Month: April 2019

Categories
Health

Finding Wellness

What does Wellness mean to you? The World Health Organization defines it as: “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” It involves consciously making improvements to lifestyle, outlook, environment, belief systems and values to achieve your full potential and to help those around you do the same at home, in the workplace and in the community.

However, if you search the internet, you will find two types of “wellness” advice:

  • Information on wellness (sometimes referred to as lower case “wellness”) …solid advice on ways to promote health and prevent illness, backed by scientific evidence. It includes good nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress reduction and more, and essentially means the opposite of illness.

  • Promotional material on Wellness Products (Wellness with a capital “W”) …products often making pseudo-scientific health claims with sketchy proof and often marketed with a high price tag! The Wellness business is a billion-dollar industry…

How can you tell the difference when you’re reading a web page? I use two simple ways:

1. Who posted the information?

Is the web page associated with a large health organization, government or university? The goal of these organizations is generally to share information and promote public health. They have no financial incentive to hide negative information or exaggerate the positive effects of a wellness strategy.

Does the author have any credentials or experience as a health professional? While credentials are not entirely necessary (a good writer will get all the facts and present them in an unbiased way), it means they will likely have better background knowledge.

Where did the information originate? Look for references. Is it backed by scientific studies? A well referenced web page will have links to background studies that support what they are saying. Studies usually have a little summary at the beginning, called an “abstract” that is a brief description of the study. I also look at where it was published – many large medical organizations publish journals with information for their members that usually well researched.

2. Who paid for it?

The second thing I look for on a web page is, who paid to publicize the information, and whose advertising is displayed with the article. I learned a good lesson over 20 years ago when the internet was just starting up. The doctors next door asked if I could supply them with information about the herbal medicine, St. John’s Wort. I quickly found what looked like a perfect article on the internet. My pharmacy student, who was more tech-savvy than me, didn’t say a word…she just scrolled down and pointed to the advertisement for St. John’s Wort. An “aha” moment for me!

With a more critical look, I noticed the site described the herb as “safer than aspirin” and, while many would interpret this as saying it is very safe, as a pharmacist I know that aspirin can cause internal bleeding in some people. The site wasn’t being open and honest in an effort to increase sales, and chances were good they were hiding other important, but negative, information. I subscribed to an independent herbal website after that so I could easily access unbiased information about natural medicines.

So, whether your reason for looking for wellness information or alternative medicines is wanting to stay healthy and active as you age, or to address a need that is unmet by the medical system, don’t be taken in by marketing strategies for Wellness products. Know that a vitamin is a vitamin – they are all the same chemical structure – so there is no reason to pay $90 for a month’s supply when you can always buy good quality vitamins from a reputable manufacturer at your local pharmacy. When looking for health information on the internet, choose an academic or health-center site rather than one sponsored by a product manufacturer. Know when you’re being marketed to and be a savvy shopper.

But also make sure any alternative treatment is an addition to good medical care and not a replacement for it. Consider natural treatments as complementary to your medical treatment rather than a true “alternative”. Nothing can replace good medical care.

So, talk to your doctor about any non-prescription medications you are taking, even if they are being recommended by another health professional. While they may not have learned about it in medical school, they can help you evaluate the information you are reading and ensure there is no interference with any health condition you may have. Your pharmacist may be your most accessible health professional and they can help ensure you avoid conflicts with medications you are already taking. They also have access to scientific references on alternative and complementary products. Ask if they can find some solid information to share with you.

Talking with your doctor and pharmacist about non-prescription choices is a great way to start a conversation around your health goals and how best to achieve them. The internet can be a wonderful source of information but it’s best when used in consultation with your doctors, pharmacists, and other health professionals.

References:

The Self-Care Paradox

Definitions of Wellness

Categories
Uncategorized

Measles – Should we worry about it?

This week I read another article about the dramatic increase in measles in many countries, this time in CNN’s online health newsletter. They reported that the number of measles cases in 2019 is already the second highest in the last 25 years (with just 3 months reported so far): 555 cases reported in US, and 33 in Canada. Over 110,000 cases have been reported globally in the first quarter of this year, almost 3 times the number reported in the same period last year. The World Health Organization estimates that fewer than 1 in 10 cases are reported, however, so actual numbers would be much greater.

Why is it increasing?

Experts believe one reason is due to lack of vaccination. While some families lack access to routine vaccines, some parents choose not to vaccinate their children. Negative information about vaccines has been circulating on social media for years, with exaggerated warnings of the dangers of routine vaccinations, and no discussion about the benefits of vaccines and the many lives that they save every year.

How safe are vaccines?

As a pharmacist, I was trained to give vaccines and had to complete many hours of training, learning extensive information about vaccines, how they work, their effectiveness, negative reactions that could be expected (and how often they happen) and how to ensure they are used safely. I learned that vaccines are considered the most effective health strategy in history, having saved more lives than any other health intervention, including antibiotics. While some true reactions to vaccines do occur rarely, and certain individuals need to avoid vaccines or take them in a controlled setting such as a hospital or doctor’s office, the overall benefit of routine vaccines is much greater than the risk for the vast majority of people. Those who give vaccines are trained to watch for any sign of a reaction and treat it quickly. The most serious reaction to vaccines is anaphylaxis, a total body allergic reaction that can be fatal, and it occurs in 1.3 per million people who are vaccinated.

Much of the anti-vaccine movement is based on an incorrect article published in the ‘90s that reported autism was associated with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. This article that started the controversy in 1998 was since withdrawn by its publisher but is still quoted widely despite overwhelming proof it was incorrect. You can read about it here.

Unfortunately, this article is still being shared widely on social media, and the result is that children are getting sick in record numbers. Some have even died from a disease that’s entirely preventable with a vaccine. These diseases have been so well controlled for so many years, that younger generations don’t realize how serious these illnesses can be.

Is measles serious?

Here is what the Center for Disease Control (US) lists as problems that occur when large numbers of children have measles:

  • 1 in 10 develop ear infections that can result in permanent hearing loss

  • Diarrhea occurs in close to 1 in 10 children

  • 1 in 20 children develop pneumonia (most common cause of death)

  • About 1 in 1000 develop encephalitis (brain swelling) that can cause convulsions, deafness or intellectual disability

  • For every 1000 children who get measles, one or two will die from it

  • Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a fatal brain disease that rarely develops 7 to 10 years after an apparent full recovery from measles. It is estimated to occur in 4 to 11 per 100,000 cases of measles.

Think of others…

Some people truly cannot tolerate certain vaccines and others, who are ill, may not respond adequately to them. If enough of a population is protected, however, there aren’t enough susceptible people left to spread the disease and create an epidemic. They call this “herd immunity”… the whole “herd” or population is protected when enough people get vaccinated. Because MMR vaccine has been avoided by too many people in certain areas of the world, we are again seeing outbreaks of mumps and measles. When you get vaccinated, you are protecting not only yourself but others you are in contact with who could catch the virus from you.

If you have doubts or questions about any vaccines, please talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Update from World Health Organization (posted April 25, 2019)

Measles cases have increased 300 per cent in just a year

  • Univadis Medical News

  • Sent 25 April 2019

Preliminary data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) show measles cases are continuing to rise, with reported cases increasing by 300 per cent in the first three months of 2019 compared with the same period in 2018. According to the data, 170 countries have reported 112,163 measles cases to the WHO so far this year. In April 2018, there were 28,124 measles cases from 163 countries.

The WHO said a number of countries are in the midst of “sizeable measles outbreaks”, with all regions of the world experiencing a sustained rise in cases. It said in recent months, there had been spikes in case numbers in countries with high overall vaccination coverage, including the United States of America, Israel, Thailand and Tunisia, “as the disease has spread fast among clusters of unvaccinated people”. Earlier this month, authorities in New York declared an emergency amid a measles outbreak in parts of Brooklyn.

The WHO said responding to measles would require a range of approaches to ensure all children get their vaccines on time, as well as “effective public-facing communication and engagement on the critical importance of vaccination, and the dangers of the diseases they prevent”.

References:

CDC (US)

Health Canada

CNN

Wakefield paper withdrawn

Univadis report from WHO

Categories
Health

Autoimmune disease – more common now than cancer and heart disease

Autoimmune diseases occur when the body’s immune system attacks its own cells and tissues. This class of diseases includes many familiar ones like multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory bowel disease, Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and over 100 more. It’s become the most common type of disease, more common than heart disease and cancer, and rates are increasing each year.

And because autoimmune disease takes time to show up and often has diverse symptoms, it can be difficult to diagnose. Patients with vague complaints are sometimes told they are depressed or just imagining their symptoms when their doctor cannot identify an obvious cause. It takes a person an average of 5 years and 5 doctors before an autoimmune disease is finally identified, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA).

This happened to my mom when she was admitted to hospital last year because of shortness of breath and low blood oxygen. She was diagnosed first with heart failure, then pneumonia but the treatments for these conditions didn’t help. When they finally diagnosed that the rheumatoid arthritis she’d had for 2 years had attacked her lungs, too much damage had occurred, and she died in hospital. Apparently, the lungs are the most common non-joint area affected by rheumatoid arthritis, so one might think it could have been detected earlier – before her lungs became irreversibly damaged. But this is the nature of autoimmune disease: it often mimics other more common illnesses and is missed.

Autoimmune disease occurrence sharply increased in the 1980’s and 90’s. An Israeli study that looked at 30 studies from the last 30 years found the following yearly global increases in autoimmune diseases:

Rheumatic (arthritis-related) disease – 7.1%

Endocrinological (hormone-related) disease – 6.3%

Gastrointestinal (digestive system) disease – 6.2%

Neurological (nervous system) disease – 3.7%

And that’s been average increases yearly, worldwide, for the past 30 years.

But what has caused these dramatic increases in autoimmune diseases? Researchers don’t know for sure, but there are several theories.

Environment

Our environment has changed drastically over the past 100 years. And, although we have better medicine, cleaner water and plenty of food, these may have some connection with the onset of autoimmunity.

For example, the overuse of antibiotics has changed the make up of the normal bacteria that live in our digestive systems. Scientists are now realizing that some of these bacteria control our immune system activity.

Advanced farming practices have meant that our food is raised differently. As one researcher put it: not only are we what we eat, we are what our food eats! Different food for animals and plants means different nutrients (and perhaps missing nutrients) in our food. As well, processing food changes what it contains. Even the simple process of creating white flour removes many nutrients from the food that is made with it. And chemicals, not normally found in food, have been added for various reasons including increasing shelf life. Some speculate that some of these changes may be involved in the onset of autoimmunity, interfering with our systems’ ability to distinguish self from non-self. We need more study particularly to determine what effects commercially used chemicals may be having on autoimmunity.

Genetics

If one family member is diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, others in the family are at higher risk of developing that disease or another related one. Since these diseases can tend to run in families, it is suspected that there may be genes that can be inherited, making a person more susceptible.

Also 75% of autoimmune diseases occur in women. Some researchers have suggested that a tiny part of the X chromosome, called microRNA, is involved in immune system function. Since women have two X chromosomes, while men have one X and one Y chromosome, this might explain why women live longer but have a greater chance of immune dysfunction.

However, autoimmune diseases are increasing much faster than genes can pass them on. Scientists feel that it must be a combination of genetics plus exposure to something in the environment that could cause such dramatic increases in these diseases.

Hygiene hypothesis

Because the occurrence of infectious diseases was decreasing at the same time as autoimmune disease has been increasing, researchers theorize that the absence of infection is affecting our immune systems. Scientists are saying that our systems need regular and early exposure to common harmless bacteria to learn how to react to threats.

We are exposed to bacteria first during natural birth and breastfeeding, but also by spending time outdoors in green spaces, and eating a varied diet (especially fermented foods). We even seem to pick up good bacteria from those we are close to. The greater the diversity of organisms in our digestive system, the healthier we tend to be.

Stress

A 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Society found that people with diagnosed stress-related conditions were significantly more likely to develop an autoimmune disease than those without. People with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) who received treatment had lower chances of developing an autoimmune disease.

The idea of grouping these autoimmune diseases together, as they do with cancers, is relatively new. They’ve been thought of and researched as independent illnesses. However, they may have common factors and similar processes triggering the immune system to malfunction in different ways, attacking different parts of the body, and creating a different disease. Researchers are asking for a central database where occurrences of autoimmune diseases would be reported, so they can gain a better understanding of how many are affected, where cases are occurring and how quickly diseases are increasing. More information can lead to better understanding and research on this poorly recognized and understood group of diseases.

So, if you have vague symptoms and you are sure something is wrong with your health, persevere… try the treatments your doctor is recommending but, if they don’t help, keep asking. It might just be that 5th doctor who figures it out!

References:

Why Are Autoimmune Diseases on the Rise?

The World Incidence and Prevalence of Autoimmune Diseases is Increasing (International Journal of Celiac Disease)

Association of Stress-Related Disorders With Subsequent Autoimmune Disease

Categories
Health

Needles are good for you…

Knitting needles, that is…

It’s been a busy week: a long haul back from Spain, dealing with lost and damaged luggage, unpacking, laundry… and jet-lag, of course.

But when I saw this article, I wanted to share it with you. You may know that I am an avid knitter – my grandmother taught me when I was 6 and I took it up in earnest at age 8 or 9 when I received a “how to” book on knitting. I’ve been knitting ever since! But did you know that knitting is good for your mental and physical health?

Research shows that knitting can reduce depression and anxiety, lower blood pressure, distract from chronic pain, decrease loneliness and isolation, and just generally make you feel good!

I’ve always found knitting to be soothing and relaxing – sort of a form of meditation. It’s something about the repetitious movements of forming the stitches, I think. And, if you choose a more complex pattern, you need to block out other thoughts and focus on the pattern or you may find yourself unravelling some of your work! It’s really a form of meditation at the same time as you are creating something…

Studies say that knitting can actually induce the “relaxation response” — I wrote about this back relaxation technique back in March of 2017. Click here to see it. So, from this point of view, it compares with other relaxing activities like meditation and yoga… except you are creating something beautiful and useful at the same time. And, if you give the item away, you add in some of that great feeling you get by helping others.

I guess this may be why, as researchers have discovered recently, knitting can help reduce anxiety, depression, chronic pain and more. And in addition, when you’re done, you have the reward of a useful knitted item like a hat, scarf, mittens, socks or sweater! What could be better than a relaxing activity that provides a sense of accomplishment?

So, ff you’ve never knitted, give it a try. Pick up an inexpensive ball or two of colourful yarn and a pair of knitting needles (the label on the ball will tell you what size to buy!) and Google “how to knit”. Or just ask a friend who know how. I’m sure they’d be excited to help you learn!

Mental Health America article:

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/blog/mental-health-benefits-knitting

Inspiring anecdote from writer Chloe Grundmeier:

https://dailyevergreen.com/52666/life/try-knitting-for-your-mental-health/?fbclid=IwAR2vqUm6HA20x2wXtp-UDiBnzhZZyZLQHN_ABsqvGh–paXQk5z2o7L-N0Y

Here’s the science:

https://www.medicalbag.com/home/lifestyle/knit-one-purl-one-the-health-benefits-of-knitting/