Bodies By M.E.

Swine Flu: Will it be a major event in 2009?
There is quite a buzz about the Swine Flu outbreak that has so far caused 1,995 hospitalizations and an estimated 149 deaths in Mexico, especially after the US department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the swine flu outbreak had reached “phase 4″, just one step away from a worldwide pandemic.

The swine flu is caused by the influenza A (subtype H1N1) virus that normally causes respiratory infections in pigs.  This virus is not the same as the previously identified human form of influenza A subtype H1N1, and it is not expected that this year’s influenza vaccine, which does protect against the human H1N1 flu will provide good protection against the swine flu. So the concern is that the illnesses and deaths that occurred in Mexico could represent the beginning of a serious influenza outbreak. Of greatest concern is the possibility of a repeat of the famous influenza pandemic of 1918-19 that killed about 50 million people in the worst global epidemic in human history. That pandemic of “Spanish flu” (an avian variant of influenza A H1N1)  killed more people than died during World War I, and more than died during the four years of the “Black Death” or bubonic plague, from 1347-1351.  But, don’t go building an underground bunker just yet…

The data provide some hopeful news regarding this outbreak. So far, unlike the swine flu cases in Mexico, all the U.S. cases of swine flu have been less severe and have not threatened the lives of any of those affected. The second piece of hopeful news is that we are at the end of the natural influenza season, so the seasonal factors that lead to enhanced transmission of the virus are not present. It’s hard to predict these events, but I’m quite hopeful that   the outbreak will not turn into a major pandemic within the U.S.

Here are some resources that you may find helpful if you would like to learn about the swine flu virus and the potential for a widening outbreak of influenza in the U.S.

-          A great starting point for information about swine flu is the WellPage on this topic, which lists the articles from the HealthBlogger network, and also shows valuable links in the Trusted Web Resources and  News sections:  http://www.wellsphere.com/wellpage/swine-flu

-          HealthCentral has created a special page on the Swine flu at http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/swine-flu.html

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The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports a total of 40 confirmed U.S. cases as of 4/27/2009, of which 28 were in NY, 6 in California, and  the rest in TX, KS, and OH. Daily updates of progress of the outbreak are issued by the CDC at  http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

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You can find a comprehensive and understandable summary of the virus causing this illness on the World health Organization website: http://www.who.int/csr/swine_flu/swine_flu_faq.pdf
Note that in this document, the question “Where have human cases occurred” is not fully answered, because it leaves out several countries such as Mexico, Canada, England, and New Zealand, where confirmed cases have occurred.

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One thing that does help restrict the spread of the infection is treating close contacts of infected people with the right anti-viral medications (the CDC defines “close contact” as coming within 6 feet of a person with confirmed swine flu).  The CDC recommendations for who should be given preventive treatment (prophylaxis) are at  http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/recommendations.htm
and the actual treatment dosages are at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/antivirals/dosagetable.htm#table

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A great resource to help understand the patterns of influenza outbreaks in the U.S., and to see where we are in the annual flu season cycle, is the Google flu trend application, at
http:// www.google.org/flutrends/
This shows that there is no evidence yet of a widening pandemic in the U.S.

Recently body mass index has been used more frequently than other ways of measuring body composition, such as height and weight tables, girth measurements, skinfold tests, and bioelectrical impedance. The reason, it’s easier and it gives the information we need in order to predict ones fitness level and obesity related risk factors. Also it is more humane to the lucky person being measured.

Scientists at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke in Nuthetal, Germany, suggest that BMI may not be as reliable indicator as previously thought. The scientist studied BMI, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio in relation to the risk of death among 359,387 participants from the European Prospective investigation into cancer. After 10 years and the deaths of 14,723 participants, the scientists reviewed all records to determine which assessment method was more reliable in predicting obesity related deaths.

The results of the study found that those participants who fell into the healthy weight category, but had large bellies had a significantly higher risk of death than their counterparts. If only tested for BMI these people may have been dismissed as low risk of death. If waist circumference measurements or hip to waist measurements where considered in this testing these normal weight individuals may not have been overlooked.

The results of this study emphasizes that BMI may not be enough and abdominal obesity because of it proximity to the heart and surrounding organs are associated with risk of death.

Nutrition experts encourage us to eat more fish and we know fish is low in fat, a great source of protein along with many heart healthy benefits. The next time we go to the fish market to purchase a heart healthy meal take a moment to consider how the fish industry is depleting our waters of whole populations of fish.

If you want to do your part to protect our water and seafood supply seek out fish that are sustainable, which means stocks are in supply and are not at risk of depletion. Here are the best choices according to the Monterey Bay Aquariums Seafood Guide.

• Arctic char
• Barramunda
• Clams
• Cod
• Crab
• Halibut
• Lobster
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Pollack – wild
• Salmon – wild
• Scallops
• Striped bass
• Trout
• Tuna
• Catfish

Fish that lack sustainability and should be avoided are Chilean sea bass, swordfish, Atlantic cod, king crab, flounder, grouper, monkfish, shark, and red snapper.

For more information contact the Blue Ocean Institute at www.blueocean.org

Reasons to Buy and Eat Locally-Grown Produce

Written by Julie Stehling of Early Girl Eatery

Local food tastes better. There are many reasons to buy local, but the best reason is flavor. Food that doesn’t travel as far is fresher.

Local farming

Small local farms are more likely to use sustainable farming practices and to grow a wider variety of crops. The heirloom seeds that your neighboring farmer grows will remind you what tomatoes (or green beans, potatoes, peppers, etc) used to taste like. They will also remind you that there is more than one kind of each, as local farms grow vegetables that are unique and inspirational to cook with.

The benefits of buying local produce

Supporting restaurants that support the local farming community makes sense on the most basic level. You can feel good about yourself while enjoying a tasty meal. Here are some of the benefits:

• The food is delicious.
• Locally-grown food obviously does not cause as much pollution due to less travel time.
• Keeping family farms alive keeps rural landscape alive, supporting less sprawl.
• Spending your money where you live keeps your community thriving.
• As a tourist looking for local flavor makes your visit more authentic. Folks don’t travel to Italy looking for a good burrito. If you come to our town taste what we grow.
• Asheville is particularly blessed with a booming community of small farms and food producers. Try our mountain trout, our goat cheeses, our farmstead cheeses, our beef, our lamb, our jams and pickles and our seasonal produce.
• And if all of this is not reason enough, think of the health and safety of you and your family. Small, local farms are less likely to use hormones and more likely to raise grass fed or free-range animals, and organically-grown vegetables.
• If you know your farmer you know where to ask questions; the shorter the route from the farm to your table (at home or in a restaurant), the more knowledge you have at hand and the more flavor you have on your plate.

Article by Julie Stehling of Early Girl Eatery, an Asheville restaurant that serves dishes made from scratch with ingredients from local farmers.

Want to shed some pounds? You’re more likely to be successful if you stand to gain –or lose — some money.

In a new study, overweight or obese dieters who were trying to shed weight lost 13 to 14 pounds in four months if they stood to win or lose a bit of money. The dieters who had no motivation — other than to look better and feel healthier — lost only about 4 pounds.

However, the results were less dramatic after seven months. The cash-incentive group regained weight, for a total 6- to 9-pound weight loss, compared to 4.4 pounds in those who did not have money at stake, according to the study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Kevin Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., one of the study’s authors and the director of the Center for Health Incentives at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, says providing a small financial incentive helped people forget what they were giving up — fatty fare like burgers and fries, rich desserts, or alcohol.

This mix of frequent rewards, both large and small, helped dieters to stay on track — and on the scale. “It was a tangible reminder for why they are changing their behavior,” Dr. Volpp says.

The study included 57 people ages 30 to 70 — almost all men — who were overweight or obese. One group contributed between $0.01 and $3.00 to a fund each day, which was matched by researchers. If they met their weight-loss goal, the money was refunded at the end of the month. A second group had no financial incentive, and a third group qualified for daily $3 prizes, plus less frequent $10 to $100 prizes, if they lost weight.

What happens when the reward system is removed? If individuals don’t have the right behavior in place, In the short term, financial rewards can provide strong incentive to ditch bad habits It’s very easy to keep procrastinating when it comes to behavior; this gives you a tangible reason not to procrastinate any longer.

Keeping a food diary is one of the best ways to educate your self on how much food you really eat on a daily basis. Before you can improve your diet in order to lose weight you need to know exactly what and how much food you do eat. Food diaries also give us insight as to our eating and lifestyle patterns.

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If you sometimes have trouble cutting yourself off after only one cup of coffee in the morning, don’t fret.

Actually, going back for a refill might not be a bad move. A few recent large-scale studies have uncovered some new by-the-cup health benefits of coffee. Check ‘em out:

1 cup . . . may lower your risk of cancer. A 13-year Japanese study revealed that men and women who drank a cup or more a day were half as likely to develop cancer of the mouth, pharynx, and esophagus compared with people who didn’t drink coffee. Be mindful of these symptoms of esophageal cancer.

2 cups . . . may fend off strokes. In a 24-year study, women who drank 2-3 cups a day were 19 percent less likely to have a stroke compared with women who drank less than a cup a month. One caveat: The benefit applied only to nonsmoking women with no history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. Do you think you could recognize the signs of a stroke?

3 cups . . . may safeguard your neurons. Middle-aged adults who reported drinking at least 3 cups of coffee a day were 65 percent less likely to have developed dementia or Alzheimer’s by the time most of the group had reached their mid-sixties to seventies. Now, that’s a lotta coffee. But not for everyone. Read this article to learn about the downside of too much caffeine.

What’s in Those Magic Beans?
Although it’s not clear how coffee does all of these wonderful, protective things, researchers suspect that the coffee bean’s high level of inflammation-fighting antioxidants (called polyphenols) may have something to do with it. But is instant coffee as healthful as brewed?

Realage.com

The latest food pyramid recommends that you eat 2-4 cups of vegetables a day (the exact amount depends on your age, gender, and activity level). But that’s not always an easy task. Here, then, are some ideas from the experts on how to get your vegetables — and enjoy them, too.

Sneaking In Your Vegetables

* Pile vegetables onto your sandwiches. Don’t stop at lettuce and tomato. You can also add cucumbers, shredded carrots, or peppers, to name a few.

* Hide the vegetables. If you’re not a vegetable fan, try adding vegetables to other dishes to hide their flavor. Purée cooked vegetables such as potatoes and add them to stews, soups, and gravies to make them thicker. Add shredded carrots or zucchini to meatloaf, casseroles, muffins, and breads, and chopped broccoli, mushrooms, or green beans to tomato sauce. Use spinach in lasagna instead of meat. Top pizza with mushrooms, peppers, and other vegetables, and load egg dishes such as omelettes and frittatas with sautéed vegetables.

Mix up your cooking routine.

* Try stir-frying or sautéing vegetables, grilling them on skewers or in tin foil, or roasting, baking, or lightly steaming them (to retain their crunch and nutritional wallop).

* Or try stuffing your vegetable. Load a baked potato with some broccoli and low-fat cheese or some tomato sauce, chopped spinach, and part-skim mozzarella; then broil, bake, or microwave until it bubbles. The same goes for a red or green pepper — fill with lentils or rice and beans and cook.

* Add some flavor. Healthy fats such as olive or peanut oil lightly drizzled over vegetables or in a stir-fry can make them much tastier, as can herbs and spices like basil, tarragon, and oregano.

* Also consider sauces and dips for your vegetables; just make sure they’re low in saturated fat. Good options include salsa, hummus, and low- fat yogurt dips.

* Make vegetables the main dish. Plan your meal around a salad, soup, or vegetable stir fry. Add small servings of other foods — lean meat or poultry or low-fat dairy products — as side dishes.

Posted in Nutrition and Weight Control on April 8, 2009

Rarely do we ever see a physician admit mistakes in medicine. Yet,
that is just what Dr. Dwight Lundell writes in his article,
“Inflammation, The Fire Within.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

His new book just released, “The Great Cholesterol Lie,” sold
across the USA and in 17 countries worldwide in three days bringing
words of praise and gratitude for his truth and honesty

In Chapter 6, he lists recommendation to cure heart disease
naturally without medication. His simple yet astounding
recommendations have changed the health of countless people
worldwide.

While the book is about inflammation and heart disease, he explains
how inflammation is the cause of so many diseases men, women and
children now face from diabetes to Alzheimer’s.

He explains why we have so much and how to end the silent yet
raging fire within. As he writes, you have the power to put out
the fire before it erupts in heart disease. He’s just the doctor
standing by to guide you.

Learn how to do that now. Click here to buy this life saving book

BodiesByMe.com

As a special bonus, purchasers receive a 15% discount from
PharmaOmega.com. Dr. Lundell will email you the discount coupon
code and a link to ask any questions you might have after reading
the book. He really is the doctor standing by to help you.

Look for the next article in the series, “The Great Statin Scam.

Be Well,

Mary Ellen

Here’s Dr. Lundell’s third article in the series:

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

You might be wondering why Dr. Lundell broke medical silence
to bring this information to you. He is challenging traditional
medicine and the pharmaceutical industry risking his highly
respected stature with good cause–your health.

He is a very caring physician who took an oath to heal and save
lives and that is far more important to him. He knows without a
doubt heart disease can be cured once inflammation is recognized
and treated naturally, without medication.

Follow his incredibly simple recommendations in Chapter 6 and
join a world of survivors. Click here to buy this amazing book:

Be Well,

Mary Ellen

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