A systematic review by Cochrane Researchers found that Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may relieve symptoms in the treatment of endometriosis. The evidence shows that women had comparable benefits following laparoscopic surgery and suffered fewer adverse effects if they were given Chinese herbs compared with conventional pharmaceutical drug treatments.
Endometriosis is a gynaecological disorder that can cause pelvic pain, irregular and painful periods, and infertility in one out of six women. Surgical treatments do not always lead to long-term improvement in symptoms and drug treatments can have unpleasant side effects such as hot flushes, acne and weight gain.
This was the first ever English language systematic review of CHM for treatment of endometriosis. Two trials, which together focused on a total of 158 women, were included in the review. In one, the Chinese herbs provided symptomatic relief comparable to that provided by the hormonal drug gestrinone, but with fewer side effects. In the other trial, CHM was more effective than the hormonal drug danazol, and also resulted in fewer side effects.
"These findings suggest that Chinese herbs may be just as effective as certain conventional drug treatments for women suffering from endometriosis, but at present we don't have enough evidence to generalize the results," says lead researcher Andrew Flower of the Complementary Medicine Research Unit at the University of Southampton in the UK.
The problem with most Chinese herbal medicine studies is that they are not done well. The methodology needs work, and is a serious detraction to studying the success of these herbs. In this case, 110 studies were originally considered for review but most were of poor methodological quality and had to be excluded. The researchers stress the need for Chinese researchers to adopt more rigorous methods in carrying out trials and reporting them. "Poor quality reporting has the potential to confuse and undermine research in Chinese herbal medicine," says Flower.
Dave
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Migraines with Aura May Indicate Stroke Risk
According to new research published in the June, 2009, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, women who have migraines with aura may be more likely to have a stroke or heart attack than women who don’t have the condition. An aura is a visual/sensory disturbance that occurs before the migraine starts, such as seeing bright lights. People who have migraines will know what this is.
The study found that women with this type of migraine, whose migraines occur at least once a week, are more than four times as likely to have a stroke as women who do not have migraines. Women with migraine and an aura who have migraines less than once a month were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack and nearly twice as likely to have had heart procedures such as coronary artery bypass surgery or angioplasty. In contrast, women who had migraines with aura once a month had no increased risk of stroke or heart problems. So the tie to stroke and heart attack seems to lie in the frequency of the migraine/aura.
The Women’s Health Study involved 27,798 U.S. women health professionals age 45 and older. The women had no heart or cerebrovascular problems at the start of the study and were followed for about 12 years. During that time, 706 women, or 2.5 percent of the group had cerebrovascular events, including 305 heart attacks and 310 strokes. In addition, 655 women had heart procedures such as bypass surgery.
Of the 3,568 women with migraine at the start of the study, 1,428 had migraine with aura.
Dave
The study found that women with this type of migraine, whose migraines occur at least once a week, are more than four times as likely to have a stroke as women who do not have migraines. Women with migraine and an aura who have migraines less than once a month were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack and nearly twice as likely to have had heart procedures such as coronary artery bypass surgery or angioplasty. In contrast, women who had migraines with aura once a month had no increased risk of stroke or heart problems. So the tie to stroke and heart attack seems to lie in the frequency of the migraine/aura.
The Women’s Health Study involved 27,798 U.S. women health professionals age 45 and older. The women had no heart or cerebrovascular problems at the start of the study and were followed for about 12 years. During that time, 706 women, or 2.5 percent of the group had cerebrovascular events, including 305 heart attacks and 310 strokes. In addition, 655 women had heart procedures such as bypass surgery.
Of the 3,568 women with migraine at the start of the study, 1,428 had migraine with aura.
Dave
Friday, July 3, 2009
Walnuts Cut Cholesterol
Harvard scientists have found that diets rich in walnuts can significantly reduce cholesterol levels. This new research supports a growing stack of evidence that suggests these wonderful nuts can improve healthy blood lipid ratios.
In their investigation of thirteen studies, the researchers demonstrated that walnut-rich consumption decreased total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol during short term trials. While they did recommend that larger trials were needed, their analysis joins a growing body of science that has linked nut consumption to improvements in markers of cardiovascular health.
The work was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, where researchers Dr. Deirdre Banel and Dr. Frank Hu conducted the meta-analysis to estimate the effect of walnuts on blood lipids.
Literature databases were searched and the researchers then conducted a random-effects meta-analysis of weighted mean differences of lipid outcomes. The 13 studies selected represented some 365 participants, with diets lasting between four and 24 weeks; walnuts represented 10 - 24 per cent of their total calories.
The authors concluded, "When compared with control diets, diets supplemented with walnuts resulted in a significantly greater decrease in total cholesterol and in LDL-cholesterol concentrations."
Dave
In their investigation of thirteen studies, the researchers demonstrated that walnut-rich consumption decreased total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol during short term trials. While they did recommend that larger trials were needed, their analysis joins a growing body of science that has linked nut consumption to improvements in markers of cardiovascular health.
The work was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, where researchers Dr. Deirdre Banel and Dr. Frank Hu conducted the meta-analysis to estimate the effect of walnuts on blood lipids.
Literature databases were searched and the researchers then conducted a random-effects meta-analysis of weighted mean differences of lipid outcomes. The 13 studies selected represented some 365 participants, with diets lasting between four and 24 weeks; walnuts represented 10 - 24 per cent of their total calories.
The authors concluded, "When compared with control diets, diets supplemented with walnuts resulted in a significantly greater decrease in total cholesterol and in LDL-cholesterol concentrations."
Dave
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Lack of Sleep More Dangerous for Women than Men
New research from Warwick University and University College (London) in the UK shows that women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns.
It appears that levels of inflammatory markers vary significantly with sleep duration in women, but not men.
The study, published today in the journal SLEEP, found levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker related to coronary heart disease, were significantly lower in women who reported sleeping eight hours as compared with 7hours. This 8-hour number appears to be the goal that women of any age should set for themselves.
A second marker, High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), is predictive of future cardiovascular morbidity. Levels of hs-CRP were significantly higher in women who reported sleeping five hours or less.
Michelle Miller, lead author of the study and Associate Professor at Warwick Medical School, said short-term sleep deprivation studies have shown that inflammatory markers are elevated in sleep-deprived individuals, suggesting that inflammatory mechanisms may play a role in the cardiovascular risk associated with sleep deprivation.
“Our study may provide some insight into a potential mechanism for the observation in previous studies which indicates an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in individuals who have less than five hours sleep per night and increased risk of non-cardiovascular death in long sleepers," said Miller.
This is the first large-scale study to describe the associations between measures of inflammation and sleep duration in both men and women.
The study involved more than 4,600 participants from the University College London-based Whitehall II cohort study, so it was indeed a large one.
Dave
It appears that levels of inflammatory markers vary significantly with sleep duration in women, but not men.
The study, published today in the journal SLEEP, found levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker related to coronary heart disease, were significantly lower in women who reported sleeping eight hours as compared with 7hours. This 8-hour number appears to be the goal that women of any age should set for themselves.
A second marker, High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), is predictive of future cardiovascular morbidity. Levels of hs-CRP were significantly higher in women who reported sleeping five hours or less.
Michelle Miller, lead author of the study and Associate Professor at Warwick Medical School, said short-term sleep deprivation studies have shown that inflammatory markers are elevated in sleep-deprived individuals, suggesting that inflammatory mechanisms may play a role in the cardiovascular risk associated with sleep deprivation.
“Our study may provide some insight into a potential mechanism for the observation in previous studies which indicates an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in individuals who have less than five hours sleep per night and increased risk of non-cardiovascular death in long sleepers," said Miller.
This is the first large-scale study to describe the associations between measures of inflammation and sleep duration in both men and women.
The study involved more than 4,600 participants from the University College London-based Whitehall II cohort study, so it was indeed a large one.
Dave
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Celiac Disease Much More Common Today
Celiac disease is an immune system reaction to gluten in the diet, and according to new research from the Mayo Clinic, it is now over four times more common than it was 50 years ago. The original Mayo research was published in the journal Gastroenterology.
It was also reported in this study that subjects who did not know they had celiac disease were nearly four times more likely than celiac-free subjects to have died during the 45 years of follow-up.
Joseph Murray, M.D., the Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist who led the study, says "Celiac disease has become much more common in the last 50 years, and we don’t know why. It now affects about one in a hundred people. We also have shown that undiagnosed or ‘silent’ celiac disease may have a significant impact on survival. The increasing prevalence, combined with the mortality impact, suggests celiac disease could be a significant public health issue.”
I'm sure you've seen, as I have, an increasingly large selection of "gluten free" products on the shelves at health food stores, and often at large chain groceries as well. This can only be due to an increasing number of aware patients in the marketplace.
In patients with celiac disease, the presence of a protein called gluten from wheat, barley or rye triggers an immune system attack, damaging the villi in the small intestine. Villi are fingerlike projections that increase the intestine’s surface area for nutrient absorption. Celiac disease symptoms may include diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, weight loss, anemia, unexplained infertility, loss of teeth or even premature or severe osteoporosis.
Researchers at the Mayo found that young people today are 4.5 times more likely to have celiac disease than young people were in the 1950's. "It’s no longer rare,” says Dr. Murray. “Something has changed in our environment to make it much more common. Until recently, the standard approach to finding celiac disease has been to wait for people to complain of symptoms and to come to the doctor for investigation. This study suggests that we may need to consider looking for celiac disease in the general population, more like we do in testing for cholesterol or blood pressure.”
Dr. Murray says the study findings highlight the need for increased awareness of celiac disease, both among physicians and patients. “Part of the problem is that celiac disease symptoms are variable and can be mistaken for other diseases that are more common, such as irritable bowel syndrome,” he says. “Some studies have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, there are likely 30 who have it but are not diagnosed. And given the nearly quadrupled mortality risk for silent celiac disease we have shown in our study, getting more patients and health professionals to consider the possibility of celiac disease is important.”
Dave
It was also reported in this study that subjects who did not know they had celiac disease were nearly four times more likely than celiac-free subjects to have died during the 45 years of follow-up.
Joseph Murray, M.D., the Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist who led the study, says "Celiac disease has become much more common in the last 50 years, and we don’t know why. It now affects about one in a hundred people. We also have shown that undiagnosed or ‘silent’ celiac disease may have a significant impact on survival. The increasing prevalence, combined with the mortality impact, suggests celiac disease could be a significant public health issue.”
I'm sure you've seen, as I have, an increasingly large selection of "gluten free" products on the shelves at health food stores, and often at large chain groceries as well. This can only be due to an increasing number of aware patients in the marketplace.
In patients with celiac disease, the presence of a protein called gluten from wheat, barley or rye triggers an immune system attack, damaging the villi in the small intestine. Villi are fingerlike projections that increase the intestine’s surface area for nutrient absorption. Celiac disease symptoms may include diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, weight loss, anemia, unexplained infertility, loss of teeth or even premature or severe osteoporosis.
Researchers at the Mayo found that young people today are 4.5 times more likely to have celiac disease than young people were in the 1950's. "It’s no longer rare,” says Dr. Murray. “Something has changed in our environment to make it much more common. Until recently, the standard approach to finding celiac disease has been to wait for people to complain of symptoms and to come to the doctor for investigation. This study suggests that we may need to consider looking for celiac disease in the general population, more like we do in testing for cholesterol or blood pressure.”
Dr. Murray says the study findings highlight the need for increased awareness of celiac disease, both among physicians and patients. “Part of the problem is that celiac disease symptoms are variable and can be mistaken for other diseases that are more common, such as irritable bowel syndrome,” he says. “Some studies have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, there are likely 30 who have it but are not diagnosed. And given the nearly quadrupled mortality risk for silent celiac disease we have shown in our study, getting more patients and health professionals to consider the possibility of celiac disease is important.”
Dave
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Artificial Sweeteners Remaining in the Environment, Showing Up in Water Supply
The media team at Springer Science is reporting today about a new test that has been conducted on the German water supply. Unfortunately, it has detected several kinds of chemical artificial sweeteners. It appears that sewage treatment plants fail to remove these artificial sweeteners completely from waste water.
The authors of this study say that these pollutants contaminate waters downstream and may still be present in our drinking water. This new and quite robust analytical method has discovered seven commonly used artificial sweeteners. Authors Marco Scheurer, Heinz-Jürgen Brauch and Frank Thomas Lange from the Water Technology Center in Karlsruhe, Germany, were able to demonstrate the presence of these contaminants in waste water. Their findings are published online this week in Springer's journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.
A range of artificial sweeteners are commonly used in food and drinks, as well as drugs and sanitary products. The potential health risks of artificial sweeteners have been debated for some time. Until now, only sucralose has been detected in aquatic environments. Through the use of a new analytical method, the researchers were able to look for seven different artificial sweeteners (cyclamate, acesulfame, saccharin, aspartame, neotame, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and sucralose) simultaneously, and show, for the first time, that a number of commonly used artificial sweeteners are present in waste and surface water.
This is a very concerning matter for those of us who do not want to consume artificial sweeteners in any form.
Dave
The authors of this study say that these pollutants contaminate waters downstream and may still be present in our drinking water. This new and quite robust analytical method has discovered seven commonly used artificial sweeteners. Authors Marco Scheurer, Heinz-Jürgen Brauch and Frank Thomas Lange from the Water Technology Center in Karlsruhe, Germany, were able to demonstrate the presence of these contaminants in waste water. Their findings are published online this week in Springer's journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.
A range of artificial sweeteners are commonly used in food and drinks, as well as drugs and sanitary products. The potential health risks of artificial sweeteners have been debated for some time. Until now, only sucralose has been detected in aquatic environments. Through the use of a new analytical method, the researchers were able to look for seven different artificial sweeteners (cyclamate, acesulfame, saccharin, aspartame, neotame, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and sucralose) simultaneously, and show, for the first time, that a number of commonly used artificial sweeteners are present in waste and surface water.
This is a very concerning matter for those of us who do not want to consume artificial sweeteners in any form.
Dave
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Family Health Deteriorating Due to Internet
It's happening in my home, and it could be in yours . . . The Internet is stealing family time and endangering our relationships.
Researchers are reporting that more and more of America’s Internet-connected households report erosion of face-to-face family time, increased feelings of being ignored by family members using the Web, and growing concerns that children are spending too much time online.
Researchers at the USC Annenberg School for Communication report the percentage of people who say they spend less time with household members since being connected to the Internet at home has nearly tripled, from 11 percent in 2006, to 28 percent in 2008.
Total hours devoted to family socializing contracted sharply over this three-year period. Through the middle of the decade, reports of shared family time had fluctuated around an average of 26 hours per month (ranging from 22.6 to 29.8 hours). By 2008, shared time had dropped by more than 30 percent, to 17.9 hours. Reports of feeling ignored, at least sometimes, by family members using the Internet grew by 40 percent over the same period. Higher income households may be suffering greater family time erosion: 35 percent report a reduction in face-to-face time.
According to researchers, women report being ignored by a family Internet user more often; almost half say they are sometimes or often ignored (49.2%) vs. less than forty percent of men (39.1%). Gilbert, who focuses on family and gender issues, thinks this may reflect the varying emphasis the sexes place on relationships, the balance women appear to maintain in their home computer use, or the persistent call of their other family and household responsibilities.
In 2000, when the surveys began, just 11 percent of respondents said family members under eighteen were spending too much time online, a concern that had grown to 28 percent by 2008. All of this suggests increasing technological pressures on the family structure.
“The family is our social foundation, society’s basic building block. We need to guard its health in what otherwise seems to be a boundless digital future," the authors say in their report.
Researchers are reporting that more and more of America’s Internet-connected households report erosion of face-to-face family time, increased feelings of being ignored by family members using the Web, and growing concerns that children are spending too much time online.
Researchers at the USC Annenberg School for Communication report the percentage of people who say they spend less time with household members since being connected to the Internet at home has nearly tripled, from 11 percent in 2006, to 28 percent in 2008.
Total hours devoted to family socializing contracted sharply over this three-year period. Through the middle of the decade, reports of shared family time had fluctuated around an average of 26 hours per month (ranging from 22.6 to 29.8 hours). By 2008, shared time had dropped by more than 30 percent, to 17.9 hours. Reports of feeling ignored, at least sometimes, by family members using the Internet grew by 40 percent over the same period. Higher income households may be suffering greater family time erosion: 35 percent report a reduction in face-to-face time.
According to researchers, women report being ignored by a family Internet user more often; almost half say they are sometimes or often ignored (49.2%) vs. less than forty percent of men (39.1%). Gilbert, who focuses on family and gender issues, thinks this may reflect the varying emphasis the sexes place on relationships, the balance women appear to maintain in their home computer use, or the persistent call of their other family and household responsibilities.
In 2000, when the surveys began, just 11 percent of respondents said family members under eighteen were spending too much time online, a concern that had grown to 28 percent by 2008. All of this suggests increasing technological pressures on the family structure.
“The family is our social foundation, society’s basic building block. We need to guard its health in what otherwise seems to be a boundless digital future," the authors say in their report.
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