Author: Staff (Page 72 of 157)

      To Get An Accurate Measure of Blood Pressure Use Both Arms

      January 30, 2012 /

      The authors found that different blood pressure readings in the two arms were a sign of the narrowing or hardening of a person’s arteries, particularly on one side of the body.

      It’s important to take blood pressure in both arms.

      Although seemingly minor, a difference of 15 millimeters of mercury or more between systolic readings in the two arms meant the risk of peripheral vascular disease was two and a half times greater and the risk of cerebrovascular disease was 1.6 times higher. It was also associated with a 70 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease. The precise number of the higher or lower systolic reading was less important than the extent of the difference between them. A difference of even 10 millimeters was enough to raise the risk of peripheral vascular disease.

      Quality Control, Research, Wellness

      Men Lose Their Cognitive Ability Sooner Than Women

      January 29, 2012 /

      Men are losing their thinking ability ahead of women, study shows.

      Don’t fear, however, a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment doesn’t mean you are fated to get Alzheimer’s disease.

      Scientists have yet to come up with a reliable test for who is vulnerable.

      What is known is that continuing to learn, read and solve puzzles show positive signs of keeping your mind sharp.

      The studied followed 1,450 people between the ages of 70 and 89 in Olmsted County, Minn., who were free of dementia in 2004. They went through testing every 15 months. After three years, 296 people had developed mild cognitive impairment. The study was published in the journal Neurology.

      Men were more likely to be diagnosed, with 72 per 1,000 people developing a mild cognitive impairment; in women, the rate of diagnosis was 57 per 1,000. Overall, 6 percent were diagnosed with memory loss.

      Quality Control, Research, Wellness

      Fried Foods May Not Lead to Heart Disease

      January 29, 2012 /

      Fried foods are not the villains of nutrition that they have been made out to be in the past.

      Spanish researchers have found that eating foods fried in healthier oils such as olive or sunflower is not linked to heart disease or premature death.

      “We should emphasize that our results were obtained within the context of a healthy diet, the Mediterranean one, and may not be replicated with other types of diets,” researcher Pilar Guallar-Castillon, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor of preventive medicine at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, tells WebMD.

      Another big difference between Spanish diners and U.S. diners may also play a role. “In our study, most meals were prepared and consumed at home,” Guallar-Castillon says. It’s difficult to know which type of oil you are eating, she says, when you are dining out.

      There is agreement that this is not a green light to indulge in high fat foods as a regular part of your diet.

      In an editorial that accompanies the study, Michael Leitzmann, MD, of the University of Regensburg in Germany, notes that the body of evidence refutes the myth that frying food is generally bad for the heart. “However,” he writes, “this does not mean that frequent meals of fish and chips will have no health consequences.”

      Nutrition, Research, Wellness

      Home Births Are On The Rise

      January 29, 2012 /

      Home births are making a comeback.

      It used to be the only way to give birth but now it’s a choice being made by many.

      The increase in home births isn’t occurring among all women. The trend appears to be being driven primarily by older white women, according to the report. Home births increased 36 percent among white women between 2004 and 2009, the report found.

      The report didn’t examine the reasons for the increase. But some experts said that it may be partly a reaction to the sharp increase in caesarean section deliveries in recent years. Some women may hope to avoid a C-section, and other medical procedures that often occur in hospital deliveries.

      Many women are looking for a more natural, unmedicated experience where they can control their experience.

      Quality Control, Research, Wellness

      Too Many Choices, So Little Time

      January 28, 2012 /

      Too many choices can leave us empty handed.

      Believe it or not, having more choices doesn’t necessarily mean that you will end up with the perfect selection.

      Studies have shown that having too many options often lead us to make no choice at all.

      In our quest for perfection we may be holding out too long when we would have been quite nicely satisfied with good enough.

      The conclusion: When given so many choices, people have more trouble making any decision, and this sense of indecisiveness could lead to a cascade of negative effects. In his seminal book, “The Paradox Of Choice,” Dr. Barry Schwartz writes, “Choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis. And in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.”

      Quality Control, Research

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