|
Each month we feature one full
article from the current issue of the WELLNESS LETTER, plus our
Ask the Experts column, in addition to brief summaries of the
other articles, listed below.
The Lowdown on
Low Carb
It's estimated that 7 to 10% of Americans are now on low-carbohydrate diets,
but that in recent years more than half of those who have tried such diets have
given up. Reality is setting in, perhaps. Only recently have some well-designed
studies begun to show how these diets work and how they don’t. Yes, people
do tend to lose more weight, and lose it faster, on low-carb diets than on conventional
low-fat diets—in the short term at least. But low-carb diets don’t
live up to all the hype. And their long-term safety remains the big unanswered
question. Full Story
Spice Up Your Life
What’s a spice? It’s defined as any "aromatic vegetable substance," whether
tree bark (such as cinnamon), fruit (peppercorns), or seed (nutmeg), used whole,
broken, or ground up to season and/or color food. Herbs are plant leaves and
stems, fresh or dried; they also add flavor and color. The average American
consumes 3.6 pounds of spices annually, and nearly half of that is pepper and
mustard seed (in prepared mustard). Maybe we should eat more. That’s
because spices and herbs may have health-giving properties and even anti-cancer
effects. Though the amounts we consume at a given meal are tiny, spices and
herbs add variety and complexity to our diets. Besides small amounts of vitamins,
minerals, and fiber, spices and herbs contain a range of chemicals (often pigments)
that may benefit human cells. Many of these are antioxidants, which neutralize
cell-damaging free radicals and also promote health in other ways.
Vaccinations: Myths and Facts
Of all medical miracles, vaccination may be the greatest. At low cost and low
risk of adverse effects, vaccination (also known as immunization or inoculation)
has saved millions of lives and prevented untold suffering and disability.
Smallpox, polio, diphtheria, and measles are only some of the killers and
cripplers that can be prevented, even eradicated, by vaccination. This is
even more impressive because many diseases we vaccinate against are untreatable—they
have to run their course. Nevertheless, people, and especially parents, worry
about vaccines—their purity, their potential side effects, the wisdom
of just skipping them. Some refuse to immunize their children, others neglect
to get themselves vaccinated against flu or tetanus. Failure to immunize
endangers not only the individual, but others as well. This article lays
some misinformation to rest, and lists the immunizations children and adults
need.
Was Grandma Right About Cod
Liver Oil?
Some of us are old enough to remember when children had to swallow a daily
spoonful of cod liver oil (usually against their will) as a vitamin supplement.
In a recent small study at Cardiff University in Wales, people with severe
osteoarthritis who took cod-liver-oil capsules for 12 weeks showed dramatic
reductions in enzymes in the body that cause cartilage damage and joint pain.
Thus, the researchers claimed to have proven that "Grandma was right" about
the oil, and hailed it as an arthritis breakthrough and a way to reduce the
rising demand for joint replacement operations. Are they right?
Mite Have Beens
Dust mites inhabit more than 80% of all households, no matter how clean and
neat. They are actually on the clean-up committee: they eat our discarded
skin cells, as well as animal dander, pollen, fungi, bacteria, and other
microscopic organic material in the domestic environment. (They are invisible
cousins to the buzzards that help keep the outdoors clean.) They thrive in
mattresses, pillows, carpets, and clothing. As many as 19,000 mites can live
in just one gram of dust. In some people, unfortunately, dust mites can cause
asthma, hay fever, or eczema. If dust mites don’t bother you, there’s
no reason to bother them. They don’t carry disease and don’t
bite. But if you or someone in your household has asthma or a skin condition
you think might be caused by mites, here’s how to proceed.
"To Beguile You From Grief"
In 1864, in his letter of condolence to the mother of five sons, all of whom
had been killed in battle, Abraham Lincoln spoke of the inadequacy of any
words to "beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming." And
though millions of words have been written on the subject of grief since
then, comfort is often hard to come by. Grief is universal, but it is also
very individual and specific—which may be why psychiatrists and psychologists
have had a hard time dealing effectively with it. How people express grief
is influenced by culture, religion, and personality. Some mourn publicly;
others withdraw. Some search for meaning—what did the life of the lost
person mean, why did death come now? Others never ask these questions. Some
people want to talk about how they feel, others do not. Grieving over a loss
is normal and necessary, and most people do not require psychiatric help
to get through it. Indeed, they may do better on their own. Here’s
what you need to know about the science behind grief.
The Great Pumpkin
In the Peanuts comic strip, Linus spends part of the Halloween night watching
the sky, hoping for a visit from the "Great Pumpkin." That’s
not as crazy as it seems. Pumpkins, which are technically a fruit, are one
of the giants of the squash family, nutritionally and by weight. They’ve
been cultivated in the western hemisphere for 9,000 years or more, and have
long been valued for their oil-rich seeds, as well as their flesh. Pumpkin
is very rich in beta carotene, which is an important antioxidant. It also
contains some vitamin C, folate (a B vitamin), a little calcium and iron,
and some fiber. And it’s low in calories—80 per cup.
ASK
THE EXPERTS
Our readers ask: How
often do I need full-mouth X-rays from my dentist? Does drinking
lots of lemonade prevent kidney stones? What causes bloodshot eyes,
and should I worry about them? Full
Story
WELL & INFORMED
Tips, Short Takes, and Other News You Can Use
The pros and cons of eating liver . . . Setting the clocks
back on October 31 will probably save some lives.
WELLNESS TIPS
• Another reason
to avoid Type 2 diabetes: it may increase the risk of developing
Alzheimer’s disease by 65%, according to a recent study.
• To lower your
blood cholesterol, consider drinking sterol-fortified orange
juice (one brand is Minute Maid’s Heart Wise OJ). This
contains the same kind of plant compounds found in special cholesterol-lowering
margarines, such as Benecol.
• Don’t
stretch before exercising simply because you think it will prevent
injuries. Many athletes believe it does help, but studies have
found that it does not reduce the risk.
• Two of the
most common types of cough syrup work no better than a placebo,
according to a recent study. The ingredients are dextromethorphan
(often listed as DM) and diphenhydramine (an antihistamine),
both of which are supposed to suppress coughs.
• Don’t
expect a very overweight teenager to simply "outgrow" obesity.
A new study of 9,800 American teenagers found that 11% were obese,
and six years later 22% were obese. Only one out of seven of
the obese teens lost enough weight to be considered merely overweight
or normal weight in young adulthood.
• It’s
safe to eat the dark "vein" running down the back
of shrimp. It is actually a tiny intestinal tube. In large shrimp,
it can be a little gritty, and most cooks prefer to remove it.
But if the shrimp have been cooked, eating the vein won’t
harm you.
• To cut down
on sodium in cottage cheese, buy the low-salt variety. Cottage
cheese is very salty (about 450 milligrams of sodium in half
a cup), but the low-salt varieties don’t taste very good,
so you might want to add a little salt. Or you can mix together
equal amounts of regular and low-salt cottage cheese.
• Know how to
do the self-administered Heimlich maneuver, in case you start
choking on food when no one is around to help. Make a fist and
place the thumb side against your abdomen, slightly above the
navel. With the other hand, grasp the fist and press it in and
upward with quick, sharp thrusts.
|
