Hyvin
A Natural Health and Wellness Blog

Everybody wants vitality and vigor in their senior years, right? And everybody should know that what they do to and with their bodies all of their lives is going to affect their later years. You know a healthy diet and regular exercise have to be good things.

Well, the “experts” have once again confirmed the obvious: a new report by the nonprofit Center for the Advancement of Health concludes that those who eat right and exercise have lower risks of chronic disease and less physical and mental disability as they age. The HealthDay News account of this report warns that:

[It’s] not always easy for older people in a society that has built its streets for drivers, not walkers, and put convenience — think fast foods — for the young over possibilities for the old.

Well, one way to make the healthy diet component easier is to take a multi-vitamin/mineral specially formulated for the nutritional needs of seniors.

Eat right and exercise. You know it. You just gotta’ do it!

Have you heard the rule of thumb that a cold with clear discharge (aka snot) is viral and there’s no point in going to the doctor, but if the snot is yellow or green, you’ve got a bacterial infection that needs antibiotics?

Well, it’s time to rethink the rule.

I’ve always been a proponent of letting the body develop immunity to things such as colds, even when bacterial, whenever possible. Taking antibiotics does kill the bacteria, but does not give the immune system a chance to develop its own antibodies to the bacteria for future immune strength.

Now there’s an “official” statement on the issue: yellow snot is not an automatic pass for antibiotics. A new study from the British Medical Journal suggests that antibiotics didn’t help most severe head colds, and there can be harmful side effects, particularly gastrointestinal complaints.

According to the HealthDay News report of this research:

Their finding was based on data from seven carefully controlled trials comparing results when antibiotics were or were not given to people with severe head colds.

The gastrointestinal side effects of the antibiotics could very likely be due to the fact that, along with the bad bacteria, the good bacteria that is supposed to be in our guts gets destroyed. It is SO important to replace those good bacteria whenever we do have to resort to antibiotics with a guaranteed supplement.

And the best defense against any head cold is a strong healthy immune system. You can do a lot to naturally support your immune system!

Everyday fatigue is a common complaint in our fast-paced society, ranking among the top five health problems reported by adults in 1998. Four out of 10 adults across all age groups experience fatigue, and it affects women far more than men.

Interestingly, less than half of people who feel stressed and exhausted consider this to be a health problem! Of those who admit they may need help, only half have tried any treatment.

Yet an astonishing four out of five Americans consume caffeine every day, causing the Center for Science in the Public Interest to label caffeine “the world’s most popular stimulant,” and the “drug” most frequently and casually consumed.

And our national caffeine consumption may be higher than reported. Sales of “energy pills” are on the rise, yet a look at the ingredient list of many popular products often reveals guarana, mate, bissy nut, or cola nut, which are all simply herbal sources of caffeine. Ma huang and Chinese ephedra are herbal sources of ephedrine, another central nervous system stimulant.

The effects of caffeine in the body are linked to our “hardwired” biological stress-response mechanisms. Because life has always presented hazards, the human body is designed to react quickly and decisively to dangerous situations. When triggered by “watch out!” signals such as loud noises, rapid movement, strong odors, and more, the body automatically produces both physical and chemical responses. Surges of adrenaline heighten your mental awareness and sensitivity and prime your muscles for demanding movement such as jumping or running. Your pupils dilate, your breathing quickens, and eventually your natural cooling system kicks in and you start to sweat.

A single 250-milligram serving of caffeine (the equivalent of about 2.5 six-ounce cups of coffee) has been shown to increase levels of adrenaline by more than 200 percent! Caffeine also stimulates the production of norepinephrine, another stress chemical that acts directly on the brain and nervous system. With daily use, caffeine can elevate levels of another stress chemical known as cortisol. Together, these biochemicals can increase heart rate and blood pressure and produce that “emergency” feeling.

In a real-life emergency, all these survival mechanisms would help you get out of the way of a charging elephant or the 5:05 commuter train. But what happens to the body when you are triggering a full-blown “fight or flight” response at regular intervals throughout the day, every day?

The fact is that caffeine doesn’t produce energy. It stimulates your nervous system and adrenals, which is actually a form of stress on the body. Caffeine intake has been linked to increased blood pressure. Research shows that people who consume more than 250 milligrams of caffeine per day (remember, that’s what you’d get in 15 ounces of coffee) tend to have poor sleep quality. One study showed that 250 milligrams of caffeine decreased whole-brain cerebral blood flow by 30 percent. Other studies have found that caffeine reduces the oxygen level of brain tissue.

Research also shows that caffeine may be more damaging to women, producing adverse effects at lower intake levels. Women eliminate caffeine from their bodies more slowly than men, and this rate also changes significantly with the menstrual cycle.

So, are there any options if we want the pick-me-up we experience with caffeine, but DON’T want the negative health consequences of this “drug”? YES! Cordyceps, Panax Ginseng and Green Tea are all traditional Asian ingredients used for centuries for sustained enduring energy. Based on this experience, clinical use in Europe and recent scientific studies, an optimum combination of these three ingredients for energy and sustained vitality has been developed into tablet form by Shaklee. For more detailed information about this product and how it works, click here.

Every stage of a child’s development has its own critical nutrition requirements. And research continues to support the understanding that meeting those nutrition requirements has a dramatic impact on school performance. (Hey, it’ll be back-to-school time before we know it!)

While a well-balanced diet is very important, most children are picky eaters and do not get all the nutrients they need from diet alone, so you’ll also want to consider supplementing their diet.

Supplement their diet with what?! Click here for specific recommendations by age category from a family physician! Your children (and their teacher(s)!) will thank you .

Study findings presented at the Experimental Biology 2005 meeting in San Diego showed that supplemental zinc helped students perform better in school.

This was a 10-week study of 209 seventh graders, some of whom consumed fruit juice supplemented with zinc while others received regular juice. Those receiving the supplemental zinc had better reaction time on a visual memory test, more correct answers on a word recognition test and had better scores on a task requiring sustained attention and vigilance.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to try a nutritional approach to improving school performance before some of the recommended medicinals. Feel free to contact me if you’d like more information about this.

If trying to get pain free doesn’t kill you, it might mess up your liver!

So, the researchers were looking at a combination drug to determine why those taking the drug experienced elevated liver enzymes; they expected the interaction of the drug components to be at fault. One of the drug components happened to be acetaminophen, the common pain killer in Tylenol.

And guess what they found? It was the acetaminophen (Tylenol) — and that alone that was responsible for the alarming liver test results! Study participants were taking the upper level of recommended amounts, but still… it would surely be preferable not to take any.

Thankfully for those with chronic pain, there is a non-drug alternative for pain relief!

Study Source: Journal of the American Medical Association

In the July 2006 edition of the European Heart Journal, researchers report on a population-based study done in Finland which demonstrated that painkillers known as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen, increased the risk of having a heart attack!!

The Reuters Health account of this study states:

Because other studies have yielded different results, and some researchers have suggested that NSAIDs may actually protect the heart, a large clinical trial is needed.

Yes, that would seem to be a very good idea! This just reinforces for me that the practice of medicine is a “learn-as-you-go ” endeavor.

I’ve been a patient with a physician who believes he is all-knowing, and I’ve been a patient with a physician who acknowledges the limitations of the medical knowledge base. I greatly respect the latter.

This research also emphasizes in my mind the importance of doing all I can without the use of drugs to be hyvin (Finnish for “well”)! … particularly from this Finnish study .

And I very much want people to know that there is an option for a natural herbal painkiller that does not carry side effect risks.

The World Health Organization recently issued a report on the sun and its role in human health.

Ultraviolet light from the sun is needed for the body to produce Vitamin D, of course, but it also causes serious health problems including sunburn, skin aging, cataracts, and skin cancer, the last of which can be deadly.

The Reuters Health account of the report cites up to 60,000 annual deaths from too much sun!

The report concludes that:

The application of sunscreens should not be used to prolong sun exposure but rather to protect the skin when exposure is unavoidable.

That will take a change, won’t it? I have to admit, I’m accustomed to viewing sunscreen as a way of buying more sun time. How about you?

The July 2006 issue of Neurology reports on a study of vitamin B6 consumption compared to developing Parkinson’s disease. B6 is required for the nervous system, and is needed for normal brain function.

According to the Reuters Health report of this study:

[T]hose who reported taking in the most vitamin B6 were about half as likely as those who consumed the least to develop Parkinson’s disease.

Keep in mind that B vitamins do not exist in isolation in nature. There are 8 B vitamins and they offer the greatest synergistic value when consumed together as a B-Complex.

A review, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, of fifteen studies concludes that eating processed meats increases the risk of stomach cancer.

The Reuters Health report of this research review quoted the Swedish Karolinska Institute as saying that:

[P]rocessed meats were often salted or smoked, or had nitrates added to them, in order to extend their shelf-life, which could be connected to the increased risk of stomach cancer, the fourth most common type of cancer.

We don’t eat the bacon, the sausage, the smoked ham very often, but it can be so tasty once in awhile.

Did you know that Vitamin C is believed to help neutralize the free radical cell damage caused by nitrates? So, at least pop an extra sustained release Vitamin C when you indulge!