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Your Health: Herbal Products Promise Male Potency

October 17, 2011 By

Q: I hear advertisements on the radio all the time promoting male enhancement products. What’s in the products?

A: There are a lot of these products. They are available without a prescription and promoted as “all natural.”

It’s hard to say what’s in a particular product without reading the label. But even reading the label — if there is one — may not give you a true picture.

Some of the products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found, actually contain the same or similar ingredients as what’s in the prescription drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra sold to treat erectile dysfunction. [Read more...]

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Is It Time To Stop Taking A Multivitamin?

October 12, 2011 By

You have likely heard about a recent study, involving roughly 40,000 women over the age of 60, in which daily use of a multivitamin — and several other nutrient supplements — was associated with a higher rate of death. Along with the mix of shock, consternation, and disappointment is the very practical question: could a multivitamin kill you?

Almost certainly not! The current study — like others before it that have hinted at much the same association — is absolutely NOT cause for panic. For each such study, there is another showing no real harm. That vial of (now menacing) multivitamins in your medicine cabinet doesn’t mean you need to fast track the preparation of your will and testament. [Read more...]

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Indigenous Mesh Can Cut Hernia Surgery Cost

September 24, 2011 By

The synthetic mesh now being used is imported from France and the United States

The cost of laparoscopic surgery for inguinal hernia can be brought down substantially if the synthetic mesh that is imported now can be manufactured in the country, Director of Gem Hospital C. Palanivelu told presspersons here on Friday on the sidelines of “EndoHernia 2011” conference.

Expensive

“An inguinal laparoscopic surgery is very expensive. This is because the mesh used in the surgery itself can cost anywhere between Rs.25,000 and Rs.60,000,” he said. [Read more...]

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Breast Cancer Patients Plead for Avastin Approval

June 30, 2011 By

With desperate breast cancer patients imploring the Food and Drug Administration to change its mind, the agency’s staff calmly argued Tuesday that the drug Avastin should lose its approval as a treatment for that disease.

The pleas and presentations came on the first day of a two-day hearing at which Genentech, the manufacturer of Avastin, is getting a chance to try to persuade the F.D.A. to reverse its decision made in December to revoke the drug’s approval for advanced breast cancer.

The proceedings emphasized a conflict that has bedeviled pharmaceutical regulation and other efforts to control the practice of medicine — one between cold statistics from clinical trials about overall populations and the often emotional experiences of individual patients who say a therapy has, or might, work for them. [Read more...]

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Weight-Loss Surgery Ups Bone Fracture Risk

June 6, 2011 By

People who have had gastric bypass surgery or other bariatric weight-loss surgery have an even higher increased risk of breaking bones than previously found, according to a new study.

“A negative effect on bone health that may increase the risk of fractures is an important consideration for people considering bariatric surgery and those who have undergone bariatric surgery,” said Kelly Nakamura, a medical student at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, and study’s lead author.

Nakamura reported the final analysis of research presented two years ago in a small subset of the 258 patients included in this study.

This full analysis showed that patients who had bariatric surgery have 2.3 times the chance of fractures compared with the general population, as opposed to the 1.8-fold increased risk found initially. [Read more...]

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Stay Fit With Apple Cider Vinegar

March 5, 2011 By

The acids in apple cider vinegar improve digestion and deter the growth of disease-causing bacteria in the digestive tract. The minerals (potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium) bind to the acids and neutralize them when the digestive tract needs to be more alkaline.

Acetic acid is formed only by the Acetobacter family of bacteria. These bacteria are found everywhere in food, water, and soil and is naturally produced as fruits spoil. In humans and other primates, acetic acid is a component of the female vagina, where it serves as an antibacterial.

The acetic acid content of vinegar will determine its use and varies according to the fruit or grain used to start with. Rice wine vinegar is quite mild with a low acid level making it a good choice for salad dressings. On the other end of the scale is distilled white vinegar which is highly acidic and suitable for making pickles. All other vinegars fall in between.

Malic acid, in particular, is the main digestive acid found in apple cider vinegar as well as in our own body cells. It has many health benefits, including boosting immunity, maintaining good oral health, reducing the risk of toxic heavy metals, and promoting good skin tone. Its most significant contribution is the ability to stimulate the metabolism and increase energy production. [Read more...]

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Wrong Pillow Could Be Causing Sleepless Nights

February 24, 2011 By

Thousands of New Zealanders could be needlessly suffering from disrupted sleep due to bad pillow choices at bedtime. That is according to the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association, who claim that using the wrong pillow can be a common cause of neck and back pain and can have a significant impact on both the quality and duration of sleep, leading to chronic tiredness and other health problems.

According to the Massey University Sleep Wake Centre 37 per cent of New Zealand adults aged 30 to 60 are sleep-deprived and 25 per cent of adults aged 20 to 60 have insomnia. A number of studies have shown that proper selection of a pillow can significantly reduce neck pain and improve quality of sleep[1]. Chiropractors believe that more education around pillow and bed selection could help reduce these numbers. [Read more...]

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