| 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. February 1, 2011  In This Issue...
 Exposing the Fish Oil Myth Forget fish oil as you knew it before. This breakthrough heart-health supplement combines the freshest fish oil and most cutting-edge CoQ10 into one formula to help promote over 15 life-changing benefits for your heart, arteries, energy, brain, and more. Three-time winner of the Physician Recognition Award from the American Medical Association, cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, M.D., introduces a formula that offers 5 times more value and over 15 hugely important health benefits. Find out! Sauna Health Benefits Equal to Exercise We know that "working up a sweat" is healthy when it involves being physically active -- but what about the more relaxing ways to achieve that damp, rosy glow? I’m talking about saunas and steam rooms, both common in spas, gyms and hotels -- and, increasingly, in private homes. They certainly feel good (especially for those of us suffering through a long, cold winter), but many people, including health practitioners, believe that steam rooms and saunas also have unique therapeutic benefits, including relaxing and soothing tired muscles... reducing chronic pain... detoxifying skin and bodily tissue... clearing out sinuses... even improving cardiovascular health. Is there any merit to the claims -- all of them or just some? Which is better, the dry heat of a sauna or the moist heat of a steam room? I called Walter J. Crinnion, ND, director of the environmental medicine department at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona, and author of the book Clean, Green & Lean to discuss these hot health topics. Wet or Dry -- Which is Best? First, let’s understand how steam rooms and saunas differ. The primary difference between the two relates to humidity. Steam rooms use moist heat, pumping water vapor through vents into enclosed rooms to create temperatures of about 110°F, with 80% to 100% humidity. Saunas, on the other hand, essentially cook rocks so that they emanate dry heat to an ambient temperature as high as 160°F to 200°F, with humidity that is only from 15% to about 20%. The dry heat allows for the higher temperature -- moist air at that temperature would burn the skin, nostrils and lungs, and potentially cause the body to overheat. According to Dr. Crinnion, both steam and sauna can claim many of the same health benefits, including improving blood circulation and strengthening the immune system by inducing a mild and temporary "fever" that stimulates antibodies and other disease fighters in the body. For most people, the difference is a matter of personal preference -- some people say that the moist air feels restorative, while others find it oppressive. Some relish the dry heat in a sauna, but others say the aridity is uncomfortable. Though the scientific evidence is lacking, there is lots of anecdotal evidence that the moistness of steam rooms provides at least temporary relief for people with respiratory problems, whether from a cold or flu, bronchitis, allergies or asthma. The high humidity seems to help thin and clear mucus, thereby reducing congestion in the lungs and sinuses. Some people also find that the wet heat in steam rooms soothes joint pain and makes their skin look better. Sauna Health Benefits -- a Hot Research Topic In contrast, there’s quite a bit of research supporting the health benefits of saunas, so much so that Dr. Crinnion calls their dry heat a "wonderful therapeutic modality." Here is some of the research...
Dr. Crinnion told me that he believes saunas also are helpful as an ancillary therapy in eliminating toxins for people with a range of conditions, including toxin-associated cancers... heavy metal toxicity (lead or mercury poisoning)... chronic neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease or ALS... and autoimmune diseases. For such patients, he often prescribes intense sauna therapy, typically a half-hour to an hour twice weekly for multiple weeks. Safe Use Guidelines Whichever you prefer, steam or sauna, Dr. Crinnion said it’s smart to check with your doctor before using either -- and that’s imperative if you have any type of medical condition. Note: Pregnant women and people with aortic valve stenosis should avoid both steam and sauna. Because they increase sweating, both steam and sauna can be dehydrating. Avoid alcohol for at least a few hours before and afterward, and drink plenty of fluids -- eight ounces for every 15 minutes of time spent in the heat. This is especially important for people taking antibiotics or blood pressure medications, both of which are dehydrating. The maximum amount of time advised for steam rooms is no more than 20 minutes, while sauna sessions routinely run up to 30 minutes (the dry heat doesn’t raise the body temperature so quickly). And one more caveat -- any public place can harbor pathogens, but steam rooms in particular can breed an abundance of microbes and fungi. Protect yourself by wearing flip-flops or shower shoes and, whether you are heading into a steam room or sauna, remember the towel to sit on -- for your own protection and as a courtesy to other users. Source(s): Walter J. Crinnion, ND, professor and director of the environmental medicine department at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, Tempe, Arizona.  Secret to Reversing Arthritis Pain Joseph couldn't walk a step without limping when Mark Stengler, ND, first saw him. For years, his osteoarthritis had been steadily getting worse. Now his painkillers were giving him ulcers, the agony was unbearable, and he envisioned a knee replacement in the near future. But Dr. Stengler did not give him steroids or even an aspirin tablet! Instead, he told Joe about a natural compound so harmless, even pregnant women can take it safely. Just two days later, his pain had already faded dramatically... Unnecessary Tests for Cancer Patients Routine cancer screening is an accepted part of ongoing health maintenance -- but when a patient already has advanced cancer and life expectancy is limited, screening for other cancers makes less sense. Although that may be a tough bit of information for a doctor to impart, the truth is it may be what’s better for the patient. Screening patients with terminal cancer for other forms of the disease has probably been "a matter of habit," explained Deborah Schrag, MD, MPH, one of the authors of the study "Cancer Screening Among Patients with Advanced Cancer" published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to the study, patients with advanced throat cancer were regularly screened for breast, cervix, prostate and colon cancers. The researchers looked at more than 87,000 Medicare patients with advanced cancer who were tested for these four types of the disease, comparing them with a similar number of Medicare enrollees (matched for race, age and gender) who did not have cancer. The study concluded that some patients with advanced-stage cancer continue to get screened even when these tests have no "meaningful likelihood" of extending life. A Sad Conclusion This is a sensitive issue, of course, which is why I contacted Dr. Schrag to ask for her insights. After all, even if a person doesn’t have long to live, doesn’t it make sense to know about the types of cancer that haven’t yet caused symptoms? Dr. Schrag said the problem is that these tests themselves come with certain dangers. She pointed out that finding a new malignancy will "virtually always lead to overdiagnosis," which is defined as detection of a cancer which, if not found by active search, would not affect survival. She added that "other problems arise due to subsequent testing, biopsies and psychological distress." Though cost is not a primary concern, the tests also are wasteful "because they don’t benefit patients," she said. Screening itself isn’t all that expensive -- usually less than a few hundred dollars for the tests in the study -- but follow-up procedures can be costly if evidence of cancer is found. Whether or not to continue to get screening tests for cancer is obviously a very personal decision that patients should make in consultation with their physicians. Considerations include whether or not detecting a new cancer and treating it has the potential to extend the patient’s life. Of course, these decisions need to be made within the context of individual circumstances. But for most patients with advanced cancers, such interventions haven’t been shown to provide benefit. Source(s): Deborah Schrag, MD, MPH, a medical oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. She is also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Be well,
Don't Buy from This Web Site As I begin writing this entry, I'm not exactly sure how it is going to end. I am in the midst of a battle with a web site. I am ticked-off at myself because I fell into a trap that we've warned people about in the pages of our Bottom Line/Personal newsletter. But thanks to other articles we have published, at least I have taken the right steps to protect myself. So what happened? 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) 2011 by Boardroom Inc. |
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