| Don't miss any of Bottom Line's Daily Health News. Add our address, dailyhealthnews@edhn.bottomlinesecrets.com, to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. December 28, 2010  In This Issue...
 The Prostate Powerhouse "Vitamin Hucksters" Don't Want you to Know About The deception has got to stop! The truth is -- you don’t need hefty price tags for the ultimate prostate protection. In this short video, I’m going to reveal a better option that brings you unrivaled prostate support with just one tiny pill a day. Even better, it’s half the price of those inflated time-wasters you’ll find everywhere else. Just watch this short video for yourself and discover the prostate health breakthrough that buries the "saw palmetto myth" once and for all. Can Fecal Transplants Solve Obesity? An experimental new treatment for obesity involves nothing less than a fecal transplant -- yes, you read that right! Scientists already know that heavy people have different bacteria in their guts than slim folks, so the researchers’ theory is that altering the balance of intestinal flora with a transplant will improve insulin resistance and other obesity-related health problems. Eyebrow raising? Yes... but scientifically speaking, not so surprising, observes Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND. Given all that we know about the importance of maintaining the right bacterial balance in the gut, the idea of using a fecal transplant to populate the gastrointestinal tract with more healthful bacteria sounds icky but makes scientific sense. The History of Fecal Transplants The first medical reports of fecal transplants came in the 1950s when they were used as a treatment for Clostridium difficile cases that did not respond to other therapies such as antibiotics. It is estimated that about 100 fecal transplants have been done in the US for that purpose since then. Using donated stool (usually from a spouse, sibling or close relative), the transplants can be done from top to bottom (via nasogastric tube) or, more commonly, bottom to top (via colonoscopy or rectal enema). The goal is to introduce into the digestive system healthy colonies of bacteria that will prevail over the "bad" bacteria. This new research on whether fecal transplants might help treat obesity and health problems associated with it was done at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The study included 18 obese men between the ages of 21 and 65 with metabolic syndrome (a constellation of symptoms including high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides that raises a person’s risk for diabetes and heart disease). None of the men had taken medication for their condition or had been on any antibiotics (which also alter the bacterial colonies) in the previous three months. Prior to their transplants, all participants had their bowels therapeutically cleansed to remove most of their existing bacteria. They were then randomly assigned to receive either autologous transplants (their own feces) or fecal transplants from healthy, lean individuals. To verify that no other factors were affecting the outcome, all participants kept food and exercise diaries for the duration of the study. There was limited success: After six weeks, researchers found no changes in the autologous group, while those whose transplants came from others showed improved insulin sensitivity -- meaning better blood sugar control and lower levels of blood fats called triglycerides. The benefit was fleeting, though -- after 12 weeks, both insulin sensitivity and triglycerides in these participants returned to pretransplant levels. Did they lose weight? Researchers had anticipated that the subjects would also lose weight, since animal experiments had shown this result, but these subjects did not get that benefit. However, Dr. Rubman told me that he believes weight loss would come if the altered intestinal environment could be made to persist -- he said that when insulin resistance is reduced, weight loss occurs quite naturally, but it takes time. Researchers presented these results at a September 2010 conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. Potential concerns: The study was small, so further, larger-scale trials are necessary. Also, some fecal parasites cannot be detected through lab tests, so there is some concern that these transplants can introduce new problems -- additional research will need to address this issue as well. Source(s): Andrew L. Rubman, ND, founder and director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. www.SouthburyClinic.com.  The 10 Biggest and Deadliest Heart Myths The number of heart attacks has increased by 27 percent over the past 20 years, in spite of all the supposed advances of modern medicine. What's going on here? Could we be mistaken about some things? Perhaps we're under some major misconceptions about heart disease. Like... Myth #1 -- Heart disease and heart attacks are an inevitable part of aging. Myth #2 -- Cholesterol is the main cause of heart disease and heart attacks. Myth #3 -- Blood pressure drugs help you avoid heart problems and live longer. Myth #4 -- Aggressive, "type A" behavior increases your risk of a heart attack. Myth #5 -- Low-fat, low cholesterol diets are good for you and your heart. A Personal Pharmacist? Do you need a personal pharmacist? Maybe -- and even if "need" is too strong a word, it’s quite likely that you would benefit from having one. This is especially true if you have a chronic illness or condition or are the caregiver for such a person. Pharmacists are a great resource for improving your health. Many people don’t realize how helpful pharmacists can be, said Marie Chisholm-Burns, PharmD, MPH, head of the department of pharmacy practice and science at The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy and the lead author of a new study on this topic. I called her to learn more about this research. Today’s pharmacists are becoming more directly involved in patient care and this is a very good development, according to the meta-analysis published in a recent issue of Medical Care, a journal devoted to health-care administration issues. Benefits include improvements in diabetes control, cholesterol and hypertension and lower rates of adverse drug reactions and medical errors. When pharmacists were directly involved in care, patients spent fewer days in the hospital, took their medications more regularly, often had lower health-care costs and were healthier overall. The research: This multidisciplinary study from the University of Arizona analyzed nearly 300 trials comparing patient results with a variety of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol -- when pharmacists were and were not closely involved. The researchers found compelling evidence favoring pharmacists’ involvement, including the above-mentioned benefits and also an increase in the quality of life, patient knowledge, better outcomes, and greater safety and efficacy. Can We Meet? How do you go about finding a pharmacist who can be "directly involved" in your care? A good place to start is with the pharmacy where you fill all or most of your prescriptions -- or, if you do mail-order, you might ask your doctor for a recommendation for a pharmacist with whom you can consult. Introduce yourself and ask to make an appointment for a medication review. Here’s a checklist to make the most of this consultation:
This is a terrific way to improve your health -- it’s easy, important and many pharmacists are eager to get more involved in patient care. Some even are willing to provide this service over the phone for patients who can’t come in for an appointment. Source(s): Marie Chisholm-Burns, PharmD, MPH, professor and head, department of pharmacy practice and science, The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, and professor, department of surgery, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson. Be well,
How to Stop Wasting Leftovers I love leftovers -- they make meals so easy. So a long time ago, I got into the habit of purposely cooking more food than my family would eat that day. I think most of us do that. I also hate wasting food. I used to get frustrated when I discovered spoiled leftovers in the fridge that we forgot to eat... but I've solved that problem. Read on... You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Click here to easily subscribe. You can easily unsubscribe by clicking here. To change your e-mail address click here To update your e-mail preferences click here Important: Help your friends live more healthfully -- forward this E-letter to them. Better: Send it to many friends and your whole family. This is a free e-mail service of BottomLineSecrets.com and Boardroom Inc. Need to contact us? Boardroom Inc. Privacy Policy: Required Disclaimer: The information provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than to suggest that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The information and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on information in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. Bottom Line's Daily Health News is a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc. Copyright (c) 2010 by Boardroom Inc. |
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