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More Health Risks Linked to Chemical in Common Plastics
New research is linking a growing number of health concerns to bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-like chemical found in a variety of common plastic products used by most Americans on a daily basis. Familiar items containing BPA include water bottles and baby bottles, food storage containers, milk cartons and water pipes.
Although these products may seem sturdy and durable, scientists have known for years that the chemical structure of BPA is rather unstable, especially in the presence of heat. This chemical instability allows BPA to leach into foods and beverages that come into contact with plastic containers.
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Excessive Sweating Could Be a Treatable Disorder
Everyone has sweaty palms, feet or underarms from time to time. But for some individuals, heavy perspiration is more than just an occasional occurrence — it's a way of life.
Excessive sweating, officially known as hyperhidrosis, is caused by a constant overstimulation of the sweat glands. The condition most commonly affects the underarms, the palms and the soles of the feet.
Hyperhidrosis is relatively uncommon, affecting slightly less than 3 percent of Americans. For individuals with the disorder, however, it can have a devastating impact on self-esteem, jobs and even relationships.
Sweating is a natural and desirable body function, performed by millions of sweat glands scattered throughout the skin. These glands are designed to help keep the body cool by releasing sweat for evaporation.
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NPH, an Unfamiliar Cause of Dementia
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My wife, 78, has had headaches, some memory problems and confusion. A brain scan showed hydrocephalus. We were referred to a neurosurgeon, and he ordered an infusion study. We have waited six weeks for that appointment. At an earlier appointment, we met someone who had had the infusion study and then had a shunt placed. He said he got his life back. Someone else told us that 10 percent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease really have normal pressure hydrocephalus, which is fixable. What is your reaction to this? -- J.R.
ANSWER: Dementia is a fog that descends on the brain, erasing memory and impairing many other mental functions. Alzheimer's disease is the major cause of dementia. However, there are other causes, and one of them is normal pressure hydrocephalus.
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Napping Boosts Brain Power
Sleeping on the job is generally frowned upon, but new research suggests that a nap may boost work performance and productivity.
A midday snooze doesn't just recharge your body, it also refreshes your brain. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley recently reported that napping can significantly enhance the brain's ability to learn and store new information.
Most working adults in the U.S. spend roughly 16 to 18 hours awake each day. After a point of maximum alertness, the longer we stay awake, the more lethargic our brains become.
That's one reason why pulling an all-nighter typically backfires, whether you're a college student cramming for a final exam or an executive rehearsing the most important presentation of your career.
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Activity-Related Leg Pain Could Be a Sign of Heart Disease
If you routinely experience leg pain while walking, you shouldn't dismiss it as just a muscle cramp or a joint ache. It could be a sign of peripheral artery disease, a serious condition that affects approximately 10 million Americans.
Peripheral artery disease, or PAD for short, is a condition in which narrowed arteries impair blood flow to the limbs, particularly the legs. When the leg muscles don't receive enough oxygen-rich blood to keep up with the demands of exercise, pain is often the result.
Activity-related leg discomfort caused by PAD is known as intermittent claudication, derived from the Latin word meaning "to limp." It is characterized by muscle pain or cramping in the legs that is triggered by exercise, such as walking or climbing stairs, and disappears after a few minutes of rest.
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Got a Cold? Bring on the Chicken Soup
People have been catching colds since the beginning of time — and for just as long, we've been trying to cure them. In spite of our best efforts, the common cold remains one of the most frequently acquired illnesses in the world.
If you're like most adults, you can expect to catch a cold two to four times each year. With each infection, you'll likely spend around eight to 10 days coughing, sniffling, sneezing and generally feeling miserable.
Colds occur when one of over 200 types of microscopic viruses invades the cells of the nose and throat. The viruses may be tiny, but they're practically indestructible.
Antibiotic drugs capable of stopping bacteria in their tracks can't put a dent in viruses. Medicines strong enough to kill most cold-causing microbes would probably kill their human hosts in the process.
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SOFT DRINKS HARD ON YOUR HEALTH
If you need one more reason to cut down on your consumption of sugary soft drinks, the results of a new study may help. Researchers at the University of Minnesota recently reported their findings that individuals who drank two or more carbonated, sugar-sweetened sodas each week had nearly double the risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those who did not consume sodas at all.
The study was published in the February issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The scientists followed more than 60,000 men and women enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. Analysis of the data revealed that subjects who consumed two or more soft drinks per week had an 87 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those who didn't drink sodas.
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Spinal Stenosis a Major Cause of Back Pain
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Sixty-two must be the age when everything falls apart. I'm there. My latest body part to give way is my back. I have back pain a considerable amount of the time. It finally brought me to a doctor, who tells me I have spinal stenosis. I have been told to take Aleve for my pain, and I'm scheduled for physical therapy. I don't have great hopes of a cure. What exactly is this? What else can be done for it? -- T.R.
ANSWER: Spinal stenosis accounts for about one-third of all cases of low-back pain. It's an elusive concept that calls for an anatomy lesson. The backbones (vertebrae, spinal column) have a tunnel running through them -- the spinal canal. In that canal or tunnel is the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Spinal stenosis signifies that the spinal canal has narrowed and is pressing on the spinal cord or spinal nerves.
Don't Forget! You Can Slow Down Memory Loss
Memory loss is on the rise. I forget why. The stress and technology of modern life must be part of it. All those TV screens, computers, cell phones and iPods plugged into our brains for so many hours a day, year after year. No wonder our little neurons get frazzled. Do they stop growing in protest to brain buzz 24/7? No one knows for sure.
But the good news is there's something we can all do to slow down the memory loss that supposedly comes with aging.
Shoot your TV? Blow up your BlackBerry? No. I' m talking about exercise. What a shocker. Specifically, I'm giving you reason #297 for working out on a regular basis: Aerobic exercise is good for your brain. And what's good for your brain is great for your memory.
This has been recently reconfirmed by a new study in the online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It's a small study — only 11 volunteers agreeing to have their brains MRI'd as they worked out on treadmills — but the results should have a big impact on your own decision to get fitter and stay active.
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Excessive Drinking Shrinks Your Brain and Your Memory
Moderate alcohol consumption may be good for your heart, but new research suggests that it doesn't appear to offer the same protective benefits for the brain. While moderate amounts of alcohol don't necessarily help the brain, regularly consuming more than two drinks a day can definitely harm it.
Habitual consumption of more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week actually causes the brain to shrink, according to the results of a study conducted by researchers at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass. The scientists found that the more alcohol an individual drinks on a regular basis, the lower his or her total brain volume.
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Mineral Oil Won't Keep You Regular
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My father is 88 and quite headstrong. He has taken a daily dose of mineral oil for years and years. He says it keeps him regular. Should he continue to do this? Could it harm him? -- K.H.
ANSWER: Mineral oil was once a favorite treatment for constipation and for its prevention. It's not a great way to combat either. It interferes with the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K, and it can block absorption of other nutrients. He should take it before eating or before taking any medicines or vitamins. If it goes down the wrong way -- into the lungs rather than the stomach -- it causes pneumonia.
In this economy, finances are a stressor, and the food budget is one place you may be able to cut expenses. But what is the wisest way to accomplish that goal? Making poor food choices actually increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. So when you cut your food budget, don't cut out necessary nutrients.
Dr. Kristina L. Sargent from ChicagoHealers.com offers the following tips for low-cost nutrition:
— Stay on the perimeter: To choose the healthiest foods, stay on the perimeter of the store. You don't really need to make your way into the aisles — where the processed stuff is located. Why tempt yourself to spend money on food without nutrients, which stresses your body?
— Cut out processed foods: foods, chips, muffins, cookies, soda, sports drinks and other beverages. Most of those foods don't have many nutrients, like vitamins and antioxidants, and they actually rob your body of nutrients as your body tries to process them.
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Diet, Pain and Diverticulitis
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I need information on how to avoid flare-ups of diverticulitis. I am a 53-year-old female. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis in 2008 after suffering for months from discomfort that finally became unbearable. The doctor gave me an antibiotic that cleared the problem up. What I need to know is this: How long after eating a problem food does discomfort ensue? I've tried to tie discomfort to a particular food. I just can't figure out which ones cause the problem. For instance, if I have a problem on Tuesday afternoon, would that be from food I ate Tuesday morning, or the day before, or the day before that? -- D.F.
ANSWER: You need a clearer picture of what causes diverticular pain. You're barking up the wrong tree. Diverticula are small bulges on the colon's outer wall. The bulges are the lining of the colon that has been pushed through the muscular colon wall and has popped out on its outer surface.
WAR ON SUGAR
Want to keep from gaining weight and becoming obese? Declare war on sugar, says the American Heart Association. Since 2006, the association has recommended limiting sugary foods and drinks, but for the first time, a new scientific statement suggests an upper limit to the added sugar Americans should consume daily. The new guidelines recommend that sugars added in processing, cooking or at the table should total no more than 100 calories a day for women and 150 calories a day for men. That's about 5 to 9 teaspoons of sugar daily.
That's a drastic reduction from the current average daily U.S. intake of 22 teaspoons of added sugar, which totals 355 calories. That average has increased 19 percent, or about 76 calories, since 1970, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
To put the new guidelines in perspective, just one 12-ounce can of soda has 130 calories from sugar, which would put a woman over the daily limit.
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