World of Health

When we play with Mother Nature there are often unintended consequences. Look no further than our attempts of treating certain health issues and have now led to the infection problem today with MRSA. MRSA is the abbreviation for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is commonly known to us as staph. Thankfully it is treatable with a number of different antibiotics and not deadly.

The methicillin-resistant part of MRSA is the troubling part of the name. This means the strain of staph bacteria has over time built up a resistant to methicillin antibiotics and they are essentially the usual antibiotics that we use to treat staph. Staph for the most part kills no one but MRSA has killed over 19,000 people a year.

What most question is how did this all come about. Every living organism evolves over a period of time and staph bacteria is the same. The bacteria are killed continually by MRSA bacteria until a slight form of variation allows part of it to survive. That then starts replicating and spreading.

Of course what we all fear is what happens when MRSA explodes and starts to spread everywhere and we get overwhelmed with a bacteria that does not die and lives in our hospitals and other medical care facilities. Because of this MRSA is referred to as a superbug and is potentially a huge problem.

In many people’s opinion the problem with the MRSA threat did not need to become a threat or such a big problem. Antibiotics are viewed by so many as magical cures for almost everything. If small amounts worked well then large amounts should do wonders. This thought process lead to an incredible overuse of antibiotics thus increasing the rate of speed the bacteria evolved a resistant strain.

This is how bad it became. Did anyone know the food we eat everyday has antibiotics, here we are talking specifically about meat. Cows get injected with them, chickens and others animals that are mass produced. The rate of these antibiotics is even increasing as genetic manipulation alters size but they are less able to fight off disease.

In a recent study scientists have found, in the brains of cocaine addicts, significant abnormalities which may help explain the compulsive behavior that accompanies using the narcotic. It also hints to why people that use the drug are prone to getting addicted.

Scans on the brain revealed that those that use cocaine had large decreases in grey matter in the frontal lobes and that affects key functions and included memory and attention, decision making, while other parts of their brains were larger. One finding was the longer the use the poorer their attention became and they started to use the drug more compulsively.

This they say is the benchmark for cocaine use – that many are intelligent individuals who go to great lengths to purchase the drug, to get additional amounts and to put their livelihood on the line, risk their families and all the time feeling they need to use more.

On Tuesday in the journal Brain, the results were published. The brains of 60 addicts of cocaine were scanned and compared with scans from 60 people that did not have any history of taking drugs. There were a significant amount of abnormalities in users of cocaine. Most pointedly the amount of grey matter on the frontal cortex was smaller in those that were cocaine addicted.

Other areas that were affected included the part of the brain known as insula an area involved in processing, feedback, feelings of cravings and learning. In the anterior cingulated the grey matter involved in being attentive and emotional processing also decreased.

By contrast the region in the deepest part of the brain that was associated with attention, reward processing and motor movement – the chordate nucleus – was bigger in those who were cocaine addicts. This explains why these people had more of a probability to addiction but the scientists could not determine the reason for the enlargement and did not know if it was related to the drug use.

Laurence John Reed from Imperial College London and a clinical senior lecturer said the most impressive results were the comparisons of stimulant uses and control users and show how the brain can remodel itself in response to narcotics. This is a visual and striking example how stimulant use can affect the very important systems in the brain that correlates directly to behavior – and most specifically to compulsivity, impulsivity and inattention.

New book gives groundbreaking look at health and longevity

It is not those that are happy go lucky that always thrive it is the persistent and prudent that flourish over time. A new book has groundbreaking findings challenging all there is to know about having a long life.

Many have told us that the key to a long life is obsessing about what we eat, how fast we run and how much we stress. The Longevity Project, based the longest ever study of longevity ever, exposes what it is that really impacts the length of our lifespan – including family, friends, work and personality.

For the first time the general public has been shown these findings of this incredible decades long study that started early in the 1920s.

THE LONGEVITY PROJECT
Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight Decade Study

By Howard S. Friedman, PhD and Leslie R. Martin, PhD

Published by Hay House, 4th July 2011, £10.99 pb

Gathering new information and using modern statistics to study participants across eight decades, Dr Howard Friedman and Dr Leslie Martin bust myths about achieving health and long life. For example:
- People do not die from working long hours at a challenging job – many who worked the hardest lived the longest
- Getting and staying married is not the magic ticket to long life, especially if you’re a woman
- It’s not the happy-go-lucky ones who thrive – it’s the prudent and persistent who flourish through the years.

With questionnaires that help you determine where you are heading on the longevity spectrum and advice about how to stay healthy, this book changes the conversation about living a long, healthy life.

Howard S. Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California in Riverside, California. For three decades, Professor Friedman has studied personality predictors of longevity, developing a scientific understanding of the ‘disease-prone personality’ and the ‘self-healing personality.’ Leslie R. Martin is Professor of Psychology at La Sierra University in California.

Guest Article by Gerald Crawford

One out of every three; that’s the number of people who suffer from allergies. There are a lot of remedies out there to treat the symptoms, but none really work long term. It’s not all bad, though. Every day we learn more about allergies. New discoveries are made and studies are being done.

Until a cure is discovered, allergy sufferers can do a number of things to improve their quality of life. We’ll talk about a few of them (tips, medications, even jewelry options!) in this article.

Definition of Allergies

“I have an allergy” is what we say when our immune system reacts abnormally to something that is completely harmless to most everyone else. This hypersensitivity gets our immune system in an uproar in an attempt to protect the body from what it perceives as a threat..

That’s when your eyes itch and water; your nose runs out of control; your throat gets that dry, scratchy feeling; your sinuses start to swell; your skin starts to itch and you either develop a rash or a case of hives. Life becomes uncomfortable to say the least. And it happens again and again, each time you are exposed to the allergen, your body will react.

Common Symptoms

Different people react in different ways to different allergens. Sometimes you can have a mild reaction to an allergen and the more you are exposed, the more severe the reaction becomes. Consult an allergist or general physician when you experience anything more than a mild reaction to an allergen.

Mild reactions include:

• Sneezing
• Itchy eyes
• Runny nose

Moderate reactions include:

• Mild rash
• Mild hives
• Sinus headaches
• Itchy, scratchy throat

Severe reactions include:

• Rash
• Hives
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of lips
• Dizziness
• Loss of consciousness

Allergy Sufferers; Who Are We?

Although we’re not sure why some of us develop allergies to some things while other people do not, we do know that the propensity to become allergic to something is genetic. Basically, if your parents are allergic to something, you might be allergic to the same thing; not a guarantee, but more likely to happen.

An interesting allergy fact is that even if you are not allergic to a particular substance right now, you might develop an allergy to it later on. The reverse is true as well. So for instance, I was not allergic to pollen as a child, never had hay fever or itchy eyes from it, yet today, I as much as look at a mote of pollen and I have a sneezing fit. Sound strange? It shouldn’t. It happens to a lot of people.

One fascinating pattern that we’ve noticed include is that boys are more likely to be allergy sufferers than girls, but young ladies are more likely to have asthma than young men. Another is that people living in cities are more likely to suffer from allergies than people who live in more rural areas.

A fact worthy of note is that hay fever and eczema are more common allergic reactions for children in small families. Children in larger families are less likely to suffer from these symptoms because their immune system is constantly exposed to many agents of infection through their siblings (hygiene hypothesis). Their small family counterparts are exposed to fewer, resulting in hypersensitivity.

Common Allergens

Food allergens include:

• Dairy (milk, ice cream, etc)
• Eggs
• Wheat products
• Soy
• Nuts
• Seafood
• Fruits (strawberry, mango, peach)

When you eat something that you are allergic to, you might experience the following symptoms:

• Rash (small, reddish bumps that look like pimples) around mouth
• Hives (raised bumps; bigger than what a bad insect bite would look like) around mouth or anywhere on body)
• Vomit)
• Abdominal pain)
• Bloating)
• Diarrhea)
• Difficulty swallowing (result of swelling in throat)

The best course of action is to consult a physician, identify the food (process of elimination), and not eat it again.

Airborne allergens include:

• Pollen
• Dust mites
• Animal dander

These are harder to identify. A lot of us have seasonal allergies caused by pollen from trees, flowers, and grass. Try to really pay attention to where you are when you experience hay fever so you can narrow down the culprit.

Dust mites are microscopic insects that live and eat dust. You’re not allergic to the bug, you’re allergic to their waste. The best course of action is to keep dust down in the house by dusting and vacuuming (use a HEPA filter), getting rid of carpets and fabric curtains, and by washing sheets and towels in HOT water. Sometimes medication might be necessary to keep the symptoms at bay. Consult your allergist.

Animal dander is tiny flakes of dead skin that fall off your furry pet. If you have animal dander allergies, the best thing to do is just keep away from fuzzy, furry animals. Sorry.

Chemical allergens include:.

• Perfumes
• Dyes
• Latex products
• Laundry detergents
• Gold
• Nickel

Common reactions include itchiness, fine rash, hives, eczema, and dermatitis. Best thing to do is just stop using them.

Usually you find out you’re allergic to a certain type of metal when you wear a piece of jewelry and your skin becomes irritated at the point of contact. Just because you are allergic to certain metals does not necessarily mean that you cannot wear jewelry. Titanium is a hypoallergenic metal, and this metal has become popular in the form of titanium rings. It does not irritate even the most sensitive skin. Plus it’s very durable and very lightweight and biocompatible. You can find titanium jewelry at fine jewelry stores anywhere.

Medication allergens include:

• Penicillin
• Aspirin
• Cephalosporin

Immediate medical treatment is imperative for medication allergies. Symptoms can be very severe and may not show up until a few days after taking the medicine (it stays in your system for 5-10 days after ingestion). Signs include vomiting, hives, joint pain, difficulty breathing or swallowing, diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, and dizziness.

Diagnosis

A lot of times, we can self-diagnose. If every time you eat a mango you get a rash around your lips and a huge bellyache, chances are, you are allergic. That said other allergens take a while to figure out. It might take months or years to find what pollen type it is that makes you sneeze all the time. The best and quickest way to find out what it is that is bothering you is to go to an allergist. They can give you skin and blood tests to help identify the specific agent.

Once identified, if you cannot avoid the allergen (airborne ones, for instance), you may need medication or a vaccine.

Allergy Medications

Medicines do not cure the allergy. They simply help mask the symptoms.

Nasal sprays wash out the allergens from the nose, providing relief from cold-like symptoms.

Antihistamines and steroids are other options that help relieve the resulting discomfort suffered by those who are allergic.

Allergy shots where minute amounts of the allergen are injected into the sufferer are another way to help the sufferer build a resistance to the allergen. Over time, the severity of the sufferers symptoms to the allergen will decline.

In cases where allergic reactions are severe and the sufferer is threatened with possible death by anaphylaxis, a shot of epinephrine may be prescribed and carried. A Medic Alert bracelet may be a necessity as well.

Allergy Tip Checklist:

• Avoid contact with animals if you are allergic to dander. If you have a pet, keep them away from the bed and the bedroom.
• Avoid carpets, curtains, and any unnecessary fabric hanging about in the house. Fabric harbors dust.
• Vacuum daily and keep dust to a minimum by dusting frequently; even when something does not look dusty, wipe it anyway; it only takes a minute of time.
• Use hypoallergenic mattress covers, sheets and pillow covers.
• Wash bedding and towels in HOT water. If your washing machine water does not get hot, add a pot of boiling water to wash cycle.
• Stay inside when pollen count is high.
• Keep windows shut and use the air conditioner when travelling by car (filters air).
• Use perfume and dye free cosmetics and detergents.
• Look for hypoallergenic label on products (they are easy to find!).
• Wear hypoallergenic jewelry. Titanium is the best option for those with metal sensitive skin.

Even though 10,000 men die from prostate cancer each year it is commonly thought that many that have the disease die from another illness first. New King’s College research however goes towards dispelling this theory by showing that over half of men that get the cancer dies from it as well.

The study researched records of over 50,000 men with prostate cancer between 1997 and 2007. Just over half of the men died during than period and 49% of them died from prostate cancer itself. The others that died were caused by other cancers (12%), pneumonia (8%), heart disease (17%) and other causes.

Presented in London at the National Cancer Intelligence Network conference the findings hope to help raise prostate cancer’s profile which accounts for over 37,000 new cases each year in the UK.

It is pertinent for specialist and healthcare planners to understand that particularly for men with advanced prostate cancer their disease is a very significant risk no just to their health but also to their life and the old thought that most men die with it and not from it is just not the truth with advanced state cancer.

Guy’s and St Thomas’s Foundation Trust in London consultant oncologist Simon Chowdhury authored the study and said this confirms what many had thought, that prostate cancer is a big cause of morbidity for a large number of men and it is imperative to have ongoing and future research into the area.

Eva Ottosson has agreed to participate in a groundbreaking new medical procedure. If successful it could mean that she donates her uterus to her 25 year old daughter Sara. Doctors hope that if there is a successful transplant that Sara who was born without reproductive organs could get pregnant, carry the child in the same womb from which she was carried in by her mom and born.

The complex transplant it is hoped will take place as early as the spring in Sweden where the Gothenburg doctors have been doing assessments on suitable patients for the new revolutionary procedure.

Mrs. Ottosson runs a lighting business in Nottingham and she says she and her daughter are very rational and they both believe all it is, is just a womb. My daughter is in need of one and if I am the best donor so be it let’s do it. She said her daughter needed it more than her since she has had two daughters and has served her well.

In 2000 the only previous womb transplant took place when a woman who had lost hers due to a haemorrhage was donated one from the womb of a 46 year old. Nevertheless the recipient developed infections and had the womb removes after only three months.

Since that time knowledge of the procedure has improved and a team in Gothenburg believe they are now at the stage to they can perform the transplant successfully. Sara has a condition called Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser syndrome where she was born without a uterus and only some parts of the vagina. It affects one in 5,000 people.

An Advertorial Post

If you want to remain healthy or get back into shape, then exercise is usually the best remedy prescribed by doctors. If you want to avoid any health problems then a workout is a great solution to tone your figure and build your confidence.

Irrespective of the workout programme you use to stay active, whether this is television-based pro training regime or recommended by a health publication, you can stay on top of your game with the following workout tips.

When beginning your weight loss project, it is important to focus on your long-term goals and what you want to achieve from your calorie-burning fitness programme. By setting a reachable target, this will certainly help to motivate you as you put the effort in.

Try to stick to a routine, enabling your body to become accustomed to the challenging sessions as well as the periods of rest in between. Be good to your body as you plan out when you will be going jogging or attending your aerobics classes.

Be sure to drink plenty of water to remain fully hydrated during your workout. This is crucial as it will aid you in burning those calories even quicker as well as keeping your body working as it should. An intake of a glass of water every half hour is recommended.

As well as sticking to a fitness regime and watching what you eat on a daily and weekly basis, there are other things you can do to keep your weight in check. One of the most popular means of reaching this target in recent times has been weight loss pills. This is because these weight loss tablets can work with your body to reduce body fat and along with regular exercise and a balanced diet, can help to speed up this process.

For those of us who suffer from varicose veins from a medical or a cosmetic point of view, it’s likely that we will have spent hours trawling through Google while trying to find the best treatment for us. Some of the traditional ways of treating varicose veins include compression stockings, a special garment which improves circulation by lightly squeezing on your leg. However, as research and development in the science industry thrives and breaks boundaries, what are some of the new approaches that are being pioneered in medical practices around the country? This article aims to find out.

First up, we have radiofrequency ablation. As you may have gathered, radiofrequency energy is used in this treatment which has been recently pioneered on some patients who suffer from this health problem. The wall of the varicose vein is heated in this process, and from here, a small cut is made in the knee region so the process of inserting a catheter can begin. In order for the treatment to be successful, further heat needs to be added through radiofrequency energy in the varicose vein so the walls collapse. Once this has occurred, the problem vein is sealed shut and the blood that needs to circulate is redirected to one of the healthier veins nearby.

With local anaesthetic being used, and the prospect of modest burns because of the heat which is applied to the local area, there are just a few small side effects that you need to watch out for with this treatment. Compression stockings, the approach we mentioned earlier, is also used once radiofrequency ablation has been completed, and you may be asked to wear them by your doctor for up to two weeks.

Endovenous laser treatment is quite similar to radiofrequency ablation, and has the same approach of inserting a catheter into the varicose vein is used. However, a vital difference is that a specialist laser is used to send short and sharp bursts of energy through to the varicose vein so it is closed and sealed shut in the usual way. There can be temporary nerve damage and the prospect of the treated area being bruised and slightly sore, but this has also been proven to a successful approach to treatment.

The treatment method pursued by your doctor will depend on your circumstances and any varicose veins symptoms that you have presented with. In some cases, you may get the opportunity to decide between different treatment methods, and here, you will also be provided with the chance to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

A doctor may have their own recommendations for which course of treatment you should pursue. The prospect of going under general anaesthetic may seem relatively daunting at first, but just take the time to remember the cosmetic benefits and the quality of life you may gain from eliminating varicose veins once and for all. You’ll be able to go out and enjoy the day without feeling any discomfort, and this can be the best thing about getting the treatment done.

Related Articles:

http://www.worldofhealth.co.uk/varicose-veins-put-them-in-your-past/

For years health authorities have paid the bills for NHS patients as it has been a common practice insisting that women are not smokers if they seek IVF treatment. It is certain that smoking not only reduces the chances of the implantation being successful but the developing baby can be harmed and there is evidence to that.

Now primary care trusts (PCTs) have raised the bar even though there is a limited amount of evidence that smoking before conception can damaged sperm. There are now requirements with men being mouth swabbed for evidence of smoking or asked to blow into a breathalyzer that analyzes the amount of carbon monoxide in the exhaled air.

The device is so sensitive that it can pick up CO from someone that has only the occasional cigarette. Women are refused treatment until their partners get a green signal to go. But many say it is almost impossible to determine whether or not biological damage was done in a child due to passive smoking during childhood or damage to egg DNA and sperm from parents smoking before conception.

There is not conclusive evidence that the effect of smoking on DNA was strong enough to cause any serious health problems in the child. Nevertheless it was clear smoking does cause epigenetic changes that could be potentially harmful in eggs and sperm.

Now the NHS organizations are insisting both of the parents do not smoke and some of those include; NHS Yorkshire and Humberside, East Midlands Specialist Commissioning Group and NHS South Staffordshire.

There is a chance that those patients with advanced melanoma may live longer taking Ipilimumab and will have a much more likelihood of living longer by taking Vermurafenib than taking on chemotherapy, said scientists from the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Vermurafenib in a phase three trail was tested on over 670 patients all of them had advanced melanoma. In 84% of the cases that Vermurafenib was taken twice a day the patients were alive after six months compared to only 64% that had used the traditional chemotherapy. Additionally 48% of those that took Vemurafenib had the size of their tumours shrink.

Close to 50% of those with advanced melanoma have a faulty gene none as BRAF. Vemurafenib targets this gene. Those that were in charges of the study stopped it early due to be so impressed with the results and so that those taking chemotherapy could switch over to Vermurafenib.

The risk of the disease worsening was also reduced in those taking the drug by over 74%. The drug is being developed by Plexxikon, Inc. and Genetech (Roche). Dr. Paul Chapman from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre’s and the study leader says this is just the start of personalized medicine for melanoma.

Tumours are shrinking and with some of the patients their quality of life is improved dramatically. There are also trials that are determining if the drug may help with other types of cancer. The drug still faces tough approvals for both European use and use in the United States at a prescription level.