Archive for the 'Neurological Disease' Category
March 25th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Low bone mineral density may be associated with a disorder that causes dizziness, according to Korean researchers. Benign positional vertigo is an inner ear disorder that results in the sudden onset of dizziness, spinning, or vertigo when moving the head. In this recent study, people with osteopenia had double the risk of benign positional vertigo, and those with osteoporosis had triple the risk of the condition, which was unrelated to head trauma or other known causes.
Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for 44 million Americans and is known as the “silent disease”. It is a silent disease in that it progresses insidiously and painlessly up until the first symptom, which is usually a broken bone. Unfortunately by then, most of the damage has been done. Early detection and prevention of osteoporosis is vital. (Image courtesy of Merck Source.com)
Both men and women over age 50 are at risk. One-half of all women and one-fourth of all men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their remaining lifetime. This occurs despite the fact that osteoporosis can be prevented and treated.
Read more about the prevention, detection, and treatment of Osteoporosis
Source: Jeong S-H, et al “Osteopenia and osteoporosis in idiopathic benign positional vertigo” Neurology 2009; 72: 1069-1076.
Source: “Dizziness Linked to Bone Health” MedPage Today, March 23, 2009
February 21st, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Most of us truly love our coffee and especially look forward to that first cup in the morning. It’s delicious, it helps you wake up, and quite honestly, most of us are addicted to this wonderful brew. But are we going to regret this delicious indulgence some day?
A number of researchers have recently investigated the health benefits of coffee and found that drinking regular coffee on a routine basis was associated with many important health benefits such as a decreased risk of stroke, diabetes and dementia. Also, several studies have found that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily was linked to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.
Coffee has been found to be helpful in people who have asthma. It also has been known to stop a headache, improve mood, increase concentration and give you that extra energy needed to get through the day.
Some of the health benefits of coffee are merely from the caffeine. An eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains about 85 mg of caffeine, whereas eight ounces of black tea only has about 45 mg of caffeine and 12 ounces of Coke has 35 mg of caffeine. Many of the so called “Sports/Energy Drinks” on the market are loading up on caffeine for that extra jolt and may contain over 150 mg of caffeine.
Researchers believe that most of the health benefits from coffee probably originate from substances other than caffeine. Phenolic compounds in coffee have strong antioxidant properties, which may improve endothelial function. Caffeinated coffee appears to have beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, inflammation, and endothelial function which would account for protection against diabetes and stroke.
Of course adding cream which is loaded with fat may counteract some of the health benefits of coffee, and pouring several spoons full of sugar into the cup adds another carbohydrate load that is not beneficial.
While these studies are very good news for coffee drinkers, be aware that coffee can lead to a number of health problems. These can include fast heart rate, tremors, irritable bladder, excessive urination, stomach irritation, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), nausea, vomiting, restlessness, anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping.
Caffeine is notorious for interfering with much-needed sleep. Many people get in a viscious cycle of using caffeine to mask their sleep deprivation, but then the excess caffeine keeps them from falling asleep the following night. The best way to break this cycle is to avoid all caffeine eight to ten hours before your desired bedtime. Drinking coffee later in the day is more likely to cause insomnia as well as stomach irritation and reflux for many people.
Another drawback of coffee is that certain drugs can interact with caffeine. Pregnant women and people with coronary heart disease or peptic ulcers are often advised to restrict or avoid using caffeine altogether.
Contrary to the popular belief that coffee will sober you up after drinking too much alcohol, it can actually worsen the problem. A recent study found that a high caffeine energy drink mixed with vodka actually reduced the participants’ perception of motor coordination compared with vodka alone. This could obviously lead to disasterous consequences in a person who is drinking heavily away from home and has several cups of coffee to sober up before driving home.
So, is coffee good for us? It depends on who you are, how much you drink, and when you drink it. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about the amount of coffee you drink.
Source: “High Coffee Consumption Linked to Lower Stroke Risk for Women”, MedPage Today, February 17, 2009
Source: Lopez-Garcia E, et al “Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women” Circulation 2009; 119: 1116-1123.
February 16th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Excess abdominal fat may increase the risk of migraine headaches in young and middle-aged adults report researchers from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. In their recent large-scale study, people aged 20 to 55 who had larger waistlines were more likely to have migraines than those with smaller waistlines. However, among those older than 55, total body obesity wasn’t associated with migraine in women or men.
Excess abdominal fat also appears to be linked with diverticulitis, diverticular bleeding, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. In a recent study published in the Journal of Stroke, researchers found those who had a waist circumference greater than 40.2 inches for men or 34.6 inches for women, the risk of stroke increased more than 4-fold compared with individuals with a normal waist size. In general, women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches and men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have an increased risk for the above diseases.
A recent small study has found that periodic, intense exercise is best for burning the fat around the midsection. While any type of exercise is helpful, people who want to reshape their figures may need to boost the intensity of their workouts, researchers have found. Their study followed 27 middle-aged obese women. They found that those who exercised at a higher intensity for four months successfully shed fat from their midsections while those who exercised at a lower intensity showed no such changes in body fat.
It’s very important to note that anyone new to exercise should start off slow and gradually build the intensity, duration and frequency of workouts. Older adults and people with chronic health conditions should talk to their doctors before becoming more active.
Source: Dr. B. Lee Peterlin, of Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, American Academy of Neurology news release, February 2009
February 9th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
People living within 50 meters of a 220-380 kV power line are more likely to die of Alzheimer’s disease than those living at least 600 meters away from these lines, according to Swiss researchers from the University of Bern. The longer people lived close to the power lines, the higher their risk.
Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) are invisible lines of force that surround any electrical device that is plugged in and turned on. These electromagnetic fields are everywhere, in fact the cell phones, laptops, microwaves, hair dryers, electric blankets, and other appliances we surround ourselves with everyday emit an electromagnetic field in varying degrees.
The dangers of electromagnetic fields have long been a subject of discussion, controversy and research. Although there has been no conclusive evidence of a link between disease and EMF exposure, the World Health Organization has stated that these magnetic fields are possible human carcinogens. Some studies have found an increased risk of childhood leukemia in children living next to high-voltage power lines. Most recently, a study from 2005 found that children living within 200 meters of high-voltage power lines have a 70-percent increased risk of developing leukemia.
In your home there are a number of common-sense ways to reduce exposures to the EMFs that surround you during the day:
- Magnetic fields from appliances drop off dramatically in strength with increased distance from the source.
- Stand back from an appliance when it’s in use. A microwave, in particular, emits a considerable electromagnetic field within several feet of it during operation. Standing five-feet away from it during use will greatly reduce any EMF exposure.
- Keep at least an arm’s length away from computer monitors.
- Avoid using a laptop directly on the lap. There is no documented health hazard from using a laptop on the lap, but laptops do emit a small amount of radiation.
- Don’t let children play directly under power lines or on top of power transformers for underground lines.
- The duration of exposure is a factor of EMF exposure as well:
- Alarm clocks that sit next to your head for eight hours every night should be moved away from the head of the bed.
- Electric blankets that surround your body all night expose you to eight hours of low-dose EMF.
- Children are more susceptible to any potential dangers from EMF and parents might want to consider limiting cell phone use as a precautionary measure. Talking for hours on end, for instance, is a problem for a number of reasons, but the full breadth of the hazards of cell phone use by children is not completely understood yet.
- Correct any household wiring problems. This is also worth doing just for general safety reasons.
World wide, scientists who study the biological effects of radiation continue to do research on this issue.
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology, January 15, 2009.
Source: Draper G, Vincent T, Kroll ME, et al. Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines in England and Wales: a case-control study. British Medical Journal. 2005;330;1290-1294
February 3rd, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Concerns are surfacing over the possiblity of unsafe drinking water in areas across the U.S. that have switched from chlorination to an alternative water-disinfection technology: chloramination.
From 2001 to 2004, lead concentrations spiked in many children living in the nation’s capital after the local water authority altered the treatment used to disinfect their drinking water. In a recent article in ScienceNews.org, “About seven-and-a-half years ago, the District of Columbia’s water authority switched from chlorination to an alternative water-disinfection technology: chloramination. The goal had been to reduce the potentially carcinogenic by-products of chlorination that developed in drinking water. And the substitution worked. However, an unintended consequence of this improved disinfection technique was the sudden release of copious amounts of lead into the drinking water that serves the nation’s capital.”
A leading water expert, Marc Edwards, argues that the drinking water situation in DC mirrors what is occurring elsewhere around the nation, if not the world. Marc Edwards, of Blacksburg, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is considered to be one of the world’s leading experts in the causes and control of copper and lead erosion in drinking water.
Excessive lead in drinking water affects children more than adults, although adults can be significantly sickened as well. The developing neurological system in children is easily susceptible to lead toxicity, and it can give rise to lower IQ, attention deficits, hyperactivity, weak executive control, and antisocial behavior. Two recent studies have found that adults with high levels of lead in childhood not only showed signs of brain damage but were far more likely to be arrested in later years for violent crimes. In fact researchers are discovering that our current prisons have a very high percentage of inmates with signs of childhood lead toxicity.
Boiling the water or letting it sit out in an open container at room temperature will not effectively get rid of the residual chloramine and this can actually increase the lead concentration in the water. As some of the water evaporates during the boiling process, the lead concentration of the water can increase as the water is boiled.
Filtration systems can be used to eliminate the chloramine and lead in household water. Although more expensive than most systems, reverse osmosis systems are the most effective filtration systems on the market. Keep in mind, however, that reverse osmosis will also remove any of the beneficial fluoridation that is added to the water for dental protection, which is important for children. Talk to your child’s dentist if you elect to use a reverse osmosis system.
A simple blood test is available to measure the amount of lead in your blood and to estimate how much lead you have been exposed to. Pediatricians often recommend yearly blood tests for children six and under.
via “Water-cleanup experiment caused lead poisoning”, ScienceNews.org, Janet Raloff, January 27, 2009
via EPA, Information about Chloramine in Drinking Water
This post was updated on February 4, 2009
January 16th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Drinking coffee in middle age was associated with a decreased risk of dementia later in life according to a new study from Finland and Sweden. Researchers found the lowest risk of dementia in the moderate coffee drinkers, or those who drank three to five cups a day. In this group, their dementia or Alzheimer’s risk was lowered by 65 per cent. Tea drinking did not appear to have any affect on the risk of dementia.
While these findings are interesting, they need to be confirmed by other studies. If you’re currently drinking three to five cups per day of coffee with no adverse effects, this is good news. But it certainly would not be advisable to increase the amount of coffee you’re drinking, based solely on this study. Not only is coffee addicting, but excessive caffeine intake can lead to a number of health problems including fast heart rate, tremors, irritable bladder, excessive urination, stomach irritation, nausea, vomiting, restlessness, anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping. Many drugs interact with caffeine as well. Pregnant women and people with coronary heart disease or peptic ulcers are often advised to restrict or avoid using caffeine altogether.
Contrary to the popular belief that coffee will sober you up after drinking too much alcohol, it can actually worsen the problem. A recent study found that a high caffeine energy drink mixed with vodka reduced the participants’ perception of motor coordination compared with vodka alone.
via Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, January 2009
via “Coffee may reduce risk of dementia, study suggests” CTV.ca, January 14, 2009
via “One Energy Drink, or 12 cans of Coke“, Bay Area Medical Information, September 29, 2008
December 5th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Alzheimer’s patients who also have obstructive sleep apnea may experience improved mental function from treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), according to a recent study from University of California San Diego.
Previous studies have suggested that more severe dementia is associated with more severe obstructive sleep apnea. And in fact, Alzheimer’s patients have a high incidence of obstructive sleep apnea. Previous studies have found that approximately 70% to 80% of Alzheimer’s patients experience at least five episodes of apnea or hypopnea per hour and 40% to 50% have 20 or more episodes per hour.
Sleep apnea occurs when a person’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts for short periods of time during sleep. This abnormal breathing pattern only occurs during sleep, therefore, the person with the disorder may be the last to know he or she has a problem.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is usually associated with loud snoring (though not everyone who snores has this disorder). Risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty. This condition occurs two to three times more often in older adults and is twice as common in men as in women. However, sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, even children.
If you think you might have sleep apnea, ask your health care provider for help.
Read more about Obstructive Sleep Apnea from Bay Area Medical Information
via Ancoli-Israel S, et al “Cognitive effects of treating obstructive sleep apnea in Alzheimer’s disease: a randomized controlled study” J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008; 56: 2076-2081.
via MedPage Today, December 4, 2008
September 22nd, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
A report based on several studies has hinted at a possible correlation between a Mediterranean diet and a reduction in mortality related to cardiovascular disease, cancer and even some neurological disorders. There are always limitations with these types of findings as they are based on a compilation of studies. However, time and again, the Mediterranean diet seems to be associated with good health. Specifically, they found a 9% reduction in overall mortality and a 13% reduction in incidences Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.
One important caveat to this study and the Mediterranean diet in general is the risk associated with alcohol consumption. There are significant hazards associated with alcohol and certain people should abstain from drinking altogether.
via MedPageToday
September 12th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
If you have symptoms of a stroke, it is a medical emergency. Brain tissue dies quickly when deprived of oxygen. Every minute you wait, hoping your symptoms will go away, you lose almost 2 million brain cells.
Learn to recognize the warning signs of a stroke and act quickly.
August 7th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
About one out of 100 adults have active epilepsy, and more than one-third are not getting sufficient treatment, according to a multi-state study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study found that nearly half (44 percent) of adults with active epilepsy reported having recent seizures. Of those, 65 percent said they had more than one seizure in the past three months. Although many people with epilepsy lead normal productive lives, those who are inadequately managed medically, face an increased risk for subsequent seizures, disability, injuries sustained during a seizure, and in some cases, death.
via CDC, August 7, 2008
via Epilepsy Foundation
Read more about Epilepsy and find Support Groups in Pinellas County, Florida
