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May 12, 2011  In This Issue... - The Great Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hoax
- Facebook -- Friend or Foe? -- Taking Charge of Facebook in Your Life
- The Drugs No Senior Should Ever Take
- Change in Breast Density Can Predict Cancer
- The 10 Biggest and Deadliest Heart Myths
The Great Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hoax CONSUMER ALERT: If you use olive oil as part of a healthy diet, this is shocking news... Independent tests at the University of California, Davis, have discovered that 69% of all imported extra virgin olive oils tested are fake! What’s worse, this revelation comes on the heels of other media reports of rampant fraud in the sale of extra virgin olive oil. The good news -- there are a few olive oils independently certified to be 100% pure extra virgin (the highest quality). By special arrangement, Daily Health News readers are entitled to receive a free full-size sample bottle of one of the world’s healthiest and most flavorful extra virgin oils. Only 480 free sample bottles to give away, so if you’d like one... Read on for the full story of the olive oil scandal... and how to receive a free sample bottle from one of the good guys.
Facebook -- Friend or Foe? Facebook, which started as a playground for Ivy League college kids, has now captivated the adult market -- by which I don’t mean anything off color! The social network has literally changed our ability to connect with others wherever they might be, and people over age 50 are now the fastest-growing category of users, representing 42% according to recent Pew research. It’s easy to see why. For example, I have a friend who was worried about a former neighbor now living in the Middle East, but she had no contact information. Her teenage daughter suggested Facebook, and in less than a minute, my friend had located the woman... within 10 minutes, she learned that her friend was fine... and a half-hour later, the two were "chatting" and enjoying looking at one another’s photos from the holidays and recent family vacations! Not Your Thing? Now, if you haven’t used Facebook or used it only briefly, you may feel about as inclined to explore it as you are to hang out at a food court over French fries and soda -- as teenagers do -- and I agree that devoting time to using Facebook is not without its problems, as we shall see below in our conversation with Lauren Zander, life coach and Daily Health News contributor. On the positive side, Facebook can be especially valuable for older folks to help them stay connected with others -- which has been shown to be a critical factor in longevity. One man I know who has become virtually housebound because of heart problems is having a great time exchanging jokes and tidbits with numerous friends, ranging from colleagues from his days in the corporate world to buddies from his boyhood. Even though he is physically isolated and in poor health, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that thanks to his "Facebook life," he is a reasonably happy guy. Facebook also can be terrific for people who aren’t comfortable in social situations, offering the opportunity to share a more sparkling online self with friends new and old. Facebook Danger Zones But -- I told you there was a "but" to this story... there also are some problems with all this, Zander notes. We chatted (on the phone!) about several of the common ones. It’s a performance. Not only does Facebook allow socially awkward people to transcend their shyness, but it also allows people to carefully edit their lives so that what they end up presenting to the world isn’t exactly the truth. Zander told me about someone she knows who has made a serious mess of his life, but to read his Facebook page, she says, "You would think he is a master of the universe who has licked all of life’s problems." Many people make a practice of posting lots of pictures of themselves dressed to the nines... attending glorious parties and relaxing on lavish vacations... engaging in witty repartee with their long list of "friends." This can be deeply depressing to people who end up believing that others’ lives are so much better than their own. Acknowledging that it is only natural to want to share life’s high moments, Zander cautions us to remember that the happy faces on Facebook show just one side of life, and everyone has the other, more difficult side as well.
It’s a time sucker. Hours spent socializing on Facebook can overtake the other parts of your life. These carefully crafted and highly filtered online interactions can be easier and more immediately gratifying than dealing with the daily challenges and drudgery of life with your spouse, kids, parents, siblings and neighbors --- but in the end, the online social world does not provide the same quality of interaction. (See Daily Health News, January 6, 2011.) It’s rather ironic for people to spend hours connecting with people across the country while ignoring those who are up the hall.
It’s an invitation to mischief. It’s not uncommon for people who are bored with their lives and, yes, their marriages to connect with past loves "just out of curiosity" and, if flirtations ensue, trouble (of the real-life kind) can come soon after. A 2010 study from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says that an astonishing 20% of divorce cases in this country now cite evidence from social-networking sites -- with Facebook leading the pack.
How to Be in Control
According to Zander, the choice of whether Facebook enriches or impoverishes your life is yours to make -- it’s all about being clear on your goals and pursuing them... and only them. Do you want to cultivate dozens of "friends" to put your business front and center? Do you want to enliven your social life without going out? Perhaps you would like to be an active presence with your children and their families by regularly exchanging information and photos?
Whatever your preference, Zander says, it is wise to decide specifically what rules you want to set for yourself, including who you really want as Facebook friends and the amount of time you’ll allow yourself to spend on the site each day. And then write these rules down -- literally -- and thumbtack them up where you can see them. Periodically review your rules to see if they are working for you. The idea is to be sure that you are in charge of Facebook rather than it being in charge of you. "It is a tool and a wonderful one," said Zander. "But using the tool wisely is up to you."
The Drugs No Senior Should Ever Take In 1991, a team from Harvard Medical School identified 20 drugs too dangerous for use by elderly patients. Then they found out that 23% of seniors are receiving these very drugs. And the Journal of the American Medical Association said this study was "merely the tip of the iceberg." They were right. Now the list has grown to several dozen drugs. Congress was so disturbed it asked its watchdog agency, the General Accounting Office, to look into it. Using Medicare data, the GAO found over 17 percent of the elderly receive unsafe drugs. Learn more...
Change in Breast Density Can Predict Cancer Nowadays women are far less eager to undergo hormone therapy for severe menopause symptoms than they used to be... and with good reason. We now know that it brings a variety of consequences, including an increased risk for breast cancer. New research has pinned down the reason for that increased risk and also provides a way for women to monitor whether they’re nearing the danger zone. It all has to do with breast density. Whereas it’s normal for menopause to bring about a decline in breast density, the opposite occurs when a woman is taking synthetic hormones such as Premarin and progestin, which can propel things in the other direction -- density increases, which it appears is what raises a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Why Denser Breasts Are Dangerous The link between breast density and breast cancer has already been documented. But I was told by the study’s lead author, Celia Byrne, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of oncology at the Lombardi Cancer Center of Georgetown University, that this study has now found an association between hormone therapy and breast density. Dr. Byrne and her colleagues compared breast density in postmenopausal women taking estrogen and progestin therapy with those not taking the hormones. The study, which was presented at the April 2010 meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, evaluated the women’s baseline and one-year follow-up mammograms. Results: Among the women with the greatest increase in breast density in the group taking hormones, breast cancer risk more than tripled... while in women with the smallest increase in breast density, risk rose by 20%. Density Should Be Monitored According to Dr. Byrne, the most important point we can use right now is that women taking hormone therapy should be sure that their breast density is closely monitored. While this therapy is most often given to women with severe menopausal symptoms, Dr. Byrne said in most cases women need it for only a short period of time. Noting that risk increases even in such a short period as two years, Dr. Byrne suggests having a discussion with your doctor as to what might be appropriate for you and your health. Within three to four months after stopping hormone therapy, breast density typically decreases -- bringing down the risk for breast cancer as well. Source(s):
Celia Byrne, PhD, assistant professor in department of oncology, associate director of the Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology Shared Resource at the Lombardi Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
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. Learn more...
Be well, 
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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