Hyvin
A Natural Health and Wellness Blog

Experts trying to prepare for the possibility of an influenza pandemic are looking at the best way to avoid airborne disease spread in hospitals. Seems like a good idea, right?

Think they’re calling for new forms of ventilation? Pumping out infected air? High-tech solutions? Nope…just open the windows.

That’s right! Retuers Health reports that researchers concluded: “Opening windows and doors maximizes natural ventilation so that the risk of airborne contagion is much lower than with costly, maintenance-requiring mechanical ventilation systems.”

Isn’t there some “old wives’ tale” about opening the windows and airing out the house? Seems like those old wives were right (again ).

My goal in maintaining this blog is to give you credible, helpful information in incorporating natural health and wellness approaches into your life. So, when a study comes along that is widely discredited, confusing and a piece of poor science, I’m reluctant to bring it to your attention.

I assume, though, that the recent Journal of the American Medical Association article concerning antioxidants and mortality rates will get a lot of attention from the popular media. Why? Because they love a good headline, whether or not it serves the public.

So – if you’ve seen press about the study and wondered about it, feel free to contact me for a thorough analysis of the study and its conclusions.

Research has demonstrated that zinc can play a life-saving role for children in the developing world. As reported in the March 17 issue of The Lancet, zinc supplementation reduced the rate of mortality and the cases of pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. According to the HealthDay report of this research, zinc is believed to play an important role in healthy immune system function.

If zinc supplements can do that much for those with so many challenges to their immune function, I know I wouldn’t want to be without them for myself and my children!

From HealthDay News: “Even a short period of calcium and vitamin D supplementation can greatly reduce the risk of stress fractures (overuse injuries to the bone) in women, a U.S. study finds.” Conducted on female U.S. Navy recruits, the study found that 25 percent more of those getting placebos suffered stress fractures than the group taking the supplements and was reported in San Diego in February 2007 at the annual meeting of the Orthopedic Research Society.

Gonna’ join the armed forces, begin track and field workouts or otherwise increase bone usage in a big way? (spring is coming!) Take your calcium and Vitamin D supplements (the latter helps the body absorb the former, which is vital for bone formation and repair).

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released last week The State of Aging and Health in America 2007. The picture isn’t pretty. 80 percent of Americans 65 and older suffer from one chronic disease that could lead to premature death and disability (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.), and a full half of seniors are burdened by two chronic illnesses.

Of course, the social ramifications of these statistics are horrendous. And then there are the financial consequences. The Reuters Health report of the research cited researchers as saying: “The cost of caring for aging Americans will add 25 percent to the nation’s health care bill by 2030 unless people act now to stay healthy”. An addition we can scarcely afford.

I’m glad to see that researchers are emphasizing healthier lifestyles and prevention as key in dealing with this situation, looking specifically at physical inactivity, poor nutrition, obesity and smoking. They seem like a good place to begin. There have been many studies linking these lifestyle choices to ill health, and more are being released all the time. Consider research in the February 2007 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society concluding that “Nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease who participate in a moderate exercise program have a significantly slower deterioration than those who receive routine medical care.” (Reuters Health)

These age-related declines are NOT inevitable! But we DO have to be responsible for our own health and wellness. That means making informed decisions about regular exercise, supplementation and healthy eating. Doctors do not make us well. We can often, though, impact our wellness by the choices we make. Yes, it takes time, effort and self-discipline. But isn’t it totally worth it?

Also in the Feb. 2007 edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is a study which found that women between the ages of 72 and 85 with completely intact mental function were less likely to have health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure (Reuters Health).

I certainly want to do all I can to live out my senior years with maximum function, both mental and physical, don’t you?

Do you remember the big news when some common big-name arthritis medications that inhibited cox-2 enzymes (those responsible for the pain response) were taken off the market because of their link to heart attacks? The American Heart Association has formally issued a statement, recently published in Circulation, according to HealthDay, confirming that these drugs do increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and stating that doctors need to prescribe the pain relievers still on the market (like Celebrex) to people with, or at risk for, heart disease only as a last resort.

Seems like a no-brainer to me. It’s good to have the official AHA position. I just wish it included recognition of the non-drug option for a cox-2 inhibitor!

Over-the-counter pain meds are getting a lot of negative press lately. Here’s another reason to avoid the all-too-common drugs: a link to high blood pressure.

I have to admit, I was surprised to learn that this relationship had been studied in women first. New research in the Feb. 26, 2007 edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine concludes that men, like women, who frequently take over-the-counter pain relievers have higher blood pressure than those who don’t. According to the Reuters Health report of the study, researchers urge greater caution in using these drugs, much like we’ve heard before.

Are we listening?

Researchers have concluded we pop the pills without even knowing the potential dangers! I believe it…that’s the power of advertising, methinks.

A study that appeared in the January/February issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association revealed that those taking the popular prescription and over-the-counter pain reliever acetaminophen were not well versed in safe dosages or dangers of over-dosages. “Users” weren’t even sure what drugs contained acetaminophen (Tylenol, many combination pain and cold medications, and a number of prescription drugs).

This is serious business. According to the HealthDay account of the research, ” Excessive use of acetaminophen, whether it be a large single dose or long-term overuse, can lead to severe liver damage that may require a liver transplant or cause death. In fact, acetaminophen overdose is now the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States.” [emphasis mine]

We need to know this stuff! And we need to know there are natural pain relief alternatives.