add 10 drops of Pure Tea Tree Oil to dogs sleeping blankets to help deter fleas.
· Apply antiseptic cream directly to hot spots twice daily.
· Apply two drops directly onto tick and gently remove tick with tweezers,
Tea Tree Recipes:
Natural Disinfectant Spray:
Combine the following in a spray bottle, shake and spray the counter, the boards, the dish rack, etc.
2 cups water
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 tsp. Tea Tree oil
1/4 tsp. Lavender oil
Tea Tree Shampoo
Human: Add 80 drops of pure tea tree oil to 1/2 cup of neutral pH shampoo.
Dog/Goat: 4 drops of pure tea tree oil per ounce of quality pet shampoo.
You want to look at the Cineole and Terpinen-4-ol numbers.
Cineole:
The lower the number the better. Tree oils with high cineole content are thought to be of poor quality and more likely to cause skin irritation.
Terpinen-4-ol: The higher the number the better. Terpinen-4-ol appears responsible for most of the antimicrobial activity of tea tree oil.
Australian standard for Tea Tree Oil (AS2782-1985) requires a maximum cineol content of 15% and a minimum terpinen-4-ol of 30%.
Categories of Tea Tree Oil: Cineole / Terpinen-4-ol Concentrations:
Pharmaceutical Grade: 3% or less Cineole; 37% or more Terpinen-4-ol
Cosmetic Grade: 5% or less Cineole; 35% or more Terpinen-4-ol
Technical Grade: 10% or less Cineole; 30% or more Terpinen-4-ol
Properties: aromatic, antiseptic, anesthetic (mild), antibacterial, antimicrobial, disinfectant, fungicide, germicide
History: Tea Tree Oil, also known as Melaleuca, was used as a general antiseptic by the aborigine tribes for thousands of years. Aborigines were known to chew on the leaves. It was used as a medicinal agent for cuts, burns, bites and many, skin ailments. Famous British explorer Captain Cook is held as the man responsible for the name 'tea tree'. In 1770 when he and his men landed at Botany Bay, Cook brewed the leaves of the tree for his men to drink to prevent scurvy. As early as 1923, clinical trials in Australia began to provide scientific evidence for tea tree's antiseptic and bactericidal properties. Its importance made it standard issue for the soldiers in the Australian Army during World War II.
Common Uses: Used topically for all skin ailments, cuts, burns, acne, cold sores, irritations of mouth and throat.
Tea tree oil is an important component of any first aid kit. It can help with many minor conditions that commonly occur. Used topically for all skin ailments, cuts, burns, acne, cold sores, boils, warts, vaginal infections, ringworm, skin rashes, impetigo, herpes, corns, lice, insect bites, insect repellent and fungal infections. It has valuable properties for healing and preventing infection. Tea tree oil acts as a mild anesthetic when applied to painful areas and to soothe cuts and burns. It can help heal as well as reduce scarring. Tea tree oil can be used to deter fleas, insect bites and stings. (The FDA does not allow the use of the word "repellant" on any natural insect deterrents so I use the word "deter" instead.)
Tea tree oil contains at least 48 different organic compounds. The compounds work together to produce the healing abilities found in the oil. Research done in the 1950s and early 1960s found that tea tree oil is a germicide and fungicide with additional characteristics of dissolving pus and debris. Recent studies have found it effective for thrush, vaginal infections of Candida albicans, staph infections, athlete's foot, hair and scalp problems, mouth sores, muscle and joint pain, pain, and boils. Tea tree oil is a valuable antiseptic for skin infections. It is able to penetrate the epidermis to heal from within. Clinical studies have found that tea tree oil can heal quickly and with less scarring than other treatments. The oil is even effective against Staphylococcus aureus, which is often difficult to treat and is becoming resistant to antibiotic therapy. Tea tree oil has been found to be effective against many organisms including E. coli, Candida albicans, herpes virus, and many others.
Tea tree oil is an effective bactericide. It is safe for healthy tissue. It is a strong organic solvent and will help heal and disperse pus in pimples and wounds. It has been used to neutralize the venom of minor insect bites. It is able to kill bacteria by penetrating the skin layers and reaching deep into abscesses in the gums and even beneath the fingernails. It has been found to have some of the strongest antimicrobial properties ever discovered.
Tea tree oil is used as a disinfectant to purify air. It is suitable for home use as well as in a hospital room as it does not interfere with other treatment for the patient.
Tea tree oil can be used for removal of warts and to heal chicken pox blisters. It can be applied directly to heal cuts and bruises. It is so seemingly mild and non-poisonous that it can be used for mouth ulcers.
Tea tree oil is even effective against Staphylococcus aureus, which is often difficult to treat and is becoming resistant to antibiotic therapy. Tea tree oil has been found to be effective against many organisms including E. coli, Candida albicans, herpes virus, and many others.
Uses as a General Antiseptic & Cleanser
Add 1 teaspoon of 100% pure oil to 1 1/5 gallons of water when washing windows, floors, toilets, bathrooms and kitchen surfaces.
Add 2 teaspoons of 100% pure tea tree oil to washing machine for a fragrant, fresh wash.
Household ants and other pests dislike tea tree oil, so a few drops put at the point of entry will deter them. Wipe cupboards out with an oil and water solution to deter cockroaches
Remove scuff marks from a vinyl/linoleum floor by rubbing with a damp cloth to which pure oil has been added.
Room Spray: 5 drops of tea tree oil to 2½ cups water. Spray around room to refresh and give a cooling effect.
Refrigerator gaskets stay fresh and clean if you wipe them over occasionally with a tea tree oil/water solution.
Shower doors stay cleaner if you wipe them over with a tea tree oil/water solution. Helps prevent soap sum build-up.
After washing down walls and removing grime and mildew, wipe over again with a tea tree oil/water solution to prevent mildew regrowth.
To remove chewing gum from hair, apply pure oil.
Diaper Cleanser: Add 20 drops tea tree oil to approximately 1 gallon of water, stir, then soak diapers overnight.
Other Uses:
Apply 1 or 2 drops Lavender oil and Tea tree oil directly to cuts, scrapes, or scratches to promote healing.
Add 3-5 drops of Tea Tree oil to 30ml of base oil and massage in for rheumatic pain. Twice daily.
As a disinfectant measure add approximately 3-5 drops to the bath water. Helps with skin infections.
To make a tea tree mouthwash, add 3 to 4 drops of tea tree oil to 6 ounces of water and swish gently around your mouth before spitting out.
Apply 1 to 2 drops of oil to your toothbrush before you brush your teeth, then apply toothpaste to brush. Not only will this addition assist in keeping your mouth, breath and gums healthy but aids in fighting plaque.
Dab pure oil onto mouth cankers, abscesses and site of toothache for relief.
Cautions & Comments: For those with sensitive skin, it is bets to dab a tiny drop of the oil on your skin before applying it liberally on your desired areas. If you feel no irritations within half an hour, it is safe to assume you have no allergy towards tea tree oil.
Uses for Pets:
Caution: Before using tea tree oil your cats please read this: Tea Tree Oil & Cats
Rarely, if ever, should high doses of undiluted tea tree oil be used on dogs, cats, ferrets and other small pets. A 15% tea tree oil dilution is recommended and usually just as effective as pure tea tree oil.
How to make a Pet Care: 15% Tea Tree Oil Mixture: As a base use 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) of non-allergenic fragrance free cream, gel, glycerin, lotion, sweet almond oil or cold pressed olive oil and then add 50 drops of pure tea tree oil. Mix well before applying. Store in a properly tabled glass container in a cool place away from light.
· To make a natural flea collar, saturate a short piece of cord or soft rope with Tea Tree oil, roll up in a handkerchief and tie loosely around the animal's neck.
· To help deter fleas add one (1) capful of pure tea tree oil to your pet's bottle shampoo.
· Add 10 drops of Pure Tea Tree Oil to dogs sleeping blankets to help deter fleas.
· Apply antiseptic cream directly to hot spots twice daily.
· Apply two drops directly onto tick and gently remove tick with tweezers,
Tea Tree Recipes:
Natural Disinfectant Spray:
Combine the following in a spray bottle, shake and spray the counter, the boards, the dish rack, etc.
2 cups water
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 tsp. Tea Tree oil
1/4 tsp. Lavender oil
Tea Tree Shampoo
Human: Add 80 drops of pure tea tree oil to 1/2 cup of neutral pH shampoo.
Dog/Goat: 4 drops of pure tea tree oil per ounce of quality pet shampoo.
About Blood Groups
, MANIKANDAN,
|
| |
| Blood type and Rh | How many people have it? |
| O + | 40 % |
| O - | 7 % |
| A + | 34 % |
| A - | 6 % |
| B + | 8 % |
| B - | 1 % |
| AB + | 3 % |
| AB - | 1 % |
|
|
| Does Your Blood Type Reveal Your Personality? |
| According to a Japanese institute that does research on blood types, there are certain personality traits that seem to match up with certain blood types. How do you rate? |
| TYPE O | You want to be a leader, and when you see something you want, you keep striving until you achieve your goal. You are a trend-setter, loyal, passionate, and self-confident. Your weaknesses include vanity and jealously and a tendency to be too competitive. |
| TYPE A | You like harmony, peace and organization. You work well with others, and are sensitive, patient and affectionate. Among your weaknesses are stubbornness and an inability to relax. |
| TYPE B | You're a rugged individualist, who's straightforward and likes to do things your own way. Creative and flexible, you adapt easily to any situation. But your insistence on being independent can sometimes go too far and become a weakness. |
| TYPE AB | Cool and controlled, you're generally well liked and always put people at ease. You're a natural entertainer who's tactful and fair. But you're standoffish, blunt, and have difficulty making decisions. |
MOST IMPORTANT INFO NOW:
REGS, MANIKANDAN,
| You Can Receive | ||||||||
| If Your Type Is | O- | O+ | B- | B+ | A- | A+ | AB- | AB+ |
| AB+ | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| AB- | YES |
| YES |
| YES |
| YES |
|
| A+ | YES | YES |
|
| YES | YES |
|
|
| A- | YES |
|
|
| YES |
|
|
|
| B+ | YES | YES | YES | YES |
|
|
|
|
| B- | YES |
| YES |
|
|
|
|
|
| O+ | YES | YES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| O- | YES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HEALTHY JUICES
Carrot + Ginger + Apple - Boost and cleanse our system.
Apple + Cucumber + Celery - Prevent cancer, reduce cholesterol, and improve stomach upset and headache.
Tomato + Carrot + Apple - Improve skin complexion and bad breath.
Bitter gourd + Apple + Milk - Avoid bad breath and reduce internal body heat.
Orange + Ginger + Cucumber - Improve Skin texture and moisture and reduce body heat.
Pineapple + Apple + Watermelon - To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidney.
Apple + Cucumber + Kiwi - To improve skin complexion.
Pear & Banana - regulates sugar content.
Carrot + Apple + Pear + Mango - Clear body heat, counteracts toxicity, decreased blood pressure and fight oxidization .
Honeydew + Grape + Watermelon + Milk - Rich in vitamin C + Vitamin B2 that increase cell activity and strengthen body immunity.
Papaya + Pineapple + Milk - Rich in vitamin C, E, Iron. Improve skin complexion and metabolism.
Banana + Pineapple + Milk - Rich in vitamin with nutritious and prevent constipation.
Diet and Fat: A Severe Case of Mistaken Consensus
By JOHN TIERNEY
In 1988, the surgeon general, C. Everett Koop, proclaimed ice cream
to a be public-health menace right up there with cigarettes. Alluding
to his office’s famous 1964 report on the perils of smoking, Dr. Koop
announced that the American diet was a problem of “comparable”
magnitude, chiefly because of the high-fat foods that were causing
coronary heart disease and other deadly ailments.
He introduced his report with these words: “The depth of the science
base underlying its findings is even more impressive than that for
tobacco and health in 1964.”
That was a ludicrous statement, as Gary Taubes demonstrates in his
new book meticulously debunking diet myths, “Good Calories, Bad
Calories” (Knopf, 2007). The notion that fatty foods shorten your
life began as a hypothesis based on dubious assumptions and data;
when scientists tried to confirm it they failed repeatedly. The
evidence against Häagen-Dazs was nothing like the evidence against
Marlboros.
It may seem bizarre that a surgeon general could go so wrong. After
all, wasn’t it his job to express the scientific consensus? But that
was the problem. Dr. Koop was expressing the consensus. He, like the
architects of the federal “food pyramid” telling Americans what to
eat, went wrong by listening to everyone else. He was caught in what
social scientists call a cascade.
We like to think that people improve their judgment by putting their
minds together, and sometimes they do. The studio audience at “Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire” usually votes for the right answer. But
suppose, instead of the audience members voting silently in unison,
they voted out loud one after another. And suppose the first person
gets it wrong.
If the second person isn’t sure of the answer, he’s liable to go
along with the first person’s guess. By then, even if the third
person suspects another answer is right, she’s more liable to go
along just because she assumes the first two together know more than
she does. Thus begins an “informational cascade” as one person after
another assumes that the rest can’t all be wrong.
Because of this effect, groups are surprisingly prone to reach
mistaken conclusions even when most of the people started out knowing
better, according to the economists Sushil Bikhchandani, David
Hirshleifer and Ivo Welch. If, say, 60 percent of a group’s members
have been given information pointing them to the right answer (while
the rest have information pointing to the wrong answer), there is
still about a one-in-three chance that the group will cascade to a
mistaken consensus.
Cascades are especially common in medicine as doctors take their cues
from others, leading them to overdiagnose some faddish ailments
(called bandwagon diseases) and overprescribe certain treatments
(like the tonsillectomies once popular for children). Unable to keep
up with the volume of research, doctors look for guidance from an
expert — or at least someone who sounds confident.
In the case of fatty foods, that confident voice belonged to Ancel
Keys, a prominent diet researcher a half-century ago (the K-rations
in World War II were said to be named after him). He became convinced
in the 1950s that Americans were suffering from a new epidemic of
heart disease because they were eating more fat than their ancestors.
There were two glaring problems with this theory, as Mr. Taubes, a
correspondent for Science magazine, explains in his book. First, it
wasn’t clear that traditional diets were especially lean. Nineteenth-
century Americans consumed huge amounts of meat; the percentage of
fat in the diet of ancient hunter-gatherers, according to the best
estimate today, was as high or higher than the ratio in the modern
Western diet.
Second, there wasn’t really a new epidemic of heart disease. Yes,
more cases were being reported, but not because people were in worse
health. It was mainly because they were living longer and were more
likely to see a doctor who diagnosed the symptoms.
To bolster his theory, Dr. Keys in 1953 compared diets and heart
disease rates in the United States, Japan and four other countries.
Sure enough, more fat correlated with more disease (America topped
the list). But critics at the time noted that if Dr. Keys had
analyzed all 22 countries for which data were available, he would not
have found a correlation. (And, as Mr. Taubes notes, no one would
have puzzled over the so-called French Paradox of foie-gras
connoisseurs with healthy hearts.)
The evidence that dietary fat correlates with heart disease “does not
stand up to critical examination,” the American Heart Association
concluded in 1957. But three years later the association changed
position — not because of new data, Mr. Taubes writes, but because
Dr. Keys and an ally were on the committee issuing the new report. It
asserted that “the best scientific evidence of the time” warranted a
lower-fat diet for people at high risk of heart disease.
The association’s report was big news and put Dr. Keys, who died in
2004, on the cover of Time magazine. The magazine devoted four pages
to the topic — and just one paragraph noting that Dr. Keys’s diet
advice was “still questioned by some researchers.” That set the tone
for decades of news media coverage. Journalists and their audiences
were looking for clear guidance, not scientific ambiguity.
After the fat-is-bad theory became popular wisdom, the cascade
accelerated in the 1970s when a committee led by Senator George
McGovern issued a report advising Americans to lower their risk of
heart disease by eating less fat. “McGovern’s staff were virtually
unaware of the existence of any scientific controversy,” Mr. Taubes
writes, and the committee’s report was written by a nonscientist
“relying almost exclusively on a single Harvard nutritionist, Mark
Hegsted.”
That report impressed another nonscientist, Carol Tucker Foreman, an
assistant agriculture secretary, who hired Dr. Hegsted to draw up a
set of national dietary guidelines. The Department of Agriculture’s
advice against eating too much fat was issued in 1980 and would later
be incorporated in its “food pyramid.”
Meanwhile, there still wasn’t good evidence to warrant recommending a
low-fat diet for all Americans, as the National Academy of Sciences
noted in a report shortly after the U.S.D.A. guidelines were issued.
But the report’s authors were promptly excoriated on Capitol Hill and
in the news media for denying a danger that had already been
proclaimed by the American Heart Association, the McGovern committee
and the U.S.D.A.
The scientists, despite their impressive credentials, were accused of
bias because some of them had done research financed by the food
industry. And so the informational cascade morphed into what the
economist Timur Kuran calls a reputational cascade, in which it
becomes a career risk for dissidents to question the popular wisdom.
With skeptical scientists ostracized, the public debate and research
agenda became dominated by the fat-is-bad school. Later the National
Institutes of Health would hold a “consensus conference” that
concluded there was “no doubt” that low-fat diets “will afford
significant protection against coronary heart disease” for every
American over the age of 2. The American Cancer Society and the
surgeon general recommended a low-fat diet to prevent cancer.
But when the theories were tested in clinical trials, the evidence
kept turning up negative. As Mr. Taubes notes, the most rigorous meta-
analysis of the clinical trials of low-fat diets, published in 2001
by the Cochrane Collaboration, concluded that they had no significant
effect on mortality.
Mr. Taubes argues that the low-fat recommendations, besides being
unjustified, may well have harmed Americans by encouraging them to
switch to carbohydrates, which he believes cause obesity and disease.
He acknowledges that that hypothesis is unproved, and that the low-
carb diet fad could turn out to be another mistaken cascade. The
problem, he says, is that the low-carb hypothesis hasn’t been
seriously studied because it couldn’t be reconciled with the low-fat
dogma.
Mr. Taubes told me he especially admired the iconoclasm of Dr. Edward
H. Ahrens Jr., a lipids researcher who spoke out against the McGovern
committee’s report. Mr. McGovern subsequently asked him at a hearing
to reconcile his skepticism with a survey showing that the low-fat
recommendations were endorsed by 92 percent of “the world’s leading
doctors.”
“Senator McGovern, I recognize the disadvantage of being in the
minority,” Dr. Ahrens replied. Then he pointed out that most of the
doctors in the survey were relying on secondhand knowledge because
they didn’t work in this field themselves.
“This is a matter,” he continued, “of such enormous social, economic
and medical importance that it must be evaluated with our eyes
completely open. Thus I would hate to see this issue settled by
anything that smacks of a Gallup poll.” Or a cascade.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09tier.html?
ex=1192766400&en=e39b1763d08e4229&ei=5070&emc=eta1
In 1988, the surgeon general, C. Everett Koop, proclaimed ice cream
to a be public-health menace right up there with cigarettes. Alluding
to his office’s famous 1964 report on the perils of smoking, Dr. Koop
announced that the American diet was a problem of “comparable”
magnitude, chiefly because of the high-fat foods that were causing
coronary heart disease and other deadly ailments.
He introduced his report with these words: “The depth of the science
base underlying its findings is even more impressive than that for
tobacco and health in 1964.”
That was a ludicrous statement, as Gary Taubes demonstrates in his
new book meticulously debunking diet myths, “Good Calories, Bad
Calories” (Knopf, 2007). The notion that fatty foods shorten your
life began as a hypothesis based on dubious assumptions and data;
when scientists tried to confirm it they failed repeatedly. The
evidence against Häagen-Dazs was nothing like the evidence against
Marlboros.
It may seem bizarre that a surgeon general could go so wrong. After
all, wasn’t it his job to express the scientific consensus? But that
was the problem. Dr. Koop was expressing the consensus. He, like the
architects of the federal “food pyramid” telling Americans what to
eat, went wrong by listening to everyone else. He was caught in what
social scientists call a cascade.
We like to think that people improve their judgment by putting their
minds together, and sometimes they do. The studio audience at “Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire” usually votes for the right answer. But
suppose, instead of the audience members voting silently in unison,
they voted out loud one after another. And suppose the first person
gets it wrong.
If the second person isn’t sure of the answer, he’s liable to go
along with the first person’s guess. By then, even if the third
person suspects another answer is right, she’s more liable to go
along just because she assumes the first two together know more than
she does. Thus begins an “informational cascade” as one person after
another assumes that the rest can’t all be wrong.
Because of this effect, groups are surprisingly prone to reach
mistaken conclusions even when most of the people started out knowing
better, according to the economists Sushil Bikhchandani, David
Hirshleifer and Ivo Welch. If, say, 60 percent of a group’s members
have been given information pointing them to the right answer (while
the rest have information pointing to the wrong answer), there is
still about a one-in-three chance that the group will cascade to a
mistaken consensus.
Cascades are especially common in medicine as doctors take their cues
from others, leading them to overdiagnose some faddish ailments
(called bandwagon diseases) and overprescribe certain treatments
(like the tonsillectomies once popular for children). Unable to keep
up with the volume of research, doctors look for guidance from an
expert — or at least someone who sounds confident.
In the case of fatty foods, that confident voice belonged to Ancel
Keys, a prominent diet researcher a half-century ago (the K-rations
in World War II were said to be named after him). He became convinced
in the 1950s that Americans were suffering from a new epidemic of
heart disease because they were eating more fat than their ancestors.
There were two glaring problems with this theory, as Mr. Taubes, a
correspondent for Science magazine, explains in his book. First, it
wasn’t clear that traditional diets were especially lean. Nineteenth-
century Americans consumed huge amounts of meat; the percentage of
fat in the diet of ancient hunter-gatherers, according to the best
estimate today, was as high or higher than the ratio in the modern
Western diet.
Second, there wasn’t really a new epidemic of heart disease. Yes,
more cases were being reported, but not because people were in worse
health. It was mainly because they were living longer and were more
likely to see a doctor who diagnosed the symptoms.
To bolster his theory, Dr. Keys in 1953 compared diets and heart
disease rates in the United States, Japan and four other countries.
Sure enough, more fat correlated with more disease (America topped
the list). But critics at the time noted that if Dr. Keys had
analyzed all 22 countries for which data were available, he would not
have found a correlation. (And, as Mr. Taubes notes, no one would
have puzzled over the so-called French Paradox of foie-gras
connoisseurs with healthy hearts.)
The evidence that dietary fat correlates with heart disease “does not
stand up to critical examination,” the American Heart Association
concluded in 1957. But three years later the association changed
position — not because of new data, Mr. Taubes writes, but because
Dr. Keys and an ally were on the committee issuing the new report. It
asserted that “the best scientific evidence of the time” warranted a
lower-fat diet for people at high risk of heart disease.
The association’s report was big news and put Dr. Keys, who died in
2004, on the cover of Time magazine. The magazine devoted four pages
to the topic — and just one paragraph noting that Dr. Keys’s diet
advice was “still questioned by some researchers.” That set the tone
for decades of news media coverage. Journalists and their audiences
were looking for clear guidance, not scientific ambiguity.
After the fat-is-bad theory became popular wisdom, the cascade
accelerated in the 1970s when a committee led by Senator George
McGovern issued a report advising Americans to lower their risk of
heart disease by eating less fat. “McGovern’s staff were virtually
unaware of the existence of any scientific controversy,” Mr. Taubes
writes, and the committee’s report was written by a nonscientist
“relying almost exclusively on a single Harvard nutritionist, Mark
Hegsted.”
That report impressed another nonscientist, Carol Tucker Foreman, an
assistant agriculture secretary, who hired Dr. Hegsted to draw up a
set of national dietary guidelines. The Department of Agriculture’s
advice against eating too much fat was issued in 1980 and would later
be incorporated in its “food pyramid.”
Meanwhile, there still wasn’t good evidence to warrant recommending a
low-fat diet for all Americans, as the National Academy of Sciences
noted in a report shortly after the U.S.D.A. guidelines were issued.
But the report’s authors were promptly excoriated on Capitol Hill and
in the news media for denying a danger that had already been
proclaimed by the American Heart Association, the McGovern committee
and the U.S.D.A.
The scientists, despite their impressive credentials, were accused of
bias because some of them had done research financed by the food
industry. And so the informational cascade morphed into what the
economist Timur Kuran calls a reputational cascade, in which it
becomes a career risk for dissidents to question the popular wisdom.
With skeptical scientists ostracized, the public debate and research
agenda became dominated by the fat-is-bad school. Later the National
Institutes of Health would hold a “consensus conference” that
concluded there was “no doubt” that low-fat diets “will afford
significant protection against coronary heart disease” for every
American over the age of 2. The American Cancer Society and the
surgeon general recommended a low-fat diet to prevent cancer.
But when the theories were tested in clinical trials, the evidence
kept turning up negative. As Mr. Taubes notes, the most rigorous meta-
analysis of the clinical trials of low-fat diets, published in 2001
by the Cochrane Collaboration, concluded that they had no significant
effect on mortality.
Mr. Taubes argues that the low-fat recommendations, besides being
unjustified, may well have harmed Americans by encouraging them to
switch to carbohydrates, which he believes cause obesity and disease.
He acknowledges that that hypothesis is unproved, and that the low-
carb diet fad could turn out to be another mistaken cascade. The
problem, he says, is that the low-carb hypothesis hasn’t been
seriously studied because it couldn’t be reconciled with the low-fat
dogma.
Mr. Taubes told me he especially admired the iconoclasm of Dr. Edward
H. Ahrens Jr., a lipids researcher who spoke out against the McGovern
committee’s report. Mr. McGovern subsequently asked him at a hearing
to reconcile his skepticism with a survey showing that the low-fat
recommendations were endorsed by 92 percent of “the world’s leading
doctors.”
“Senator McGovern, I recognize the disadvantage of being in the
minority,” Dr. Ahrens replied. Then he pointed out that most of the
doctors in the survey were relying on secondhand knowledge because
they didn’t work in this field themselves.
“This is a matter,” he continued, “of such enormous social, economic
and medical importance that it must be evaluated with our eyes
completely open. Thus I would hate to see this issue settled by
anything that smacks of a Gallup poll.” Or a cascade.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09tier.html?
ex=1192766400&en=e39b1763d08e4229&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Scientists Believe Purpose of appendix found
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Some scientists think they have figured out the real job of the troublesome and seemingly useless appendix: It produces and protects good germs for your gut.
That's the theory from surgeons and immunologists at Duke University Medical School, published online in a scientific journal this week.
For generations the appendix has been dismissed as superfluous. Doctors figured it had no function. Surgeons removed them routinely. People live fine without them.
And when infected the appendix can turn deadly. It gets inflamed quickly and some people die if it isn't removed in time. Two years ago, 321,000 Americans were hospitalized with appendicitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The function of the appendix seems related to the massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestive system, according to the study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology.
There are more bacteria than human cells in the typical body. Most are good and help digest food.
But sometimes the flora of bacteria in the intestines die or are purged. Diseases such as cholera or amoebic dysentery would clear the gut of useful bacteria. The appendix's job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.
The appendix "acts as a good safe house for bacteria," said Duke surgery professor Bill Parker, a study co-author. Its location _ just below the normal one-way flow of food and germs in the large intestine in a sort of gut cul-de-sac -- helps support the theory, he said.
\n\u003cdiv\>That use is not needed in a modern industrialized society, Parker said. \u003c/div\>\n\u003cp\>If a person's gut flora dies, it can usually be repopulated easily with germs they pick up from other people, he said. But before dense populations in modern times and during epidemics of cholera that affected a whole region, it wasn't as easy to grow back that bacteria and the appendix came in handy.\n\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>In less developed countries, where the appendix may be still useful, the rate of appendicitis is lower than in the U.S., other studies have shown, Parker said.\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>He said the appendix may be another case of an overly hygienic society triggering an overreaction by the body's immune system.\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>Even though the appendix seems to have a function, people should still have them removed when they are inflamed because it could turn deadly, Parker said. About 300 to 400 Americans die of appendicitis each year,
according to the CDC.\n\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>Five scientists not connected with the research said that the Duke theory makes sense and raises interesting questions.\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>The idea "seems by far the most likely" explanation for the function of the appendix, said Brandeis University biochemistry professor Douglas Theobald. "It makes evolutionary sense."\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>The theory led Gary Huffnagle, a University of Michigan internal medicine and microbiology professor, to wonder about the value of another body part that is often yanked: "I'll bet eventually we'll find the same sort of thing with the tonsils."\n\u003c/p\>\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n",0] ); //-->
Also, the worm-shaped organ outgrowth acts like a bacteria factory, cultivating the good germs, Parker said.
That use is not needed in a modern industrialized society, Parker said.
If a person's gut flora dies, it can usually be repopulated easily with germs they pick up from other people, he said. But before dense populations in modern times and during epidemics of cholera that affected a whole region, it wasn't as easy to grow back that bacteria and the appendix came in handy.
In less developed countries, where the appendix may be still useful, the rate of appendicitis is lower than in the U.S., other studies have shown, Parker said.
He said the appendix may be another case of an overly hygienic society triggering an overreaction by the body's immune system.
Even though the appendix seems to have a function, people should still have them removed when they are inflamed because it could turn deadly, Parker said. About 300 to 400
Americans die of appendicitis each year, according to the CDC.
Five scientists not connected with the research said that the Duke theory makes sense and raises interesting questions.
The idea "seems by far the most likely" explanation for the function of the appendix, said Brandeis University biochemistry professor Douglas Theobald. "It makes evolutionary sense."
The theory led Gary Huffnagle, a University of Michigan internal medicine and microbiology professor, to wonder about the value of another body part that is often yanked: "I'll bet eventually we'll find the same sort of thing with the tonsils."
That's the theory from surgeons and immunologists at Duke University Medical School, published online in a scientific journal this week.
For generations the appendix has been dismissed as superfluous. Doctors figured it had no function. Surgeons removed them routinely. People live fine without them.
And when infected the appendix can turn deadly. It gets inflamed quickly and some people die if it isn't removed in time. Two years ago, 321,000 Americans were hospitalized with appendicitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The function of the appendix seems related to the massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestive system, according to the study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology.
There are more bacteria than human cells in the typical body. Most are good and help digest food.
But sometimes the flora of bacteria in the intestines die or are purged. Diseases such as cholera or amoebic dysentery would clear the gut of useful bacteria. The appendix's job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.
The appendix "acts as a good safe house for bacteria," said Duke surgery professor Bill Parker, a study co-author. Its location _ just below the normal one-way flow of food and germs in the large intestine in a sort of gut cul-de-sac -- helps support the theory, he said.
\n\u003cdiv\>That use is not needed in a modern industrialized society, Parker said. \u003c/div\>\n\u003cp\>If a person's gut flora dies, it can usually be repopulated easily with germs they pick up from other people, he said. But before dense populations in modern times and during epidemics of cholera that affected a whole region, it wasn't as easy to grow back that bacteria and the appendix came in handy.\n\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>In less developed countries, where the appendix may be still useful, the rate of appendicitis is lower than in the U.S., other studies have shown, Parker said.\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>He said the appendix may be another case of an overly hygienic society triggering an overreaction by the body's immune system.\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>Even though the appendix seems to have a function, people should still have them removed when they are inflamed because it could turn deadly, Parker said. About 300 to 400 Americans die of appendicitis each year,
according to the CDC.\n\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>Five scientists not connected with the research said that the Duke theory makes sense and raises interesting questions.\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>The idea "seems by far the most likely" explanation for the function of the appendix, said Brandeis University biochemistry professor Douglas Theobald. "It makes evolutionary sense."\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>The theory led Gary Huffnagle, a University of Michigan internal medicine and microbiology professor, to wonder about the value of another body part that is often yanked: "I'll bet eventually we'll find the same sort of thing with the tonsils."\n\u003c/p\>\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n",0] ); //-->
Also, the worm-shaped organ outgrowth acts like a bacteria factory, cultivating the good germs, Parker said.
That use is not needed in a modern industrialized society, Parker said.
If a person's gut flora dies, it can usually be repopulated easily with germs they pick up from other people, he said. But before dense populations in modern times and during epidemics of cholera that affected a whole region, it wasn't as easy to grow back that bacteria and the appendix came in handy.
In less developed countries, where the appendix may be still useful, the rate of appendicitis is lower than in the U.S., other studies have shown, Parker said.
He said the appendix may be another case of an overly hygienic society triggering an overreaction by the body's immune system.
Even though the appendix seems to have a function, people should still have them removed when they are inflamed because it could turn deadly, Parker said. About 300 to 400
Americans die of appendicitis each year, according to the CDC.
Five scientists not connected with the research said that the Duke theory makes sense and raises interesting questions.
The idea "seems by far the most likely" explanation for the function of the appendix, said Brandeis University biochemistry professor Douglas Theobald. "It makes evolutionary sense."
The theory led Gary Huffnagle, a University of Michigan internal medicine and microbiology professor, to wonder about the value of another body part that is often yanked: "I'll bet eventually we'll find the same sort of thing with the tonsils."
Using mobiles for a decade raises brain cancer risk: study
many. But, if researchers in Europe are to be believed, regular
use of a mobile phone over more than a decade raises the risk of
brain cancer.
Yes, according to Swedish researchers, who carried out a study,
long-term users have double the chance of getting a malignant
tumour on the side of the brain where they hold the handset, the
Daily Mail reported in London on Monday.
And, an hour a day on a mobile phone for over ten years, is be
enough to increase the risk. "The international standard employed
to protect users from radiation emissions is not safe and needs
updating.
30 mins/day on mobile may harm hearing
"Children should be discouraged from using mobiles because their
thinner skulls and developing nervous systems make them especially
vulnerable. Adults should exercise caution," lead researcher
Professor Lennart Hardell of the University Hospital in Orebro was
quoted as saying.
In fact, Professor Hardell and his fellow researcher Professor
Kjell Hansson Mild of Umea University came to the conclusion after
examining long-term mobile users because cancer can take more than
a decade to develop.
After analysing the results of 11 studies carried out around the
world, the team found found almost all had discovered an increased
risk of cancer of the glial cells that support and protect the
nerve cells.
Those who have used their phones for at least a decade are 20 per
cent more likely to contract acoustic neuromas and 30 per cent
more likely to get malignant gliomas, they said.
There was also an increased risk of acoustic neuromas, benign but
often disabling tumours which usually cause deafness, according to
the findings published in the latest edition of 'Occupational
Environmental Medicine' journal.
Note: I have carried out some experiements myself.After meditation
for 15 minutes or more period and clamin gmyself, I founf that
keeping mobile close to heart does create some small uneasiness.It
might be due to interference of mobile emissions interfering with
electronic pulse wavs controlling heart rhythm.This needs more
study by scientific methods.
So best thing is to use mobile minimum possible.In any case it is
not good to use it while driving , near electroinic instrument and
in aircrafts.
If you want to see the effct, just take mobilenear you PC monitor
and receive a claa or make one.
use of a mobile phone over more than a decade raises the risk of
brain cancer.
Yes, according to Swedish researchers, who carried out a study,
long-term users have double the chance of getting a malignant
tumour on the side of the brain where they hold the handset, the
Daily Mail reported in London on Monday.
And, an hour a day on a mobile phone for over ten years, is be
enough to increase the risk. "The international standard employed
to protect users from radiation emissions is not safe and needs
updating.
30 mins/day on mobile may harm hearing
"Children should be discouraged from using mobiles because their
thinner skulls and developing nervous systems make them especially
vulnerable. Adults should exercise caution," lead researcher
Professor Lennart Hardell of the University Hospital in Orebro was
quoted as saying.
In fact, Professor Hardell and his fellow researcher Professor
Kjell Hansson Mild of Umea University came to the conclusion after
examining long-term mobile users because cancer can take more than
a decade to develop.
After analysing the results of 11 studies carried out around the
world, the team found found almost all had discovered an increased
risk of cancer of the glial cells that support and protect the
nerve cells.
Those who have used their phones for at least a decade are 20 per
cent more likely to contract acoustic neuromas and 30 per cent
more likely to get malignant gliomas, they said.
There was also an increased risk of acoustic neuromas, benign but
often disabling tumours which usually cause deafness, according to
the findings published in the latest edition of 'Occupational
Environmental Medicine' journal.
Note: I have carried out some experiements myself.After meditation
for 15 minutes or more period and clamin gmyself, I founf that
keeping mobile close to heart does create some small uneasiness.It
might be due to interference of mobile emissions interfering with
electronic pulse wavs controlling heart rhythm.This needs more
study by scientific methods.
So best thing is to use mobile minimum possible.In any case it is
not good to use it while driving , near electroinic instrument and
in aircrafts.
If you want to see the effct, just take mobilenear you PC monitor
and receive a claa or make one.
Depression linked to neglect of diabetes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In patients with type 2 diabetes, the adult on-set variety, depressive symptoms -- even if they do not meet criteria for major depressive disorder -- is associated with poor adherence to self-care, according to results of a study published in Diabetes Care.
Dr. Jeffrey S. Gonzalez, of Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , and colleagues compared the effects of depression on 879 diabetic patients from two primary care clinics. The participants were surveyed using the Harvard Department of Psychiatry/National Depression Screening Day Scale (HANDS), the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, and self-reported medication adherence.
Overall, 19.3 percent of the patients met HANDS criteria for probable major depression (HANDS score at least 9) and 66.5 percent reported at least some depressive symptoms without meeting the criteria for probable major depression.
Only 14.2 percent of the subjects reported no depressive symptoms.
Of those with probable major depression, 59.4 percent had depression listed in their medical records, and 48.8 percent had been prescribed an antidepressant agent.
A significant association was observed between major depression and poorer adherence to diet, exercise, and glucose self-monitoring regimens after controlling for other health risk factors. Patients with major depression had a had 2.3-fold increased odds of missing medication doses in the previous week compared with the other subjects.
Among the 709 subjects who did not meet the criteria for major depression, "increasing HANDS scores were incrementally associated with poorer adherence to self-care behaviors," the investigators found.
"The presence of symptoms of depression in type 2 diabetes may hinder a patient's ability to adhere to their self-care routine," Gonzalez said in an interview with Reuters Health. "Depressive symptoms such as diminished interest, fatigue, concentration difficulties, and feelings of hopelessness could each interfere with the hard work that's involved in diabetes self-management. "
"These patients might benefit from extra support or from a referral to psychological services, especially when their symptoms are impacting functioning or causing distress," Gonzalez added. "Since we know that depression in diabetes is associated with higher risks of complications, poorer diabetes control, and even increased mortality, it's really crucial to evaluate patients and offer appropriate treatment when necessary."
More generally, Gonzalez concluded, "Our findings suggest that decreased ability to adhere to one's medical regimen may be an important explanatory pathway through which depression affects health outcomes. Treating depression in the context of chronic illness may be an increasingly important role for mental health providers as rates of chronic illness continue to increase and evidence mounts for the harmful effects of depression in patients with chronic illness."
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, September 2007.
http://news. yahoo.com/ s/nm/20071008/ hl_nm/depression _diabetes_ dc_1;_ylt= ApFI.k_b17poJUj5 0QmdeC1kMfQI
__._,_.___
Dr. Jeffrey S. Gonzalez, of Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , and colleagues compared the effects of depression on 879 diabetic patients from two primary care clinics. The participants were surveyed using the Harvard Department of Psychiatry/National Depression Screening Day Scale (HANDS), the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, and self-reported medication adherence.
Overall, 19.3 percent of the patients met HANDS criteria for probable major depression (HANDS score at least 9) and 66.5 percent reported at least some depressive symptoms without meeting the criteria for probable major depression.
Only 14.2 percent of the subjects reported no depressive symptoms.
Of those with probable major depression, 59.4 percent had depression listed in their medical records, and 48.8 percent had been prescribed an antidepressant agent.
A significant association was observed between major depression and poorer adherence to diet, exercise, and glucose self-monitoring regimens after controlling for other health risk factors. Patients with major depression had a had 2.3-fold increased odds of missing medication doses in the previous week compared with the other subjects.
Among the 709 subjects who did not meet the criteria for major depression, "increasing HANDS scores were incrementally associated with poorer adherence to self-care behaviors," the investigators found.
"The presence of symptoms of depression in type 2 diabetes may hinder a patient's ability to adhere to their self-care routine," Gonzalez said in an interview with Reuters Health. "Depressive symptoms such as diminished interest, fatigue, concentration difficulties, and feelings of hopelessness could each interfere with the hard work that's involved in diabetes self-management. "
"These patients might benefit from extra support or from a referral to psychological services, especially when their symptoms are impacting functioning or causing distress," Gonzalez added. "Since we know that depression in diabetes is associated with higher risks of complications, poorer diabetes control, and even increased mortality, it's really crucial to evaluate patients and offer appropriate treatment when necessary."
More generally, Gonzalez concluded, "Our findings suggest that decreased ability to adhere to one's medical regimen may be an important explanatory pathway through which depression affects health outcomes. Treating depression in the context of chronic illness may be an increasingly important role for mental health providers as rates of chronic illness continue to increase and evidence mounts for the harmful effects of depression in patients with chronic illness."
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, September 2007.
http://news. yahoo.com/ s/nm/20071008/ hl_nm/depression _diabetes_ dc_1;_ylt= ApFI.k_b17poJUj5 0QmdeC1kMfQI
__._,_.___
Depression linked to neglect of diabetes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In patients with type 2 diabetes, the adult on-set variety, depressive symptoms -- even if they do not meet criteria for major depressive disorder -- is associated with poor adherence to self-care, according to results of a study published in Diabetes Care.
Dr. Jeffrey S. Gonzalez, of Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , and colleagues compared the effects of depression on 879 diabetic patients from two primary care clinics. The participants were surveyed using the Harvard Department of Psychiatry/National Depression Screening Day Scale (HANDS), the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, and self-reported medication adherence.
Overall, 19.3 percent of the patients met HANDS criteria for probable major depression (HANDS score at least 9) and 66.5 percent reported at least some depressive symptoms without meeting the criteria for probable major depression.
Only 14.2 percent of the subjects reported no depressive symptoms.
Of those with probable major depression, 59.4 percent had depression listed in their medical records, and 48.8 percent had been prescribed an antidepressant agent.
A significant association was observed between major depression and poorer adherence to diet, exercise, and glucose self-monitoring regimens after controlling for other health risk factors. Patients with major depression had a had 2.3-fold increased odds of missing medication doses in the previous week compared with the other subjects.
Among the 709 subjects who did not meet the criteria for major depression, "increasing HANDS scores were incrementally associated with poorer adherence to self-care behaviors," the investigators found.
"The presence of symptoms of depression in type 2 diabetes may hinder a patient's ability to adhere to their self-care routine," Gonzalez said in an interview with Reuters Health. "Depressive symptoms such as diminished interest, fatigue, concentration difficulties, and feelings of hopelessness could each interfere with the hard work that's involved in diabetes self-management. "
"These patients might benefit from extra support or from a referral to psychological services, especially when their symptoms are impacting functioning or causing distress," Gonzalez added. "Since we know that depression in diabetes is associated with higher risks of complications, poorer diabetes control, and even increased mortality, it's really crucial to evaluate patients and offer appropriate treatment when necessary."
More generally, Gonzalez concluded, "Our findings suggest that decreased ability to adhere to one's medical regimen may be an important explanatory pathway through which depression affects health outcomes. Treating depression in the context of chronic illness may be an increasingly important role for mental health providers as rates of chronic illness continue to increase and evidence mounts for the harmful effects of depression in patients with chronic illness."
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, September 2007.
http://news. yahoo.com/ s/nm/20071008/ hl_nm/depression _diabetes_ dc_1;_ylt= ApFI.k_b17poJUj5 0QmdeC1kMfQI
__._,_.___
Dr. Jeffrey S. Gonzalez, of Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , and colleagues compared the effects of depression on 879 diabetic patients from two primary care clinics. The participants were surveyed using the Harvard Department of Psychiatry/National Depression Screening Day Scale (HANDS), the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, and self-reported medication adherence.
Overall, 19.3 percent of the patients met HANDS criteria for probable major depression (HANDS score at least 9) and 66.5 percent reported at least some depressive symptoms without meeting the criteria for probable major depression.
Only 14.2 percent of the subjects reported no depressive symptoms.
Of those with probable major depression, 59.4 percent had depression listed in their medical records, and 48.8 percent had been prescribed an antidepressant agent.
A significant association was observed between major depression and poorer adherence to diet, exercise, and glucose self-monitoring regimens after controlling for other health risk factors. Patients with major depression had a had 2.3-fold increased odds of missing medication doses in the previous week compared with the other subjects.
Among the 709 subjects who did not meet the criteria for major depression, "increasing HANDS scores were incrementally associated with poorer adherence to self-care behaviors," the investigators found.
"The presence of symptoms of depression in type 2 diabetes may hinder a patient's ability to adhere to their self-care routine," Gonzalez said in an interview with Reuters Health. "Depressive symptoms such as diminished interest, fatigue, concentration difficulties, and feelings of hopelessness could each interfere with the hard work that's involved in diabetes self-management. "
"These patients might benefit from extra support or from a referral to psychological services, especially when their symptoms are impacting functioning or causing distress," Gonzalez added. "Since we know that depression in diabetes is associated with higher risks of complications, poorer diabetes control, and even increased mortality, it's really crucial to evaluate patients and offer appropriate treatment when necessary."
More generally, Gonzalez concluded, "Our findings suggest that decreased ability to adhere to one's medical regimen may be an important explanatory pathway through which depression affects health outcomes. Treating depression in the context of chronic illness may be an increasingly important role for mental health providers as rates of chronic illness continue to increase and evidence mounts for the harmful effects of depression in patients with chronic illness."
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, September 2007.
http://news. yahoo.com/ s/nm/20071008/ hl_nm/depression _diabetes_ dc_1;_ylt= ApFI.k_b17poJUj5 0QmdeC1kMfQI
__._,_.___
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