Vitamin D Supplements and Osteoarthritis

A new study examined the effects of vitamin D supplements on knee pain from osteoarthritis. Researchers found the supplements did not relieve or slow the progression of the pain.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on March 8, 2016.

One in 10 men and about 13 percent of women over 60 suffer from osteoarthritis.

There is no treatment available for osteoarthritis that will stop the loss of cartilage that occurs as a result of this progressive disease. Many osteoarthritis patients head toward surgery and knee replacements, according to researchers.

The data in the study suggest there is little evidence to support vitamin D supplements as effective in slowing the progression of the disease or structural change in the knee.

Using vitamin D supplements to treat osteoarthritis has been considered controversial in the past; past studies have reported conflicting results.

This latest study randomly assigned osteoarthritis patients to receive either vitamin D supplements or a placebo. In this particular study, vitamin D supplements did not provide any benefits.

The best treatment, according to some experts, is to provide a joint supplement that will modify the symptoms of this progressive disease. Some experts believe no oral or injected medication will alter the disease.

Existing treatments include cortisone injections, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory drugs. While these can relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, none stop the disease's progression.

The research team that conducted the study assigned 400 study participants to either a placebo or to 50,000 International Units of vitamin D per month. They conducted follow-ups for two years, during which time the researchers did not observe differences between the two groups in regard to loss of cartilage, reduced pain, or improvement in bone marrow in the shin or thigh.

This study does not mean vitamin is not important for other aspects of bone health; it is in fact important to building and maintaining bone mass.

It simply doesn't appear from this and past studies, though, that vitamin D has the capacity to improve or stop the effects of osteoarthritis.

Your Job Can Influence Your Heart Health

You job and career can influence your level of risk for heart disease and stroke, according to a new study.

Middle-aged people who work in food service, office jobs, or sales jobs have more risk factors for heart disease than people in managerial or professional jobs.

Firefighters, police, health care support workers, and truckers are all more likely to have these markers, the researchers said.

Individuals who are older than 45 and who are in office or sales jobs are more likely to eat an unhealthy diet, smoke, be sedentary, and struggle with high blood pressure.

People in food service tended to have the worst diets, while truckers tended to have the highest smoking rates.

People employed under the "service" umbrella were much less likely to have ideal cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as a lower incidence of healthy BMI.

This heart risk profile is poor, and it was especially pronounced and frequent among protective service workers, which encompasses police, firefighters, and security guards.

To draw these conclusions, the researchers examined health data for more than 5,500 women and men over age 45 to assess heart health. They based the assessment on the American Heart Association's "Life's Simple 7," which include diet, BMI, smoking, physical activity, blood sugar, and cholesterol.

More than 88 percent of employees over the age of 45 did not smoke, and 78 percent of employees we healthy blood sugar levels. However, less than 41 percent had ideal heart health in the remaining five areas.

More than 20 percent of the transportation workers smoked; this was the highest rate among occupation groups in the study.

Two-thirds of sales and office workers had poor cholesterol levels and eating habits, and 80 percent were sedentary. Ninety percent of security guards, firefighters, and police were overweight or obese, and seventy five percent had poor blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Researchers found generally poor cardiovascular health in lower-paying jobs, compared to high-paying jobs.

The nature of the job can create challenges to being healthy. For example, people with desk jobs tend to have trouble getting enough active time.

To combat these challenges on the job, try taking a walk after lunch each day, meal prep your food for the week, or look into a stand-up desk.

7 Reasons to Eat Bananas

Bananas are full of important nutrients and are among the most popular fruits around the world. They grow in 107 countries, and Americans eat more bananas than oranges and apples combined.

There are many potential benefits of eating bananas.

1.   Blood Pressure

Increasing potassium intake can be just as important for blood pressure as decreasing sodium intake. What's more? Consuming large amounts of potassium is associated with a 20 percent lower risk of dying early from any cause.

2.   Asthma

According to a study conducted in London, children who consume just one banana a day were 34 percent less at risk of developing asthma.

3.   Cancer

Eating oranges and bananas during your first two years can reduce the likelihood of childhood leukemia. Bananas are a good source of vitamin C and thus help fight the free radicals that cause cancer. In addition, the fiver provided by bananas helps reduce risk of colorectal cancer.

4.   Heart Health

The vitamin C and B6, potassium, and fiver all work together to support cardiovascular health. High potassium intake is also associated with lower risk for stroke, as well as reduction in kidney stones, and preservation of bone mineral density.

5.   Diabetes

The fiber types found in bananas help lower and moderate blood sugar, lipid, and insulin levels.

6.   Memory and Mood

It's not just your Thanksgiving turkey that has tryptophan. Bananas are also a great source of this amino acid which is believed to help preserve memory and boost mood.

7.   Treating Diarrhea

The electrolytes are lost in large quantities when someone has diarrhea. Bananas help promote regularity in the digestive system and also help replenish potassium in the body.

Heart Disease and Women

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both women and men. A woman dies from heart disease every 80 seconds. More than 75 percent of these deaths could be prevented. About 80 percent of women in the United States have one or more risk factors for heart disease, but most don't consider this to be the greatest risk to their health.

Less than 33 percent of women know heart attack symptoms, and almost 44 million women in the U.S. have a form of heart disease.

Death rates from heart disease have fallen over the past two decades; however, death rates from heart attacks for women still outpace those for men. The American Heart Association released new research in early 2016 in which it recognized heart attacks have different causes and symptoms in women than in men. The AHA also referenced evidence that women have more complications and death rates within one year of a heart attack than men.

Why Do More Women Die From Heart Disease Than Men?

1. Societal Pressures and Norms

Heart disease is thought of as a man's disease. More women die of heart disease-related complications each year than men, though. Women tend to postpone their own care and prioritize the care of their family members ahead of their own. Women often have fewer opportunities for stress relief as well, due to pressure both at work and at home.

2. Differences in Treatment

Men are screened more aggressively than men for heart disease. Women typically have more vague symptoms than men of heart disease. Breast cancer screenings garner a lot of attention, but there is not a lot of emphasis put on heart disease screenings for women. Phsyicians are also less likely to be aggressive with heart attack treatment in women for fear of complications with an angioplasty or coronary stenting. Women on average have smaller hearts and smaller blood vessels and have higher rates of bleeding during an emergency procedure for treating a heart attack.

3. Patients Lack Awareness

Women typically think their greatest health risk comes from uterine or breast cancer, not heart disease. However, heart disease affects 1 in 3 women, compared to 1 in 8 affected by breast cancer. Many women are unaware of the risk factors for heart disease and thus to not modify their behaviors to reduce risk.

To Reduce Risk…

1. Learn risk factors. Educate yourself and your families about risk factors of heart disease as well as the risks of developing it. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and obesity.

2. Care for Yourself. See your healthcare provider regularly. Actively participate in your own care, including lifestyle, exercise, and diet. Request the appropriate screenings from your physician, and discuss ways to reduce your risk. Committing to a regular exercise schedule goes a very long way.

3. Advocate. Reducing the number of deaths related to heart disease requires a team. Advocate for yourself and others. Join with local leaders and groups such as the American Heart Association.

4. Promote research. More research is necessary to reduce the number of deaths from heart disease. We must design clinical trials to determine the best treatments for women, among other things.

Study: Yoga Safe for Pregnant Women

According to a new, small study, yoga is safe for expectant moms even late into a pregnancy.

The research proved yoga poses do not appear to create stress on the baby or the mom. Researchers used real-time measurements to show yoga postures did not negatively affect blood pressure, heart rate, or other vital signs.

The study was published in December 2015 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Researchers reported the findings provide reassurance that the often-exotic-looking poses seen in yoga classes are safe for pregnant women.

However, modifications are often necessary. For example, pregnant women may need to use chairs, blocks, or the wall to balance or support themselves. This study also does not suggest women walk into advanced classes where participants are kicking their legs into a handstand.

A beginner-level or prenatal yoga class that moves at a slow or moderate pace are excellent ways for women to de-stress and get exercise while pregnant. In a healthy pregnancy, exercise at moderate intensity is very important. These findings help reinforce existing evidence of that assertion.

Yoga continues to gain popularity in the United States. More than 20 million Americans now practice yoga. That number includes pregnant women, though there is still limited research on the safety and health of practicing yoga during pregnancy.

The research team observed 25 healthy women who were between n35 and 28 weeks pregnant. Some were total beginners, some had some experience, and some practiced yoga regularly.

Each participant did a one-on-one yoga class with a teacher, during which they moved through 26 different yoga poses. Monitors tracked their vitals, including uterine contractions, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate.

Postures were standing, seated, reclining, one-legged, and also downward facing dog. No pose caused a worrisome change in vitals for the women or their babies. Moreover, there were no falls or injuries.

There are different types of yoga, some of which are not safe while pregnant. For example, women should not practice "hot yoga" or Bikram yoga during pregnancy. It's okay for pregnancy women to work hard enough to sweat, but avoid heated rooms. 

Women Closing Gap with Men on Alcohol Consumption

A new U.S. government report concluded women are catching up to men with the use and the abuse of alcohol.

Researchers examined data ranging from 2002 to 2012. Reported alcohol consumption in the 30 days prior to the survey rose from 45 percent to more than 48 percent among women but fell from 57 percent to 56 percent among men.

They found that all the categories began narrowing between men and women over time. These categories included the number of days they consume alcohol a month and driving under the influence. Men still drink more alcohol; however, the differences between men and women are less than they used to be.

The average number of days women consumed alcohol each month rose from 6.8 to 7.3. For men, that measure fell from 9.9 days to 9.5 days each month.

Not entirely surprising, binge drinking rates among college students age 18 to 25 remained unchanged. But women in the same age group who were not in college increased binge drinking. There was a significant drop in binge drinking among men in this age group not in college.

Binge drinking is defined as consuming more than five drinks on any one occasion for men and more than four drinks on any one occasion for women.

The difference increased rather than decreased in only one area during the study. The prevalence of combining marijuana use with alcohol consumption among 18-25 years old men went from 15 to 19 percent. The same measure for women remained at 10 percent.

The reason for the increase in alcohol consumption among women isn’t clear from the study, and the narrowing gap between women and men is also unclear. They do not seem to be influenced by pregnancy, marital status, or employment. The researchers called for additional studies to pinpoint the trend and its causes so they could craft or improve alcohol abuse prevention and treatment efforts.

Women face greater risk of health problems related to alcohol consumption than men. These include heart disease, liver inflammation, neurotoxicity, and cancer.

Watching Too Much Television Leads to Early Death

According to a new study, too much time in front of the television is a leading cause of death in the United States.

Background information provided in the study states 92 percent of households in the United States have televisions in their homes, and 80 percent of Americans watch 3.5 hours daily of television, on average.

TV is the most prevalent manner to spend sedentary, leisure time. The researcher’s hypothesis is that the amount of time spent watching TV is indicative of a person’s overall physical activity--or lack thereof. The results of this study join a growing amount of research supporting the idea that sitting too much is detrimental to health.

Researchers followed over 221,000 individuals from age 50 to age 71 for 15 years. At the start of the study, no participant had any chronic disease(s).

The more time spent in front of the TV, the more likely a participant was to die from cancer, diabetes, flu/pneumonia, heart disease, Parkinson’s, or liver disease, according to the study’s findings.

Risk of early death was 15 percent higher for individuals who watched 3-4 hours each day and 47 percent higher for individuals who watched more than seven hours. Researchers took into account risk factors like alcohol intake, calorie intake, health problems, and smoking.

However, this study proved only association between TV viewing and early death by these diseases.

The death risk was associated with both inactive and active individuals in the study. Exercise was not found to eliminate risks with sitting and watching television for extended periods of time. Rather time spent sitting must be replaced with active time.

This study joins others regarding the risks to our health of sitting too much.

Benefits of Exfoliation for Skin During Cold Winter Months

Exfoliation is the act of scrubbing away dead skin cells on the scalp and body. Exfoliation and pore cleaning are common beauty regimens that are great in the wintertime when low humidity, arid rooms and cold air add to the havoc on the body.

Dry cells left on the surface of the body cause itchy, tight, dull and flaky appearance. Flaked epidermis can develop red patches and is vulnerable to cracking and injury. Bathing isn’t enough to get rid of the red patches or flaky cells. In fact, bathing and washing in excess can aggravate the situation worse. The trick is to draw out moisture from deep inside and help the epidermis rejuvenate naturally.

Regular soaps are also drying agents that can cause more dead cells, however there are soaps especially made to help draw out moisture and lubricate the surface area.

Hydroxyl Acid Exfoliant and Scrubs

There are many things people can do to speed up the exfoliation process. Hydroxyl acid exfoliant and salt scrubs all help increase the benefits of cleansing agents. Some preparations can be applied to a cold wearer and others need to be applied to a warm or damp surface to be useful.

Some need to be repeated regularly, applying once a week to a cold wearer, or once a week to a warm body. Olive oil is a common home products that can help the body keep its supple, soft appearance, although many commercial scalp and body products increase the likelihood of a glowing complexion and provide collagen stimulation.

When rooms have low humidity, a humidifier helps keep air quality better for the inside and outside of the body. Even with air improvements, the skin is still vulnerable, and anti-aging products are helpful at any time of the year. Even though wintertime is the most part of the year that people think about needing to relieve dryness, it is also a good idea in the summer time.

Other Benefits of Exfoliation

People sometimes try to combat these issues with moisturizers. Cold weather can make moisturizer disappear quickly, and cause it to lose its effectiveness. Along with looking better, providing anti-aging properties, removing dead cells, giving people a glowing complexion and increasing cell turnover, exfoliation improves circulation to the upper layers of the body. It is what gives the face and other areas of the body a youthful, healthy glow.

By avoiding washing in excess and using hydroxyl acid exfoliant agents, olive oil, salt scrubs or other collagen stimulation products people can relive itchy and red areas, prevent moisture and moisturizer absorption and get better pore cleaning.

Improving Cell Turnover and Circulation

Exfoliation products help the body look better, but most are best used with warm water. The heat of warm water further opens pores and allows dull, tight epidermis to feel better, and reduces moisturizer absorption and the havoc cold weather causes.

Talk Therapy May Alleviate SAD Symptoms

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression people experience based on how long the sun is out each day.

New research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests talk therapy trumps light-box therapy in preventing relapses of SAD.

In the 1980s, doctors discovered people were more apt to be depressed in the winter, when they were exposed to less sunlight.

Light therapy, the daily, timed exposure to artificial light, has been the SAD treatment of choice.

This latest study compared effects of light therapy and talk therapy in treating SAD. In the study, 177 participants who had SAD underwent six weeks of either talk or light therapy.

Those receiving talk therapy receive cognitive behavioral therapy, meant to teach individuals to challenge their negative thoughts and avoid behaviors like isolation that can negatively affect mood.

After the first winter of treatment, all participants showed similar relief from their symptoms. After two winters, though, only 27 percent of the talk therapy group experienced depression symptoms, compared with 46 percent of the light therapy group.

The light therapy group also exhibited more severe depression symptoms, according to the findings. Some individuals find it difficult to continue light therapy long-term. The treatment must be used continuously for to be effective. Submitting yourself for at least 30 minutes a day to light therapy for up to five months can be a burden.

By the second winter in the study, just 30 percent of light therapy participants were still using the equipment.

Talk therapy, on the other hand, proved preventative. Talk therapy teaching coping mechanisms and basic skills that allow participants a sense a control over their symptoms, providing long-term benefits.

Researchers agreed talk therapy results are promising to preventing and treating SAD. More research must be done on behavioral therapy and the treatment of SAD, but this study’s findings are very positive.

Study: Sleepwalkers Don’t Feel Pain While Sleepwalking

Not all sleepwalkers experience pain when they are injured while sleepwalking, according to a study published in Sleep.

When awake, sleepwalkers face increased risk for migraines and headaches.

Researchers examined 100 sleepwalkers as well as 100 people who slept normally. The sleepwalkers were 10 times as likely to experience migraines and four times as likely to experience headaches.

Of the 100 sleepwalkers, 47 suffered at least one injury while sleepwalking, and 79 percent of those 47 felt no pain at time of injury, according to the findings.

The lack of pain felt was the most surprising result of the study; this study was the first to come to this conclusion.

One participant even suffered broken bones after he jumped out from a third-story window during a sleepwalking episode. He did not feel the pain until he woke up. Another participant walked and fell from his roof while sleepwalking. He broke his leg but did not wake and feel the pain until the next morning.

Researchers believe this study could lead to an understanding of sleepwalking mechanisms. It’s possible the dissociative state of arousal alters pain perception, consciousness, and sleep-wake behavior.

As many as 4 percent of adults in the United States experience sleepwalking episodes, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.