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March 17, 2011  In This Issue... - 3 Hidden Memory-Destroying Triggers No One Told You About
- Are You Taking Blood Pressure Medications That You Don't Need? -- Most Medical Blood Pressure Readings Done Wrong
- The Great Cholesterol Hoax
- Your Fingers Reveal Health Information
- Forever Young
3 Hidden Memory-Destroying Triggers No One Told You About If your memory is not what it used to be, you may have one or more of these 3 factors. Here”s the latest scientific research on how to undo the damage, and get your memory back in as little as 30 days. Continue Reading to Learn More...
Are You Taking Blood Pressure Medications That You Don't Need? Here’s a disturbing bit of news: A recent study reports that 81% of blood pressure measurements taken by doctors and nurses are done improperly, resulting in numerous misdiagnoses. This means that many people are taking medications that they really don’t need! The American Heart Association has published guidelines recommending a particular methodology to follow when taking blood pressure measurements in a clinical setting, such as a doctor’s office. In an earlier study, researchers evaluated pressure-taking techniques of 172 doctors and nurses and reported that none were following guidelines set by the American Heart Association -- this inspired Steven Burgess, MD, chief resident in family medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in Amarillo, to undertake a new study to evaluate how these potentially erroneous measurements impact patient care. What he learned is disconcerting, to say the least -- he told me that the mistakes made when taking blood pressure readings were significant enough to change treatment recommendations for more than half the patients in the study! "My study showed that if someone initially has elevated blood pressure and we redo the reading in accordance with the guidelines, over 50% of the time the new 'correct' pressure puts the patient into a different category, which would cause treatment to be different," he said, noting that the pressure is virtually always lower when taken "correctly." Mistakes Are Made The most common blood pressure measurement mistake being made by health-care practitioners is to take a blood pressure reading immediately after a patient sits down. The guidelines say that patients should rest quietly for five minutes first. Why? Because physical activity raises blood pressure, often by 10 mm Hg or more. In his 18-month study of 56 patients, Dr. Burgess found that when blood pressure is measured properly, the average patient’s systolic (top number) reading is 15.7 mm Hg lower than when the guidelines aren’t being followed. For more than half (56.4%) of the patients, using the correct technique -- compared to doing it the wrong way -- meant that patients were fine without medication or changes to their current therapy. Measure By Measure... Here are the American Heart Association’s guidelines regarding the proper technique for measuring blood pressure... - Patients should not exercise, drink caffeine or smoke for 30 minutes prior to measurement and should sit quietly for five minutes immediately before.
- While the measurement is being taken, the patient should be comfortably seated with his/her back supported (not perched on a stool or a table) and with feet flat on the floor. The patient’s bare arm (the sleeve can be rolled up or, if it is too constricting, the shirt can be removed) should be supported at the level of his heart. In other words, the patient should lean his arm on an armrest or table or the doctor or nurse taking the reading should hold the patient’s arm, not let it hang at the patient’s side.
- The cuff must fit properly according to specific guidelines. For most people, a standard cuff will satisfy these guidelines, but large or obese patients or those who are unusually small require special-sized equipment.
- For professional equipment (what’s used by a health-care professional), the cuff should be placed one inch above the elbow. For digital monitors designed to be used at home, the cuff should be centered over the inside of the elbow.
- No talking -- by either the patient or the practitioner. Speaking not only raises blood pressure, it also interferes with the practitioner’s ability to focus on your pulse while taking a reading.
- At an initial visit, two readings should be taken and the results should be averaged. If the readings differ by more than 5 mm Hg, a third reading should be taken and averaged with the other two. (Note: At subsequent visits, a single reading may be sufficient.)
Homework Lots of people now monitor their blood pressure at home -- so it’s important that everyone recognizes that these readings must be done in the proper way. Be sure you are using the right type of equipment and following instructions. Also check to see whether your equipment gives you readings that match those taken in your doctor’s office. For more information on proper equipment, technique and record-keeping for your home blood pressure monitoring, read Daily Health News, "Home Blood Pressure Monitoring May Save Your Life," August 24, 2009. Source(s):
Steven Burgess, MD, chief resident in family medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Amarillo.
The Great Cholesterol Hoax The #1 prescription drug in America is a cholesterol drug. It rakes in about $8 billion a year. And three of the top 15 drugs are in the same category. They’re called statin drugs, but some experts call them a hoax. Did you know that... Cholesterol-reducing statin drugs are just patented knockoffs of a simple food that Asians have eaten for centuries. You can buy it in pill form in any health food store -- yet drug companies charge $1,740 a year for it! And, for those who choose to stick with their statins, they’re all pretty much the same. If you must take a prescription statin, ask for the cheapest one. There’s no proof the statin that’s #1 is any better than the generics. Read on...
Your Fingers Reveal Health Information It’s a simple do-it-yourself health test, no equipment needed: Stretch your hands out in front of you and look at how long your fingers are. Most men have ring fingers that are slightly longer than their index fingers, while in most women these fingers are roughly the same length. So what? Well, variations to these typical findings may have important implications for your health. It turns out that hormones released in the womb influence finger length and, as odd as it sounds, they also have important effects on future health and behavior. Gad Saad, PhD, professor of marketing and research chair in evolutionary behavioral sciences and Darwinian consumption at Concordia University in Montreal, and his colleagues have examined numerous studies involving finger length and found lots of interesting associations. The "Casanova Pattern" Dr. Saad refers to finger length as "a proxy of prenatal testosterone exposure," explaining that the ratio between the index and the ring finger is determined early in pregnancy. The more exposure the fetus has to this predominantly male hormone, the more so-called masculine traits the adult will have (whether male or female) and the longer the ring finger will be. Interesting fact: Having a long ring finger is known as the "Casanova pattern," since Casanova was notably reputed to have a very long ring finger (in relation to his index finger). Dr. Saad told me that this means that "he had a highly masculinized digit ratio." According to Dr. Saad, early exposure to testosterone also affects how organs are formed, which is why this ratio is relevant to your future susceptibility to disease. In most people, the discrepancy between the ring and index finger is more pronounced on the right hand than the left. Finger Length Points to Your Future Here are some of the conclusions scientists have reached in recent years... - An impact on disease risk. In the British Journal of Cancer, researchers reported that men whose index fingers were longer than their ring fingers (indicating less prenatal exposure to testosterone) were at lower risk for prostate cancer. On the other hand, scientists at Liverpool University observed that males with longer index fingers were at a higher risk for heart attack than other males, presumably because testosterone is heart-protective.
- A clue to sexuality. The Casanova pattern may offer a clue to sexual orientation. UC Berkeley scientists found that lesbian women tended (like men) to have longer ring fingers than index fingers. But, Dr. Saad said, the findings aren’t so straightforward for gay men. In homosexuals with several older, heterosexual brothers, researchers found a tendency to have much longer ring fingers than straight men... while those without older brothers were more likely to have the same male-pattern, longer ring finger as straight men.
- More sports ability. Scientists believe that high testosterone translates into better success on the playing field, as it encourages aggression, competitiveness and dominant behavior and also facilitates power, endurance and visual-spatial skills. At Temple University, investigators noted that men with longer ring fingers tended to do better in sports such as football and soccer.
- More aggression and risk-taking. At Cambridge University in England, researchers found that financial traders with longer ring fingers tended to be more aggressive and earned the most money. In another study, an analysis of students at Concordia, Dr. Saad and his team discovered that males with longer ring fingers took more recreational, social and financial risks.
Looking Ahead Your finger length is far from a perfect predictor of your health, of course, but you can consider it a helpful clue to what health challenges the future may hold -- so you do all you can to circumvent them. For instance, if you are a male and your finger ratio suggests increased cardiovascular risk, ask your doctor to assess your heart health and pay close attention to cardio-related lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise. Plus, it’s a great conversation-starter when you need to make small talk -- and that can be plenty helpful in life, too! Source(s): Gad Saad, PhD, professor of marketing, holder of the Concordia University Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences and Darwinian Consumption, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dr. Saad is author of The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption (Psychology Press) and the upcoming The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal About Human Nature (Prometheus Books, to be published June 2011). He is a blogger at Psychology Today ( www.PsychologyToday.com/blog/homo-consumericus).
Forever Young Getting old can be awful. Aches... pains... illness... constant bouncing from doctor to doctor. We all dread it. You can't stop the clock, but you can banish the miseries that sometimes come with it. - Bulging belly
- Cholesterol-choked arteries
- Brain failure and fatigue
- Weakness and impotence
- Frozen joints or back pain
- Spotted, decrepit skin
- Tumors taking over your body
- Parkinson's tremors
- Menopausal miseries
- Fading, cloudy vision
- And all other indignities of aging!
Learn more...
Be well, 
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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