Category: Health

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Health

The Red Meat Controversy

Diet studies are difficult to do properly. It is simply too difficult to control the many factors that influence our health while comparing different diets. Most diet studies, therefore, are poor quality and based on weak evidence. Even the ideal type of study, known as a randomized controlled trial (RCT), isn’t perfect as people can’t live in a bubble for the entire study time.

And animal studies, where it is easier to control all factors, don’t necessarily apply to humans. A famous one, where rabbits were fed high amounts of foods containing cholesterol and subsequently developed heart disease, didn’t take into account that rabbits never naturally eat cholesterol-containing foods and probably can’t digest them – they live on salad! Human studies have found that it’s not possible to lower blood cholesterol significantly by reducing cholesterol intake because the liver makes cholesterol when it is lacking in the diet. However, we continue to see “low cholesterol” foods promoted as being good for our heart health. Here is a referenced article about this. Essentially, all conclusions from dietary studies need to be “taken with a grain of salt”.

But a new study “McMaster university – New guidelines: No need to reduce red or processed meat consumption for good health” bases its conclusion on the lack of good evidence for us to change. This research was conducted by 14 researchers in seven different countries. They state: “Evidence of harm from moderate consumption of red or processed meat is poor and health benefits, if any, would be small.” The study also considered the desirability and enjoyment of a juicy steak and the “hardship” vs. benefits of a rather drastic change in diet. (Note that it excludes any ethical or to environmental concerns, focusing only on evidence that people need to change their meat consumption to be healthier.)

More than anything else, to me this study points out the trend to make dramatic announcements for radical diet changes based on poor quality information. This study doesn’t suggest red or processed meats are healthy or that people should eat more of them, but researchers don’t discount the possibility that there are millions of people who eat a lot of meat and who are in good health.

That being said, another article published in the journal, The Lancet, suggests that the “healthiness” of cutting out the red meat depends on what it is replaced with. Reducing meat consumption, according to this study, is only likely to benefit health if the meat is replaced with plant-based foods. Replacing it with “white foods” (white rice, white bread, potatoes and sugar) doesn’t result in improvement to health, according to this study.

An article in Healthline seems to sum it all up quite well. It suggests that red meat doesn’t affect health significantly but that processed meats, depending on the additives used and cooking processes, might change the health effects of eating meat. But, like all diet studies, the evidence isn’t strong. Here is the link if you’d like to read it.

Of course, these studies address only the effects of meat on human health. The environmental impact of raising animals and the ethical issue of using animals as a food source are issues that also should be considered in a complete discussion.

What I found so interesting in these studies, was that the evidence that red and processed meats harm our health is very weak and the benefits of such a dramatic diet change are small. The researchers found there is simply not strong enough evidence to insist that all humans need to make this radical diet change.

For myself, I enjoy eating meat but find these days that a small amount is enough. The photo above was part of a 7-course meal in a fancy restaurant, and was a small but very delicious and satisfying serving. We also enjoy seafood of all kinds in our house and the occasional vegetarian meal too – especially homemade pasta sauce with lots of veggies added. Mostly we are trying to increase our consumption of fruits and vegetables these days to improve our diet. Sweets and desserts have become the exception (not the rule!), too, to lower our sugar intake.

I still like Michael Pollan’s Food Rules the best: Eat real food (not processed), mostly plants, and not too much. Everything in moderation makes sense unless you have good reason to change.

So, have you many any changes to your diet recently? Did it help you to feel better or improve a chronic problem? I’d love to hear about it…

References:

This diet is better for the planet, but is it better for you too? – NPR

Health and Nutritional Aspects of Sustainable Diet Strategies – The Lancet

Why Dietary Cholesterol Does Not Matter for Most People – Healthline

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Health

Many Common Medications Could Change Your Gut Bacteria

Researchers have learned that 18 commonly used classes of drugs can extensively affect the organisms that live in your gut. The most drastic changes were caused by stomach medications, antibiotics, metformin (a diabetes medication), and laxatives. Why is this important? Because research suggests that changes in gut organisms are associated with obesity, diabetes, liver diseases, cancer, degenerative nerve diseases like MS and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and others.

Your intestines contain tens of trillions of microorganisms, with at least 1000 different types of known bacteria. These organisms are vital for our health, breaking down food and toxins, making vitamins and training our immune systems. Their total weight is calculated to be as much as 2 kg (4.4 pounds) – heavier than the average brain! It’s also known as the human “microbiome”. It’s been increasingly studied over the past 15 years – what types or organisms are found in healthy people vs. those with various diseases, how we can improve the content and balance of organisms in our digestive systems and, now, how this microbiome is affected by common drugs.

New research, reported at the international United European Gastroenterology Week 2019 conference, describes work done at the University Medical Center Groningen and Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Out of 41 drug classes they tested, 18 were associated with changes in gut microbiota composition or function. Several of these were found to be significant:

  • Antibiotics

  • PPI’s (“proton pump inhibitor” stomach medications)

  • Laxatives

  • Metformin

  • Oral steroids (i.e. taken by mouth)

  • SSRI antidepressants (in people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Antibiotics kill bacteria both good and bad. Stomach medications, particularly PPI’s (proton pump inhibitors, like Losec/Prilosec, Nexxium, Tecta, Prevacid and others), drastically change the acidity of the stomach making a significant difference in the environment these organisms like to grow in. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that these 2 classes of drugs change which bacteria thrive in our digestive systems.

Laxatives speed the passage of the contents through the digestive system, pushing microbes out of their normal habitat as they move the entire contents of the intestines along more quickly than normal.

Another research team, at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Germany, suggests that altering gut organisms may also be part of how some drugs work. They noted that one of the ways the diabetes drug, metformin, works is to encourage the growth of certain bacteria. People who take metformin have also been found to have higher numbers of the potentially harmful bacteria, E. Coli.

The researchers also identified an increase in antibiotic resistance related to 8 different categories of medications, not just from use of antibiotics themselves. We always knew that oral steroids (those taken by mouth, like prednisone) cause people to gain weight, and now researchers in the Netherlands report that this may be caused by an increase in “methogenic” bacteria, which has been associated with obesity.

SSRI antidepressants (Prozac, Paxel, Celexa and several others), particularly when used in people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), were associated with significant changes in the potentially harmful bacteria, Eubacterium ramulus. These drugs generally take a few weeks to exert their therapeutic effect; they also note that similar bacterial species are affected by different antiphychotics. This led to the suggestion that part of how both these types of drugs work could be by encouraging or blocking certain gut bacteria. Researchers hope that one day it may be possible to diagnose some brain conditions by analysing gut bacteria and to treat them with “psychobiotics” – specific mood-altering bacteria!

The German researchers also noticed that some drugs affect gut bacteria in a manner similar to antibiotics and these tend to have antibiotic-like side effects, such as digestive upset. They suggest that these non-antibiotics could be increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, since they affect gut bacteria similarly.

So, although this research is fascinating (or, at least, I think it is!), much more work needs to be done in this area. However, it shows that we cannot ignore the effects of various drugs on gut bacteria. Researchers estimate that one-quarter of drugs or more have an impact on the gut microbiome.

References:

Is your gut microbiome the key to health and happiness? – The Guardian

Many Common Meds Could Alter Your Microbiome – WebMD

Half of all commonly used drugs profoundly affecting the gut microbiome warn experts – EurekAlert

Many commonly used drugs may impact microbiome – Univadis Medical News

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Health

Autumn: Time for harvest, giving thanks and flu shots!

I’m late getting to my blog this week… a busy week making 18 bottles of salsa and 18 jars of grape jam. I even tried out a recipe for “scoops” corn chips (the best way to eat salsa…) and I’ll be making them again! I guess that’s part of fall and carrying the benefit of the harvest of fresh vegetables and fruits into winter. It’s even more wonderful if you get to participate in the harvest, as we did in Miscou Island in northern New Brunswick, helping family pick the grapes growing in their backyard and cut the vines down to the old growth. It was an amazing way to spend a sunny autumn afternoon.

The best parts of making your own food, including preserves, is that you know what they contain and even where the ingredients came from. You also get a relatively unique product to enjoy and share, something different than you might find in the grocery store. I’m thinking my preserves might make great Christmas gifts, something consumable for those of us in my generation looking at downsizing or those of a younger generation living in an apartment with limited space. I’ve always felt that a hand made gift is truly a gift from the heart… something special, whether it was made by the giver or someone I don’t even know.

But, aside from thoughts of harvest, Thanksgiving and preparing for winter, fall also makes me think of getting my flu shot. I suppose that’s part of preparing for winter, the season when we see so many cases of influenza. I gave flu immunizations for many years at pharmacies and clinics, even visiting seniors’ homes to bring the service to them.

I never liked hurting people, though, so I read everything I could to learn how to make the injection less painful. And my patients have often told me that they hardly felt the needle at all – one elderly gentleman, who was chatting with one of the nurses working with me, insisted that I hadn’t given him his injection when I told him he was ready to go to the waiting area. Distraction is one of the best “pain relievers”!

Here are some tips I learned to decrease pain from injections. Ask the person giving you your flu shot if they use these techniques:

  • Let the alcohol dry before giving the needle

    • Wet alcohol stings

  • Apply slight pressure to the top or sides of the arm with the free hand

    • The brain registers pressure instead of the pain from the needle

  • Insert and remove the needle quickly

    • Like a paper cut you don’t notice until it bleeds, a quick needle is felt less. I routinely completed the injection part of a flu shot in about 2 seconds!

  • Use distraction

    • As with the elderly gentleman I described earlier, you will experience less pain if you focus on something else. Even taking a deep breath just before the needle helps you to focus on your breathing instead of the injection.

    • I used to use my iPad to distract children – it was so effective, especially when iPads were new… I set them up with a drawing program to try out while I prepared their flu shot. Etch-a-sketch was my favorite. Some parents had played with the original toy, and this would start a conversation. After the injection (when I wasn’t quite so popular with the child) I would offer to send their drawing to Mommy or Daddy’s computer. Most children would instantly forget the needle when they realized they could keep their drawing!

  • Rewards for children are discouraged

    • One parent mistakenly offered to buy a toy for their child if it hurt. So, of course the child screamed bloody murder after his shot and cried for 5 long minutes to make sure he got the toy!

    • However, planning an enjoyable activity afterward can help. “After we’re finished at the pharmacy (or doctor’s office) we’ll go to the park (or any place they enjoy)”. What the heck…I think grownups deserve a little fun, too, after doing a good deed for their community and family!

There has been some controversy over vaccines in recent years and it’s important to keep a healthy perspective. While there are always some who will react to any medication, the overall benefit of vaccines to the general population outweighs the potential harm from the illnesses they prevent. All practitioners who give vaccines are trained to ensure they are given safely and to refer those at risk of a reaction to the safest location to receive them, even if it’s a hospital for those at high risk. Getting a vaccine helps to protect those who can’t get immunized (or don’t respond to vaccines because of a medical condition or medication) by preventing the spread of the illness.

Here are two earlier blogs I wrote about flu shots and other vaccines, in case you missed them:

Flu season? Who Cares…

The Vaccine Debate

So, if you are able to take the flu shot, I hope you will do it. It only takes a half hour or so, including the waiting period afterward to make sure everything is fine!

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Health

The dirtiest places in your home…

There are microbes everywhere in our homes and most are OK or even good for us… but some organisms can make us sick. Where are we most likely to find the dangerous ones?

Bathroom

Yes, we all know there are disgusting germs in our toilets, and most of us clean and sanitize these regularly. But did you know that water (and bacteria!) are aerosolized when you flush and, according to microbiologist, Charles Gerba (aka Dr. Germ) at University of Arizona, they can easily spread 6 feet from the toilet each time you push that flush handle? Of course, if it’s your own bacteria, it won’t harm you (disgusting as it sounds). But you may be sharing your bathroom (and bacteria) with your visitors and family… Also, damp towels are a great place for all that bacteria to grow, waiting to be deposited on your clean hands and face when you dry them off. Here are some things you can do to reduce your exposure to fecal bacteria:

  1. Always put the lid down before you flush.

  2. Store your toothbrush in a cupboard or drawer or more than 6 feet from the flush.

  3. Change towels regularly, at least twice a week.

  4. Consider a liquid soap dispenser that can be cleaned, instead of bar soap that provides a nice bacteria growth medium.

Kitchen

Despite what was discussed above, the kitchen usually has even more dangerous bacteria than the bathroom. We prepare raw foods there and they often carry bad bacteria like salmonella and E. Coli that are killed in the cooking process, making the food safe to eat. But if you handle raw meat then touch other surfaces (like the fridge door handle or sink taps) without washing your hands first, you are depositing these potentially dangerous bacteria around your kitchen. And simply running water to clean the sink after rinsing raw meat doesn’t effectively remove bacteria. Here are some recommendations:

  1. Use a kitchen cleaner with bleach to clean the kitchen sink, counters and cutting boards that have been in contact with raw meat or their juices. Dr. Germ suggests 1 tablespoonful of bleach in a gallon of water (or about 1 tsp in 1 liter) will work as well. Or a solution of 1 part vinegar plus 3 parts water has been recommended to sterilize home medical equipment (like aerosol face masks), so should work for kitchen sanitizing as well.

  2. Wash your hands well immediately after handling raw meat.

  3. Use a separate cutting board for raw meat and foods that will be eaten raw (like salad ingredients)

  4. Clean fridge handles often (e.g. every time you clean your counters) and don’t forget to clean fridge storage drawers too, especially when you notice leakage of raw meat juices.

  5. When cleaning, spray surfaces thoroughly and let sit for a few minutes before wiping to let the spray do its work. Dr. Gerba also suggests sanitizing wipes, as they leave a germ-killing residue behind to slowly dry.

  6. Get rid of kitchen sponges or replace at least weekly, as wet sponges provide an excellent place for all kinds of bacteria to grow.

  7. Don’t forget to change kitchen hand towels often too.

  8. Can openers, pizza cutters and blender blade assemblies can also trap food particles and bacteria. Be sure to thoroughly clean and sanitize these as well.

Your best bet in the kitchen, is to change dish cloths and hand towels daily. I keep a bucket of dilute bleach and water solution in the laundry room sink and toss kitchen wash cloths in there to soak until laundry day.

Here’s a recipe for a sanitizing kitchen spray you may find useful:

1 ¼ c water

¼ c white vinegar

¼ c vodka or rubbing alcohol

15 drops each of peppermint and lemon essential oils (for scent)

Ideally, spray and let sit for 10 minutes to disinfect surface before wiping. Do not use on marble or granite surfaces, as it may etch the surface.

References:

The germiest place in your home and the best way to combat those microbes – CNN

Natural Disinfecting

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Health

Shift Happens… Take time now to think about your future health

Shifting to healthier habits is often hard to do. In fact, many of us don’t even think about our health… until something bad happens to us or someone we know. Your family doctor used to be the person who urged you to make healthy changes – telling you it’s time to quit smoking, exercise more or shed a few extra pounds – but, with the health care system today, often they only have time to look after the immediate problem that prompted your visit. You need to take charge of your future health yourself…

So how do you make change happen before a shift in your health happens?

Change in habits occurs in stages. When you’re aware of these stages, sometimes you can move things along and make the change happen faster. Here is how we progress when we try to change, regardless of what new habit we are trying to form (or what bad habit we are trying to break!):

  • Pre-contemplation – We are blissfully living our lives, not aware that we are doing something that could harm our health in the future or at least not consciously thinking about what we should be doing to be healthier. Life is busy, and sometimes we need something to grab our attention and make us realize we should be changing some habits that are less than ideal for our health. We feel fine. We just aren’t interested. Besides, habits are hard to change. It’s easy to say, “I don’t need to do anything right now…I’ll think about it later”.

    • One of my goals in writing this blog, is to encourage people to think about making changes that will improve their health…and help them live longer and happier lives! Don’t wait for something bad to happen to realize you need to change to improve your health in the future.

  • Contemplation – Then we face a crisis in our health or a serious illness in someone close to us. This starts us thinking about being healthier. Or maybe we read something or hear a speaker that catches our attention. My husband finally quit smoking years ago after hearing David Suzuki explain that you can’t keep dumping poison (for example, cigarette smoke) into your body for years, then expect to be able to do the things you want to do when you’re older – your body can only handle so much abuse. What he said struck a chord with my hubby and he made up his mind that it was really time to quit.

    • Think about what you should change that will make a difference in how you feel and what you are able to do in the future? What is one habit you could you improve to increase your chance of staying healthy and active well into old age? What could you change to be able to do more things you enjoy right now?

  • Preparation – Habits are hard to change. Preparing yourself can help make it easier, and there are strategies to increase the likelihood that you’ll stick to your new way of living.

    • Find someone who will join you in your new habit. Sign up for a class that will help get you started. Research exactly what you need to do to make the change easier.

      • For example, if quitting smoking, there are medications like nicotine replacement that can reduce cravings. To increase exercise, choose a convenient time of day then set a recurring alarm on your phone or computer to remind you it’s time for your walk. Want to eat healthier? Sign up for a food delivery service like Hello Fresh or Good Food to make it easier to start cooking better meals. Want a better outlook on life? Sign up for a yoga or meditation class or download an app on your tablet and use it every day. You get the idea…

  • Action – Pick a date that is not too far in the future. Give yourself a deadline to start. Giving yourself little rewards helps too – challenge yourself to stick to your habit and plan something special on the weekend to celebrate your success. Even something simple like an “X” on each day of a calendar can be encouraging as the X’s add up. Find a way to make yourself committed to change.

    • Set a date to start your new healthy habit and mark it on your calendar. Tell someone who will join you or support you with your plan and be accountable to them. Track your progress and decide what you will do to celebrate your success! Keep in mind that small rewards given often work better than large ones off in the future.

  • Maintenance – It’s easy to slip back into old habits or get busy and forget about your plan for a healthier life. But, if you do, remember that if you did it once you can go back and do it again! It takes a while for a new change to become a habit and relapses are normal. So, don’t beat yourself up about it and don’t give up!

    • Expect slip-ups…they almost always happen. But keep working to make your new healthy habit part of your life. If you practice your healthy change even for 1 day, you can make it a regular activity!

Realize that it takes time to make a habit of a new healthy activity – longer for some than for others. But keep your goal of enjoying life as you get older in mind. Every little change can help. Take time now to decide how you can improve your enjoyment of life in the future by keeping your body and mind healthy and active!

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Health

Laughter – good medicine!

We love to laugh, but have you noticed how much better you feel after a good belly laugh? Studies tell us that it actually improves our health in several ways.

Laughter is a way to connect with people and communicate. We actually laugh differently when we’re with people we like than when we’re alone. Laughter is a means of communicating. It says we understand and agree with the person we are talking to, and that we like or love them.

Laughter is contagious, especially laughter that is a reaction to something we find truly funny.

We have two basic types of laughter:

  • Involuntary laughter is:

    • Longer and higher pitched

    • A reaction to tickling, play or something you find really funny.

      • Sometimes results in the type of laughter you just can’t stop no matter how hard you try. Some call this a “good belly laugh”.

    • Influenced by the environment and how funny you perceive a situation.

      • Something you found uncontrollably hilarious on one occasion might be only mildly funny much later, leaving you wondering what happened…

  • Social or posed laughter is:

    • More “nasal” than involuntary laughter

    • Polite laughter used in a conversation that shows you agree and appreciate what the person you are talking to is saying

    • Used to communicate, a way of regulating emotions and forming bonds with people

    • Shows that you like the other person and that you want to make them happy, or other underlying meanings

Laughter is very nuanced. Its interpretation is universal – anyone can identify whether laughter is social or involuntary whether it’s from someone in their culture or country, or from the other side of the globe.

And it’s not just humans who laugh – monkeys and rats have also been observed laughing. Monkeys also have two types of laughter, just as humans do.

We also learn how to interpret laughter as we grow. We are best at interpreting what a laugh means in our 30s and early 40s, having learned through experience. As children, we are more likely to just want to join into the laughter we encounter, even if we don’t understand why people are laughing. As we get older, laughing becomes less contagious, perhaps because we are understanding the meaning better and less likely to feel we have to join in the mirth.

But the best part, is that laughter has been found to be good for our health.

Right away, laughter can:

  • Stimulate the lungs, heart and muscles

  • Ease tension by stimulating circulation and relaxing muscles

  • After a good laugh, it can reduce heart rate and blood pressure

Over the long term, laughing can:

  • Improve the immune system

    • Negative thoughts lead to increased stress

    • Positive thoughts and laughter trigger release of body chemicals that fight stress and potentially reduce the risk of serious illnesses

  • Relieve pain

    • Laughing stimulates the body to produce pain-relieving substances called endorphins that relieve pain, sometimes called our natural opioids

  • Make it easier to cope with difficult situations and connect to other people

  • Improve your mood

    • Laughter can help lessen depression and anxiety, and can make you feel happier

My mom loved to tell a story that she had read in the newspaper. It told of a man who was diagnosed with incurable cancer and told nothing could be done to help him. Instead of getting sad and depressed, he booked a room in a hotel and watched every funny movie their service offered. When he next returned to the doctor, the article claimed, they could find no trace of the cancer! Whether this is true or not, I can’t say, but the story described the man as laughing his way to health…one of those rare cases of spontaneous healing, facilitated by laughter. Perhaps the lesson here is that creating opportunities for laughter and enjoyment of life is good for us!

Here are some things you can do to take advantage of the benefits of laughter:

  1. Hang up jokes or cartoons that make you laugh in your home or office. Keep funny books, movies, videos, or subscribe to joke websites and look at them when you need a humor boost.

  2. Keep a sense of humor and find a way to laugh about your own situation. I actually found a book written by a breast cancer survivor about the funny side of having cancer. She said her sense of humor helped her get through it and she hoped her little cartoons might help someone else in the same situation.

  3. Spend time with people who make you laugh. Share funny jokes and stories with those around you.

  4. Know what is funny and appropriate. Don’t laugh at the expense of others.

Jokes are always funnier when you read them out loud with other people around. I learned this the hard way when I was giving my early presentations. Hardly anyone laughed when I put a cartoon up on the screen, but when I read the caption out loud, everyone laughed! Share the joy when the timing is right…

So, here is a dirty joke to start off your weekend on the “right foot”…and read it out loud to whoever is nearby!

“Why did the dirty chicken cross the road twice???

She was a dirty double-crosser!”

If you are interested in learning more about the science of laughter, watch the 15-minute TED Talk in the references below.

References:

Ted Talk – Why we laugh

Stress management – Mayo Clinic

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Health

Could sunshine be good for you?

There is no question that sun exposure ages the skin and increases risk of skin cancer… but research suggests that we may live longer if we get some sunshine every day.

Dermatologists recommend that our skin should always be protected from the sun. Of course, because they’re specialized, most only look at the sun’s effect on the skin rather than its effect on overall health. Although malignant melanoma is a dangerous type of skin cancer, 99% of skin cancers are non-melanoma, and 80% of these are basal cell cancers that are almost never fatal.

But some dermatologists have noticed that their patients with skin cancer are more likely to be in excellent health while those with beautiful skin preserved by avoiding sun were often low-energy and had multiple health problems. This observation motivated Dr. Matt Zirwas, an Ohio dermatologist, to investigate studies that examined this issue. What he found, he says, suggests that completely avoiding sun could have the same effect on your mortality as deciding to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. Note that an ideal study will always look at increases in overall survival, not just decreased death from one disease.

The science…

A 2014 Swedish study found that the risk of dying from all causes was approximately doubled in those with little or no sun exposure compared to those with the most time in the sun. The main benefit was a decrease in risk of cardiovascular disease – heart attacks and strokes – that reduced risk of death despite an increase in risk of skin cancer. A Denmark study published in 2013 found that people who had been diagnosed with skin cancer actually had lower rates of heart disease and death compared to the general population.

Statistics from US can help us to understand why this could happen. The American Academy of Dermatology estimates that about 7,000 people in US will die of malignant melanoma this year and that less than 5,000 will die of other skin cancers. However, cardiovascular disease kills about 650,000 Americans yearly. It is easy to see that any factor which causes even a modest reduction in cardiovascular disease could quickly outweigh the risk of harm it causes to the skin.

It’s been noted for decades that heart disease increases in the winter and decreases in the summer. This “winter cardiovascular disease phenomenon” could be a result of cold weather causing blood vessels to narrow. But it’s also suspected that the nitric oxide produced by sunshine on the skin could be helping prevent heart disease by dilating blood vessels, lowering blood pressure and keeping arteries smooth and supple. Vitamin D, produced when the sun shines on the skin, is also a factor in promoting health, improving the immune system and reducing heart disease.

Evolution…

We evolved spending a lot of time outdoors in the sun and our skin pigmentation has adapted through evolution to protect us from excessive sun damage. However, when a person with a fair complexion adapted to the north moves to a hot sunny climate, their risk of skin cancer is increased. Those with darker skin adapted to more intense sun are at risk of a lack of vitamin D when they move north. It makes sense that sun precautions should be based on skin type and the climate where the person lives for optimum health and benefit.

But still be cautious!

My motto is “everything in moderation” and this includes sun habits. Considering the benefits of sun exposure as well as the risks, it makes sense to enjoy the sun but avoid sunburn, and to check skin regularly for any sign of possible skin cancer.

Here is what to watch for:

  • The ABCDE rule

    • Asymmetry – one part of a mole or birthmark doesn’t match the other

    • Border – the edges are irregular or blurred

    • Colour – brown, black sometimes with patches of pink, red, white or blue. Not the same all over.

    • Diameter – larger than 6mm or ¼ inch (about the size of a pencil eraser)

    • Evolving – the mole is changing in size, shape or colour

  • Any new spot that is different from others on your body, or is itchy painful, tender, oozing, scaly or bleeding and doesn’t heal, is something to show your doctor.

  • Check out this article from cancer.org for photos

References: (note that all underlined words are links to websites)

Journal of Internal Medicine

International Journal of Epidemiology

How to Spot Skin Cancer – American Cancer Society

Vitamin D Deficiency and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

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Health

Old Drugs, New Research

I’ve blogged previously about antidepressant medications which, while helpful for some with severe depression, are not as effective as we would like. One physician/author compared them to non-drug therapies that were equally effective but take longer to kick in. His well-referenced article was published in the Canadian journal, Pharmacy Practice. Here’s a link to that blog, in case you missed it.

But I’ve been reading about new research into some old medications that were being studied for use in those with mental illness in the 50s and 60s but set aside due to concerns about recreational misuse of the drugs. I’m talking about LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and psilocybin (also known as magic mushrooms). I was so surprised to learn these Psychedelic drugs had been studied in the past and were being studied again for treating mental health issues that I had to read more about them. In pharmacy school, these drugs were only discussed as drugs of abuse. I had no idea they might be useful medications. As in many other professions, the history of psychedelic medication studies for therapeutic uses had been erased, never to be mentioned.

“How to Change Your Mind” is a newly published book by investigative reporter, Michael Pollan, that shares information gathered from many interviews with researchers, therapists and people who have used the psychedelic drugs: LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, peyote and others. The word, “Psychedelic”, by the way is Latin for “mind manifesting”. Some of these drugs have a long history of ceremonial or religious use in many different cultures.

LSD is a synthetic drug, originally created in 1938 by researcher, Albert Hofmann, who was working for the Sandoz pharmaceutical company, but he only began testing its effects in 1943. The drug’s structure and actions were so unusual he didn’t know what to do with it. So, the company provided it for free to anyone who was able and willing to perform research with it from the date it was released under the brand name, Delysid, in 1947 until they stopped production in 1965. The withdrawal occurred in response to the drug being declared illegal by the US government due to its widespread recreational use – the “hippie” culture.

Although a small amount of research continued underground, it began again slowly after 2010, mainly as small quiet projects and efforts to recover information from past studies. In 2016 and 2017, larger studies in US and UK were officially sanctioned. Old research results were unearthed from archives and added to the knowledge bases that were being developed. Because of the baggage attached to LSD from its history of past abuse, the new studies mostly used psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms.

Treatment with psychedelic drugs has been found to have positive effects on depression, anxiety, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), palliative care (fear of dying), alcoholism and compulsive behaviours. However, it is not the effect of the drug itself, but the experience the person has while on the “trip” the drug produces that changes their behaviour. The same results can be achieved by any of the psychedelic drugs (in sufficient dose), by deep meditation (by an experienced meditator) or by the experience of profound awe (for example, as described by an early astronaut, when he first saw the earth from space). Experiments were also performed on healthy people – artists, musicians, writers – to see if it would enhance their creativity or improve their outlook on life.

Treatments results are described as being highly influenced by what is suggested before the drug is given, the mindset of the person and the setting in which is it given. A trained guide prepares the patient beforehand, stays with them during the time the drug is active in their system, and meets with them afterward to help interpret what they experienced. As such, the treatment is really a combination of medication and counselling, not just a drug treatment alone. This is different from standard drug treatments. Some refer to the therapy as drug-assisted psychotherapy.

So, the challenge in testing these drugs is that it’s not simply the drug effect, but the experience the person has while under its influence that makes the treatment effective. This makes it much more difficult to perform the standard studies used in Western medicine, where a drug is compared with a placebo (sugar pill) to determine how well it works.

The dosing is also much different: when the drug is successfully given once, the effect may last 6 months, a year or longer. Occasionally, only needed a single treatment is needed. People will often describe the “trip” experienced while the drug in active in their system as the most profound experience of their lives. One woman, when asked what she experienced, said she learned that “love was everything”. When the guide then asked what else she learned, she said “no you don’t understand; love is EVERYthing”. That sounds so much like the hippie movement of the 60s – “love is all you need” – when LSD was popular with the counterculture. It seems this is a common sentiment after a successful “trip” on a psychedelic drug.

Two common themes described by volunteers for the treatment were reconnecting with their feelings, core beliefs, values and with others and nature; and a new access to difficult emotions that depression blunts or shuts down completely.

Depression currently affects almost 1 in 10 in North America and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. There are over 42,000 suicides in US every year, more than deaths from either breast cancer or car accidents. Half of these have never received mental health treatment. Experts are describing the mental health treatment system as “broken”. (see reference, below)

Studies are currently being conducted at Johns Hopkins, New York University, Heffter Research Institute and others in US as well as centers in other countries. Research includes addiction treatment, benefits to patients with cancer, treatment-resistant depression. There is also some research in healthy volunteers to learn how the drug works in the brain and how it affects attention, perception and cognition. While it may be years until this therapy is proven safe and effective and becomes an accepted treatment for medical use, it is exciting to watch the development of what may be a significant break-through in treatment for mental illnesses.

References:

How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

ClinicalTrials.gov

Categories
Health

It’s OK to Complain…especially when you’re sick!

How are you?

Sometimes the polite answer to “How are you?” isn’t the one you should give – if it’s your doctor or a concerned family member who is asking. My mom, never one to complain, would always answer “Fine, thank you” whether she was feeling well or not. In later years, after the onset of rheumatoid arthritis when she really wasn’t feeling well at all, her answer changed to “Not too bad, thanks”. For her, I believe this probably led to a delay in treatment.

Many people will say they’re fine when they really aren’t – not wanting to be seen as a complainer – but there’s a way to say you’re not at your best without being whiny and to ask for help when you need it. Yesterday, at the milk cooler in the grocery store, an elderly woman asked if I might pass her a quart of milk – it was on the top shelf and I could see, from the way she was using the grocery cart for support, that she had some physical disabilities. Shoulder arthritis may have been one, balance might have been another. I was happy to help her out.

Staying composed

Our society values composure, especially in women. Being poised, regardless of the situation, is considered a virtue, a talent. At the opposite end of the spectrum, simply pouring out emotions with the goal of “purging” may not be the answer either. I think something between, expressing emotions or discussing problems with a trusted person, is a better plan especially when the goal is to work out a solution or at least a next step to take. Depending on the nature of the health problem, this person could be a sympathetic friend, family member or a healthcare professional.

Stress and muscles

Holding in emotions can actually affect your health. Hilary Jacobs Hendel, author of It’s Not Always Depression, describes how we change our breathing and contract certain muscles when we suppress emotions. Tension headaches are a result of spasms of muscles in the scalp, and many problems with back pain originate with muscle spasms along the spine or in the hip muscles. Dr. John Sarno, a rehab specialist physician in New York (now retired), has written extensively about the association between stress and back pain. He has noted that many of his patients would improve once they realized the likely origin of their back pain, especially when no structural cause could be found. He has suggested that the brain shunts blood away from an area of the body, creating pain and spasms, to distract us from the stress or emotion we want to suppress. Certainly an interesting explanation!

I’ve noticed that I carry my tension in my shoulders – usually I don’t even notice I’m tightening my shoulder muscles until they become achy and painful. The body systems that our subconscious brain chooses to block when we’re stressed vary from person to person, resulting in back or shoulder pain for some, headaches, or digestive problems for others. But even when the pain originates with an emotion, the pain is real and can be extreme.

And more…

Suppressing emotions can also cause other problems. Hendel says “Learning to be extremely composed meant we had to suppress natural, primal emotions, and blocking core emotions over time contributes to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and even addiction.” We can probably add cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases and maybe cancer and others to that list. Often, women choose composure and suppression of emotions rather than risk being labelled hysterical (note that “hyster” refers to anything concerning the uterus…). Generations ago, women’s emotions were thought to be associated with their hormonal cycle, hence the term “hysterical” – blame it all on the uterus! She notes that women in particular are at risk of feeling pressured not to express their pain, and observed in her 2001 study that women are more likely to have pain dismissed even by healthcare professionals as “emotional” or “psychogenic” (created by the mind) and, therefore, “not real.”

None of us are fine all the time. The harm to our health occurs when we keep up a stoic front, a “stiff upper lip”, and don’t seek the help we need for physical or emotional difficulties soon enough. The idea that you can and should distinguish between things you can control and those you cannot is a powerful way to cope when you really aren’t fine. Working on things you can change and getting help, when necessary, with those you cannot is a solid strategy to gain control of your life and help prevent stress-related illnesses.

References:

When Staying Composed Harms Your Health – Medium.com

It’s Not Always Depression – Hilary Jacobe Hendel

Healing Back Pain – Dr. John Sarno

#Wellness #Womensissues

Categories
Health

It's OK to Complain…especially when you're sick!

How are you?

Sometimes the polite answer to “How are you?” isn’t the one you should give – if it’s your doctor or a concerned family member who is asking. My mom, never one to complain, would always answer “Fine, thank you” whether she was feeling well or not. In later years, after the onset of rheumatoid arthritis when she really wasn’t feeling well at all, her answer changed to “Not too bad, thanks”. For her, I believe this probably led to a delay in treatment.

Many people will say they’re fine when they really aren’t – not wanting to be seen as a complainer – but there’s a way to say you’re not at your best without being whiny and to ask for help when you need it. Yesterday, at the milk cooler in the grocery store, an elderly woman asked if I might pass her a quart of milk – it was on the top shelf and I could see, from the way she was using the grocery cart for support, that she had some physical disabilities. Shoulder arthritis may have been one, balance might have been another. I was happy to help her out.

Staying composed

Our society values composure, especially in women. Being poised, regardless of the situation, is considered a virtue, a talent. At the opposite end of the spectrum, simply pouring out emotions with the goal of “purging” may not be the answer either. I think something between, expressing emotions or discussing problems with a trusted person, is a better plan especially when the goal is to work out a solution or at least a next step to take. Depending on the nature of the health problem, this person could be a sympathetic friend, family member or a healthcare professional.

Stress and muscles

Holding in emotions can actually affect your health. Hilary Jacobs Hendel, author of It’s Not Always Depression, describes how we change our breathing and contract certain muscles when we suppress emotions. Tension headaches are a result of spasms of muscles in the scalp, and many problems with back pain originate with muscle spasms along the spine or in the hip muscles. Dr. John Sarno, a rehab specialist physician in New York (now retired), has written extensively about the association between stress and back pain. He has noted that many of his patients would improve once they realized the likely origin of their back pain, especially when no structural cause could be found. He has suggested that the brain shunts blood away from an area of the body, creating pain and spasms, to distract us from the stress or emotion we want to suppress. Certainly an interesting explanation!

I’ve noticed that I carry my tension in my shoulders – usually I don’t even notice I’m tightening my shoulder muscles until they become achy and painful. The body systems that our subconscious brain chooses to block when we’re stressed vary from person to person, resulting in back or shoulder pain for some, headaches, or digestive problems for others. But even when the pain originates with an emotion, the pain is real and can be extreme.

And more…

Suppressing emotions can also cause other problems. Hendel says “Learning to be extremely composed meant we had to suppress natural, primal emotions, and blocking core emotions over time contributes to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and even addiction.” We can probably add cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases and maybe cancer and others to that list. Often, women choose composure and suppression of emotions rather than risk being labelled hysterical (note that “hyster” refers to anything concerning the uterus…). Generations ago, women’s emotions were thought to be associated with their hormonal cycle, hence the term “hysterical” – blame it all on the uterus! She notes that women in particular are at risk of feeling pressured not to express their pain, and observed in her 2001 study that women are more likely to have pain dismissed even by healthcare professionals as “emotional” or “psychogenic” (created by the mind) and, therefore, “not real.”

None of us are fine all the time. The harm to our health occurs when we keep up a stoic front, a “stiff upper lip”, and don’t seek the help we need for physical or emotional difficulties soon enough. The idea that you can and should distinguish between things you can control and those you cannot is a powerful way to cope when you really aren’t fine. Working on things you can change and getting help, when necessary, with those you cannot is a solid strategy to gain control of your life and help prevent stress-related illnesses.

References:

When Staying Composed Harms Your Health – Medium.com

It’s Not Always Depression – Hilary Jacobe Hendel

Healing Back Pain – Dr. John Sarno