Other Health Concepts

Ozone causes asthma attacks
Ozone is a major cause of people being hospitalised for asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ozone is a particularly bad problem in hot months because heat and sunlight create ozone from car exhaust fumes. The asthma and COPD caused by ozone is generally not noticed because of a time delay between the cause and the effect. It takes several days between when people are exposed to ozone and when the symptoms occur. People with asthma and COPD So while we need more ozone high up in the atmosphere, we don't need it down here where we breath it. (Dr Karin Pacheco, National Jewish Medical and Research Center Denver, Colorado)
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Father's work harms children
Having a highly-demanding job makes a father less likely to communicate well with his young sons. New American research examined the influence a father's work has on relationships with his grade 4-5 children. It has shown that stress at work reduces a father's communications with his children — especially his sons. Stress in the marriage was even more likely to cause this communication breakdown between father and child. There is considerable research on the effect a mother's work has on children, but this new research is one of the few that examines the impact of a father's work on them. The researchers recommended that many fathers need to "slow down" and talk to their children. (Journal of Marriage and the Family 1999;61:465-475)
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Capral tunnel problem common
Carpal tunnel syndrome is far more common than we have believed. New Swedish research shows that 3% of people will have the problem some time in their lives. Carpal tunnel syndrome is where the nerves leading to the hand are crushed in the wrist. It is very painful and debilitating. The syndrome has often been linked to doing repetitive tasks like typing or assembly-line work. In Australia, the waiting list for carpal tunnel operations can be more than a year, which often means a person cannot work for that year. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be relieved by avoiding repetitive hand movements, using splints or braces, and drug therapy. (The Journal of the American Medical Association 1999;282:153-158, 186-187, 206)
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Swimming pool infection risk
Swimming pools may cause outbreaks of cryptosporidium — an organism that causes severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea. New reseach shows that chlorine and filtering do not remove the organism from swimming pools. So once it gets into a pool, it can spread to others using the pool. Cryptosporidium is found in the intestines of birds, reptiles and mammals, including humans. One outbreak which affected 400 people was throught to be caused by feces from a baby. Experts say that babies should be washed before going into pools and they should be given frequent toilet breaks. They also say people recovering from diarrhea should not use swimming pools and people swimming in pools should avoid swallowing water. (Emerging Infectious Diseases July 1999)
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Common cold cure two years way
A drug that shortens the common cold's duration by three days should be available in two years. The manufacturer of a drug called pleconaril, has run tests on 1200 people with severe colds. Some were given the new drug, others were given a placebo. For those on the drug, the average cold last 11 days, while it last 14 days for those on the placebo. The drug works by blocking the action of the virus that causes the common cold. At the moment, antibiotics are often prescribed for colds even though they do no good at all.
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Contact lens blindness risk
Wearing contact lenses at night increases the risk of serious eye infections. Dutch researchers found that people wearing lenses at night had 19 times more risk of catching a disease called microbial keratitis. In extreme cases this disease can cause partial or complete blindness. (The Lancet 1999;354:174-175, 179-183)
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Fine weather, fine attitudes
Sunny weather gives you a sunny disposition, according to people on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The Coast had an unusual amount of wet weather in the first six months of this year. Once the wet weather ended, salespeople visiting homes noticed that virtually everyone was much happier.
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Breast feeding reduces obesity
Breast feeding a baby helps reduce the risk of it become overweight. German researchers studied 13,000 children and classified 3% of them as obese. They found that the percentage of these who were breast-fed was half the number for the other children. The study also showed that the longer a mother breast-fed a baby, the less likely the child was to be overweight. Breast milk appears to have compounds which prevent the growth of fat cells. (British Medical Journal 1999;319:147-150)
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Hope for rheumatoid
Japanese researchers have discovered an enzyme which blocks the growth of rheumatoid cells. They attached the enzyme to a virus and injected it into rats. It prevented the growth of cells involved in rheumatoid arthritis, a painful joint disease. The rats had less inflammation and less degeneration of their joints. The researchers are hoping that this discovery may lead to treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in humans. (Nature Medicine 1999;5:731-732, 760-767)
Entered from Zest South Pacific Division health newsletter September 3, 1999
Health Benefits of Churchgoing
People who regularly attend church can expect to live seven years longer than those who never go to services, according to a new study to be published shortly. According to the study, Americans who attend church weekly live 10 percent longer, with a life expectancy of 82 compared to 75 for non-church goers. The study is based on a health investigation of 22,000 people over a nine year period and is to be published in the May issue of Demography magazine. The study also found that health benefits increased with increasing church attendance and concluded that there was a cause and effect relationship in their findings that was not explained by other factors. "As a Church we have promoted a healthy lifestyle as part of our message," said Thomas Neslund, associate health director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. "Here we have additional confirmation that participation in religious services is also linked to health benefits. Of course, that's not to say people should come to church just to live longer! But it does show the healthy balance that religion can play in a better lifestyle." Adventists have been at the forefront of promoting lifestyle and health for more than a century.
Entered Jonathan Gallagher ANN May 6, 1999
Health risks of tatoos
About 25% of people who get tatoos admit to having a poor body image which gets them in trouble with police and family. While most people say peer pressure is not involved in their decision to get a tatoo, about half the time they get a tatoo at the same time as a friend. Tatooing carries health risks, says an article in "The Record," the South Pacific's Adventist weekly magazine. These risks include: Entered March 31, 1999
Limit soft drink
The acid in many of the soft drinks can erode tooth enamel. Another reason to limit the consumption of these, especially the ones strong in caffeine and citric acid (as many are). Elaine
Entered Elaine Nelson ageis@ix.netcom.com March 31, 1999
Drugs never cure
Drugs never cure disease; they only change it's form and location....When drugs are introduce into th system, for a time the seem to have a beneficial effect. A change may take place, but the disease is not cured. It will manifest itself in some form ......The disease which the drug was given to cure may disappear, but only to reappear in a new form, such as skin diseases, ulcers, painful diseased joints, and sometimes in a more dangerous and deadly form....Nature keeps strugglings and the patient suffers with different ailments,until there is a sudden breaking down in her efforts, and death follows.
Entered rlflex@phoenixat.com March 31, 1999
Share your Other Health Concepts
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Entered by Phil Ward - Oct 26, 1998
This forum is presented on this website to encourage people to realise that they are individually responsible for their own good health. Obviously, not all material presented in this forum is medically sound. But if what is written here challenges and clarifies your thinking, it has done its job.