Gum Disease Linked to Poor Mental Performance
December 5, 2008
In a recent study, scientists found associations between tooth loss and/or loss of periodontal attachment (where the ligament is no longer attaching the teeth to the bone) and reduced mental performance. The researchers examined data from the third national Health and Nutrition examination survey, which analyzed 5138 adults ages 28-59 who had completed 2 tests of intellectual function and 1550 individuals ages 70 and older who took a 3rd mental performance test. Interestingly enough, this study showed that poor oral health and the reduced mental function that so often accompanies it were not influenced by age.
Oral health influences cognitive function through several mechanisms. Periodontal disease can cause inflammation throughout the body. (Levels of inflammation can be measured by certain blood tests such as c-reactive protein and sedimentation rate). When inflammation flares, mental function can deteriorate. Reduced oral health frequently leads to a less healthy diet, which contributes to a loss in mental function due to nutritional deficiencies. Poor dental health can also increase the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
Another recent study showed that periodontal disease significantly increased the risk of Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of risk factors for heart disease, stroke and diabetes (including high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, low levels of HDL and high triglycerides). The syndrome is usually diagnosed when an individual has 3 or more of these traits.
(Dr. Francesco D’Aiuto, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Oct 2008).
Topics: Health News
Mixed News About Cancer
December 5, 2008
For the first time ever, the overall cancer incidents and death rates have declined for men and women in the U.S. Not all of the news was good, however. In men the incidence for cancers of the lung, colon, rectum, oral cavity, stomach and prostate fell, but climbed for cancers of the liver, kidney, esophagus, melanoma, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
In women rates for cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, uterus, ovary, cervix, and oral cavity decreased, while rates for cancers of the thyroid, pancreas,
brain/nervous system, bladder, kidney, lymphoma, leukemia and melanoma rose.
Lung cancer trends among women had mixed news as well. While lung cancer incidents and death rates among women fell in California, they increased in 18 states and held even in many more.
Unfortunately, 30% of all cancer related deaths are still connected to tobacco. While an overall decrease in cancer deaths is certainly a positive development, much of the decrease is related to the fact that a much lower percentage of the population now smokes.
Despite the mixed news, cancer remains the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 85.
(Source: an annual report released in late November by the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute).
Topics: Health News
Belly Fat Tied to Macular Degeneration?
December 5, 2008
New research released by Dr. Tien Y. Wong in the Archives of Opthalmology (November issue) suggests that people who lose weight around their middle can decrease their odds of developing age-related macular degeneration. (Age related macular degeneration is one of the primary causes of severe vision loss among elderly people).
Dr. Wong, who followed 12,515 adults ages 45-64 for a 6-year period, considered waist-to-hip ratios in his study. (A greater waist-to-hip ratio translates into more belly fat). Dr. Wong found that a 3% or greater reduction in the waist to hip ratio over 6 years significantly dropped the odds of ever developing age related macular degeneration.
For subjects who were obese at the start of the study, an even more marked reduction in age-related macular degeneration risk occurred as a result of belly fat reduction. This highlights additional benefits of exercise, weight loss and keeping waist lines trim.
Topics: Health News
Reducing Your Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
December 5, 2008
Losing belly fat isn’t the only way to reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. A study of more than 5000 Illinois adults found that those who got adequate aerobic exercise (at least 30 minutes of moderate activity such as walking on most days of the week) were 85% less likely to have Metabolic Syndrome than their more inactive counterparts.
Also of interest: men and women who said they did not regularly consume calcium-rich foods had a 61% higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than their calcium-consuming counterparts. I continue to recommend 1000 mg of calcium a day as being optimally healthy for most people.
(As reported by Adam Reppert in the November/December issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion)
Topics: Health News
Breast Feeding: The Aerobic Advantage
December 5, 2008
Researchers have known for some time that breast feeding helps keep babies from developing respiratory infections. A recent study, which measured the average lung capacity of a child by the volume of air he or she could forcibly exhale, has revealed another benefit: the air exhaled by children who were breast fed for at least 4 months was 54 ml greater than in children who were not breast fed. In addition, peak expiratory flow (or the maximum speed at which air could be blown out of the lungs) was 180.8 ml per seconds faster in these children. It is thought that the exercise babies get while sucking at the breast may be an essential component of the respiratory benefits associated with feeding.
(As reported in the November 2008 issue of the journal Thorax by Dr. Ikechukwu U. Ogbuano, University of South Carolina in Columbia)
Topics: Health News
Flavorful Foods Aid in Weight Loss
October 15, 2008
Limiting what you eat isn’t the only way to lose weight. If taking off pounds is one of your goals, eating more flavorful food may be just as effective–or more–than counting calories. These findings were reported by Dr. Allen Hirsch, M.D., of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. In a recent study, Dr. Hirsch and his colleagues had 2,436 obese adults sprinkle a variety of calorie-free “tastant” crystals on their daily meals. A control group of 100 volunteers used non-flavored, placebo crystals. Dr. Hirsch instructed participants to follow their normal eating habits during the study.
Only about 60% of the obese participants completed the study, but those who did experienced an average weight loss of a little over 30 pounds or 15% of body weight. In contrast, the control group lost an average of 2 pounds per individual.
This highlights the importance of training cooks to prepare food that is both healthy and flavorful to begin with. When food is healthfully and tastefully prepared, we don’t need to add crystals. And we should expect similar results to those achieved by Dr. Hirsch, if we train those eating to take time to enjoy the flavors, textures, aroma, and taste of the food they eat.(1)
(1) University of Mississippi Health Care, http://www.umhc.com/ “Can Enhancing Food Flavors Promote Weight Loss?”
Topics: Health News
Time Spent Outside Affects Eyesight
October 15, 2008
Have you ever wondered why nearsightedness has increased since the 1800’s? Or why those coming from traditionally agricultural societies wear glasses less often?
A study of myopia led by Dr. Kathryn Rose of the University of Sydney, Australia, found that 12-year-old children who spent more than 2.8 hours per day outside had less nearsightedness than those that spent less than 1.6 hours outdoors and more than 3.1 hours in close work. Time spent outside, whether in sport, picnic, or work, appears to protect a child’s eyes from growing too long, which translates into nearsightedness or myopia.
Animal studies suggest that light causes retinal dopamine release which blocks eye growth. In addition to exercise and fresh air, parents now have another reason to send kids outdoors to play.[1]
[1] Journal of Opthalmology, Volume 115, Issue 8, Pages 1279-1285 (August 2008).
Topics: Health News
Enhance your Probability of Cancer Survival with Adequate Vitamin D
October 15, 2008
In a 6 ½-year-study at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, scientists found that colorectal cancer patients with the highest blood levels of Vitamin D before diagnosis had the highest rate of survival.(1)
Canadian researchers report that women with normal vitamin D levels were more likely to survive breast cancer than those with deficiencies, who had had a 94% higher chance of cancer spreading and a 73% higher chance of dying from that cancer.(2)
These findings have raised another interesting question: could aggressive Vitamin D supplementation help in treating cancer? While the answer to this isn’t abundantly clear, research to answer this question is currently underway.
Moreover, boosting your vitamin D intake can dramatically reduce your risk of many forms of cancer, according to researchers at Creighton University Medical School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Dr. Joan Lappe, leader of the study, reported that a daily dose of 1,100 international units (IUs) a day of the “sunshine vitamin” definitely decreased the incidence of cancer.” Lappe’s team studied 1,179 female, postmenopausal study participants who lived in rural Nebraska. The women, who were free of known cancers for 10 years prior to the study, were divided into 3 groups and followed for 4 years.
One group took 1,400 to 1,500 milligrams of supplementary calcium a day, another group took that same amount of calcium plus 1,100 IUs of vitamin D daily, while the third group took placebo pills every day.
After four years, those in the combination vitamin D and calcium group had a 60 percent lower risk of developing cancer, compared to the placebo group. The calcium-only group had a 47 percent reduced risk.
The results were even more dramatic for members of the combination calcium-vitamin D group when researchers, who believed some women may have entered the study with undiagnosed cancer, eliminated data from the first year of the study. With the first year eliminated, that group had a 77% reduced risk of cancers compared to the placebo group. Risk for the calcium-only group was essentially unchanged.(3)
Some people worry that exposure to sunlight will increase skin cancer. As I point out in my book Proof Positive (pages 31-32), the risk of melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) increases with the number of sunburns. Childhood sunburns are particularly detrimental in this regard. Gentle exposure to the sun, on the other hand, does not increase melanoma risk.
25-Hydroxy Vitamin D blood level tests, especially for those with cancer, are part of my routine medical recommendation. Vitamin D should measure 50 nmol/L or greater. If the Vitamin D level is low, I generally recommend a prescription mega-dose ergocalciferol once to three times weekly to raise it. Over-the-counter Vitamin supplements are rarely effective in bringing up Vitamin D levels that are extremely low, but not for maintaining adequate Vitamin D levels for those not regularly exposed to the direct mid-day sun.
Should you Supplement with Vitamin D in the Winter?
Due to the angle of the sun, people living above the 37th parallel have difficulty making vitamin D in the winter. Such individuals may also benefit from Vitamin D supplements in the winter. The 37th parallel runs through the following places:
• Santa Cruz, California
• Gilroy, California
• Madera, California
• The northern borders of Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma
• Cairo, Illinois
• Bowling Green, Kentucky
• Newport News, Virginia
In the past, some researchers have maintained that Vitamin D2 was less effective than Vitamin D3 in maintaining adequate D levels. A recently published Boston University study disputes that claim, by showing that plant-based Vitamin D2 supplement works just as well as the most often animal-based Vitamin D3.(4)
Outside of fish, and fortified dairy products, Vitamin D can be obtained through Multigrain Cheerios (1 cup = 40 IU), Post Bran Flakes (1 cup = 40 IU), Kasha cereal (1 cup = 80 IU), and sun-dried shitake mushrooms (4 mushrooms = 260 IU). 15 minutes of mid-day sunlight remains one of the best sources of Vitamin D. In the absence of abundant sunlight, a UV light may also serve to trigger the body to produce the necessary Vitamin D.
(1)Goodwin PJ, Ennis M, et al. Frequency of vitamin D (Vit D) deficiency at breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and association with risk of distant recurrence and death in a prospective cohort study of T1-3, N0-1, M0 BC. J Clin Oncol 26: 2008 (May 20 suppl; abstr 511).
(2)Lappe JM, Traver-Gustafson D, et al. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91.
(3)Ng, Kimmie; Meyerhardt, Jeffrey A, et al. Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Survival in Patients with Colorectal Cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 26: 2984-2991.
(4)Holick MF, Biancuzzo RM, Chen TC, et al. Vitamin D2 is as effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2008;93:677-681.
Topics: Health News
There’s Still Time to Register for the Peak Mental Performance Seminar
September 18, 2008
Dear Friend of Nedley Health Solutions,
Do you want to stay sharp and in control of your life every step of the way? There are proactive steps you can take to achieve the mental alertness you need. As researchers are finding out, you can actually increase your thinking ability—and intelligence—by developing new brain cell connections. You can improve your memory and concentration skills, manage emotions instead of letting them manage you, and even boost your intelligence (EQ and IQ) quotients. Your analytical ability can be strengthened, your motivation increased, and your decision-making abilities enhanced.
No one has seen more people achieve dramatic improvements in brain function than Dr. Neil Nedley. Through the innovative combination of therapies offered by the Nedley Depression Recovery Program, Dr. Nedley has helped literally thousands of depressed individuals increase the blood flow to the frontal lobe of their brains.
Now, through the newly-developed 5-day Peak Mental Performance Seminar, non-depressed individuals are invited to take their thinking ability even further. Through this seminar, you will be enabled to strengthen your analytical ability, increase your motivation, and enhance decision-making abilities. You will also build mental endurance, learn how to manage stress more effectively, and understand the natural secrets to improving your mood.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance the function of your brain, grow even in times of loss, and apply lifestyle changes to achieve the results you desire. I would like to personally invite you to join me at this cutting-edge seminar. For just $1,950, you will be provided with:
• Over $900 in lab tests measuring physical factors that could impact your thinking ability, together with a presentation on how to understand them by Dr. Nedley
• Life-changing lectures on achieving peak mental, physical, and spiritual performance by Dr. Nedley, Don Mackintosh, and myself
• Delicious mental-performance enhancing meals from our culinary experts
• Therapeutic exercise, rest, hydrotherapy, and massage
• Quality accommodations at the Hampton Inn in Ardmore, Oklahoma
The seminar starts in less than a month (October 23-27), and space is limited, so please give me a call at (888) 778-4445 to register so I can save your place. If you choose to fly in, we recommend Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW). When registering, ask about shuttle service. Together we will learn the steps to achieve peak mental performance and be encouraged and invigorated to implement whatever changes are necessary to achieve optimal brain function.
Look forward to hearing from you soon,
Paula Reiter,
Director, Peak Mental Performance Seminar
Topics: Health News
Red Yeast Rice Decreases Risk of Adverse Cardiac Events
September 17, 2008
Physicians with an eye towards reducing coronary heart disease may soon be adding another piece of advice to their traditional stop-smoking, get-some-exercise, lose-weight-now message: eat some red yeast rice.
Researchers from three universities—the University of Tromso in Norway, Shanghai University of Traditional Medicine and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine conducted a review of 93 randomized trials that tested the effectiveness of three different red yeast rice preparations—Cholestin, Xuezhikang, and Zhibituo—on blood cholesterol levels. The red yeast rice preparations were found to be as effective at lowering lipid cholesterol levels as some statin drugs.(1)
Another study recently published by the American Journal of Cardiology found that the consumption of Xuezhikang (XZK), a partially purified extract of red yeast rice, decreases the risk of an adverse cardiac event. Led by Dr. David M. Capuzzi, researchers recruited 3986 men and 884 women for the study. Each study participant, who was a heart attack survivor with high cholesterol levels, was assigned to take either a capsule of X2K or a placebo twice daily while discontinuing other cholesterol-lowering medications. The average treatment duration was 4.5 years.
Over the course of the study, 4.9% of subjects taking the placebo suffered another non-fatal heart attack, compared to 1.9% of those taking the X2K. In addition, 4.2% of the placebo-taking patients required a procedure to clear blocked arteries, as opposed to 2.8% of those taking X2K. The total mortality rate was also lower in the group taking red yeast (5.2% versus 7.7%).(2)
Because it is not a regulated product, the FDA has raised concerns over the quality and safety of over-the-counter red yeast rice supplements. Because of the wide variation in active compounds between brands and the potential for citrinin contamination (citrinin is a suspected toxin which is produced in the fermentation process), consumers should exercise caution in product selection. On a more positive note, red yeast rice has been used in China for over 1,000 years to improve circulation, soothe upset stomachs, and invigorate the spleen.
Consumerlab.com tested ten red yeast dietary supplements sold in the United States. The supplements were tested for levels of monacolins (the active cholesterol-lowering ingredient), citrinin (a toxin), and lead. None of the products were found to contain lead. In addition, several supplements were found to contain adequate levels of monacolins without being tainted by citrinin. Brands recommended by consumerlab.com include Nature’s Plus Red Yeast Rice, Schiff Red Yeast Rice, Cholestene Red Yeast Rice, and 21st Century Red Yeast Rice.
Although red yeast rice is not without possible minor side effects (dizziness and gastrointestinal discomfort), any side affects associated with red yeast rice are generally significantly less than the pharmaceutical statin drugs traditionally prescribed for high cholesterol.
Note: consumption of red rice yeast or statin-like drugs lowers co-enzymeQ10 levels, which are very important for coronary health. As a result, co-enzymeQ10 supplements are generally recommended when supplementing with red rice yeast.
(1)Liu J. Zhang J, Shi Y, Grimsgaard S, Alraek T, Fonnebo V. National Research Centre in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM), University of Tromso, Tromso N-9037, Norway.
(2) Effect of Xuezhikang, an extract from red yeast Chinese rice, on coronary events in a Chinese population with previous myocardial infarction. Lu Z - Am J Cardiol - 15-JUN-2008; 101(12): 1689-93
Topics: Health News
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