After the saga of dementia and brain health over the past few weeks, here are a range of health specials, at least one of which will be of interest to you or someone you know.
I have often mentioned good mood food. Well a new study has, once again, confirmed the types of foods that can cause depression.
Consuming refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice and soft drinks can all cause depression. The condition seems to be linked to the glycaemic index (GI), an indicator of how quickly a food raises blood sugar levels… in particular ‘white’ processed foods and drinks. The common ‘white’ processed foods are white bread and white rice. The higher the food on the GI scale the more likely it is to cause depression according to researchers in the UK.
Conversely, those who ate low GI foods such as wholegrains, vegetables and fruit were less likely to suffer from depression.
The researchers analysed data from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, which recruited postmenopausal women and tracked their lifestyles, diet and health of nearly 70,000 of them, for three years. It was found possible that fast food and processed food could also cause sudden mood swings, fatigue and other symptoms associated with depression.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a dreadful condition to live with. There is always a search for causes or triggers. New research has found that an unsuspected factor in the development of MS is salt. Sodium, which includes the salt that we consume with our food, affects the immune cells that can trigger the disease.
Some people could be more susceptible to the effects of salt. In addition, their genetic make-up may determine whether or not they develop MS, according to researchers at the University of Vermont.
Apparently, it is all a very fine balancing act. We require enough salt to allow the body to function properly, but not so much that it affects how the body works and sends it into a tailspin. People with a genetic disposition are also more likely to develop MS.
It is often better for a man to live with prostate cancer rather than undergo treatment that could very well ruin his live
Women who have recently given birth can get a huge health boost from osteopathy. The therapy can dramatically reduce lower back pain, which is one of the most common problems experienced by new mums.
A new study has found that the therapy can ease back pain by as much as 73 per cent. Over an eight-week period 80 women with lower back pain, who had recently given birth, had either four osteopathic treatments or ‘dummy’ treatments. The study by researchers at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, New Jersey, used pain measurement scales. These revealed that those who had the real osteopathic treatments reported a significant improvement in pain intensity’ compared to those who had the ‘dummy’ treatments.
The researchers reported that women who have just given birth are monitored for depression and any back pain is usually treated with painkillers. However, the chemical compounds in these drugs can be passed to the baby through breast milk. Therefore, osteopathy offers an effective, drug free way, to solve the problem. Around half of all women who have recently given birth suffer from chronic lower back pain.
Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer would be better doing nothing (known as watchful waiting) according to a new study. The alternative is having aggressive treatment which can have devastating effects on their lives.
Most prostate cancers are low risk and probably not killers. However, every new diagnosis can trigger surgery or radiation, which often results in erectile dysfunction or incontinence. Up to 40 per cent of prostate cancer cases are overtreated, say researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Watchful waiting involves regular PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing. The researchers say this is an underused method. As the vast majority of prostate cancers are low risk and unlikely to be fatal it is often better for the subject to live with the cancer rather than undergo treatment that could very well ruin his life.
In the US approximately 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year. The disease kills around 30,000 men each year.
Milk thistle extract can block the growth of colorectal cancer calls. Silibinin, which is a chemical extracted from milk thistle seeds, slowed the cancer when injected into laboratory mice. It might also work as a preventative.
The latest generation of ‘safer’ electronic cigarettes can deliver twice the amount of formaldehyde as an actual cigarette. Third generation e-cigarettes, with variable power settings, carry this extra risk, but only if the user sets them to maximum and long puff duration. This is also known as dry puffing.
kathryn@maltanet.net