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Older Women with Gum Disease at Higher Risk of Cancer

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From the time we were little kids, our parents were constantly on us about brushing our teeth at least once a day, usually before going to bed. Fifty to sixty years ago, it was all about brushing, brushing and brushing of our teeth.

Then about thirty to forty years ago, flossing became just as important as brushing. Many dentists started telling everyone to floss their teeth at least once or twice a day and many recommended brushing our teeth after every meal and before bed, to prevent the buildup of plaque and bacteria that harm the hard enamel layer on our teeth.

Then came the first visit to the dentist – a terrifying ordeal for many kids. They’ve all heard the horror stories of getting shots in their mouths, having dentists drill into our teeth and even pull them if necessary. If you are like me and have a genetic immunity to the vast majority of pain killers, visiting the dentist was truly something you wanted to avoid at all cost.

Tooth decay, fillings, root canals, caps, pulled teeth and dentures were the primary focus of things to avoid by brushing and flossing daily. However, gun disease also became a topic of importance to many dentists.

Today, the topic of gun disease carries more health importance as researchers learn more about it and its long-term effects, especially for older women, according to a new report:

“Now, a group of investigators at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo have just released data from a large cohort study, which showed that periodontal disease was associated with increased risk of several types of cancer in postmenopausal women, even in women who had never smoked. The findings from the new study were published today in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention in an article entitled ‘Periodontal Disease and Incident Cancer Risk among Postmenopausal Women: Results from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Cohort’.”

“The SUNY Buffalo team assembled a prospective cohort study of 65,869 women aged 54 to 86 who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. Using questionnaires administered between 1999 and 2003, study participants self-reported on their periodontal disease history. The researchers evaluated cancer outcomes through September 2013. Using an average follow-up time of 8.32 years, the researchers had identified 7149 cases of cancer. Analysis of all the data showed that a history of periodontal disease was associated with a 14% higher risk of developing any cancer.”

“‘Our study findings serve to provide further evidence that periodontal disease is linked to cancer and support the need for further investigation into how periodontal disease contributes to increased cancer risk,’ remarked lead study investigator Ngozi Nwizu, Ph.D., assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology at The University of Texas School of Dentistry.”

Jean Wactawski-Wende, Ph.D., a professor in the department of epidemiology and environmental health and dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions at SUNY Buffalo and a senior study investigator added:

“The esophagus is in close proximity to the oral cavity, and so periodontal pathogens may more easily gain access to and infect the esophageal mucosa and promote cancer risk at that site.”

Ladies, remember to brush and floss daily and use a good mouthwash like Listerine that helps kill harmful bacteria left behind after brushing. Our lives, diets and environments are already filled with one cancer risk causing item after another, so don’t fall victim to your own mouth and gums.

Keep Your Body Young With A Low Calorie Diet

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Scientists studying how aging affects the biological clock’s control of metabolism have discovered that a low-calorie diet helps keep these energy-regulating processes humming and the body younger.

In a study appearing Aug. 10 in the journal Cell, Paolo Sassone-Corsi, director of the Center for Epigenetics & Metabolism at the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues reveal how circadian rhythms – or the body’s – change as a result of physiological aging. The clock-controlled circuit that directly connects to the process of aging is based on efficient metabolism of energy within .

The Sassone-Corsi team tested the same group of mice at 6 months and 18 months, drawing tissue samples from the liver, the organ which operates as the interface between nutrition and energy distribution in the body. Energy is metabolized within cells under precise circadian controls.

The researchers found that the 24-hour cycle in the circadian-controlled metabolic system of older mice remained the same, but there were notable changes in the circadian mechanism that turns genes on and off based upon the cells’ energy usage. Simply put, the older cells processed energy inefficiently.

“This mechanism works great in a young animal, but it basically shuts off in an old mouse,” Sassone-Corsi said.

However, in a second group of aged mice that were fed a diet with 30 percent fewer calories for six months, energy processing within cells was more than unchanged.

“In fact, caloric restriction works by rejuvenating the biological clock in a most powerful way,” Sassone-Corsi said. “In this context, a good clock meant good aging.”

Collaborative confirmation

For a companion study detailed in Cell‘s current issue, a research team from the Barcelona Institute for Research in Biomedicine collaborated with the Sassone-Corsi team to test body clock functioning in stem cells from the skin of young and older mice. They too found that a low-calorie diet conserved most of the rhythmic functions of youth.

“The low-calorie diet greatly contributes to preventing the effects of physiological aging,” said Salvador Aznar Benitah, who co-led the Spanish study. “Keeping the rhythm of stem cells ‘young’ is important because in the end these cells serve to renew and preserve very pronounced day-night cycles in tissue. Eating less appears to prevent tissue aging and, therefore, prevent from reprogramming their circadian activities.”

According to the UCI and Barcelona researchers, these studies can help explain why a calorie-restricted diet slows down aging in mice. The implications for could be far-reaching.

The scientists said that it’s important to further examine why metabolism has such a dominant effect on the stem cell aging process and, once the link that promotes or delays aging has been identified, to develop treatments that can regulate this link.

It’s been shown in previous fruit fly studies that low-calorie diets can extend longevity, but the UCI and Barcelona research is the first to show that calorie restriction influences the body’s ‘ involvement with the aging process in cells.

“These studies also present something like a molecular holy grail, revealing the cellular pathway through which aging is controlled,” Sassone-Corsi said. “The findings provide a clear introduction on how to go about controlling these elements of aging in a pharmacological perspective.”

The circadian connection

Sassone-Corsi and his colleagues first showed the circadian rhythm-metabolism link some 10 years ago, identifying the metabolic pathways through which a circadian enzyme protein called SIRT1 works. SIRT1 senses energy levels in cells; its activity is modulated by how many nutrients a cell is consuming. In addition, it helps cells resist oxidative and radiation-induced stress. SIRT1 has also been tied to the inflammatory response, diabetes and aging.

[Source — Medicalxpress]

Diet Trends That Keep You Fat

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JUICING

It’s fine to drink juice when you’re watching your weight but as with any food or drink, you need to count the calories it provides as part of your daily total.

This is one reason health experts in the UK advise sticking to a 150ml serving size. This will give you around 65 calories in standard orange juice, roughly 70 in apple and about 80 in pineapple.

Vegetable juices tend to be lower as they contain only small amounts of the fruit sugar fructose (about 60 calories in green juices, 40 in carrot). The problem comes when intake shoots above this which is very likely once you get into juicing or have a lot of shop-bought juices. Most juices are sold in 250ml individual serving sizes, progressing to 1 liter cartons and bottles designed for sharing (but all too easy to gulp down over the course of a day). Therefore it’s hardly surprising that calorie intake can quickly creep up.

It’s important to realize eating whole fruits and vegetables will be more satisfying than drinking their juice. This is partly because chewing food begins the process of sending signals to the brain that help to tell us we’re feeling satisfied and it’s time to stop eating.

In addition, whole fruit and veg take up more space in the stomach. Because you’re eating the soluble and insoluble fiber along with water inside the cells, the sheer physical presence of food helps to trigger a sense of satiety.

REDUCED-FAT EVERYTHING 

Labelling on foods and drinks can be a minefield at the best of times and the labelling of reduced-fat products is one of the trickiest to navigate.

This is because legally the term “reduced” or “light”, whether it refers to fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar or calories, means that the reduced version has at least 30 per cent less of the nutrient mentioned when compared with its full-nutrient version. But reduced fat doesn’t automatically mean low calorie.

For example, a standard hummus has around 309 calories and 26g fat per 100g. The reduced-fat version has 216 calories and 15g fat. Even though the reduced-fat version is obviously a better choice than the full-fat version, the reduced-fat hummus still contains around the same number of calories as 100g of full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese (235 calories and 22g fat). So wherever you see reduced-fat pack claims, you still have to read the small print, especially searching out the fat and calories per serving. Different brands also vary in fat content and therefore in their final calorie content, depending on what the fat levels were in that particular brand’s regular product. Beware of products that remove fat to achieve a seductive low-fat or reduced-fat claim but add other ingredients, such as sugar, to maintain its overall appeal, physical structure and flavor. Take fruit yogurt: a 150g low-fat strawberry yogurt provides only 1.7g fat but 119 calories – 32 of which come from the 2tsp of added sugars.

RAW FOOD DIETS

This is a big health trend but while there is a lot to be said for eating a diet that contains more whole fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, don’t assume all raw foods, especially desserts, are low in calories, fat or sugar.

Many raw snack bars or balls and raw desserts such as vegan cheesecake, contain a lot of dried fruit, nuts, seeds and coconut oil which increase the calories. In addition, sweeteners such as rice malt syrup, maple syrup and raw honey are often used (frequently in large amounts), so they’re neither sugar-free nor low in calories.

If you’re buying a packaged raw snack, it’s as important to check out the nutritional information as it is with non-raw treats. And at cafes, you still need to exercise some restraint with raw cake, just as you would with any other.

EATING HEALTHY SUGARS 

We’ve all been advised by Public Health England (PHE) to dramatically reduce the free sugars in our diet. These are the ones we add to food or those found in the foods we buy.

They appear on the ingredients list as things such as cane sugar, brown sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose or high-fructose corn syrup. PHE recommends we limit our consumption of free sugars to 7tsp (30g) a day – that’s about half of what the average Briton eats. In an effort to cut down, many people have switched to what they perceive to be “natural” sugars, such as honey, syrups and nectars, in the belief this means their diet is sugar free. Not so. Ingredients such as honey, agave nectar, date syrups, rice malt syrup, maple syrup and coconut sugar may have a healthier image but they all count as free sugar, so we need to limit them.

Products made with these ingredients, however natural they claim to be, are usually still high in sugar (and therefore calories), so they need to be limited just as you would any biscuits, cakes or sweets. If a food contains less than 5g sugar per 100g it means you’re choosing a product that’s low in sugar.

DITCHING DAIRY

It’s a common belief that milk makes you put on weight because it’s high in fat and therefore calories. In fact, studies reveal the opposite may be true: intake of dairy, particularly of low-fat versions as part of a lower-calorie diet, may help speed up weight loss, especially when it comes to burning the fat that sits around the waist.Other people skip it because they think dairy products are at the root of digestive problems such as bloating. An intolerance to lactose – the main sugar in milk – does cause bloating, along with other digestive problems such as wind, diarrhea and stomach pain. But according to the British Nutrition Foundation, only about one in 20 of us suffers with lactose intolerance.

Most experts agree that dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet as they provide a wide range of nutrients, particularly calcium for strong bones and teeth.National figures show eight per cent of women, 12 per cent of teenage boys and 19 per cent of teenage girls have very low intakes of calcium. The National Osteoporosis Society says that one in two women and one in every five men over the age of 50 fractures a bone due to osteoporosis, a condition where bones are so fragile they can easily break.

A low-calcium intake, especially in childhood and teenage years, is thought to be a key cause of this, as it means bones are unable to reach their full strength in adulthood.

[Source — Express]

Holistic Nutritionist Release Guide to Healthy Eating

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A Palm-Beach based holistic nutritionist has released a cookbook containing several recipes as well as advice to becoming a healthier and happier you. “The Farmer’s Daughter’s Guide to Nutritious and Delicious Eating,” by author Rosanne C. Martino, is a realistic approach to cooking and eating good food.

‘Delicious Eating’ consists 15 chapters including several recipes, knowledge from the author’s professional background, as well as tips and tricks revolving around several different foods. From spices and herbs to oils and fats, vegetables and fruits to vitamins and superfoods, Martino offers wisdom about various food groups stemming from her years of experience as a nutritionist.

Martino, who has always been interested in holding herself in a holistic manner, became inspired to write this book after a friend became ill. After thinking about how she could help him regarding his dietary habits, she incorporated her background in holistic nutrition and began writing her meals down as recipes.

“I want to be able to share my knowledge and information about what I have learned and experience regarding growing, harvesting and preparing food,” Martino said. “I’d also like to inform people of the lifestyles of healthy choices related to nutrition.”

“This book was very easy to read and understand,” a reviewer wrote about the book. “The author does not talk down to you – it’s like an old friend sharing recipes and health tips with you. Great photos and very informational.”

A unique approach to the modern cookbook, “The Farmer’s Daughter’s Guide to Nutritious and Delicious Eating” will peak readers’ interests with its subtle yet fun approach to the process of cooking food.

New Drug to Treat #1 Skin Cancer Killer Step Closer to Availability

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The Sun is our source of life and for some, our source of death. The Sun provides our light that fuels plants to grow and produce most of our food. Plants also produce most of the oxygen we breathe, thanks to the miraculous process of photosynthesis.

However, being out in the Sun on a regular basis may also be the likely source of skin cancer. Some sources say that exposure to the Sun accounts for as much as 80%-85% of the cases of skin cancer.

The National Cancer Institute estimate that this year (2017) there will be around, 3,000,000 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer plus nearly 69,000 new cases of melanoma. Of the 3,000,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer, only about 2,000 will die each year, but of the nearly 69,000 new cases of melanoma, almost 10,000 will die.

There are three types of non-melanoma skin cancer – basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. Although the non-melanoma types of skin cancer account for the vast majority of skin cancer diagnoses, they are the most curable and survivable. Melanoma may only account for 1% of all skin cancers, it has the highest mortality rate. The Skin Cancer Foundationstates that someone in the United States dies every 54 minutes from melanoma.

In addition to the exposure to the Sun being a risk factor for developing skin cancer including melanoma, tanning beds have also been linked as increasing a person’s risk of developing both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Some countries such as Australia and Brazil have banned all indoor tanning. At least 11 other countries have banned indoor tanning for anyone under the age of 18.

Again, knowing your body is key to detecting the signs and symptoms of melanoma. Many sources, including the American Cancer Society tell people use the ABCDE rule. They define it as:

  • A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
  • B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
  • C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include different shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
  • D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
  • E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.

Qualified doctors, especially dermatologists, can often detect melanoma and other skin cancers by an examination of the skin. Sometimes a biopsy is necessary. Like many other cancers, the standard treatment for melanoma may involve surgery, but generally tend to use either or both, radiation and chemotherapies.

The problem with many of the standard chemotherapies is they not only kill the cancer cells but can and do kill off surrounding healthy tissue, plus they can be toxic to the body, making the patient quite ill.

However, researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania appear to have made a breakthrough with a new type of chemotherapy. Rather than get into the deep technical jargon, they have found a way to modify a compound that has been quite toxic to the patient in the past and make it less toxic. Additionally, their new drug appears to target just the melanoma cancer cells without harming surrounding healthy cells.

In traditional chemotherapies, the drugs used usually only work on the BRAF mutant melanoma cells, but not the BRAF wild type melanoma cells. This often results with the melanoma returning in 6-months to a year. The new compound was found to target both types of Melanoma cells, resulting in a higher success rate and fewer recurrences of the deadly cancer.

In laboratory tests, their new compound reduced melanoma tumors by 69% by causing the melanoma cells to die off. The researchers are hopeful that their breakthrough may also work on the other cancers or in developing drugs to work better to treat other cancers.

The new compound still has to go through further testing before it will be approved by the FDA, but if approved, it could drastically reduce the high mortality rate from melanoma.

Vulvar Cancer Risks, Symptoms and More

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Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve discussed 4 of 5 major categories of gynecological cancers. We’ve covered urinary, ovarian, cervical and vaginal cancers. Today, we’ll discuss the fifth category of gynecological cancers – vulvar cancer.

Just to be clear, vulvar cancers are those that occur on labia major, labia minora (outer and inner genital lips), clitoris and vaginal opening. Nearly 6,000 women are diagnosed with vulvar cancer every year in the United States. Approximately 1,110 women die each year from vulvar cancer.

If diagnosed early at stage 1, vulvar cancer has a 5-year cancer survival rate of 98%. The 5-year survival rate for stage 2 is about 85%. That drops to about 74% if discovered at stage 3 and if not diagnosed until stage 4, the 5-year survival rate plummets to only 31%.

Like vaginal cancers, there are two main types of vulvar cancer:

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of vulvar cancer, accounting for over 80 percent of cases. One particular subtype of squamous cell cancer is called Verrucous carcinoma. This form grows slowly, often looks like a large wart, and is associated with a good prognosis (outlook).

Adenocarcinoma accounts for approximately 8 percent of vulvar cancers. These cancers usually begin in the Bartholin glands, which are found just inside the entrance of the vagina and normally produce a mucous-like fluid that acts as a lubricant. Adenocarcinomas can also develop in sweat glands. Another related condition is Paget disease, in which the adenocarcinoma cells are restricted to the top layer of the skin of the vulva. Some patients with this condition may also have an area of invasive adenocarcinoma.

Some vulvar cancers are a form of melanoma (like skin cancer) in cells with pigments and it’s possible that some of these may be related to extended exposure to the sun – nude sunbathing.

Symptoms of vulvar cancer may include symptoms for other forms of cancer and other medical conditions, but the symptoms recommended to watch for include:

  • Persistent itching – this is an itch that just doesn’t go away. It often is worse at night, to the point of making sleeping difficult.
  • Pain – found at the vulvar areas listed above. The severity of the pain can vary, depending on the location, how far it has spread and what stage of cancer.
  • Abnormal patches of skin – These patches are often white, sometimes pink or red, and feel rough to the touch. If the vulvar cancer is a form of melanoma, the patch of skin may be darker.
  • Open sore(s) – this is a sore or ulcer that persists for more than a month. The sore may also be associated with a growth or lump.
  • Painful urination – generally, painful urination occurs during the early stages and if not a urinary tract infection, see your doctor as soon as possible.
  • Discharge or bleeding – any discharge or bleeding not associated with the normal menstrual cycle should be cause for concern.
  • Swelling – this is when the vulvar region swells larger than normal and the swelling persists.
  • Changes in shape and/or color – if you have a mole in the area of the vulva, any changes in its shape and/or color may be an indication of cancer.
  • Thickening of the skin of the vulva

Since a variety of the symptoms are also indicative of other conditions, if you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor. He or she might have to do a biopsy to determine if your symptoms are indicative of vulvar cancer or not. Once diagnosed via a biopsy, your doctor should refer you to a gynecologic oncologist – a person who specializes in female reproductive cancers.

You need to know your body intimately. As awkward as it may sound, you need to regularly look at your genitalia (use a mirror if necessary) and you need to touch and feel yourself regularly. Since some of the symptoms are changes in appearance and texture of the vulva, it’s necessary to know what you look and feel like when normal. Otherwise, you may not detect any changes as early which reduces your chance of surviving.

Risk factors for developing vulvar cancer include:

  • Age – about 80% of cases involve women over the age of 50.
  • Smoking – smoking has been attributed as increasing the risk of developing vulvar cancer, especially if the woman has been infected with high-risk HPV virus.
  • HPV – this is why it is so important to get the HPV vaccine.
  • HIV – having HIV increases the risk of developing vulvar cancer.
  • VIN – vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia – a precancerous condition where the abnormal cells are still restricted to the surface areas.
  • Lichen sclerosus – condition where vulvar skin gets thinner and itches a lot.
  • Cervical cancer – having cervical cancer increases the risk of cancer developing in the vulva and vagina.

If you are diagnosed as having vulvar cancer, the treatment will depend upon what stage the cancer was found. As in most other cancers, the three main treatment options are surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. This will depend upon your oncologist and the stage of your cancer.

Know your body and if you suspect anything, see your doctor. Be honest and open with your doctor. Don’t be too embarrassed or try to hide it from your doctor as that will only result in harm to yourself.

Why You Should Run to Stay Young

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Running may reverse aging in certain ways while walking does not, a noteworthy new study of active older people finds. The findings raise interesting questions about whether most of us need to pick up the pace of our workouts in order to gain the greatest benefit.

Walking is excellent exercise. No one disputes that idea. Older people who walk typically have a lower incidence of obesity, arthritis, heart disease and diabetes, and longer lifespans than people who are sedentary. For many years, in fact, physicians and scientists have used how far and fast someone can walk as a marker of health as people age.

But researchers and older people themselves also have noted that walking ability tends to decline with age. Older people whose primary exercise is walking often start walking more slowly and with greater difficulty as the years pass, fatiguing more easily.

Many of us probably would assume that this physical slowing is inevitable. And in past studies of aging walkers, physiologists have found that, almost invariably, their walking economy declines over time. That is, they begin using more energy with each step, which makes moving harder and more tiring.

But researchers at the University of Colorado in Boulder and Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif., began to wonder whether this slow decay of older people’s physical ease really is inexorable or if it might be slowed or reversed by other types of exercise and, in particular, by running.

Happily, Boulder has an unusually large population of highly active older people, so the scientists did not lack for potential research subjects. Putting the word out at gyms and among running and walking groups, they soon recruited 30 men and women in their mid- to late-60s or early 70s.

Fifteen of these volunteers walked at least three times a week for 30 minutes or more. The other 15 ran at least three times a week, again for 30 minutes or more. The runners’ pace varied, but most moved at a gentle jogging speed.

The scientists gathered all of the volunteers at the University of Colorado’s Locomotion Laboratory and had each runner and walker complete three brief sessions of walking at three different, steadily increasing speeds on specially equipped treadmills. The treadmills were designed to measure how the volunteers’ feet hit the ground, in order to assess their biomechanics.

The volunteers also wore masks that measured their oxygen intake, data that the researchers used to determine their basic walking economy.

As it turned out, the runners were better, more efficient walkers than the walkers. They required less energy to move at the same pace as the volunteers who only walked regularly.

In fact, when the researchers compared their older runners’ walking efficiency to that of young people, which had been measured in earlier experiments at the same lab, they found that 70-year-old runners had about the same walking efficiency as your typical sedentary college student. Old runners, it appeared, could walk with the pep of young people.

Older walkers, on the other hand, had about the same walking economy as people of the same age who were sedentary. In effect, walking did not prevent people from losing their ability to walk with ease.

More surprising to the researchers, the biomechanics of the runners and the walkers during walking were almost identical. Runners did not walk differently than regular walkers, in terms of how many steps they took or the length of their strides or other measures of the mechanics of their walking.

But something was different.

The researchers speculate that this difference resides deep within their volunteers’ muscle cells. Intense or prolonged aerobic exercise, such as running, is known to increase the number of mitochondria within muscle cells, said Justus Ortega, now an associate professor of kinesiology at Humboldt University, who led the study. Mitochondria help to provide energy for these cells. So more mitochondria allow people to move for longer periods of time with less effort, he said.

Runners also may have better coordination between their muscles than walkers do, Dr. Ortega said, meaning that fewer muscles need to contract during movement, resulting in less energy being used.

But whatever the reason, running definitely mitigated the otherwise substantial decline in walking economy that seems to occur with age, he said, a result that has implications beyond the physiology lab. If moving feels easier, he said, people tend to do more of it, improving their health and enhancing their lives in the process.

The good news for people who don’t currently run is that you may be able to start at any age and still benefit, Dr. Ortega said. “Quite a few of our volunteers hadn’t take up running until they were in their 60s,” he said.

And running itself may not even be needed. Any physically taxing activity likely would make you a more efficient physical machine, Dr. Ortega said. So maybe consider speeding up for a minute or so during your next walk, until your heart pounds and you pant a bit; ease off; then again pick up the pace. You will shave time from your walk and potentially decades from your body’s biological age.

Source: well.blogs.nytimes.com

12 Reasons To Start Lifting Weights Now

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Maybe you’re convinced you shouldn’t lift weights because you prefer not looking like The Hulk. Maybe you figure you just wouldn’t like it, since you’re not one of those CrossFit types.

We hate to be confrontational about it, but frankly, you’re wrong. Despite a prevalent allegiance to cardio machines for things like weight loss and overall health, strength training not only builds muscle but can prevent disease, improve mood and — really! — help you lose weight.

Here are 12 smart reasons to include a little work with the weights into your fitness repertoire.

1. You’ll live longer.

While most forms of regular exercise can add years to your life, strength training in particular has big benefits. As we get older, the more muscle mass we have, the less likely we are to die prematurely, according to 2014 research from UCLA. “In other words, the greater your muscle mass, the lower your risk of death,” study co-author Arun Karlamangla, M.D., said in a statement. “Thus, rather than worrying about weight or body mass index, we should be trying to maximize and maintain muscle mass.” And what better way to maximize those muscles than by pumping iron?

2. For better sleep.

Regular exercisers — especially those who truly push themselves — report the best sleep, and weightlifting is no exception. In a small 2012 study in older men, researchers found that resistance training reduced the number of times the study participants woke up during the night, as compared to a control group who performed no exercise.

3. Your progress is so noticeable.

There’s nothing that feels quite as rewarding as setting a goal and crushing it. If you’re new to strength work, you’ll find that a weight you once thought was impossible to lift starts to feel easy sooner than you might imagine. And then, you’ll feel like a boss.

4. To protect your bones.

Weight-bearing exercise and particularly strength training is thought to increase bone density, reducing the risk of fractures and breaks among older adults.

5. To boost your balance.

Of course, one major cause of bone breaks as we age is falling. Some of weightlifting’s benefit in protecting against osteoporosis may be improved strength and balance, resulting in fewer falls. Indeed, research suggests that various resistance routines can reduce an older person’s rate of falling by around 30 percent.

6. It can make you happier.

Like many forms of physical activity, a little lifting can work wonders for your mental health. Strength training has been linked to reduced anxiety and depression symptoms as well as improved self-esteem, and it may even give your brainpower a boost.

7. To look better in your skinny jeans.

Now, we don’t suggest you lift weights (or do any exercise, for that matter) solely for appearance — there are just so many other benefits! — but when it comes to slimming down, endless hours on the elliptical may not be getting you any closer to the results you desperately seek. In fact, building muscle may help you lose fat more effectively than simply doing cardio. “If you’re looking to lose fat, go with strength training,” trainer Nick Tumminello, author of Strength Training for Fat Loss told Business Insider. “Watch your diet to reveal your shape, and strength train to improve that shape.”

8. To burn more calories.

Simply having more muscle on your frame helps your body burn up extra calories — even when you’re sitting completely still.

9. You can do it in under 30 minutes.

Adding strength work to your regular exercise routine doesn’t have to eat up the tiny bit of free time you had left in the day. In fact, lifting is one area where more is not always better — around 30 to 60 minutes a week, total, is plenty, according to Runner’s Times.

10. And you don’t even have to go to the gym.

We’re using the term “lifting weights,” but the world of strength and resistance training includes a whole host of options outside of what you’d find at the gym. You can “lift weights” with cans and jars you find in your kitchen. You can “lift weights” using only your body. You can buy a pair of five-pound dumbbells and lift along with a DVD in the comfort of your own living room, where the only person checking you out in the mirror is you. In fact, if you’re new to strength training, many moves are safer if performed with just your bodyweight until you can get the hang of perfect form. Plus, many of those machines at the gym aren’t adjustable enough for the wide range of bodies that use them.

11. To run faster (really!)

Or swim longer or bike harder or get better at just about any other athletic endeavor you fancy. Why? Because you’ll be cultivating stronger, more powerful muscles to then put to good use. Also, strength training can help prevent injuries in other athletic pursuits, by helping correct muscle imbalances that in turn throw your form — even just while sitting or standing — out of whack.

12. To help your heart.

Despite the name, cardio isn’t the only form of exercise with cardiovascular benefits. A resistance training routine has been shown to lower blood pressure, in some casesas effectively as taking medication. The American Heart Association recommends adults aim for at least two strength training sessions a week.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

 

Can You Really Trust Your Doctor?

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In today’s world of medicine, you have general practitioners, and then specialists in every little area of medicine. Sometimes your healthcare insurance will cover the specialists and sometimes it won’t. Sometimes you have to get the proper referral to see a specialist in order for your insurance to cover seeing a specialist.

Regardless if you see your general practitioner or a specialist, can you really trust what they tell you? If you don’t trust them and want to seek the opinion from a second doctor, will your healthcare insurance cover a second visit for the same condition? Not every policy will cover getting a second or even a third opinion.

Here’s why I ask. Doctors are not always right and they don’t know everything! If you’re not sure of what they tell you, you should seek the opinion of second doctor.

Why can’t you trust them all the time? Allow me to share three examples.

In 1960, I was 8-years-old when my dad went into the hospital for major back surgery. Calcium deposits had built up inside the lower part of his spinal column and it was pinching off the base of the spinal cord. The doctors had to cut the back prominence off of three vertebrae and then try to ream out the calcium build up below, at those points and below the three vertebrae they cut open. I remember being at the hospital with my mom when my dad was in the recovery room. I vividly remember my mom sobbing when the doctor told her that my dad would never walk again because of the extent of damage to the spinal cord and the nerves going to his legs. You have to understand that my dad was very active and not to be able to walk would have been extremely devastating to him. Still coming out of the effects of anesthesia, my dad mumbled ‘the hell I won’t walk again.’ Within three weeks of the surgery, dad was walking. Several months later, we moved from Illinois to Arizona and just a couple months there, dad was working as a common laborer for a major utility, digging ditches and many tasks he was not supposed to be able to do.

In 1975, I saw a saw a top orthopedic surgeon in Arizona. He told me that the cartilage in my knees and tears to both my MCL and ACL warranted total knee replacements in both knees. He told me that there was no way that I could stay on my feet and work for 8-hours a day. Back then, the success rate for knee replacement wasn’t very good and I opted to not have the recommended surgery. I had to train myself how to walk and turn without my knees going out of joint but, like my dad, was determined to defy what the doctor told me. I ended up working in retail management for several years after than where I was on my feet for up to 14 hours a day. Then I worked as laborer for the same utility my dad retired from. The last 11 years with the utility, I was an electric meter reader and walked an average of 12 miles a day. I had one route, I called my killer route, where I walked just over 20 miles in one day in the hot Arizona sun, and still no surgery on my knees. It’s now 42-years later and I still haven’t had either knee replaced and don’t plan on having it done unless I am completely crippled.

Then there is the case of Patrick Bisher, a former Navy SEAL. When he was a child, a doctor told him that he would never walk again. He said that at first:

“I developed a chip on my shoulder and I developed a victim’s mentality.”

However, he eventually decided to be a warrior instead of a victim. He exercised and trained to the point that he was able to enter SEAL training in the Navy. While in the service he had a serious parachute accident that resulted in a hip replacement, but continued to persevere. Bisher has authored a book titled No Surrender where he shares his experience. He now works to inspire kids to strive for their dreams and not to be victims of bullies.

These are only a few examples that prove that doctors only ‘practice medicine’ and they are not experts or perfect. If you get a devastating diagnosis from your doctor, you need to seek a second opinion and then determine if you are going to be a sorry victim or a warrior who will work to overcome the odds. You may be surprised at what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it.

Fairly Common – Rarely Discussed Pelvic Floor Disorders

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Perhaps these days, despite our somewhat open culture, there are some things that most women just do not discuss or like to discuss, not even with their doctors. Visit your local Walmart and you’d think that vanity is all but gone, yet when it comes to a variety of common health conditions, vanity rears its head and silences the tongues of so many women. That presents a problem for doctors, who only want to know what’s going on and how they can help.

One of those areas that seems to be little spoken of is collectively known as pelvic floor disorders, Yet, about 30% of women will experience one or more forms of pelvic floor disorders. Women who gave vaginal birth to their children and post-menopausal women are especially susceptible to pelvic floor disorders.

The pelvic floor is defined as:

“The pelvic floor is a term used to describe the muscles, ligaments, connective tissues and nerves that act like a hammock to support the organs of the pelvis—including the bladder and rectum and, for women, the uterus and vagina. The pelvic floor prevents these organs from falling down or out, and also plays an important role in making the organs function properly. It is responsible for closing the urethra and anal canal to maintain continence and signaling and controlling the bladder, rectum and colon when you need to go to the bathroom.”

What are pelvic floor disorders? Most sources define pelvic floor disorders as including: bladder pain, urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, chronic constipation, pelvic organ prolapse, recurrent bladder infections, female sexual dysfunction and myofascial pain syndrome.

The Mayo Clinic defines myofascial pain syndrome as:

“In myofascial pain syndrome, pressure on sensitive points in your muscles (trigger points) causes pain in seemingly unrelated parts of your body. This is called referred pain.”

“Myofascial pain syndrome typically occurs after a muscle has been contracted repetitively. This can be caused by repetitive motions used in jobs or hobbies or by stress-related muscle tension.”

“While nearly everyone has experienced muscle tension pain, the discomfort associated with myofascial pain syndrome persists or worsens.”

While pelvic floor disorders can occur in men, they are far more common in women.

The five most common risk factors for developing a pelvic floor disorder are:

·         Are over age 55

·         Are overweight

·         Have had a pelvic surgery in the past

·         Have a connective tissue disorder

·         Are a woman who is post-menopausal, vaginally delivered several children, experienced tears in the perineum or pelvic floor during childbirth.​

Additionally, other factors that may contribute to developing pelvic floor disorders are diseases like diabetes & Parkinson’s, stroke, back injuries, spinal stenosis, surgery, radiation treatment of uterine, cervical or rectal cancer, heavy lifting, chronic coughing and frequent straining during bowel movements.

Doctors even say that some people are just born with weaker pelvic tissues and muscles, making them more prone to pelvic floor disorders.

If you’re not sure if you have a pelvic floor disorder, consider the following checklist:

___ Accidental bowel leakage

___ Bladder emptying problems

___ Bladder pain

___ Bowel emptying problems

___ Complications of previous surgery

___ Frequent or urgent urination

___ Painful intercourse

___ Pelvic pain

___ Problems with the vulva

___ Rectal prolapse

___ Recurrent bladder infections

___ Urinary leakage

___ Vaginal bulging

If you checked one or more of these checklist items, then please see your doctor. Most forms of pelvic disorders are treatable, but you need to be honest and open with your doctor. He or She is there to help you deal with these embarrassing conditions.

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