Friday, July 18, 2008 

Health officials: Don't eat lobster tomalley (AP)

AP - Maine officials are advising consumers to avoid eating lobster tomalley after tests revealed high levels of toxins in some lobsters.

The guidelines that follow should help facilitate a discriminating search for correct health information.

Avoid Jumping to Conclusions

Most health misinformation is actually based on facts, not lies. The problem is that facts get exaggerated and sometimes lead people to wrong conclusions. The phrase "risk factor" is a good example. Numerous studies report that certain habits increase the risk of getting certain diseases. This might be helpful information but by itself doesn't mean much. If you were told that the risk of death from bungee jumping increased 100% last year, whereas deaths caused by driving to school increased by 25%, you would likely, and incorrectly, conclude that bungee jumping is four times more risky.

What is missing is information about actual baseline risk. If the baseline risk of death from bungee jumping is 1 in 1000, a 100% increase would raise it to 2 in 1000. On the other hand if the baseline risk for driving to school is 400 in 1000, then a 25% increase would increase the risk of death by 100 cases, to 500 in 1000. Although this example is hypothetical, it serves as a reminder of the importance of inquiring about the chances of getting a disease in the first place before drawing conclusions regarding risk factors, diseases, and death.

Much health literature is based on research green tea powder bulk statistical relationships, or associations among two or more events. Relationships are helpful clues to health, but they cannot and do not establish cause-and-effect relationships. The mistake many people make is to read or hear about a new health finding and erroneously conclude that one event causes the other. One of the areas most commonly abused by reference to cause-and-effect relationships is cancer.

A good example is tea, the most widely consumed beverage in the world after water. Researchers are interested in tea because an increase in tea consumption has been associated with a decrease in cancer and heart disease. Supposedly something in tea interferes with the ability of cancer-causing substances to bind to DNA. That's important because DNA is where cancer cell initiation begins. Also, tea contains antioxidants. Population studies of the Japanese, who smoke nearly twice as many cigarettes as Americans but far surpass Americans in tea consumption, have only about one-half as much lung cancer.

The question is: does tea consumption actually cause a change in cell physiology that prevents cancer. So far, cause and effect have not been demonstrated. The 100 studies that show an association between tea consumption and lower cancer rates are epidemiological studies. Epidemiological studies are population studies (rather than scientifically controlled experimental studies of individuals) that observe large numbers of people to see if there is a link between lifestyle habits and disease.

Because the studies observe people's behavior, it's always possible that unknown factors can influence findings. For example, people might not accurately remember or report their tea consumption over decades. Even if they do, it still doesn't prove that tea rather than something else about their lifestyles affected their risk of cancer. Because epidemiological studies don't establish cause and effect, researchers turn to experimental studies with animals or humans to build a stronger case.

Relationships are based on statistical procedures. Although these relationships may provide a basis for better understanding health concerns, they usually fall short of supporting many of the sweeping generalizations and conclusions that make headlines.

For more information about condition and ailments, visit authors site. I hope you also wish to know more about health care tips and online health care

 

Anti-malaria gene in Africans raises HIV risk (AFP)

A scientist tests blood samples for HIV. Scientists have isolated two genes which may prevent people from contracting HIV or at least slow the rate at which they develop AIDS, a new study published in the journal AIDS has found.(AFP/File/Noah Seelam)AFP - A gene found only in people of African ancestry which evolved purchase bulk tribulus terrestris powder extract prevent malaria infection now increases the odds of contracting AIDS by up to 40 percent, a new study has found.

Shake the salt habit. Sodium, a component of salt, causes fluid retention. And fluid retention raises blood pressure, which aggravates CHF Reducing your salt intake may help alleviate fluid retention and the ankle swelling that accompanies it.

For people with CHF, Joseph Pizzorno Jr., N.D., recommends consuming no more than 1,800 milligrams of sodium a day. The average American consumes at least twice that much. Most of that amount-a full 75 percent-comes from salty processed foods: fast foods, canned soups and sauces, lunchmeats, frozen dinners, and snack foods.

If you're accustomed to salting everything, your food may seem too bland when you begin cutting back. You can make your own seasoning blend by combining a small amount of salt with herbs and spices.

Get more magnesium. If you have CHF, chances are that you have low blood levels of magnesium. The disease itself depletes the mineral, as do diuretic medications, the kind that help control blood pressure and relieve swelling. A magnesium deficiency can actually aggravate CHF symptoms, according to a study conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York in New York City. To increase your magnesium intake, clinical nutritionist Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., suggests eating more magnesium-rich foods. These include wheat germ, soybeans, oatmeal, nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy items, and seafood.

Pick up more potassium. Like magnesium, potassium can be depleted by CHF as well as by diuretic medications. And when you have low potassium, your blood pressure can go up, which spells trouble for anyone with CHF. To get more potassium in your diet, Dr. Lieberman suggests eating lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, low-fat dairy items, and fish.

Emphasize thiamin. Low levels of thiamin, a B vitamin, contribute to sodium retention and heart failure. Older people are at greatest risk for thiamin deficiency. They also have the highest rate of CHF When researchers at the University of South Florida in Tampa examined 30 healthy older people, half of the group had thiamin levels low enough to aggravate CHF.

An easy way to increase your thiamin intake is to eat more thiaminrich foods. Good sources of the vitamin include beans, peas, peanuts, whole grains, eggs, fish, and poultry.

Sip, don't guzzle. If you have CHF, you don't want to drink too much, because your body is retaining fluid. But restricting your fluid intake can be tricky. Cutting back too much can lead to dehydration, which causes problems of its own-especially among older people.

Ileana L. Pina, M.D., director of cardiomyopathy and cardiac rehabilitation at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, urges people with CHF to limit their fluid consumption to 2 quarts a day. When you feel thirsty, don't pour yourself a tall glass of water. Instead, suck on an ice pop or a few ice chips, Dr. Pina suggests. Or suck on hard candies or chew gum to stimulate salivation.

Read out for First aid. Check out breastfeeding tops and constipation treatment