Mens Health Blog. Medical Blog

posted by admin on Apr 21

As part of the full Immune for Life program. Nutria-Prevention can give your “Doctor Within” a big boost. But please, do not use vitamin and mineral supplements as a substitute for nutritious eating. Supplements are just that: something that’s added to your regular regimen. The FULFILLMENT, REJUVENATION, RESTORATION and REBIRTH programs help fill nutrient gaps and add strength to your “doctor within,” but they aren’t meant to replace everyday healthy eating. Be sure to eat plenty of Super Foods and other healthy foods.

In the right amounts, vitamin and mineral supplements can be extremely helpful. But too much of anything, even a good thing, can be dangerous. So please resist the temptation to double or triple your supplement levels.

I have to admit, however, that we doctors don’t always agree on how much is enough. The Recommended Daily Allowance will keep you out of the hospital. How much is it necessary to take for the best possible health? The debate is raging, and slowly a consensus seems to be emerging that we could benefit from higher levels of many vitamins and minerals. I believe that in the future we will see RDAs much higher than they are now.

Nobel laureatte Dr. Linus Pauling told an interesting story at the Second International Symposium o.n Stress Management, in 1979. Speaking to an audience of physicians and scientists, including four other Nobel prize winners, Dr. Pauling held up a glass test tube filled with white powder. He explained.that the test tube contained 13 grams of vitamin C powder, the amount of vitamin C a 150-pound jackass produces every day. Then he held up a second test tube that was empty. This, he said, represents the amount of vitamin C a human makes every day: none. Next he showed a third test tube, containing a tiny bit of powder. This is how much vitamin C the government says we need every day, he said.

He looked from one test tube to the next, comparing the amount of of vitamin C a jackass makes to the amount the government says humans need. Then, to the great delight of the audience, he smiled and said: “Wouldn’t you know it? A jackass knows more about vitamin C than our government does.”

It’s too bad we humans aren’t like jackasses, and just about every other animal. They can make their own vitamin C; we can’t. Our bodies don’t manufacture any vitamins and minerals in sufficient amounts. We’re at the mercy of our diet to provide these vital substances. So make sure that everything you eat has lots of the vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, fiber and other nutrients you need to build vibrant health and happiness.

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posted by admin on Apr 21

Anger, rage, bitterness, depression, self-doubt, feelings of helplessness and so on, are all negative forms of stress. Stress is the response of your body, mind, emotions or spirit to any demand made upon them. Your life is constantly changing and may be stressful because all of these elements have to continually adapt to new demands made upon them- Some stress is necessary and good. Cheering when your favorite team scores points is exciting and stressful, but it’s good stress. Good stress has been called the spice of life. Without good stress, life would be deadly boring.

The stress I experienced when I first kissed my wife-to-be over 30 years ago was good stress. It must have been—I immediately fell down some steps. (Talk about a powerful kiss!) It’s only when stress becomes distress that you have to start worrying. The stress promoted by angry, negative thoughts is distress. And where enough distress is found, disease is sure to follow.

Some stress, like, some facts, comes from outside of us, and we can’t do much about it. If you accidently drop a hammer on your toe, for example, it hurts and you’re distressed. Hammer-on-toe-causing-pain is a distressing fact. But you have a choice. You can get mad, yell and scream, and increase your distress. You can turn your feelings inward, seeing the accident as another example of how unfair life is, and thereby also increase your distress. Or you can limit your distress by accepting the pain and making it a point to be more careful in the future.

Medical researchers have looked at the way people tend to view potentially distressful events and have designated three general categories: Type A, B and C personalities. I like to call these groups Stress Seekers (Type A), Stress Phobics (Type C) and Stress Handlers (Type B).

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posted by admin on Apr 21

Here are two weeks’ worth of menus that will give you an idea of the many healthful combinations of meals that can be prepared. These menus are not rigid formulas. As long as you eat lots of Super Foods, a wide variety of other healthy foods, and small amounts of low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, nuts and seeds, you’ll do all right.

I haven’t indicated how large each serving is because this isn’t a weight-loss or weight-gain diet. The serving size depends on your appetite. The menus simply show you some of the different possible combinations of healthy foods. These menus aren’t written in stone; feel free to experiment. Since the point is to eat a variety of foods, a meal composed of several small servings is fine.

WATER—Water is a vital daily nutrient. I tell my patients to drink 64 ounces of water every day. That comes out to eight, 8-ounce glasses or four, 16-ounce glasses of water a day. Drink water with every meal, as well as at other times during the day.

SNACKS—Snacks are fine as long as they are healthy foods. I suggest a carrot for a snack every afternoon. Carrots taste great, have plenty of beta carotene and other nutrients, but contain no cholesterol and only a little fat. Other raw vegetables are also good.

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posted by admin on Apr 21

Legumes, whole grains and oat bran are Super Foods that help us fight both cancer and heart disease.

We’re all familiar with the whole grains: buckwheat, barley, millet, whole wheat, whole-grain rye, brown rice and others. Legumes are peas, beans and lentils. Which peas and beans? All of them are Super Foods except soybeans, which are higher in fat. They include: kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, white beans, garbanzos (chick peas), red beans, peas, split peas, snow peas, English peas and more.

The Standard American Diet emphasizes meat, dairy products and refined foods, leaving little room for whole grains, peas, beans and lentils. The grains we do eat are refined, which means they’ve been stripped of their nutritive value and turned into the RCs (refined carbohydrates) that shock your “doctor within” with excess energy. When we do eat beans, they are generally swimming in a sugary sauce mixed with fatty pork and chemicals. And lentils, well, many people don’t even know what lentils are. It’s too bad the S.A.D. overlooks legumes and whole grains, for they offer a lot of fiber that can really help your “doctor within.”

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posted by admin on Apr 2

We’ve all had canker sores at one time or another. These small, white sores that form inside your mouth can appear for no reason, and they’re usually painful.

Canker sores—also known as aphthous stomatitis—are usually no more than a nuisance, however, and they normally last for only a week or two. Sometimes they’ll appear when you first start to get a cold, although physical or emotional stress can also cause them to surface.

However, a small, painful mouth sore might also be a cold sore, caused by the herpes simplex virus. A cold sore first appears as a blister, which frequently crusts over a couple of days after it first appears. It usually takes about a week from the initial onset until the cold sore completely disappears. Like a canker sore, a cold sore tends to reappear because even though the sore may disappear, the virus remains dormant in your body, ready to strike when you’re stressed.

A cold sore usually appears around the outside of your lips, while a canker sore tends to appear on the inside of your lip or cheek and sometimes on your tongue, which may make it difficult to eat and talk properly.

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posted by admin on Apr 2

You’ve probably seen the television commercials that tout the latest over-the-counter medication for sinus infections and headaches. The woman on the tube pops a capsule, and in the next scene she’s smiling.

Sinus infections are common occurrences in many midlife and older adults, but people frequently confuse sinusitis—an infection of the sinuses—with an allergic reaction or migraine headache.

Sinusitis is often caused by a cold, when the mucus membranes near the nose become so swollen that the passages to the sinuses close. Since the sinuses are unable to drain, pressure builds up in them, which can become extremely painful, especially if the sinus openings remain closed for a period of time. Frequently, a tooth infection or abscess will spread to the sinuses. Unfortunately, sinusitis can sometimes persist for weeks.

Sinusitis can be caused by either a bacterial or viral infection. A viral infection causes the nasal secretions—also called postnasal drip—to be clear and watery, while the mucus accompanying a bacterial infection will be thick and sticky, with a greenish tinge.

You probably have sinusitis if you answer yes to the following questions:

1. Do parts of my face behind and under my eyes feel painful to the touch?

2. Do I have a fever and/or chills?

3. Do I find it difficult to breathe through the nose?

4. Do my sinuses become painful when I bend over or walk up and down stairs?

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posted by admin on Apr 2

Frequently, men and women who were serious runners in their 20s and 30s turn to swimming in their 40s and 50s because they discover that their bones and joints can’t take the constant pounding anymore.

Unfortunately, avid swimmers frequently contract occasional ear infections of the ear canal and outer ear known as otitis externa, or swimmer’s ear. Swimmer’s ear is commonly caused by water that becomes trapped in the ear canal or by poking and probing in the ear with a foreign instrument. Since the ear feels as though it’s filled with water, many people with otitis externa try to alleviate their symptoms by sticking hairpins, cotton swabs, or other objects into the canal. This usually just makes the condition worse and may permanently damage your hearing.

An itchy ear and/or flaky skin are also signs of otitis externa. You may also have a constant earache, sharp ear pain when you move your head, and secretions from the ear. Changes in pressure can also cause pain in your ears if you have otitis externa. Children often contract numerous ear infections throughout childhood without their hearing being affected. Midlife adults, on the other hand, can suffer partial ot total hearing loss if otitis externa is left untreated. The infection can also spread, damaging bones and nerves and eventually causing paralysis. Fortunately, it’s easy to treat.

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posted by admin on Apr 2

Floaters and flashes are signs that the vitreous humor, the gelatinlike substance filling the space between the retina and the lens, is aging. In the early part of your life, the vitreous humor is clear, but the aging process makes it appear opaque in certain spots, which can cause vision problems. Many people begin to feel the effects of vitreous humor decay and shrinkage by the time 50 or 60 rolls around.

One form of vitreous humor degeneration causes tiny clumps to detach from the retina and float freely inside the eye’s fluid. These microscopic specks cast shadows on the retina, and you see them as “floaters.” Both nearsighted people and those who have had cataract surgery are especially vulnerable to floaters, but the problem seems to affect the over-50 population in general.

Floaters are certainly annoying but are usually nothing to worry about. The bad news is that there’s really no cure for ordinary floaters, and they occasionally may get in the way of reading. The good news is that you can expect them to disappear over time.

However, if your floaters come in heavy showers accompanied by flashing lights, you may have a detached retina, and the shower of floaters may be a sign of retinal bleeding. If this is followed by fixed dark spots, you may already have retinal scarring. See your ophthalmologist immediately if you experience these symptoms. A detached retina can be repaired through laser surgery as long as you take care of the problem quickly.

Flashes originate because the vitreous humor starts out like Jell-0 but becomes more liquified as the years pass. This change weakens the bond between the vitreous humor and the retina. In this weakened state, eye movements can tug at the vitreous humor, stimulating the retina automatically and causing you to see brief flashes of light. The flashes you see will be fleeting and probably confined to one eye. Be careful not to confuse this sensation with steady glare, a benchmark symptom of cataracts.

If you see flashes in both eyes that last for 10 to 20 minutes and are accompanied by pain, you’re probably suffering from a migraine headache.

If the flashes are accompanied by a loss of vision or another change in your visual acuity, especially if your field of vision seems as though it is covered by a veil, make an appointment with your ophthalmologist immediately. These may be signs of a detached retina.

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posted by admin on Apr 2

Description and Possible Medical Problems

If you’re like most people, occasionally you’ll find your eyelid will twitch for a few seconds for no apparent reason. It’s not unusual to be alarmed at the twitching, simply because you’re not sure what is causing your eyelid to flutter. The good news is that most eyelid twitches are nothing to worry about, and they usually go away within a few minutes.

Treatment

A twitching eyelid is often caused by anxiety or fatigue. Most of the time, however, there is no obvious cause.

However, to stop the twitching, which can be annoying, you should try one or more of the following suggestions. Relax. Do some exercise. Listen to your favorite music, or else try to get some rest if you’re overtired.

If all else fails and your twitching eyelid becomes an annoyance, your doctor may decide to prescribe a small dose of Valium as a last resort to help you relax. This method, however, will bring only short-term results. To benefit in the long term, you need to reduce the amount of stress in your life.

In rare cases, a twitching eyelid can be a sign of a serious underlying disease such as multiple sclerosis or another neurological condition that affects the facial muscles. However, with these diseases, other, more severe symptoms are usually present that will help a doctor make a clear diagnosis.

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posted by admin on Mar 24

Until now, the most common method of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease was by eliminating all other possibilities. Some studies indicate that doctors may misdiagnose between 10 to 20 percent of those patients. Most doctors agree that what is needed is a test which will accurately diagnose the disease in its early stages.

According to researchers at SIBIA Inc., of San Diego, they may have developed just such a test. If the new test proves to be both effective and accurate, it would allow patients to plan for long-term care. It would also allow for earlier treatment of Alzheimer’s disease which has been diagnosed in over 4 million Americans.

Researchers are also working on the development of a new test to determine those people who are most vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. According to initial findings, a little known substance called beta amyloid protein may form the brain plaques which are responsible for the disease.

Scientists speculate that beta amyloid protein buildup over an individual’s lifetime could make him or her more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease: If researchers are successful in developing a “susceptibility test” they may also then be closer to uncovering ways to reduce the risk of having Alzheimer’s disease.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Society can provide more information about Alzheimer’s disease and the latest scientific developments.

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