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Key to Post-Stroke Recovery

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If you think strokes only happen to elderly people, think again. Strokes can hit anyone at any age, but the older one gets, the more susceptible one becomes for having a stroke.

About 15-years ago, my daughter worked as a certified-nursing-assistant at a senior daycare center. Although most of the patients or clients were elderly, 60 and over, she also had several that were younger. She had one male patient who had a debilitating stroke around the age of 30. When I was in college, I worked as a night orderly in a nursing home and we had several patients, mostly female who were between 40 and 50 years of age.

Not the long ago on our local news, they featured a woman who, at the age of about 40, was recovering from a stroke. She was married and had a handful of kids. I remember thinking how tragic at this stage of her and her family’s life.

According to Stroke.org:

  • Each year nearly 800,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke.
  • A stroke happens every 40 seconds.
  • Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S.
  • Every 4 minutes someone dies from stroke.
  • Up to 80 percent of strokes can be prevented.
  • Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S.

First of all, what is a stroke?

A heart attack is generally caused by the blockage of blood flow to an area of the heart, resulting in the heart muscle tissue dying for lack of oxygen. Likewise, a stroke is a ‘brain attack’ caused when the blood supply to an area of the brain is blocked and brain cells begin to die.

There are two main types of stroke – hemorrhagic and ischemic.

A hemorrhagic stroke is caused by the hemorrhaging of blood vessels in the brain. In most cases, it’s associated with a ruptured aneurysm – a swelling of a blood vessel that weakens the vessel wall and then bursts open.

An ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot the cuts off the blood flow to part of the brain.

There is a third, generally less severe form of stroke known as a TIA or transient ischemic attack. They are defined as a temporary, generally less than 24 hours, where there is a blockage of blood flow due to a clot that in a short time releases and allows blood flow to resume.

The severity of a stroke depends a lot on the location and how soon treatment can be started. Knowing how to recognize a stroke is important for you and your family or those around you. Here are ten general symptoms of a stroke:

  1. Trouble seeing – sudden blurred or dimming vision.
  2. Loss of balance – having trouble walking or sitting without falling. Generally caused by one side of the body being affected by the stroke.
  3. Difficulty speaking – speech becomes slurred, words hard to recall.
  4. Weakness – A very common symptom when the arm and/or leg on one side of the body become weak and possible unable to move.
  5. Facial paralysis – not always, but one side of the face can become paralyzed, often accompanied by slight pain in the face, dizziness, difficulty speaking, drooling out of one side of the mouth, tearing of eye and inability to smile or frown.
  6. Pain – while most people don’t associate pain with a stroke, it can range from a dull ache to a constant or sudden sharp pain.
  7. Loss of understanding – a stroke victim sometimes is mentally confused and bewildered, unable to put a thought together.
  8. Severe headache – many illnesses can be accompanied by severe headaches, but coupled with many of the other symptoms, a severe headache can be a sign of a stroke.
  9. Loss of senses – could include vision, smell, hearing, tough and taste.
  10. Fatigue – by itself, fatigue may be a sign of many other things, including fevers or just staying up too late the night before. However, when fatigue is accompanied with many of the other symptoms, it’s nothing to just sleep on.

We hear all the time that high blood pressure and stress are some of the leading causes of strokes. That’s why so many doctors are concerned about their patients’ health as they want to take measures to help reduce the possibility of having a stroke.

Another key to reducing the risk of having a stroke or increasing the chance or recovery is you have a stroke, is watching your weight and regular exercise. Pamela Rist, of Harvard University just authored a study and reported:

“The new study involved more than 18,000 people with no history of stroke who were followed for an average of 12 years. During that time, nearly 1,400 of the participants suffered a stroke but survived.”

‘Three years after their stroke, those who had exercised regularly before their stroke were 18 percent more likely to be able to perform basic tasks — such as bathing on their own, the researchers found.”

“The fitter individuals were also 16 percent more likely to be able to perform more complex tasks, such as managing money on their own, compared to those who did not exercise before their stroke, the findings showed.”

“‘We also found that a person’s body mass index was not a factor in predicting their level of disability after stroke,’ Rist said in a journal news release. Body mass index is an estimate of body fat based on weight and height.”

“Two experts in stroke care who reviewed the findings said the study highlights the importance of exercise.”

That’s one of the reasons my wife and I are buying a treadmill. We have found that our life has become more sedentary than it used to be. With the crazy weather where we live, it’s not always possible to get out and walk or jog, so we decided to invest in a good quality treadmill that has adjustable speed, incline and a shock absorbing system to take some of the impact off of our knees.

With the treadmill, we can take turns getting our cardio exercise while watching some of our favorite television programs – sewing and quilting for her, sports for me and many shows we both like. We have also invested in some exercise strength bands and inexpensive equipment that will help make it easier for us to do strength building exercises which is vital for bones and the prevention of osteoporosis.

It’s important to do something to reduce the weight and fat and get some exercise, depending on your abilities or limitations.

Whooping Cough and Vaccinations – Baby or Pregnant Mom

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Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is caused by a bacterial infection that usually starts in the nose and throat. Regardless of how old a person is, whooping cough may be life threatening and require hospitalization. It can also be mild and mistaken for a common cold or bronchitis. Likewise, severe cases of bronchitis can be mistaken for whopping cough and require a test to determine the difference.

Early symptoms of whooping cough, according to the CDC, generally begin to show 5-10 days after being exposed to the bacteria – usually from someone else infected with the disease. Those early symptoms may be just a runny nose, low-grade fever, mild cough and in many babies – apnea – which is a pause in breathing. It’s during the early stages of pertussis that it is often thought to be just a cold or mild case of bronchitis.

After about 1-2 weeks of the early symptoms, whooping cough, the later and more severe symptoms begin to appear. These include severe or prolonged coughing fits, also known as paroxysms. In true whooping cough, the coughing fits are frequently followed by a high pitched ‘whoop’ sound, hence its name. This is caused by the coughing fit emptying all of the air from the lungs which causes the person to ‘whoop’ or gasp for air. Vomiting may accompany coughing fits, either during or afterwards. Fatigue and exhaustion also follows the coughing fits. 

The coughing caused by whooping cough can persist for 10 weeks or longer. In parts of China, it’s often referred to as the 100-day cough.

As stated before, bronchitis is sometimes thought to be whooping cough and vice versa. In my younger days, I used to get severe bronchitis twice a year and my cough was quite severe and lasted for at least a month. One doctor, who saw me for the first time swore I had whooping cough was ready to put me in the hospital and quarantine the family. After my mom shared my bronchitis history, the doctor ran some tests and determined that I had a severe case of whopping cough. He then told us that it’s easy to confuse the two.

Treatment for whooping cough consists of antibiotics. Over-the-counter cough medicines generally have little to no affect or relief for whooping cough and many medical professionals advise using them, especially on younger children. However, it is best to talk to your doctor or pediatrician and ask questions.

For decades now, many newborns receive a myriad of vaccines to prevent illnesses like whooping cough as the disease can be extremely dangerous for babies under the age of 1-year. Some believe that vaccines can lead to other health conditions including autism, so a growing number of parents opt not to vaccinate their infants.

A study was conducted on nearly 150,000 babies born in California between 2006 and 2015. According to a source reporting on the study:

“The study included nearly 149,000 infants born in California between 2006 and 2015. The percentage whose mothers received the Tdap booster vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (‘whooping cough’) while pregnant rose from less than 1 percent in 2006-2008 to more than 87 percent by 2015.”

“In early 2013, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended the Tdap shot for pregnant women regardless of prior Tdap vaccination. The vaccine can be given at any time during pregnancy, preferably between 27 and 36 weeks’ gestation.”

“Babies whose moms got the Tdap shot during pregnancy had a 91 percent lower risk of whooping cough during the first two months of life. That’s the critical period before babies get their first whooping cough shot, the Kaiser Permanente researchers said.”

“Babies whose moms got the vaccine during pregnancy also had a 69 percent lower risk of whooping cough in their first year of life, the findings showed.”

Whooping cough is can be quite serious, especially for babies. If you are hesitant about having your newborns vaccinated, then seriously consider getting vaccinated while you’re pregnant. It just may save your child’s life and protect them from spending a month in the hospital racking up huge medical bills.

Panic Attacks and Anxiety Linked to Low Vitamin B and Iron Levels

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“Patients undergoing a panic attack (PA) or a hyperventilation attack (HVA) are sometimes admitted to emergency departments (EDs). Reduced serotonin level is known as one of the causes of PA and HVA. Serotonin is synthesized from tryptophan. For the synthesis of serotonin, vitamin B6 (Vit B6) and iron play important roles as cofactors.”

On the off chance that you experience the ill effects of tension or get occasional panic attacks marked by episodes of hyperventilation, you could only be encountering the symptoms of a basic supplement inadequacy that is effortlessly correctable, as per Jonathan Benson of Natural News.

This unquestionably seems to have been the situation with 21 individuals who took an interest in a late study based out of Japan, which recognized an absence of both vitamin B6 and iron among members who experienced panic or hyperventilation episodes.

The generally small study assessed supplement levels among a gathering of members with fluctuating degrees of uneasiness and frequencies of panic and hyperventilation episodes, some of which brought about emergency room visits. A control gathering was additionally assessed, and its members’ supplement levels contrasted with those of the essential gathering.

Upon assessment, scientists noted that both vitamin B6 and iron were inadequate in the subjects with nervousness and hyperventilation issues, while those in the sound gathering had sufficient levels of these critical supplements. B vitamins and iron are especially essential for the amalgamation of tryptophan into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that manages not only disposition and mental soundness, but rest and cardiovascular capacity.

“These results suggest that low serum concentrations of vitamin B6 and iron are involved in PA (panic attacks) and HVA (hyperventilation),” said the creators in their research conclusion. “Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms involved in such differences.”

Supplementing with entire nourishment based vitamins may advance better mental wellbeing. Despite the fact that this specific study did not recognize a connection between general insufficiencies of other B vitamins like B2 and B12 and high recurrence or power of panic attacks, all B vitamins are essential for sound mind and real capacity. A lack in any B vitamins, as it were, can prompt mental wellbeing issues, which is the reason it is critical to hold your levels under wraps.

 

“Chronic stress, poor diet, and certain medical conditions can deplete the body’s stores of vital nutrients,” explains one source about the important of B vitamins. “

Many of those who suffer from agoraphobia (fear of crowded spaces or enclosed public places) are deficient in certain B complex vitamins, and this may be the case for other anxiety-related conditions as well. Symptoms of vitamin B deficiency may include anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, and emotional instability.”

In the event that you are looking to supplement with B vitamins, make sure to buy entire food-based varieties like those delivered by organizations like Megafood and Garden of Life. Entire nourishment based supplements of any sort are not just preferable consumed by the body over their synthetic counterparts,however they are likewise healthier than standard, common vitamins and better fit for giving ideal restorative advantage.

“Vitamins are made up of several different components – enzymes, co-enzymes, and co-factors – that must work together to produce their intended biologic effects,” explains Dr. Ben Kim. “The majority of vitamins that are sold in pharmacies, grocery stores, and vitamin shops are synthetic vitamins, which are only isolated portions of the vitamins that occur naturally in food.”

The 8 Best Bedtime Snacks for Weight Loss

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Source: womenshealthmag.com

When it comes to snacking within an hour or two of your bedtime, there’s a few things to consider: First, research does link late-night calories to the potential for weight gain. One study found that eating right before turning in can make your snooze time more restless, and that sets you up for fatigue and bingeing the next day. Also, late-night noshing tends to be associated with stress eating, which leads to overindulging in high-fat comfort calories.

On the other hand, trying to catch shuteye when your stomach is making scary growling sounds isn’t a smart idea, either. Your sleep quality will suffer, and you’ll feel tired and famished in the morning—both of which can lead you to overdo it and mess up your healthy-eating plans. The solution: Reach for one of these low-calorie, sleep-inducing snacks that won’t have you wake up feeling bloated, suggests Philadelphia-based nutritionist Janet Brill, Ph.D., R.D., author of Blood Pressure Down.

STRING CHEESE


Sure, it’s processed, but hear us out: One serving of this snack contains filling protein and fat, so you feel satiated—and it only packs about 80 calories. Cheese also packs the amino acid tryptophan, which may help make you drowsy, says Brill.

A BOWL OF CEREAL


Put down the Count Chocula—all that sugar might leave you too wired to sleep (and also give you a stomach ache). We’re talking about the whole-grain, complex carb kind (think oatmeal or corn or bran flakes) that’s easy to digest and gives you 200 calories or less per bowl, says Brill. Pour in a little milk for extra tryptophan and protein.

NONFAT GREEK YOGURT


For about 100 to 150 calories, you get the relaxing powers of tryptophan from the dairy, as well as satisfying protein, says Brill. Plus, yogurt can help calm your stomach, so you’re less likely to wake up with heartburn or indigestion and instead can score a good night’s rest.

TWO SLICES OF WHITE-MEAT TURKEY

Turkey is loaded with sleep-inducing tryptophan (no wonder you’re so sleepy after those massive holiday dinners, right?) and low-fat, high-quality protein, says Brill. A few slices won’t run you more than 100 calories.

AN APPLE WITH A SPOONFUL OF PEANUT BUTTER

Apples have lots of fiber and a satisfying crunch. “The protein in the peanut or almond butter also fills you up without feeling heavy in your stomach,” says Brill.

NONFAT CHOCOLATE PUDDING CUP


We’re totally loving this one—the creamy chocolate pudding goes down easy, but it doesn’t contain the fat that can sit in your belly like a rock all night. One single-serve pack racks up about 90 calories.

BABY CARROTS

Super-nutritious with lots of crunch, these little orange guys will fill you up long enough so you doze off, says Brill. And all for four fat-free calories per carrot.

A BANANA

Not only are bananas loaded with satiating fiber and relaxing tryptophan (for only about 100 calories each), but they’re the perfect late-night nosh if you’ve already cleaned up your kitchen. You won’t leave behind any dishes or utensils to wash!

Ageing & Sleep: The Good, Bad and Ugly

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Have you noticed any changes in your sleep habits as you move past 40-years of age and older? Some of the those changes are perfectly normal and non-harmful, but other changes in sleep habits with age, can be detrimental to physical and mental health.

How many times have you heard older people say ‘early to bed and early to rise’? For many of us past the age of 40, that has become so true. We tend to go to bed earlier and get up earlier and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you get a good restorative sleep.

What about finding out that the older you get, the less sleep you seem to need? There may be a perfectly natural explanation of that and again, this is normal and not necessarily harmful.

As we go about our waking activities, the brain builds up amyloid-beta proteins. If these proteins are not cleaned up or eliminated, they can create conditions like dementia. Over years of research, it has been found that a good sound (restorative) sleep helps to clear the amyloid-beta proteins, keeping the brain healthier. In this way, you can think of a deep sleep as acting like the night janitor for your brain, cleaning up and getting rid of the day’s waste.

However, when a person does not get a good restorative sleep for whatever reason, the amyloid-beta proteins tend to build up. A person who wakes frequently or a number of times throughout the night generally never gets into a long enough deep sleep to allow the cleaning of the amyloid-beta proteins, thus making them more susceptible to conditions like dementia. Reading this caused me some concern as I wake frequently at night due to being in constant pain. I hate think how much amyloid-beta sludge has been building up in my brain.

A recent study revealed that as some of us get older, we lose the ability to get a good sound or restorative sleep. Sometimes that failure to get a good sleep is due to a vicious and harmful cycle. According to the report:

“Sleep ‘fragmentation’ has been linked to a number of medical conditions, including depression and dementia, Mander said. People with fragmented sleep wake up multiple times during the night, and miss out on the deep stages of sleep.”

“It is true that medical conditions, or the treatments for them, can cause sleep problems, according to Mander. But poor sleep can also contribute to disease, he added.”

‘Take dementia, for example. Research suggests there is a ‘bi-directional’ link between sleep disruptions and the dementia process, said Joe Winer, another Berkeley researcher who worked on the review.”

“That is, dementia often causes sleep problems; poor sleep, in turn, may speed declines in memory and other mental skills. According to Winer, animal research suggests that deep sleep helps ‘clear’ the brain of the amyloid-beta proteins that build up in people with dementia.”

“So, there may be a ‘vicious cycle,’ Winer said, where dementia and poor sleep feed each other.”

“Similar vicious cycles may be at work with other diseases, too, Mander said.”

If you find that you are having more trouble getting a good sound (restorative) night’s sleep, see your doctor. Perhaps there is a simple solution to help, like sleep medication and possible, it could be a sign of something more sinister, that can be addressed or at least more controlled or the affects lessened. Don’t hit the snooze button and put off seeking help, as the longer you put it off, the worse or uglier it can get. No one wants to become senile or suffer from dementia and now that they have linked it to lack of good sleep, by taking action, you may put off the ugly and stay good longer.

Are You Cursed with a Night Owl Gene Mutation?

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Are you one of those people that seem to just naturally stay up late and consequently get up late? Have you ever wondered why you may be that way?

For years, we were told that it was the way you were raised. I know with me it was. I grew up having to do chores before school, so I had to get up early in order to do chores, have breakfast, fix my lunch and get to school on time. My chores usually consisted of taking care of animals – feeding and watering them and making sure they have everything they need. As I made it to college, I preferred early classes over later classes, so again, I was up early. I spent 12 years working for a utility. During the winter, we started work at 7am and in the summer, since Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, we started work at 5am and were able to head home at the peak heat of the day.

These days, I’m 65 years old and I still habitually get up early, even if I don’t have to. I always thought that since I got up early most of my life that it’s a habit that I still have.

Our two daughters, born 16 months apart are as different as night and day. As a child, our oldest daughter would disappear between 8pm and 9pm. When we went looking for her, we always found her in bed, sound asleep. Rarely did we ever have to tell her to go to bed.

On the flip side, our youngest daughter always fought going to bed and when we put her to bed, she would be awake for hours. During her school days, we often found her with a light on at midnight reading a book and we would have to tell her to turn the light off and go to bed. In the morning, she never wanted to get up. She is 39-years-old now and still cannot go to sleep early or at normal times but stays up late and doesn’t like to get up early.

As parents, we could never figure out why such a difference between the two girls. A new study may finally give us the answer we’ve sought all these years.

Researchers at the Laboratory of Genetics at The Rockefeller University just authored a study on a sleep disorder called ‘delayed sleep phase disorder’ (DSPD). People with this sleep disorder tend to do some of the best work late at night and struggle to wake up and get going in the morning.

Researchers studied 70 people from six families and found that those individuals with DSPD had a mutation on a gene known as CRY1. Members of the same families that did not exhibit the DSPD sleep disorder did not have the mutation on the CRY1 gene.

The researchers reported that this is the first time a gene mutation has been identified as a cause of DSPD. The mutation disrupts the body’s natural circadian rhythm, also known by some people as their internal clock. Our natural circadian rhythm is hardwired into our genetics and it is programmed to operate in 24-hour cycles. However at least 10% of people with DSPD operate on an internal clock that operates in a longer than a 24-hour loop.

Alina Patke, lead author of the study, commented, saying:

“Carriers of the mutation have longer days than the planet gives them, so they are essentially playing catch-up for their entire lives.”

“A person like a bartender, for example, might not experience any problem with the delayed sleep cycle. but someone like a surgeon who has to be in the OR in the early morning – that’s not compatible.”

Their discovery was first made when a 46-year-old woman came to a sleep clinic for help after years of struggling with her late sleep cycle. They placed her in an apartment for two-weeks. The apartment had no windows or connections to the outside world. No television, internet; nothing that might hint as to the time of day.

Under the study conditions, they discovered the woman’s sleep cycle operated on about a 25-hour clock instead of 24-hour. Consequently, her sleep was often fragmented, leaving her constantly feeling tired. It was after this two-week testing that the researcher sequenced her genes and discovered the CRY1 genetic mutation.

To test their theory, they then contacted the 70 family members in the 6 families in Turkey and were able to conduct genetic sequencing on them and interviewed all of them concerning their sleep habits. Of the 70 test subjects, 39 contained the CRY1 mutation and 31 did not. Those that had the mutation had a later sleep cycle than those without the mutation.

If you are one of those night owl people who seem to naturally be wide awake late at night and struggle to get up in the morning for work or school, it may be that you are cursed with the CRY1 mutation. I wonder how many employers or teachers will buy that excuse for being late when you drop it on them?

Time Zones & Sleeping in on Weekends Can Increase Risk of Cancer and More

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For the past decade, we’ve been hearing a lot about getting enough sleep and what lack of sleep can do physically and mentally to a person. Most experts say that we should be getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep a night. Not getting enough sleep can make a person more susceptible to obesity, diabetes and increase the risk of some cancers and heart conditions. It also leaves a person mentally fatigued, interfering with their ability to function at the level they should be functioning at.

Allow me to say just how true this is…

About 15 years ago, I was sent to a sleep clinic by my doctor because my wife said I stopped breathing a lot when I slept. After the tests, the sleep clinic doctor shared the good and bad news with me. I had three separate and distinct sleep disorders, the worst of which was sleep apnea (this is the one where you stop breathing many times while sleeping). However, he then said that he could treat the sleep apnea or the other two, but it’s not possible to treat all three at the same time. So, I sleep with a CPAP machine that forces air into my nose and keeps me from stopping to breathe. The doctor also told me that to treat the sleep apnea, it can aggravate the other two disorders which he described as minor. The CPAP machine did help, but I also live in constant severe pain which also prevents me from sleeping well. On a good night, I am fortunate if I get a total of 4 hours of sleep during 8 hours of trying to sleep. Consequently, I am constantly fatigued and often fall asleep quite easily. Basically, I’m so tired that I can’t stay awake and but hurt so much I can’t stay asleep. Yes, I am obese, have Type-2 diabetes and my immune system is very compromised making me very susceptible to every bug that goes around.

With all that said, have you ever heard of ‘social jet lag’? It has nothing to do with flying in a plane from one time zone to another. Social jet lag is defined as getting up at a certain time during the week and then sleeping in on the weekends. While many people do this to catch up on their sleep, it is actually proving to interrupt our body’s circadian rhythm. Many functions in your body are controlled by your circadian rhythm.

According to one source:

    Circadian rhythm:

    A circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle in the physiological processes of living beings, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria.

    In a strict sense, circadian rhythms are endogenously generated, although they can be modulated by external cues such as sunlight and temperature.

    Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including human beings.

    There are clear patterns of brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities linked to this daily cycle.

Breaking up the circadian rhythm disrupts the natural cycle of how and when things work in our bodies. This is why rotating shifts are very bad on one’s health, as is social jet lag.

But did you know that where you live in a time zone can also affect your circadian rhythm which in turn may increase your chances of developing a number of health conditions including cancer?

For example, take the Eastern Time Zone. It reaches from the east coast westward. A person living in the eastern part of the time, say Boston, gets up at 8am and it is daylight. The daylight helps trigger the circadian rhythm processes. Yet a person living in Ohio or northern Kentucky also in the Eastern Time Zone, who gets up at 8am may find that it’s still dark outside. Hence the activity of getting up and the darkness work oppositely on the circadian rhythm. One researcher said that for every 5 degrees of longitude westward within a time zone is equal to a 20-minute delay in sunrise.

While you may be saying big deal, you may find what else the research found to be insightful:

    Social jet lag has been linked to various conditions including obesity and diabetes, Caporaso said. In the new study, the researchers focused on cancer.

    Cancer and the biological clock

    In the study, the researchers looked at data on 4 million white adults who had been diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2012. The people in the study lived in more than 600 counties in 11 states, all within the continental U.S.

    Results showed that for every 5 degrees of longitude toward the west that a person lived from the eastern edge of their time zone, his or her risk of developing any type of cancer increased by 3 percent in men and 4 percent in women.

    The researchers also looked at people’s risk of developing specific cancers.

    For example, men who lived in the western-most region of a time zone had a 4 percent greater risk of prostate cancer, and 13 percent greater risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a cancer that affects white blood cells, compared with men who lived in the eastern-most regions of a time zone, the researchers found.

    Women living in the western-most regions had a 4 percent greater risk of breast cancer, a 12 percent greater risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a 10 percent greater of a type of uterine cancer compared with women living in the eastern-most region of a time zone, the researchers found.

Keeping to a set schedule of getting up at the same time every day is much healthier than sleeping in on the weekends, but then again so is living towards the eastern edge of your time-zone.

Thyroid Cancer Rate Triples in US

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The thyroid gland is a very important gland that controls a number of vital bodily functions. It is often described as butterfly-shaped and located around the windpipe just below the Adam’s apple in the neck.

The pituitary gland, located between the eyes in the front of the brain, sends chemical signals to the thyroid, instructing it what to do or what and how much of the various hormones are needed for the rest of the body. The thyroid’s hormones control heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, the rate food is converted into energy, weight, absorption of calcium and is vital in the growth and development of children.

The thyroid utilizes iodine as one of the main ingredients in some of the important hormones it produces, which is why most table salt sold in stores is iodized.

Many people suffer from low thyroid production which in most cases makes the person tired and overweight. However, there are exceptions. My wife has had a low thyroid for many years and at first doctors ran blood tests twice to verify as at the time she stood about 5’10” and weighed 109 pounds.

In addition to the many cases of low thyroid, studies indicate that since 1975, the rate of thyroid cancer diagnosed has more than tripled. There are five basic types of thyroid cancer:

  • Papillary carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer, accounting for approximately 80 percent of cases. Papillary carcinomas are slow growing, differentiated cancers that develop from follicular cells and can develop in one or both lobes of the thyroid gland. This type of cancer may spread to nearby lymph nodes in the neck, but it is generally treatable with a good prognosis (outlook for survival).
  • Follicular carcinoma is the second most common type of thyroid cancer, and accounts for approximately one out of 10 cases. It is found more frequently in countries with an inadequate dietary intake of iodine. Follicular carcinoma is also a differentiated form of thyroid cancer. In most cases, it is associated with a good prognosis, although it is somewhat more aggressive than papillary cancer. Follicular carcinomas do not usually spread to nearby lymph nodes, but they are more likely than papillary cancers to spread to other organs, like the lungs or the bones.
  • Hürthle cell carcinoma, also known as oxyphil cell carcinoma, is a subtype of follicular carcinoma, and accounts for approximately 3 percent of all thyroid cancers.
  • Medullary thyroid carcinoma develops from C cells in the thyroid gland, and is more aggressive and less differentiated than papillary or follicular cancers. Approximately 4 percent of all thyroid cancers will be of the medullary subtype. These cancers are more likely to spread to lymph nodes and other organs, compared with the more differentiated thyroid cancers. They also frequently release high levels calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), which can be detected by blood tests.
  • Anaplastic carcinoma is the most undifferentiated type of thyroid cancer, meaning that it looks the least like normal cells of the thyroid gland. As a result, it is a very aggressive form of cancer that quickly spreads to other parts of the neck and body. It occurs in approximately 2 percent of thyroid cancer cases.

The symptoms of thyroid cancer include neck pain, changes in the voice, difficulty breathing and swallowing and coughing. It is often detected by noticing a lump in the throat. The most common diagnostic tools used to confirm thyroid cancer are a needle biopsy and ultrasound.

In the report on the increase in the number of cases of thyroid cancer, some believe it may be due to better diagnostic methods, but a recent study of more than 77,000 cases of thyroid cancer says that it is a real growing threat:

“‘While overdiagnosis may be an important component to this observed epidemic, it clearly does not explain the whole story,’ said Dr. Julie Sosa, one of the authors of the new study and the chief of endocrine surgery at Duke University in North Carolina.”

“Sosa, along with epidemiologists at the National Cancer Institute, acknowledged in their new study that better tools — from diagnostic ultrasound to fine-needle biopsies — have improved doctors’ ability to detect thyroid cancers. But the study, published today (March 31) in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), said that thyroid cancer is a real, growing threat, as shown by the increasing cases of a type of thyroid cancer called advanced stage papillary thyroid cancer, along with a steady rise in deaths from the disease.”

“In the study, the team analyzed more than 77,000 cases of thyroid cancer documented in a National Cancer Institute (NCI) database between 1974 and 2013. Along with the tripling in cases over that period, the researchers noted that between 1994 and 2013, cases of advanced forms of thyroid cancer rose by about 3 percent each year, and deaths from the disease rose by about 1 percent each year.”

“In the period from 1974 to 1977, there were 4.6 cases of thyroid cancer per 100,000 people diagnosed yearly in the U.S. That number reached 14.4 cases per 100,000 people yearly in the period from 2010 to 2013.”

“Currently, more than 60,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with a form of thyroid cancer, according to the NCI. About 75 percent of these patients are women, and 82 percent are white, the researchers found.”

“That deaths from thyroid cancer are increasing, despite it being among the most treatable and least lethal forms of cancer, is worth noting, Sosa said.”

A 2010 report gives hope to some people with an aggressive form of thyroid cancer. The report stated that only about 5% of thyroid cancers are the very aggressive form and treatment is usually done by chemotherapy as surgery and radiation are not generally effective. Researchers treated 37 people with the very aggressive form of thyroid cancer with a new drug called pazopanib. They said that close to half of those patients saw their thyroid tumors decrease by at least 30%.

Please take note that if you notice a lump in your neck below the Adam’s apple or your voice has changed, you develop difficulty in breathing or swallowing, please see your doctor as soon as possible. Thyroid cancer is on the rise and is treatable, especially when caught early one.

WARNING: New Coffee Can Pack Dangerous Effects on Heart

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Millions of people around the world rely on their morning fix of caffeine to get them started. Their morning cup of coffee has become their everyday addiction and without that jolt first thing in the morning, they just can’t seem to get their day going. One friend told me a while back that trying to work without her morning cup of coffee, and sometimes second and third cups, is like trying to drive a car with no gas in the tank.

Some people like their coffee flavored and hidden with milk, cream or a myriad of flavored creamers. Others have become addicted to their lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos and all of the other fancy ways of fixing a cup of liquid caffeine. Then there are the purists, like me when I used to drink coffee, that like their coffee black and plain – no sugar and no milk, cream or creamer.

Regardless of how you like your morning cup of coffee, the vast majority of people drink it because of the caffeine and how it gets their body going. I used to drink it plain black strong coffee because I liked the taste. I have a genetic immunity to most pain killers and stimulants and so far, caffeine has no effect on me. Unfortunately, I had to stop drinking coffee not because of the caffeine but because of the oil in coffee that effects my irritable bowel syndrome.

Many people have been turning to stronger types of coffee and other caffeine loaded drinks for their morning fix of the addictive stimulant. This is probably the reason a new coffee, Black Insomnia has become the rage among many coffee addicts.

Black Insomnia is a being billed at the world’s strongest coffee and its popularity is skyrocketing. Sean Kristafor retired from his job in the corporate world and got together with a noted coffee bean roaster and created Black Insomnia less than a year ago. He is selling his caffeine overload locally to cafes in Cape Town, South Africa. His super-strong coffee caught on quickly and by October 2016, Kristafor was selling tons of his new brew to customers in 22 different countries. As of March, Black Insomnia was made available on Amazon in the US and sells for around $19 per pound. The company says they are now selling 5-6 tons of coffee every month and sales are still growing.

When chemically tested, Black Insomnia was found to be over twice as strong as Starbuck’s dark roast at 58.5mg of caffeine per fluid ounce compared to only 21.25mg for Starbuck’s powerful brew. Coca Cola contains about 2.8mg of caffeine per fluid ounce. Green tea has 3.1mg, McDonald’s coffee has 9.1mg, Red Bull has 9.46mg of caffeine per fluid ounce. Nepresso OriginalLine coffee capsules contain 44.4mg per fluid ounce and Death Wish coffee has 54.2mg of caffeine per fluid ounce.

However, most people don’t drink a single fluid ounce of coffee, so to give you an idea of how powerful of a kick this brew can give you, a 12oz cup of Black Insomnia could contain up to 702mg of caffeine.

Dangerous? Both the Food Information Council and the FDA recommend that 400mg of caffeine should be the TOTAL DAILY consumption for anyone. That means that a 12oz cup of Black Insomnia provides 175.5% of the recommended daily dose of caffeine.

What are effects of this much caffeine? According to Mary Sweeney, a researcher of caffeine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine commented:

“For the same amount of coffee, you will get double the amount of caffeine.”

“This makes it easier to consume more caffeine than you intend to and effects can range from mild to severe, for example, jitteriness, nervousness, restlessness and trouble sleeping. The most serious effect would be cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).”

Overdoing the caffeine can not only cause cardiac arrhythmia but it can also increase the heart rate to dangerous levels and people with heart conditions and high blood pressure can find the effects of a 12-ounce cup of Black Insomnia not keeping them awake but putting them in a permanent sleep called death.

Before you spend nearly $20 for a pound of Black Insomnia coffee, asked yourself if your health withstand this massive overdose of caffeine without having any harmful side-effects. You may realize that the risk is not worth it.

Dirty Details of Germs Hiding at Our Grocery Stores

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If someone were to ask you which is cleaner or has the fewest germs, the grocery store you like to frequent or your toilet at home that you frequently visit, how would you answer?

Many people find it gross or unclean to have one’s dog lick them in the face, but they have no qualm kissing someone else, but they are shocked when they learn that dog’s mouth is cleaner than most people’s mouths. Years ago, I worked as a manager at a large retail store. Our security guard was bitten in the shoulder by a female shoplifter he was trying to stop. The bite infected and left his arm around 75% useless. His doctor told him that humans have far more germs and dangers lurking in their mouths than our dogs do, and that’s taking into account the fact that dogs always lick their privates.

Well, a recent study says that many of our grocery stores contain more germs and bacteria than found on our toilets at home.

Many grocery stores have sanitizing wipes for hands near where they keep their shopping carts, but the carts are not the source of the germs found in our grocery stores. Dr. Charles Gerbia, also known as Dr. Germ, is a professor of microbiology and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona, located in Tucson. He was asked to list the top ten ‘germiest’ items or places in our grocery stores. You may not be shocked by #1 on the list, but you will probably be shocked and perhaps horrified to learn the other top 9.

  1. Shopping carts – “Since 80 percent of germs are transmitted with our hands, it makes sense that shopping cart handles are covered in bacteria. ‘The first thing I do is wipe the handle,’ says Gerba. Take advantage of the sanitizing wipes at the entrance to the store and do the same, or carry your own wipes.”
  2. Shopping cart child’s seat – Just think about the dirty and leaky diapers along with drooling toddlers and more. Many ladies set their purses on the child seat without realizing where else or what else the purse has sat on. One may want to wipe off child’s seats before placing their produce on the seats.
  3. Produce aisle – “‘I don’t know anyone who buys produce without squeezing or touching it,’ says Gerba. Cuts or tears in produce provide an open door for germs to enter, so Gerba recommends choosing produce that is not cracked, split or opened in some way. While you’re in the produce aisle, pick up some extra plastic baggies.”
  4. Meat & seafood counters – Gerba recommends to never buy a package of meat or seafood that isn’t cold or has been torn or poked open. He also recommends double bagging meat and seafood and to make sure it’s kept separate from produce.
  5. Canned & boxed goods – “NSF International, a public health and safety organization, advises shoppers to check all canned and boxed goods for damage. Never buy swollen, leaking or damp cans — that can be a sign that the product is contaminated with bacteria, including the Clostridium botulinum that causes botulism. Also, avoid products with rips or punctures in packaging. These are gateways for germs. According to Gerba, as long as the packages aren’t damaged, most canned and boxed goods should be safe, though he does recommend wiping the tops of canned goods before opening them.”
  6. Self-checkout touch scanners – Most of us have used them. We’ve entered produce codes or number of something, as well as method of payment. Now for the shocker – “A disturbing 50 percent of self–checkout touch–screens had fecal bacteria and some had MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a staph bacteria that is resistant to many types of antibiotics normally used to treat staph infections) too, according to Gerba. ‘There are actually more antibiotic–resistant bacteria on these screens than in a hospital,’ he says. If you like to DIY, make sure to use hand sanitizer after you finish checking out.”
  7. Credit card screens – Realize that the same dirty fingers touching the self-check scanners are also touching the credit card screens. Enough said?
  8. Restroom faucet handle – Most of us wash our hands after we go to the bathroom, but realize that the dirty hands generally turn on the faucets before you wash them. After you wash them, you touch the same faucet handles that were just contaminated before washing.
  9. Re-usable bags – Do you take re-usable bags from home to put your groceries in? If you don’t wash them between rips to the store, think about all the contamination you’ve just read about, being placed in those bags each time you use them.
  10. Improper handling of food – “Sometimes shoppers inadvertently turn perfectly good food into a germ-fest by not handling it properly, says Gerba. Keep cold food cool and hot food warm by picking up refrigerated, frozen and hot deli items right before checking out. If it’s going to take more than an hour to get home, NSF International advises consumers to pack raw meat in a cooler — and keep the cooler in the passenger area of the car during warm weather.”

This wasn’t intended to make anyone paranoid, but it is a way that we can reduce our exposure to some of the germs that can make us ill. If you have a suppressed immune system like I do, that’s very important.

In closing this gruesome tour of your favorite grocery store, I can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t be wise to wear disposable gloves like many in the medical profession wear. They may look strange and get strange looks from others, but your body may thank you.

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