The Health Blog

Didn’t we always hear our mothers reminding us (or even nagging us at times) that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that it shouldn’t be skipped. I could pretty much relate to breakfast skipper.  I have been depriving myself of hearty breakfast (for four years) ever since I entered medical school.  I usually start my day with only a cup of coffee and two slices of bread, especially if I have only minutes to get prepared for hospital duties and school. I am a late riser so I am always having an early morning rush. My mother would always remind me that it is a healthy way to start my day and she’s been right.

In a U.S. study, skipping breakfast was found out unhealthy and is linked to teen obesity.

Teens who ate breakfast daily have a healthier diet overall and were more physically active than teens who skipped breakfast.  A five-year follow up was done showing consistent results with breakfast skippers gaining more weight also.

So always have a healthy breakfast.  Aside from preventing obesity, breakfasts energizes your day.

Reuters reported that A vaccine (AngQb) that targets angiotensin II appears to be safe and effective in reducing blood pressure in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension, according to results of a phase II study reported in the March 8th issue of The Lancet.

Lifestyle interventions and drug therapy are the mainstays of treatment for hypertension, but both require patient compliance to be effective, Dr. Ola Samuelsson and Dr. Hans Herlitz, from the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, Sweden, write in a related editorial. “If vaccination against high blood pressure were safe and effective in the long run, it might solve many problems of non-compliance.”

The current study involved 72 patients with mild-to-moderate high blood pressure who were randomized to receive AngQb, at one of two doses, or placebo at weeks 0, 4, and 12. The main focus was on safety and tolerability, but 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure was assessed prior to treatment and at week 14, note senior author Dr. Martin F. Bachmann, from Cytos Biotechnology AG in Zurich-Schlieren, Switzerland, and colleagues.

Five patients dropped out of the study and were excluded from the efficacy analysis: two of these patients given AngQb 100 micrograms and three given AngQb 300 micrograms.

A recent study published in the Aging Cell journal found out that certain ingredients in black tea could act as an insulin substitute and might help prevent type 2 diabetes. Several components of black tea – called theaflavins and thearubigins can mimic the action of insulin and we know that lack of insulin production leads to diabetes.

The researchers advise that diabetics shouldn’t be rushing to drink masses of black tea thinking it will cure them of diabetes. Their research into tea compounds is at a preclinical, experimental stage and people with diabetes should continue to take their medication as directed by their doctor.

Source: HealthDay

A survey conducted by National Headache Foundation survey of some 170 headache patients, 46% reported having had sex-related headaches.

When asked if sex has ever triggered a headache, 54% said no and 46% said yes. Sex-related headaches most often occurred after sex, the survey shows.

Among people reporting sex-related headaches, about 40% said they’ve cut back on their sexual activity because of their sex-related headaches, and only 12% said they’ve talked to a doctor about their sex-associated headaches.

That doesn’t mean that sex is their only headache trigger. Among people who reported sex-related headaches, 42% reported having had no more than six of those headaches.

Not everyone got headaches from sex. In fact, 20% of participants noted sex eases their headaches and 6% report having sex more often for the headache relief.

A recent study found out that subjects who reported sleeping five or fewer hours each night were significantly more likely to have diabetes over the follow-up period compared to subjects who reported sleeping seven hours. These findings held true even after the researchers adjusted for variables such as physical activity, depression, alcohol consumption, ethnicity, education, marital status, age, obesity and history of hypertension.

So here are some tips on getting a good night sleep to help you avoid diabetes:

1. Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
2. Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
3. Get a full night’s sleep every night.
4. Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
5. Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either.
6. Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
7. Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
8. Get up at the same time every morning.

A study conducted by Oceana found high mercury levels in fresh tuna, swordfish and sushi, they tested from a variety of grocery stores in 26 different cities across the US.

Oceana found out that:

• Mercury levels in tuna were much higher than the FDA data suggest
• One-third of sushi tuna samples exceeded the FDA “action level” of 1 part per million
• Nearly 90 percent of seafood counter attendants either did not know the FDA advice about mercury in fish, or gave a wrong interpretation of this warning
• Two-thirds of swordfish tested were above the FDA “action level”, which would permit the administration to remove these fish from sale
• Sushi tuna samples, on average, contained higher levels of mercury than fresh tuna samples from Oceana’s grocery stores and the FDA’s data on fresh tuna
• Average mercury levels in sushi tuna were higher than king mackerel, a fish the FDA advises women of childbearing age and children to avoid due to high mercury levels

Do you prefer fast foods? Well, you have to refrain eating more now. A new study finds out that the typical Western diet increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Indulging in a typical Western diet of burgers, fries, and diet soda boosts your risk of getting heart disease and diabetes, a study shows.

This study found out that just two burger patties a day and one daily diet soda substantially boost the risk of getting metabolic syndrome, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Their findings:
1. The Western diet increased risk by about 18% overall of getting metabolic syndrome over nine years

2. Those who ate two or more servings of meat a day, or about two burger patties, boosted their risk by 26% compared with those who only ate meat twice a week.

3. Diet soda, one can a day, increased risk by 34%.

A new study finds out. This study was a follow up on previous researchers on the effects of coffee, caffeine particularly, on expectant mothers. Previous studies suggest that drinking just a couple cups of coffee a day doesn’t pose much of a threat. However, the latest research proves this these findings wrong.

The study founds out that women who said they drank more than two cups of coffee per day had nearly double the risk of miscarriage compared with women who consumed no caffeine.

Rinsing with a special saline nasal wash made from Atlantic seawater improves symptoms in children with colds and flu, and may prevent recurrence of these infections, a new study claims.

It was just few months ago when FDA recommended a ban for over-the-counter cough and cold medicines (containing at least one of the following ingredients: decongestants, expectorants, antihistamines, and antitussives). for children younger than six. And just few weeks ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued its new advisory stating that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines should not be given to infants and children under the age of 2. The agency has not come to a final decision on the use of such products in children aged 2 to 11. Reasons provided for this ban include questions about its safety and little evidence to prove its ineffectiveness in young children.

Since then, consumers especially moms, are asking for ways on how they could fight common colds in their children. Researchers as well, seek to alternative and answers.

A new study looked for an alternative to the many cough and cold medications – the saline nasal wash.

WebMD reports about a mysterious skin problem is erupting all over the US — and it’s caught the CDC’s attention. It’s been called Morgellons disease, and health officials don’t know what to make of it. Currently, the CDC is making investigations about this rare skin disorder.

How big this problem is?
It was said that more than 11,000 people in the U.S. and elsewhere have reported to have this disease.

How do you know you have the disease?
Patients complaints of disturbing sensations of insect-like crawling, stinging or biting on or under the skin, skin rashes and lesions that do not heal, fiber-like filaments, granules or crystals that appear on or under the skin or that can be extracted from lesions.

Other manifestations include joint, muscle and connective tissue pain, including fibromyalgia, debilitating fatigue and cognitive dysfunction, including difficulty with concentration, short-term memory, and attention.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed 14 new tests for determining a person’s blood type, a process essential to a safe U.S. blood supply and safe transfusions.

“These 14 new tests will provide blood establishments and transfusion services with additional choices to help assure safe, well-matched transfusions,” said Jesse L. Goodman, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “The tests offer a broader diversity of reliable blood-typing tests and will help protect against product shortages.”

Knowing the blood types for blood donors and patients is critical; patients may experience serious, possibly life-threatening reactions from mismatched transfused blood. The most familiar blood types are A, B, O, and Rh.

The OLYMPUS PK System Blood Group and Phenotyping Reagents use monoclonal antibodies to test for the A, B, O, and Rh factors as well as for other factors that signify a rarer blood type.

Monoclonal antibodies, which are proteins produced in a laboratory from genetically identical cells, have the ability to bind to and detect a specific substance, such as the proteins used in blood typing.

The tests are manufactured by DIAGAST of Loos Cedex, France.