Natural doesn’t mean safe. And CAM is neither.

From the FMS Global and UK News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton

Courtesy of Pulse, CMP Medica. All rights reserved.

Professor Edzard Ernst Blog – 06 Apr 09

It is surprising how easily people fall for the argument that complementary or alternative therapies are safe, because they are natural. Yet on both counts, this argument is false.

One of the strongest selling points for complementary or alternative therapies is the notion that they are natural – and anything natural is, of course, safe is not it?

It is surprising how easily people fall for this nonsense – even GPs. And who can blame them? If we hear something a hundred times, we tend to believe it. This is called brainwashing! I can think of a lot of things that are natural and outright dangerous: an earthquake, a flash of lightning, a landslide, a tsunami, etc, etc, etc.

What is natural about sticking needles into people’s skin? What is natural about serial dilution as in homeopathy? What is natural about cracking bones as in chiropractic?
But seriously, most complementary or alternative treatments are neither natural nor totally safe. The answer is, not a lot!

But these treatments could still be safe. The trouble is however, that this notion is not true either. Sure, most of these treatments probably have less adverse effects than the powerful drugs of mainstream medicine, but risk-free? No.

One problem with assessing therapeutic risks reliably is that you need to actively look for adverse effect. The information rarely falls into your lap. So who is looking?

The answer is nobody.

Apart from the yellow card scheme which does cover adverse effects of herbal treatments, there is no mechanism in complementary or alternative medicine that would record adverse effects, not even serious ones.

Some years ago, I wrote to all UK professional organisations of complementary medicine asking them how they monitor adverse effects in their area of healthcare. The answers were almost entirely uniform: we do not need post marketing surveillance because we do not cause harm; this is only an issue in mainstream medicine.

So, is it fair then to say that we know of no risks because, so far, nobody has looked out for them? Not quite. We do know a little bit about risks of complementary or alternative medicine because, like sailing past the tip of an iceberg during bright daylight, we could not help noticing. But systematic knowledge akin to the one in conventional healthcare is usually not available.

For instance, we know of approximately 700 patients who suffered severe injuries, mostly vascular accidents, after spinal manipulation. Despite this impressive figure – a drug with this track record would probably have been banned long ago – most chiropractors insist that a causal link has not been established.

(http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=20&storycode=4122390&c=2&cid=ernst_blog040809#)

Why ‘belief’ in complementary medicine is misguided

Courtesy of Pulse, CMP Medica. All rights reserved.
Professor Edzard Ernst Blog – 23 Mar 09

Professor Edzard Ernst begins his blog by challening ‘belief’ in complementary and alternative medicine and answers the question ‘how come you are a professor of CAM and do not seem to be in favour of it?’

Have you ever heard anyone say, I believe in Aspirin, in bone marrow transplants, or in surgery? Probably not.

Have you ever heard someone proclaim to believe in homeopathy, energy healing or reflexology? I am sure you have. CAM – complementary and alternative medicine – is an emotive subject where belief reigns supreme over science.

But healthcare should not be about belief, it should be about facts: “Science commits suicide when it adopts a creed” (Thomas Huxley).

With this blog, I will try to regularly provide interesting facts, figures and views on CAM.

Such information might be handy when your patients come with printouts from the internet – there are currently around 50 million websites on “alternative medicine”, and the vast majority are dangerously misleading – or with cuttings from the daily papers. in Britain, newspapers carry roughly 3 times more articles on CAM than on conventional medicine.

About 20% of your patients use some form of CAM and most of them will not volunteer this information to their GP. Therefore, GPs should know more about CAM.

For or against CAM?

The question I hear regularly is “how come you are a professor of CAM and do not seem to be in favour of it?”

I usually answer that a toxicologist’s task is not to dish out poisons to patients. People then tend to give me a blank smile, and I realize that I have probably failed to get my point across.

And yet, it is a simple point: I do not see myself as a promoter of CAM, nor am I an opponent of it. My task is merely to research the subject and subsequently present the findings. This I have done for 15 years. It resulted in over 1000 articles in the peer-reviewed literature. Through this work, many issues have become quite clear.

CAM is currently dominated by belief and by misinformation. Some of this misinformation puts patients’ health (or savings) at risk. So I often feel compelled to speak out and try to put the record straight. This does not always make for cosy friendships, and some people may even feel attacked. Yet I am not in the “attacking business” – merely in the “truth telling business”.

Convinced? No? Perhaps I can give an example relevant for general practice. In our book, ‘The Oxford Handbook of Complementary Medicine’, my three co-authors and I try to clearly point out what the evidence for a wide range of CAMs shows.

In the chapter on hypertension, for instance, we state that, according to reliable studies, biofeedback lowers systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We also tell our readers what to expect of around 30 other CAM treatments that have been tested for antihypertensive effects. Lastly we point out that the best clinical evidence available to date indicates that chiropractic might cause more harm than good for this indication.

I hope that this example demonstrates that I am neither for or against CAM. All I want is sound evidence, transparency and single standards in medicine. And this I will try to provide here.

(http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=20&storycode=4122202)

Complementary therapies do not save NHS money

Courtesy of Pulse, CMP Medica. All rights reserved.

By Nigel Praities – 30 Mar 09

Complementary therapies can improve quality of life but there is little evidence they reduce NHS costs, new research concludes.

The first study to review all the evaluations of NHS complementary therapy services showed positive changes in the health status of patients but mixed evidence on cost.

The University of Bristol researchers collated data from 21 evaluations of 14 NHS services and found SF36 general health scores were increased in all studies where they were measured, with increases ranging from 0.5 to 8.9.

Figures on costs were variable, with a study of a homeopathy service showing total prescription savings of nearly £9,000, but others showing no change or increases in costs of around 50 pence per patient.

Dr Lesley Wye, lead author and research fellow in primary health at the University of Bristol, said: ‘The health status data seems to suggest that people using these services are feeling better, that they notice some sort of a difference.

‘But in terms of NHS cost it was all over the place. Some of them showed the cost went up, some went down and some it stayed the same,’ she said.

The researchers warned there was a need for ‘greater rigour’ in how the NHS measures the success of complementary therapies, with more data on health outcomes and a better evaluation of costs.

Dr Catherine Zollman, a GP who provides several complementary therapies at her practice in Bristol, said the study showed how difficult it was to collect data on the benefits of complementary therapies, but that this did not mean they were not useful for some patients.

‘I think it depends on the patient and the condition, but I think there are certain pockets where the NHS could make really big savings,’ she said.

The study was published this month in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal.

Pulse, CMP Medica. All rights reserved
(http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4122291)

Diet Plans for Men

From the FMS Global and UK News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton

Atkins vs. Ornish, South Beach Diet vs. the Zone: Does any weight loss plan really work?

Courtesy of WebMD.com

By Peter Jaret – Reviewed by Matthew Hoffman, MD – WebMD Feature

After four years of following one diet plan after another and watching his weight yo-yo up and down, Marv Leicher finally discovered the secret formula for losing weight and keeping it off successfully.

And he is not sharing it with anyone.

“I wasted enough of my own time following somebody else’s idea of the perfect diet plan,” says Leicher, 42, an insurance claims adjuster in Iowa. “I do not want some poor fool following my advice and then wondering why it is not working for him. The real secret is that there is no one perfect diet. What works for one person would not necessarily work for someone else.”

From one diet plan to the next

Leicher began by following a low-fat diet. For a few months, the pounds dropped away. He bought a new set of pants with a slimmer waist. And before long, the numbers on the bathroom scale started climbing again. Frustrated, Leicher took a friend’s advice and started following the Atkins high-protein/low-carb diet. He started losing weight within the first week. After four months, he was back to wearing his new lean and mean wardrobe.

“I really thought, OK, this is it. I am home free.”

Then came the holidays — office parties, family dinners — and when they were over, Leicher had regained 10 pounds and was on his way back to being overweight.

“That is when I said to myself, ‘Wait a minute. I am a capable guy. This is not rocket science. I should be able to figure this out.’”

So Leicher sat down and made a list of the parts of diets that seemed to work for him. He went through all the rest of the advice that he had heard — eat breakfast, do not eat breakfast; choose healthy snacks, avoid snacks — and added the tips that seemed to help.

“I ended up with six rules. Frankly, I would be embarrassed to show them to anyone else. But they were changes I knew I could make without feeling like I was doing penance for some past sins.”

Within three months, he was back down to his college weight. This time, though, he stayed there. “It has been almost a year, and I do not even really think of myself as being on a diet. This is just the way I eat.”

How popular diet plans score

What works? What does not? With some 38,000 diet books in print — and 2,500 new ones hitting the shelves every year — not to mention magazines trumpeting the ultimate new fad diet in every monthly issue, there is plenty to choose from. Lately, even researchers have got into the act. The National Institutes of Health and university medical centers around the nation have spent many years and millions of dollars to test the Atkins diet versus the South Beach, the American Heart Association diet versus the Zone.

Along the way, there have been genuine surprises. The low-fat diet, widely endorsed by many official groups, has not turned out to be as safe or effective as most experts thought. Some people do manage to lose weight on low-fat diets, but usually weight loss is fairly slow — only a pound or two a month. And while levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) fall, studies show that levels of good cholesterol also drop. Many people on low fat diets also see a rise in triglycerides — an independent risk factor for heart disease.

To almost everyone’s surprise, low-carb/high-protein diets — Atkin’s is the model — have proved much safer and more effective than expected. Here was a diet that featured eggs and bacon and warned people away from bread. Yet study after study has shown that for people who are overweight or obese, high-protein/low-carb diets have real advantages.

“These diets push most of the numbers in the right direction,” says Ronald Krauss, MD, a senior researcher at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute and a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

“Body weight and body fat go down, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol drop, while at the same time good cholesterol levels remain up. Low-carb diets also improve insulin sensitivity even without weight loss, so they offer better protection against diabetes.”

The best news for dieters is that high-protein/low-carb dieters also shed pounds faster, on average, than low-fat dieters. In the latest of a string of studies that have pitted one popular diet against another, researchers at Stanford put the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diet to the test. After 12 months, volunteers on the Atkins diet had lost more weight — twice as much — as people on any of the other diets.

But if you are looking to dramatically change your shape, the numbers were not all that encouraging. The average weight loss was a scant 10.3 pounds.

In a slew of recent head-to-head studies of popular diets, in fact, the Atkins diet has pulled ahead in the first few months, resulting in more and faster weight loss. Many experts have come around to accept the notion that protein-rich foods may be more satiating than carb-rich foods.

Unfortunately, the Atkins lead typically evaporates by the end of a year. In a 2006 British study that compared four popular weight loss plans, for example, volunteers lost weight faster on the high-protein/low-carb plan. But after a year, all four diets had resulted in about the same weight loss, about 13 pounds. What is more, several studies comparing diets have seen very high drop-out rates. Even with scientists looking over their shoulders, it turns out people have trouble sticking with most diets.

The best diet plan

Disheartening? Sure. But lurking behind the generally glum news about fad diets and popular weight loss programs are individual success stories — and important information for anyone looking to lose weight.

“If you look at all these studies, you find that on almost any diet, some people do very well and others do not lose any weight at all,” says Janet King, PhD, professor of nutrition at the University of California, Berkeley,who chaired the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for the U.S. High-protein diets may have an initial advantage in jump-starting weight loss.

But all weight loss plans have one thing in common: They restrict certain kinds of foods and thus limit calories. “Most diets work in the short-term, and the reason is that they simplify decisions about what you’re going to eat,” says King. “They take variety out of the diet. Some restrict carbohydrates. Some restrict fat. But the end result is that they offer a way to eat fewer calories.”

The reason some people succeed is also simple: motivation. “What really matters is compliance, which is another way of saying someone is motivated enough to stick with a diet,” says King.

The best diet plan, in other words, is the one that you are most likely to be able to follow for the long haul. And that is likely to be different for different people. Men who are basically vegetarians are going to have a tough time following the Atkins diet. Steak-and-eggs men are not going to stick with a low-fat, mostly veggie diet plan for long.

Kathleen M. Vohs, a psychologist at the University of Minnesota, believes choosing a regimen that most closely matches the way you like to eat is crucial. She offers a provocative reason.

“Studies show that self-control is a limited resource,” says Vohs. “People may have an easy time giving something up the first time. But when people are repeatedly asked to exhibit self-control, that ability begins to erode.”

It is easier to eat a healthy meal for breakfast, in other words, than to stick with a diet plan once dinner rolls around, especially if it means saying no to foods you love. And by extension, it is easier to stick with a diet that does not eliminate most of the foods you love.

One man’s diet plan

That is a lesson Marv Leicher took to heart when he decided to abandon popular diets and fashion his own weight loss regimen. “Basically, I picked and chose from the strategies that seemed easiest for me to follow,” he says. “It was no big deal to give up soft drinks and fruit drinks, so I did that religiously. No liquid calories. I’m not the kind of guy who can eat just half of what’s in front of him, so I gave up trying to divide portions. Instead, I decided, no desserts. At lunch, I used to go out with people from the office. Now I bring a cup of yogurt and some trail mix, and if the weather is good I take a half hour walk and eat a quick lunch. Little stuff like that.”

Little stuff. But for Leicher, it adds up to big results. Over the past year, he’s lost 30 pounds. Best of all, he’s keeping them off.

©2005-2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
(http://men.webmd.com/guide/diet-plans-men?ecd=wnl_men_040709)

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements for Men
Why multivitamins and other dietary supplements can be hazardous to your health

Courtesy WebMD.com

By Arthur Allen -Reviewed by James E. Gerace, MD – WebMD Feature

More than half the adults in America regularly use multivitamins and other supplements to boost their immune systems and enhance nutrition, supporting an industry worth more than $20 billion annually. Grocers stock every conceivable vitamin, mineral, and herbal “boost,” and every neighborhood seems to have its own supplement store.

So are vitamins and mineral supplements for men really necessary?

Based on the current evidence, the answer is a definitive “no.” “For me,” says Christian Gluud, MD, a vitamin researcher at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, “the simple answer is do not use them.”

“Except for certain defined population groups,” says Irwin H. Rosenberg, MD, director of the nutrition and NeuroCognition Laboratory at Tufts University, “there is no evidence that supplemental vitamins and minerals are beneficial for your health.”

He goes on to tell WebMD, “There is no indication that a poor diet is going to be made into a good diet by taking multivitamins.”

Vitamin and mineral supplements can lead to early death

It is not just that vitamin and mineral supplements provide little benefit for the healthy middle-aged man. Large doses of the pills can actually make you sick and reduce your lifespan. A review of 68 randomized trials of high-dose antioxidant supplements such as vitamins C and E found a 5% higherrisk of death in those who took them.

The study, published in February in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Gluud is the lead author), found an even greater risk of death for vitamin users in a subset of 47 carefully conducted trials.

At first glance, this seems contradictory. Over the past three decades, many studies have found that eating fresh fruits and vegetables, which contain high amounts of antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals, can add years to a healthy life. But there are obviously components of a healthy lifestyle that can not be bottled.

“Multivitamins are not a shortcut,” Gluud says. “You are better off eating a varied diet instead of risking the increased mortality of taking these supplements.”

Multivitamins and the middle-aged man

To be sure, vitamin supplements can be beneficial for certain groups of people. After the age of 55 or so, your body starts to lose the capacity to make vitamin D from sunshine, and adding a vitamin D pill may be a good idea.

The elderly also lose the ability to absorb vitamin B12 from their diet, and some of this deficiency can be met by taking a B12 supplement. Cancer patients, or people eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day, may have vitamin deficiencies. Vegans may need some B vitamins and iron unless they are meticulous about getting these nutrients from their diet.

“There really is no strong evidence to support the need of the average 35- to 55-year-old man to take a multivitamin,” says Cheryl Rock, MD, professor of nutrition in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.

“If you’re concerned about your nutritional levels, a doctor can order tests. It is quite easy to find out, for example, if you are deficient in B12 or vitamin D. And usually one visit with a dietician will be covered by health insurance.”

So far, the evidence of benefit, and harm, from supplements comes from careful studies of large doses of particular vitamins and minerals. There is almost no evidence of health effects from multivitamins. Taking a once-a-day vitamin pill is probably as harmless as it is pointless, except for the manufacturer that can produce a bottle of pills for a few cents and market it for $9.99, nutrition experts say.

Do multivitamins work if you think they do?

There can be, of course, a placebo benefit from a multivitamin or other supplement — the benefit of feeling in control of your health and hopeful of the results. “Even in the face of evidence that multivitamins lack efficacy, people are still going to take them,” says Marion Nestle, PhD, professor of nutrition at New York University and author of What to Eat.

“You’re dealing here with something that goes beyond science and has to do with belief systems.”

Nestle notes that when the recent JAMA study came out, many scientists interviewed about its findings said they would still keep taking vitamins. (Nestle, for one, does not regularly take supplements: “Sometimes when I need a placebo, I’ll pop one.”)

An unhealthy dose of heavy metal

But buyers beware. Some pills contain less or more of a vitamin than promised, and it is not unusual to find heavy metals like lead in the pills, according to chemical analyses by the commercial laboratory ConsumerLab.com, which tests vitamins for sports teams and others.

To be sure, the existence of a vast industry selling products that are potentially dangerous and probably of marginal value strikes some as troubling. We have Congress to thank for the virtually unregulated state of the supplement industry.

The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act effectively handcuffed regulation of dietary supplements by the Food and Drug Administration. The term “supplements” includes everything from vitamins and minerals to herbal supplements such as ephedra, saw palmetto, ginkgo biloba, and other substances, some of which have powerful pharmacological effects. Purveyors of these substances are not required to prove their efficacy, and the FDA must show they are dangerous before removing them from the market. The supplement maker has no obligation to test the safety of the product.

Since passage of the bill, the market in vitamin and mineral supplements has ballooned from an estimated $3.3 billion in 1990 to well over $20 billion.

How did vitamin and mineral supplements get such a good rep?

A body of research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s seemed to show benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements in preventing chronic diseases like cancer and osteoporosis and heart disease. But reviews of these studies showed that much of the benefit attributed to supplements was actually attributable to the overall better health practices of those who took them. In other words, people who took vitamin supplements also tended to eat better, smoke less, and get more exercise, says Rosenberg.

Many people have started taking supplements containing antioxidants because of research gathered over the past three decades showing these compounds help slow cell damage. But a well-fed population is already ingesting enough to overcome oxidative stress, and adding more antioxidants probably would not lower the risk of chronic diseases, says Rock.

Foods rich in antioxidizing compounds range from walnuts, blackberries, artichokes, and pecans to brewed coffee and chocolate cupcakes. Yet these products are not equally good for you, and you obviously would not want to build a diet exclusively around antioxidants.

SOURCES: Bjelakovic, G. et al., Journal of the American Medical Association, Feb. 28, 2007; vol 297(8): pp 842–57. Huang et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007; vol 85 (suppl): pp S265–S268. Gad, S.C. and S.E., International Journal of Toxicology, 2003; vol 22: pp 381–385. Fletcher, F., JAMA, June 19, 2002; vol 287(23): 3116–3126. Halvorsen, B. et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2006; vol 84: pp 95–135. Morris, M.C. et al., Archives of Neurology, April 2005; vol 12: pp 641–645. Christian Gluud, MD, Copenhagen University Hospital. Irwin H. Rosenberg, MD, director, Nutrition and NeuroCognition Laboratory, Tufts University. Cheryl Rock, MD, professor of nutrition, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Marion Nestle, PhD, professor of nutrition, New York University; author of What to Eat (North Point Press, 2007). Paul M Coates: testimony before the Committee on Government Reform, US HR, March 9, 2006. ConsumerLab.

©2005-2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
(http://men.webmd.com/guide/vitamin-mineral-supplements-men)

Six Surprising Stress Fixes

From the FMS Global and UK News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton

Courtesy of WebMD – Feature from “Good Housekeeping” Magazine USA

By Catherine Guthrie

Simple, field-tested strategies you can use right now

You know what stress looks like: The sun rises; so do you. Your child suddenly remembers that he needs cupcakes for the school party. The dog has gotten sick in the living room. Your spouse leaves for work in a huff after a pre-breakfast tiff over finances. You leave for work without a report that’s due today. You double back, grab it from the kitchen counter, trip over an Everest of laundry — must we go on?

You know what stress feels like: Your pulse quickens, your lungs squeeze shut, your ears ring, and you wonder if this is the time your head actually explodes. Sensing anxiety overload, your brain orders up a chemical surge that makes your blood vessels narrow, heart race, blood pressure rise, and muscles tighten. Your body is mobilizing to deal with threat.

Good plan, nature! But you were not meant to stay on red alert forever. Prolonged stress leads to health problems. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol are associated with heart disease and cancer; stress has also been linked to gastrointestinal problems, eczema, asthma, and depression.

And you probably already know what is involved in long-term, big-commitment stress reduction: physical changes (exercising, eating right, getting plenty of sleep); organizational changes (planning ahead, divvying up chores equitably); attitude changes (letting go of what you cannot control, for starters); and relationship changes (finding ways to talk through, directly and respectfully, the problems that are the sources of anxiety). All of these transformations are definitely worth the effort.

But here is what you may not know: Recent studies have suggested six new stress reducers — research-tested, rather surprising, and relatively simple. You can ease these strategies into your life right now.

Strategy 1: Smooch spontaneously

“When I come home from a hard day at work and kiss my husband, the bad stuff does not seem to matter anymore,” says Cheryl Kennedy Henderson, 47, an accountant in Knoxville, TN.

Science says she is on to something. A recent study of 2,000 couples showed that those who kiss only during lovemaking are eight times more likely to report suffering from stress and depression than those who frequently kiss on the spur of the moment. Study leader Laura Berman, Ph.D., an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and ob-gyn at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, explains why: “Kissing relieves stress by creating a sense of connectedness, which releases endorphins, the chemicals that counteract stress and depression.”

Strategy 2: Take the cuddle cure

More good news from the annals of affection: Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently found that holding hands and hugging can measurably reduce stress. Fifty couples were asked to hold hands for 10 minutes, then hug for 20 seconds. A second group of 85 people rested quietly, not touching their significant others. Researchers then asked people in both groups to talk about a past event that left them angry or anxious. Those who had not cuddled before revisiting the past exhibited signs of elevated heart rate and blood pressure. But couples who had hugged and held hands were not nearly as ruffled.

“The gentle pressure of a hug can stimulate nerve endings under the skin that send calming messages to the brain and slow the release of cortisol,” explains Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the University of Miami Medical School’s Touch Research Institute. And if your honey is not on hand? Field says other studies have found that a hug from a friend or a professional massage can also help banish tension.

Strategy 3: Lash out less

You may have already concluded what a series of studies has confirmed: When married couples argue, men are more likely than women to withdraw — and this frustrates their wives. The studies also revealed something not as obvious. The way a woman deals with frustration during hostile arguments can measurably affect her stress load, and thus her physical health.

Women who responded to their husbands with verbal hostility showed elevated stress-hormone levels during arguments and for hours afterward. Their mates did not show these physical signs of stress, says Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Ohio State University College of Medicine and a member of the research team. Prolonged surges of stress hormones can damage the immune system, she notes.

One serious physical consequence of a hostile fighting style was discovered last year by researchers at the University of Utah, who found that wives who lashed out at their husbands during disagreements had twice as much coronary artery calcification, a sign of heart disease, as wives who stayed calm. Hostile husbands were not affected.

“Conflict is not necessarily bad,” says Kiecolt-Glaser. “It is the way couples disagree that affects health.” Her advice: Concentrate on the issue at hand and forget about getting even; drop the sarcasm and name-calling. “Generally it is best to try to keep the emotional temperature as low as possible,” she says. “The more heated the words or tone of voice, the harder it is for husbands and wives to hear each other. If necessary, take a deep breath and respectfully end the conversation, promising to talk about the situation later, when you are calmer.”

Strategy 4: Put the kettle on

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world (after water); even coffee-worshipping Americans guzzle more than 2 billion gallons of tea a year. Part of the appeal may be its tension-taming powers. In a recent study, scientists at University College London noted that people who drank black tea four times a day for six weeks had lower levels of cortisol after a stressful task than those who drank a caffeinated fruit beverage.

Research also shows that a substance in green tea leaves, L-Theanine, may shift brain wave activity from the beta waves that accompany anxiety to the alpha waves associated with relaxation. Maxine Friedman, 43, of New York City, the mother of 7-year-old twin girls, builds tea breaks into her busiest days. She finds the ritual as calming as the beverage. “I start relaxing even before I start to drink — at the sound of the kettle, the feel of the cup in my hand,” she says.

Strategy 5: Loosen your electronic leash

Thanks to high-tech gadgets, your kids can reach you 24/7. Knowing where they are and what they are up to? Priceless. But there is a hidden cost. A two-year study of 1,367 working men and women in New York State, two-thirds of them parents, found that all were overburdened by a blurring of the divide between the workplace and home. But while both men and women reported bringing job-related worries home with them, only women felt stress because of home worries spilling over into the workplace.

Researchers speculate that cell phones and pagers are responsible for this blurring of boundaries. “When your kids have a crisis or a relative gets sick, it is usually the women, not the men, who get the call at work,” says Noelle Chesley, a professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the study’s author. She suggests you take turns with your spouse being “on call” for minor emergencies, and make sure the sitter and the school have his number as well as yours. You may have to retrain the kids, too.

Strategy 6: Reflect on what you value

When your frazzle level is so high you feel yourself spiraling out of control, a quick way to re-center is to remind yourself of what is most important in your life. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, asked 85 people to complete a questionnaire ranking their values from what matters most to what matters least. Then the group was divided. Half the people were asked to talk about their top-ranked values; the other half discussed what mattered least to them.

Afterward, everyone took part in a stress-inducing task (giving a five-minute speech in front of a heckling audience, then counting backward from 2,083 by 13s). People who had reflected on their most cherished values had a lower stress response than those who had discussed matters that did not mean much.

“Affirming your values changes the way you appraise a situation,” says David Creswell, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and a research scientist at UCLA. “In this case, the stressful event became less of a threat and more of a challenge.” He suggests one way to put the research findings to work: In a stressful situation, think about people important to you, and how you have been a good mate, mother, daughter, sister, or friend.

“Affirmations of close relationships are powerful sources to draw on,” Creswell says.
 
Stress Management

People who do not manage stress well can have headaches, stomach pain, sleeping problems, illness, and depression. You can manage stress by journaling, meditating, exercising, talking to others, or engaging in a hobby.

Stress Management Diet

Stress management can be a powerful tool for wellness. There is evidence that too much pressure is not just a mood killer. People who are under constant stress are more vulnerable to everything from colds to high blood pressure and heart disease. Although there are many ways to cope, one strategy is to eat stress-fighting foods. Read on to learn how a stress management diet can help.

Stress-Busting Foods: How They Work

Foods can fight stress in several ways. Comfort foods, like a bowl of warm oatmeal, actually boost levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical. Other foods can reduce levels of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that take a toll on the body over time. Finally, a nutritious diet can counteract the impact of stress, by shoring up the immune system and lowering blood pressure. Do you know which foods are stress busters?

Complex Carbs

All carbs prompt the brain to make more serotonin. For a steady supply of this feel-good chemical, it is best to eat complex carbs, which are digested more slowly. Good choices include whole-grain breakfast cereals, breads, and pastas, as well as old-fashioned oatmeal. Complex carbs can also help you feel balanced by stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Simple Carbs

Dieticians usually recommend steering clear of simple carbs, which include sweets and soda. But these foods can provide short-term relief of stress-induced irritability. Simple sugars are digested quickly, leading to a spike in serotonin.

Oranges

Oranges make the list for their wealth of vitamin C. Studies suggest this vitamin can reduce levels of stress hormones while strengthening the immune system. If you have a particularly stressful event coming up, you may want to consider supplements. In one study, blood pressure and cortisol levels returned to normal more quickly when people took 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C before a stressful task.

Spinach

Popeye never lets stress get the best of him – maybe it is all the magnesium in his spinach. Magnesium helps regulate cortisol levels and tends to get depleted when we are under pressure. Too little magnesium may trigger headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress. One cup of spinach goes a long way toward replenishing magnesium stores. Not a spinach eater? Try some cooked soybeans, or a filet of salmon, also high in magnesium.

Fatty Fish

To keep cortisol and adrenaline in check, make friends with fatty fish. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish like salmon and tuna, can prevent surges in stress hormones and protect against heart disease. For a steady supply, aim to eat three ounces of fatty fish at least twice a week. 

Black Tea

Research suggests black tea can help you recover from stressful events more quickly. One study compared people who drank four cups of tea daily for 6 weeks with people who drank a tea-like placebo. The real tea drinkers reported feeling calmer and had lower levels of cortisol after stressful situations. Coffee, on the other hand, can boost levels of cortisol.

Pistachios

Pistachios can soften the impact stress hormones have on the body. Adrenaline raises blood pressure and gets your heart racing when you are under stress. Eating a handful of pistachios every day can lower blood pressure, so it will not spike as high when that adrenaline rush comes.

Avocados

One of the best ways to reduce high blood pressure is to get enough potassium — and half an avocado has more potassium than a medium-sized banana. In addition, guacamole offers a nutritious alternative when stress has you craving a high-fat treat.

Almonds

Almonds are chock full of helpful vitamins. There is vitamin E to bolster the immune system, plus a range of B vitamins, which may make the body more resilient during bouts of stress. To get the benefits, snack on a quarter of a cup every day.

Raw Veggies

Crunchy raw vegetables can fight the effects of stress in a purely mechanical way. Munching celery or carrot sticks helps release a clenched jaw, and that can ward off tension headaches.

Bedtime Snack

Carbs at bedtime can speed the release of serotonin and help you sleep better. Heavy meals before bed can trigger heartburn, so stick to something light like toast and jam.

Milk

Another bedtime stress buster is the time-honored glass of warm milk. Researchers have found calcium can reduce muscle spasms and soothe tension, as well as easing anxiety and mood swings linked to PMS. Dieticians typically recommend skim or low-fat milk.

Herbal Supplements

There are many herbal supplements that claim to fight stress. One of the best studied is St. John’s wort, which has shown benefits for people with mild-to-moderate depression. Although more research is needed, the herb also appears to reduce symptoms of anxiety and PMS. There is less data on valerian root, another herb said to have a calming effect.

(Ed’s note:You should perhaps seek medical advice before taking St. John’s Wort with other medication)

De-Stress with Exercise

Besides tweaking your diet, one of the best stress-busting strategies is to start exercising. Aerobic exercise is the most effective, because it increases oxygen circulation and produces endorphins — chemicals that make you feel happy. To get the maximum benefit, aim for 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times a week.

(Ed’s note: Undertaking a new exercise regime should be subject to medical advice.)

Disclaimer: The views of the author of this article are not necessarily the views of the Editor. It in interest of self preservation, readers should seek medical advice before making any additions or changes to their prescriptions or undertaking any strenuous exercise. Without prejudice.

©2005-2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
(http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/features/6-surprising-stress-fixes)

Eat Your Way to Clearer Thinking

From the FMS News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton

Courtesy of TheVitaminService.com

By Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RD

Healthnotes Newswire (March 12, 2009) — Anyone who’s cared for a loved one with dementia understands the agony of watching a clear mind slip away. But new research on this topic brings new hope: A healthy Mediterranean diet may not only prevent the beginning stages of dementia, known as mild cognitive impairment, but in people already experiencing mild cognitive impairment, it may also reduce the risk of developing full-blown dementia.

Fresh food, fish, & fat—three keys to staying sharp

Researchers assessed the eating habits of 1,875 men and women, 482 of whom were classified as having mild cognitive impairment at the start of the study. To determine how closely each person followed a typical Mediterranean eating pattern, researchers looked at eight food categories: dairy, meat, fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans), cereals, fish, and fat.

Eating more dairy and meat was classified as not following a Mediterranean diet and bad for health. Eating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, fish, and monounsaturated fat, particularly in olive oil, was classified as more closely following a Mediterranean diet and protective of good health.

Study participants were 77 years old, on average, and were classified into groups with low, medium, or high levels of adherence to a Mediterranean diet, depending on how much or how little of each of the eight food categories they typically ate.

After following the group for approximately four and a half years, the researchers found that people in the high Mediterranean diet group had 28% lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment than people in the low Mediterranean diet group. Among those with mild cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study, those in the medium and high Mediterranean diet groups had 45% and 48% lower risk, respectively, of developing full-blown dementia or Alzheimer’s disease compared with those in the low Mediterranean diet group.

In summary, the less meat and dairy, and the more fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, fish, and olive oil a person ate, the less likely he or she was to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Healthy choices for a healthy brain

Use the following diet tips to keep your brain in top form.

• Start the day with a serving of whole-grain cereal and fruit, such as sliced banana or blueberries (fresh or frozen). Add a few walnuts for a healthy dose of omega-3 fats.

• For a savory snack, try fresh cut veggies, such as carrots, celery, and red peppers, dipped in humus. Vegetables and legumes are both important parts of a brain-boosting Mediterranean diet.

• Keep fresh fruit on hand, especially easy-to-tote options like apples and oranges, for when snack attacks hit.

• If you want to include dairy, opt for low-fat versions such as skim milk and nonfat or low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese. Steer clear of whole milk and full-fat ice cream.

• Use olive oil to make your salad dressings and for cooking food at home (cook on low heat and do not allow oil to smoke).

• With dinner, try fresh, whole-grain bread dipped in extra virgin olive oil instead of a roll and butter.

• Replace one meat meal each week with fish. Try broiling or baking your fish rather than breading and frying.

(Arch Neurol 2009;66:216-25)

Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RD, an author, speaker, and internationally recognized expert in chronic disease prevention, epidemiology, and nutrition, has taught medical, nursing, public health, and alternative medicine coursework. She has delivered over 150 invited lectures to health professionals and consumers and is the creator of a nutrition website acclaimed by the New York Times and Time magazine. Suzanne received her training in epidemiology and nutrition at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health at Ann Arbor.

Copyright © 2009 Aisle7. All rights reserved. Healthnotes Newswire is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. Aisle7 shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

(https://www.thevitaminservice.com/healthnotes.asp?org=vitaminservice&page=newswire/newswire_2009_03_12_2.cfm)

To Take Your Vitamins or Not In Light of Recent News

From the FMS Global News Desk of Jeanne Hambleton 

Health Tip: To Take Your Vitamins or Not In Light of Recent News
By Elisabetta Politi, the nutrition director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center 

Feb 13, 2009 - HealthNewsDigest.com) – DURHAM, NC — Wondering if you should toss those vitamins in your mouth or in the trash? The latest study suggests the latter might do you as much good when it comes to preventing chronic disease. While vitamins don’t appear to do any harm, their health benefits of reducing one’s risk of heart disease and cancer were found to be negligible in a recent study.

Another recent study found healthy kids don’t need to be popping the vitamins either.

And last year’s news reported no life-lengthening effects from taking vitamins A, C, E beta carotene and selenium.

Does that mean it’s time to ditch the supplements?

That depends, say Elisabetta Politi, the nutrition director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center. 

“While vitamins are not meant to be magic bullets of prevention, most Americans have poor eating habits and don’t get the daily recommended allowance of most vitamins and minerals. That’s why we continue to recommend a well-balanced multi-vitamin. People are so confused. But vitamins are like insurance, and there’s no evidence that taking them is harmful.”

Multi-vitamins fortified with 800-1,000 international units (iu) of vitamin D are ideal. “We know about 50 percent of Americans don’t get enough vitamin D,” says Politi, and that’s a problem because low levels of that particular vitamin have been linked to osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, colon cancer, and gingivitis, as well as immune system disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and type 1 diabetes. 

However, vitamins cost money, and in this economy, with everyone looking to save their pennies, you can easily cut the expense and the daily pill popping. All you have to do is maintain a healthy diet. Here’s how:

Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits every day. 
Frozen vegetables are fine but fresh are even better (and possibly cheaper) when locally produced. Visit a local farmer’s market, join a local co-op or better yet, start a community garden in your area to get the most bang for your buck. 

Sweet vegetables like corn, carrots, yams and fruits reduce your cravings for sweets, while dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and collard greens are packed with minerals like iron, potassium, zinc and calcium. Bright, deep-colored fruits contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants too. “All of these are really important if you want to get your vitamins and minerals from foods rather than a pill,” she says. 

Aim for three servings a day of low-fat dairy products which are the best sources of calcium. One serving equals one cup of milk, one cup of yogurt or about an ounce of low-fat cheese. 

Make every attempt to balance your caloric intake with your caloric expenditure. Its the only way you’ll be able to either maintain your current weight or even lose some of the extra pounds you’ve been holding on to. 
“The bottom line is if you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains, your diet will provide you with the right mix of carbohydrate, fiber and healthy fats,” she says. 

Even with the best intentions, however, you may still need a multi-vitamin if you’re:

– a poor or picky eater
– a vegetarian, especially vegan who avoid animal products like milk, cheese and eggs;
– pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breast-feeding woman;
– following a restricted calorie diet;
– allergic to a particular food or have a medical condition that affects how your body absorbs or uses food, or you’ve undergone surgery on your digest tract. 

Politi says it’s important to check your multi-vitamin’s nutritional value , making sure it’s between 50-200 percent for each ingredient. “If, for example, it has 100 percent of vitamin A, then you know that it contains the recommended daily amount,” she says. Also, take your supplement with your main meal of the day to enhance absorption. And, be sure to look at the expiration date. “Just like medicines, vitamin supplements expire and some of their biological properties can be lost or diminished.”

 

Courtesy of http://www.HealthNewsDigest.com