Taking "Note" of your Health

When I was a kid everything of importance, from birth certificates, to social security cards to immunizations records were kept in the “File Cabinet.” Tax records, the deed to our house and bonds were all contained in a fire proof filing cabinet that my dad maintained. Regardless of the importance of this filing cabinet, it was not organized. I found this out the hard way, when I started to play sports in Junior High. Even though I had already been in school 8 years, the Athletic Department now needed my immunizations records. And of course, they must be in the filing cabinet, right? Wrong. Luckily I had been going to the same 100 year old doctor all my life and they were able to pull all of my records and get an accurate report to my school, but not without some hassle and complaining from the medical records department. I remembered this story, only when I was surfing the internet and saw information regarding an iHealthRecord (Interactive Personal Health Record). It is a free on-line data base to keep and share information regarding immunizations, supplements you are taking, health records, physicians or any other medical information. This info can be shared with health care providers, family members or can be printed out in a wallet size card. It is also private and secure. When I was in school, the internet didn’t exist, but the iHealthRecord sounds like a comprehensive way to maintain an online, fire proof, “filing cabinet.”

P.S. When I was in college and needed my original birth certificate to study abroad by dad had to physically go to the County Building and get a new one printed because he couldn’t find my real original in the cabinet.

-Community Assistant

Foods for Arthritis?

I stumbled upon an interesting article today from The Today Show (October 2007) regarding arthritis and foods you should eat. They recommend eating plenty of foods that help to fight inflammation. Sounds logical right?!

Here are some foods that they recommend:
1. Omega-3 Fatty Acids - salmon, herring, mackerel, omega-3 fortified eggs, walnuts
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil - cook with this type of oil
3. Antioxidants - vitamin C (oranges, grapefruit, strawberries) selenium (light tuna, crab, whole-wheat pasta, shrimp, turkey), carotenes (carrots, kale, pumpkin, spinach), bioflavonoids (onions, red apples, blueberries)
4. Spices (ginger & tumeric)

Many of these nutrients are also available as vitamins, but remember it is best to get it from the original food source if possible. The following are some vitamins that would correspond to these nutrients and help fight inflammation: omega-3, glucosamine/chondroitin/msm, vitamin c (found at any drug store), lutein, zeaxanthin, and selenium.

Preservatives & Antioxidants

“Preservatives” is now a well known word. Preservatives help to keep our food from spoiling- keeping hamburger in our refrigerators, cereal in our cupboards and Twinkies on the shelves at the local convenient store. Preservatives are also used in paint, wood and pharmaceuticals to prevent them from decomposing. Currently, there is no regulation requiring the labeling of food preserving chemicals. In food, preservatives prevent the oxidization of food, much like antioxidants. However, interest is growing to replace synthetic antioxidants with more popular natural antioxidants such as rosemary, vitamin E and vitamin C. New research suggests that a combination of plums and apples may be used as an ingredient in pre-cooked meat without a significant change in flavor. This could potentially mean that your next breakfast sausage could be made with fruit and have health benefits! Stay tuned to more on this topic! - Community Assistant

Aging Gracefully

My grandma always says that the key to aging gracefully is to not smoke, not drink and use Oil of Olay, but it appears there is a new trend against the relentless effects of aging: eat healthy foods. Healthy foods may not only keep weight, blood pressure and cholesterol down, but they may also have beauty benefits. While antioxidants are now well known in the health food and supplement arena, they are also being promoted for specific functions such as warding off wrinkles, increasing satiety and improving memory. These functional foods are having a huge growth in the American market and who is leading the consumer pack? Baby Boomers! They are holding onto both fitness and vitality, and looking better, longer. Foods and beverages containing antioxidants, collagen and other skin-improving compounds have been gaining in popularity amongst boomers and a growing proportion of spending is going towards products that meet that desire for vitality. So, although grandma may have in site into younger looking skin, she never made me eat my vegetables.

Supplements and the Economy

The price of fruits and vegetables is going up dramatically. It is a little scary when you go to the grocery store and the price of a Hostess Twinkie is about 25 cents, but the price of an orange is 99 cents! The other day I was going to buy a half a watermelon until they told me that it was $8!!! A $16 watermelon!? The lagging economy is an indicator that getting enough vitamins and minerals through fresh fruit, vegetables and other foods will continue to be a challenge.

Is the economy to blame for poor food choices in the United States? According to the Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine, 40% of Americans are vitamin D deficient. According to the Trust of American's Health, 64.5% of Americans are considered overweight or obese. I could go on and on.

Although a balanced, nutritional diet is important, supplements should be recognized as a relatively inexpensive and efficient way to bridge the gap between basic nutritional needs and an inadequate diet. It is important to try to maintain a healthy diet and to include a daily vitamin regimen in your schedule.

Skin protection and lutein!

Since we are in the midst of summer I thought I'd share what I think is one of the most relevant vitamins out there right now for skin health, lutein. I consider lutein the blockbuster of vitamins. In recent studies it has shown to have incredible heart, eye and now skin health benefits. Lutein is a carotenoid found in leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and kale.

According to a study published in 2007 in Skin Pharmacology & Physiology, lutein may help promote long-term skin health in the following ways:
- Moisturizing - Increasing skin hydration and elasticity.
- Anti-Aging - Increasing superficial skin lipid content, while decreasing the oxidation of skin lipids, which can cause degration of the skin.
- Sun protection - Protection the skin from damage associated with exposure to UV light by helping to bolster the skin's antioxidant defense system protecting against sun damage.

Please note that although lutein has been recently added to many multivitamins, most of the time there is barely any lutein added. Lutein is expensive and vitamin companies seem to just add it to their multivitamins to "say" it is in there but there there is very little (such as 250 mcg). Make sure to check how much lutein is in your multivitamin or take a separate lutein supplement that has at least 6mg - 15 mg of lutein.

Antioxidants and Acid Reflux

I recently saw an advertisement for Nexium that depicted tomatoes with horns and said "tomatoes are the devil." That was the first time I've ever laughed at acid reflux. If you have acid reflux, you know what a pain it can be and how it can really affect your life.
Reading about vitamins, my interest peaked when I read about research relating to acid reflux and antioxidants.

A new study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, suggests that antioxidants may have a positive effect on chronic GERD (Gastro esophageal reflux disease) associated with esophageal cancer. Dietary intake of vitamin C, Vitamin E and beta-carotene were inversely associated with the risk of Barrett's esophagus. Barrett's esophagus refers to an abnormal change in the cells of the lower end of the esophagus thought to be caused by damage from chronic acid exposure.

More research needs to be done to look into the use of supplements for acid reflux. However, according the National Cancer Institute “antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radical damage may lead to cancer. Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals and may prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause.”

My company does offer a multivitamin that has higher doses of antioxidants, called Viteyes® Complete. You may also look into other multivitamins that have higher dosing for antioxidants. Compare the side label to the daily recommended doses. Comment here if this works or doesn't work for you! Could be interesting to hear back from you.

Free Prenatal Vitamins?!

There might be more than just free samples of cereal at your local supermarket. With pharmacies on every corner, Meijer, Inc. out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, offers something unique. They have started offering free prenatal vitamins to customer who have a prescription. Recently, doctors
have been recommending prenatal vitamin use not only for woman who are pregnant, but also whose who are trying to conceive. Meijer, which is located in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky, also offer free antibiotics to its customers. Just some of the perks of living in the Midwest! - Community Assistant

Omega-3 & Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness for Americans over the age of 60. AMD slowly destroys the central vision which is needed for many tasks including driving or reading. Those at risk for or diagnosed with AMD may take vitamins containing the AREDS formula (specific high doses of antioxidants and zinc). More nutrients, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, show benefits for AMD as well.

Last month, Archives of Ophthalmology published a meta analysis on omega-3 fatty acid and fish intake and its effect on AMD. This study identified 274 abstracts, 3 prospective cohort, 3 case-control, and 3 cross-sectional studies. Using quantitative methods, a high dietary intake of omega-3 was associated with a 38% reduction in the risk of late AMD. Fish intake (2x per week) was associated with reduced risk of early and late AMD.

Omega-3 could have serious benefits for those with or at risk for AMD (more studies to come). In addition, omega-3 (which I take myself - Viteyes Omega-3) has been shown to be beneficial for heart health, depression, alzheimer's, and more. I personally think omega-3 is one of the most important vitamins to add to your daily supplement regimen.

Milk Thistle vs. Mushrooms

I thought it was common knowledge not to eat wild mushrooms...apparently not. In January of 2007, a family became ill after picking wild mushrooms from a state park in California and putting the fungus on their tacos. The mushrooms shut down their liver functions over a period of a few days. The treatment, found by doctors using Google Scholar, was the use of Milk Thistle. Milk Thistle, a plant from the daisy family, has been used as an herbal remedy for hundreds of years to benefit liver function and health, such as fatty liver. Milk Thistle has antioxidant properties and assistants in the regeneration of RNA in the liver and helps to eliminate toxins. Luckily, 5 of the 6 family members survived and were sent home, progressing to a full recovery. But it does beg the questions- who puts mushrooms on their tacos anyway?? - Community Assistant