wellness weekly

B vitamins and Inflammation: Inflammation has been indicated as a marker for heart disease and heart attack risk. In the past this blog has noted C Reactive Protein and Homocysteine as blood proteins that indicate a certain amount of inflammation. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables as well as fiber, can keep inflammation levels low. Research on lowering already high levels with vitamin supplements, B and folic acid, did not equal lower risk of heart attack and stroke. In other words, there was some positive effect. The supplements did lower the levels, they just didn’t lower the adverse health outcomes. That being said, continue to do what you have the power to do and that is, maintain a healthy weight and activity level while eating foods that are low in saturated and trans fat, sugar and chemicals. I cannot say often enough, pills are not going to save you.

Cops on Diets? A law enforcement officer has many physical demands. It is important that he or she be physically fit to do their job and to do their job without having a heart attack. I have often seen police officers and security officers for that matter of whom I thought, well, what I thought was rude. However, if your job revolves around protecting people I think physical fitness and strength should be a prerequisite not just for hire, but for continued employment. In the LAPD when recruitment was down, the standards on weight and fitness were lowered. This hasn’t helped the force by any measure. They now have a dietician on board that works with the officers. The most important message that they are receiving is the advice to have fruit and even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on hand. The fast food meals that they eat on the run are loaded with artery clogging fat and far too many of the wrong kind of calories. Kudos to the LAPD.

Gene Tests Again: Because the anti discrimination law regarding gene testing has been passed, this issue continues to get a lot of press. It should be stressed often. The tests are not 100% accurate, they can be marketed directly to consumers and their worth is not known. There are situations where a disease is caused by a certain confluence of genetic factors and can be prevented perhaps, if two people decide to not have children. More often than not however, a gene may tell you that you have a higher risk than the person sitting next to you and that everything that applies to them, is just that much more important for you. I.e. no one should smoke and maybe that applies doubly to you. No one should be overweight and you especially shouldn’t. These tests will NOT free you from the obligation of caring for your body. If you know that being overweight can cause diabetes and you do not lose weight, will you lose it if you ALSO know that you have more gene susceptibility for diabetes? I, at the least, think that genetic testing should not be marketing directly to consumers. Hasn’t the pharmaceutical industry already done enough damage?

Smoking and Teens: A couple of news items out this week related to keeping the levels of teen smoking going down. Remember, the cigarette companies have to find new users for their products as there are now more former smokers than smokers. People who used tobacco the most have either quit or died. So the companies target younger and younger persons, not overtly of course, but they have their ways. Public Health advocates have ways as well. This includes pointing out that the coolest, most successful kids and celebrities do NOT smoke. Another way, research is showing, is to have smoking bans in restaurants. In states with the most restrictive bans, the rate of teen smoking is declining. The less places that smoking is seen and the less persons seen doing it, the less common and accepted the activity becomes. The CDC recommends comprehensive tobacco control programming and SHS policies are strongly encouraged.

Over Medicating: Research from the esteemed Wake Forest University School of Medicine was released this week and indicated some memory and function problems related to common medications. These meds are referred to as anticholinergic as they block acetycholine (a brain chemical). I am not sure why acetycholine which is related to memory is a problem in high blood pressure, incontinence and allergies but those are the health problems associated with some anticholinergic meds. Those taking them have decline in memory and function. This is true for persons not already diagnosed with cognitive decline but more pronounced in persons with degenerative brain diseases, like Alzheimer’s. Remember, these meds are chemicals. Chemicals effect more than what they are targeted to effect.

Kraft: I have mixed feelings about Kraft, whose products I purchase and often get excited about because they can be healthy. The live active products seem a scam to me, but the sensible solutions and south beach diet options at least have some calorie control behind them. As the company is poised to add at least 80 new products, a lot of them single serving and or portion control, I realized that this would involve a lot more packaging and waste.

Disaster: I attended a seminar on preparing for disasters and three things were most important or at the least NEW to me. Put your documents, social security, birth certificate etc, in water proof containers. We always think of fire, but what about flood! Secondly, have a high powered whistle. If rescuers are looking for survivors they may hear you whistle but not hear you shout. Lastly, get a tag for your pets with his name and your phone number. He doesn’t have to always wear the collar, but if a hurricane is expected, you can put it on him then. [the seminar was sponsored by Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center]


Wishing you wellness and safety