Hyvin
A Natural Health and Wellness Blog

One aspirin every day for a year vs. working as a firefighter. Which is riskier??? Believe it or not, those two behaviors carry about the same risk of death!!! Do we really consider the risks involved when we take medications?

HealthDay News tells us: “In an analysis appearing in the May/June issue of Health Affairs, researchers compared half a dozen risky drugs to various occupational, recreational and transportation activities, with sometimes surprising results. For instance, few people know that aspirin carries a high risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.”

It amazes me how readily some folks pop meds, especially the OTC variety. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again —- I believe the power of advertising plays a large role here. Which is fueled, of course, by money. Where is the focus on individual health and wellness??

This seems like pretty big news to me: the same lifestyle choices that decrease your risk of heart disease and diabetes also decrease your risk of cancer! As if additional motivation was needed, that makes exercise, maintaining optimal weight, a healthy diet and nutritional support all that much more appealing.

Of course, high blood sugar levels increase the risk of diabetes and even heart disease. And now,Reuters Health reports on a study in the March 2007 issue of Diabetes Care that points specifically to an association between cancer and high blood sugar levels in non-diabetics.

Like I’ve said before, the body is a unit…what ails one part, is naturally prone to ail the rest. So, maybe the news isn’t all that “big” after all. Maybe I should call it exciting! – there is so much we can do to prevent degenerative disease!! Eat right. Get moving. Lose weight, if needed. And, for some additional help, we can even supplement with a natural blend of minerals, botanicals and antioxidants proven to help retain normal blood sugar levels!

Here is a new plug for antioxidants: they may help with noise-induced hearing loss! At least they did in one animal study reported by Reuters Health. Researchers theorize that “the pre-exposure treatment may have helped by suppressing the development of cell-damaging substances called free radicals. The post-noise doses, in turn, may have lessened harm to the auditory nerves.” The nutrients used in the study were vitamins A, C and E, plus magnesium.

I was SO glad to see recent research on the effect drug sales representatives have on doctors. Do they sway doctors and impact the prescriptions that are handed out? The research says “yes”. And just think about it. If they didn’t, there would be absolutely no reason for the drug companies to have them.

So is this any surprise? Well, according to the Reuters Health report on two recent studies, it is to the doctors! They don’t think they’re influenced by free meals, drug samples, friendly wooing, even coffee mugs and pens. I suggest they are the only ones who don’t think so.

Have you ever been in the doctor’s office and watched a drug rep carry in trays of food while you sit waiting? I have (and I am rarely at the doctor’s office – makes me wonder how often this goes on!). It rubs me the wrong way. How about you?

We’ve talked a lot about the important health benefits of whole grains. Here’s another study looking specifically at whole-grain breakfast cereals (defined as those having at least 25 percent oat or bran content). Eating them is linked to a reduced risk of heart failure. HealthDay reports that the study was reported at the American Heart Association’s annual Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Conference held in March of 2007.