Archive for the ‘Aging’ Category

Arthritis and Nutrition

August 19th, 2010

Moose, Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Early Diet, Nutrition

A 50-year study of moose (those antlered animals, not the Loyal Order guys in funny hats) on Isle Royal in Lake Superior indicates that osteoarthritis may have its origins in poor nutrition. According to an article in The New York Times, the study involved the examination of numerous moose carcasses that showed, among other things, that these leggy critters are subject to arthritis. After examining some 1,200 carcasses (be assured, Bullwinkle J. Moose was not one of them), scientists found that more than 50 percent had arthritis and that the disease looks much the same in moose as it does in people. Arthritis affects the hips and knees of wild moose, making them especially vulnerable to their main predator, the wolf. Among humans, osteoarthritis also affects knees and hips, causing pain and debilitation (and making sufferers vulnerable to pharmaceutical predators).

Scientists involved in the study said that the evidence indicated that poor early nutrition was the main cause of moose arthritis. According to Dr. Rolf Peterson of Michigan Technological University, arthritic moose tended to be small as measured by their metatarsal bones, and small metatarsals correlate to poor early nutrition.  The scientists were able to determine that the small moose were born during times of food scarcity, as a result of which their mothers had difficulty producing enough milk. They theorize that if the arthritis had been due to wear and tear, the moose would have had to walk further to find food when they were grown. But the evidence indicted that the moose had plentiful food as adults, leaving early nutrition as the most likely source of the problem.

There is significant evidence of a correlation between poor early nutrition and increased incidence of arthritis in human beings as well. For example, studies of the bones of 16th century Native Americans in the Southeast show an increase in the incidence of osteoarthritis after contact with the Spanish changed the Native American diet from fish and wild plants to one focused on corn. In fairness, the Spanish also vastly increased the workload for these people, which, it could be argued, may have contributed to arthritis. But the study showed that the Native Americans became smaller and more subject to anemia and malnutrition as a result of the dietary changes imposed on them and that this was a significant contributor to the increased incidence of osteoarthritis. The Times article also points to studies in Britain and in China that showed that low birth weight and poor in utero nutrition are linked to the later development of osteoarthritis (as well as other disabilities.)

The idea that carrying excess weight contributes to osteoarthritis is also being looked at anew as a result of the link between nutrition and the condition. No longer is obesity seen simply as creating extra wear and tear on joints and cartilages. Obesity is often fueled by a poor diet.  Says Dr. Peter Bales of the University of California of Davis Health System, and authority on arthritis, "Poor diet results in inflammatory changes and damage in cartilage cells, which in turn lead to cartilage breakdown and the development of osteoarthritis."

According to Dr. Bales, the proper diet can significantly reduce the pain and stiffness associated with the disease. And his diet of choice? The Mediterranean diet, of course.  Why?  It’s less acidic, reducing the release of free radicals that can damage joints and cartilage. Plus the diet’s emphasis on vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fruits and fish can support cartilage growth and slow its deterioration.   Bales also recommends limiting one’s intake of sugary and processed foods because they result in AGEs (advanced glycosylation end products). AGEs bind to the collagen in joints and cartilage rendering them more brittle.  He says increased vitamin C intake is important (vitamin C is alkalizing and anti-inflammatory) as is supplementation with fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, and  SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine). In addition, to Dr. Bales recommendations, I would also add supplementation with a formula containing avocado soy unsaponifiables, undenatured chicken collagen, ginger, cetyl myristoleate, and boswellia extract.

Around 1863, the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach, wrote, "Man is what he eats," which has come down to us as "you are what you eat." And while Feuerbach had a spiritual meaning in mind, I can’t help but be struck by its literal relevance in the case of osteoarthritis. Both the type of nutrition one has as a child and the diet one eats as an adult have direct impact on the health or deterioration of the joints and cartilages in later life (as well as on the entire system). Whether moose or man, it seems, the effects of bodily wear and tear combined with genetic predisposition can be triggered or fended off by the dietary choices both we and our parents make.

:hc

Aging, the Secret to Happiness?

July 10th, 2010

Aging, Depression, Happiness

A dapper 90-year-old man wanders into a bar. He spies a nice-looking 80-year old woman and sits next to her. Trying to remember his best pick up lines, he says, "Tell me, do I come here often?"

You might think that with the decline in physical and mental abilities that so often accompany aging, people would get progressively less happy as they got older. But a new study recently published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that in spite of the memory issues and greater physical frailty that often accompany aging, happiness increases with age. And yes, you read that correctly: happiness increases with aging. The study showed that starting in their mid-fifties, most people experience a decrease in anger and stress, and an increase in general feelings of well-being.

The study, out of Stony Brook University in New York, analyzed data collected in a Gallup phone survey of 340,847 adults between the ages of 18 and 85. The adults were selected at random from a sample of the U.S. population representing various levels of education and income. Respondents were asked to rate their current lives on a scale of zero to ten, with zero being the worst possible life and ten being the best possible life. They were also asked about the "affective states" they experienced on the previous day. That is, they were asked to total up how much of the day they experienced happiness, anger, sadness, enjoyment, stress, and so on.

Arthur Stone from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science led the study. He and his colleagues found that subjects between the ages of 22 and 25 showed the highest levels of stress, while in people over the age of 50, stress levels decreased dramatically. Worry and sadness also declined significantly in those over 50, although sadness did begin to increase again in those over 70 — but not so much as to outweigh the stress and anxiety of youth.

Dr. Stone commented, "You would think as chronic illness threatens, life would get worse, but that is not the case because people don’t focus on the threats. They focus on the good things in life like family and friends."  With that in mind, perhaps the reason that happiness peaks at 70 is that it’s around that age that one’s friends and contemporaries start moving on in significant numbers.

These results parallel the results of many earlier studies. A report delivered to the American Psychological Association in 2009 showed people in their 80s and 90s to be happier than younger people. And a Pew Research study showed that men between the ages of 20 and 29 were the least happy while men between the ages of 60 and 69 were the happiest.  Another study in 2008 also came to similar conclusions. According to the author of that study, Dr. Yang Yang , a University of Chicago sociologist, "The good news is that with age comes happiness. Life gets better in one’s perception as one ages."

Yang’s study was based on face-to-face interviews conducted periodically between 1972 and 2004 with about 28,000 people between the ages of 18 and 88.  Among other things, the study showed that although blacks and poor people start out less happy than whites and wealthier people, those differences disappear as the subjects age. In addition, the study showed that 88-year-olds were significantly happier than those between the ages of 18 to 20, with 33% of the former reporting that they were very happy compared to only 24% of the latter.

What does this all add up to? Why are older people happier, given their aches, pains, and the experience of peers dying around them? The researchers expressed puzzlement at the results, although Dr. Stone and colleagues theorize that, "older people are more effective at regulating their emotions than younger adults."  It may also be that older adults tend to "recall fewer negative memories than younger adults." Apparently, the empty nest syndrome has nothing to do with the results, because the researchers controlled for that. They also controlled for unemployment and marital status, which had no impact. The study did find that women worried more, felt more stress, and were less happy than men at all ages.

The phenomenon may also have something to do with changing attitudes around aging. More people continue to work after 50, although they may be more likely in later life to engage in work they enjoy, with less focus on getting ahead or making money.  This certainly reduces stress and adds to a sense of fulfillment. Also, older people now have more license to remain active in all areas of life, compared to a few generations ago when they were expected to sit around the fireplace in a rocker all day; and so in later years, they can enjoy life without the pressures of raising a family or punching the clock.

On the other hand, a cross-cultural study involving 74 countries indicated that there is a U-shaped curve to human happiness, with a mid-life crisis being almost inevitable, followed by increasing happiness. If this is the case, it may be that human happiness is biologically based. In other words, if you survive long enough, you’ll eventually get happy in spite of yourself. All in all, perhaps there is something to the old saying that "Youth is wasted on the young."

In any event, following the Baseline of Health Program can only contribute to that sense of health and well being as we age. With that in mind, it pays to follow an anti-aging health program: to eat well, exercise, take the right supplements, and periodically do full-body detoxes so that you feel both happy and healthy in later years.

:hc

Posted in Aging | 1 Comment »

Life Expectancy on Decline? Health Blog

May 4th, 2010

Childhood Obesity and Shortened Life Expectancy

It is said that for a parent to outlive their child is one of life’s most soul shattering experiences — a total disruption of the natural order. It is also a staple of Hollywood films from Pet Sematary to Ordinary People. Unfortunately, it looks that we now have an example of life imitating art — and not just for a handful of families. If current projections are correct, children dying before their parents is about to become the norm.

A new study published in the April 12 issue of the International Journal of Obesity reports that Americans born between 1966 and 1985 became obese at a much earlier age than their parents, and they are not dropping the extra pounds. Plus, as I constantly remind readers, far more young people are obese now than back a generation or so ago. This makes it much more likely that they’ll be outlived by their parents, the baby boomers. 

In a news release, researcher Joyce Lee, MD, MPH, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Michigan, reiterates this point. “Our research indicates that higher numbers of young and middle-age American adults are becoming obese at younger and younger ages.”  The study found 20% of people born between 1966 and 1985 were obese in their 20s. Their parents did not reach that obesity prevalence milestone until their 30s, and their grandparents did not reach that milestone until their 40s or 50s.  In other words, more Americans are getting heavier earlier in their lives and carrying the extra weight longer, and the impact of this is likely to shorten life expectancy.

The link between obesity and shortened life expectancy is well established.  A 2005 report by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), for example, showed that the average American is on track to lose five years of life expectancy due to increasing rates of obesity. The researchers analyzed trends in mortality rates as well as trends in body mass indexes and other factors that could affect the health of the current generation of children and young adults. They concluded that without aggressive steps to curb the rise of obesity, children and young adults will face a much greater risk of mortality throughout their lives than their elders.

The NIA authors reported studies showing that two-thirds of American adults are overweight and that the prevalence of obesity in U.S. adults has increased about 50 percent per decade since 1980. They pointed to additional research indicating that severely obese people live up to 20 years less than people who are not overweight. Some researchers estimated that obesity causes about 300,000 deaths in the U.S. annually. In addition, obesity is fueling an epidemic of type-2 diabetes, which also reduces lifespan.

Richard M. Suzman, Ph.D., Associate Director of the NIA for Behavioral and Social Research said, “This work paints a disturbing portrait of the potential effect that lifestyles of baby boomers and the next generation could have on life expectancy. But it is critical to note that the reduced life expectancy forecast by the study is not inevitable, and there is room for optimism. Government and private sector efforts are mobilizing against obesity, and increased education, improved medical treatments, and reduced smoking can tip the balance in favor of reduced mortality and continued improvements in life expectancy.”

Back in 2003, a study of 14,000 Americans published in the Journal of the American Medical Association took a darker view. The director of that study, Dr. David Allison of the University of Alabama, said, “Obesity has a profound effect on life span. It increases the risk for several life-threatening conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. Younger people are especially vulnerable, in part because they have more years to live and more time for the obesity to take its toll.” And more recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009 also makes Dr. Suzman’s hopeful outlook seem a bit naive. That study showed that if the current trends in obesity continue, by 2020, nearly half the U.S population (45%) will be obese by World Health Organization standards. This means that even more people will experience the increased risks for heart disease, diabetes and other health complications associated with obesity.

I’ve written many times that we can’t continue to eat more and do less without putting on weight. I recently discussed the impact of increased portion sizes at restaurants. And the impact of our greater reliance on processed, calorie rich foods is a well-worn subject in my blog posts. Still the obesity challenge remains. If it continues unabated, the favorite parental threat, “Over my dead body,” will one-day make no sense, since so many kids won’t last long enough to see their own parents die.

:hc

Botox Blunts the Blues (a little): Health Blog

March 20th, 2010

Dangers of Botox

In the Star Trek: Next Generation series, the Borg were a frightening species of cyborgs who roamed the universe in search of other species to bring into the “hive.” As cyborgs, they were a blend of biological and machine parts — most notably in their faces. As a side note, this made the facial expression of human emotion impossible.

A new study indicates that the Borg could have saved a ton on machine parts and made assimilation much simpler if they merely shot their victims up with Botox.  Like Borg implants, Botox diminishes the range of expression patients can display, and also like Borg implants, Botox affects the mind.

The study, led by Dr. David Havas, psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, evaluated 40 first-time Botox patients both before and after treatment.  In both evaluations, the patients were asked to read statements designed to make them happy, sad, or angry (things like: “someone just cut you off on the freeway,” “you just got an unexpected check in the mail”). When the subjects understood the statements, they pushed a button. Interestingly, after having Botox injections, the patients took longer to respond to the angry and the sad statements. They responded to the happy statements in the same amount of time.

Scientists theorize that this has something to do with how Botox works.  Botox (Botulinum Toxin A) injections paralyze the muscles that control frowning, and this soften the wrinkles associated with them.  They also prevent recipients from frowning. People who can’t frown tend to smile more, and research shows that mood actually follows expression. There’s a term for this observation — the “facial feedback hypothesis“– which says that facial expressions like smiling and frowning signal the brain to produce corresponding emotional responses. In other words, put on a happy face and you’ll find yourself feeling happier. 

The researchers believe that because Botox makes recipients “frown-impaired,” it decreases their ability to perceive negative statements. In a separate study, Murad Alam, associate professor of dermatology at Northwestern University, also looked at the connection between facial feedback and mood in Botox patients. According to Alam, “When we are sad, angry or frustrated, but we have Botox on board, our muscles do not contract to create furrows between our brows and deep creases on our foreheads. This lack of frowning and wrinkling works backward to adjust our emotions and make us happier.” 

According to Dr. Havas, “Botox induces a kind of mild, temporary cognitive blindness to information in the world, social information about the emotions of other people.” But while Havas cautioned that blocking negative emotions with Botox could have the undesirable consequence of diminishing our ability to tell when things are not going well, Dr. Alam argued that the increased incidence of happiness with Botox outweighed any negative consequences of the delayed ability to perceive the negative. (Sounds to me like someone pitching assimilation into the Borg hive.)

In fact, while some, like Dr. Havas, might be horrified at the prospect at losing the ability to react normally to normal provocations, the Botox people take the news as a marketing miracle. They cite an earlier study in 2006 by the Society of Dermatologic Surgery that found that Botox can curb depression, making it seem like the paramount boon. Not only does it deliver the fountain of youth, but it also delivers the fountain of joy. With this latest study, it’s being touted as a possible tool for anger management. Here’s an excerpt from the website of Epione, a cosmetic surgery center in Beverly Hills: “So the next time you see those frown lines appearing, feel free to get BOTOX®. You may find yourself in a better mood–and not just because you look fantastic.”

Unfortunately, in spite of the happy advertising ditties, there are some real risks associated with the use of Botox. When used for cosmetic purposes, the most common side effects include droopy eyelids, nausea, muscle weakness, facial pain, indigestion or heartburn, dental problems, and high blood pressure (hypertension). Other common side effects are cough, flu-like symptoms, back pain, runny or stuffy nose, dizziness, soreness at the injection site, weakness, dry mouth, drowsiness, bleeding at the injection site, infection, sore throat, and anxiety. Ironically, one of the most common side effects is increased anxiety accompanied by insomnia, which affects up to 10% of people treated with Botox, somewhat diminishing the promise of feeling bubbly after treatment. You might say that Botox can make you feel anxiously happy!

Worse still, in 2008 the FDA issued two warnings about Botox after 16 people, including four children under 18 years of age, died from Botox injections.  Most of these people were being treated for cerebral palsy. In 2009, the FDA mandated a blackbox warning for Botox, citing the risk that the toxin could spread beyond the injection site and interfere with swallowing, breathing, and heart function. A definite bummer for anyone, let alone those thinking they might increase their happiness by injecting the stuff.

There is also the danger of severe reactions to the toxin in patients with diseases that affect neurotransmission (Lou Gerhigs disease, myashthenia gravis, Lamber-Eaton syndrome, etc.) Botulinum toxin can also affect the heart if enough of it is absorbed into the bloodstream, a possible contraindication for those with a history of heart disease. Since treatment with Botox consists of multiple skin injections, extra caution is recommended for patients with uncontrolled diabetes or disorders that affect blood clotting or wound healing.

Given the risks, you might want to take the natural approach to looking younger. As for getting happy, you could skip the injection of Botox and just force yourself to smile anyway. At least your reaction-time won’t be impaired should the Borg show up at your door.

:hc

How Much Sleep Do the Elderly Need? Health Blog

February 11th, 2010

Lack Of Sleep In Elderly

Partying belongs in the teen years according to popular belief, but in terms of metabolism, older adults might be better equipped to stay up until the wee hours. A new study out of the University of Surrey in England found that the time you spend sleeping decreases with age naturally, even if you stay in bed the same amount of time as you did when younger. Although numerous earlier studies also found that advancing age correlates to less sleep, most of those studies blamed the sleep reduction on age-related problems like restless leg syndrome, health issues, and sleep apnea. This study, however, found that the decrease in sleep that comes with advancing years isn’t necessarily a result of dysfunction: it’s a normal part of aging.

“Even the researchers admit they were surprised by the findings,” said Dr. Dave Hnida, medical editor of the journal Sleep, which just published the findings. “We always thought the older you got, the more sleep you needed to rejuvenate.”

The study involved 110 subjects who fell into three distinct age categories, young (aged 20 to 30), middle-aged (40 to 50), and older (66 to 83 years old). All the subjects stayed in bed for eight hours, three nights running, and although none of them slept the entire time, the results showed clear differences from one age group to the next. Those in the youngest group slept an average of seven hours and 15 minutes. The middle-aged group snoozed for an average of six hours and 55 minutes, and members of the oldest group averaged six hours and 30 minutes. In other words, the youngest subjects slept 43 minutes more than the oldest.

The researchers did find that older subjects took longer to doze off than their more youthful counterparts. The youngest group entered sleep in an average of eight minutes after setting head on pillow, compared to almost twice that (15 minutes) for the 65-year-plus subjects. And, the rhythm of the sleep experience varied by age. While the youngest subjects woke up for only 21 minutes after first falling asleep, the oldest group spent 71 minutes lying awake in bed. These two factors — that older people have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep — might account for the older person’s perception that he or she has insomnia in spite of getting enough sleep. In other words, it’s a matter of perception, of expecting the geography of sleep to look the same in advanced years as it did in youth, although in fact normal sleep patterns do seem to change with age.

In fact, according to a study back in 2003, waking up in the middle of the night is altogether normal. Dr. Thomas Wehr of the National Institute of Mental Health followed the sleep of 15 young volunteers who simulated prehistoric sleep patterns — sleeping from sundown to sunrise — and discovered that virtually all of them slept in two distinct episodes during the night with an awake bout of several hours in the middle. Dr. Wehr says that even in ancient times, people slept in episodes rather than straight through the night. “There are historical records of people sleeping in two bouts at night,” Wehr explains. He says the first bout is “dead sleep,” and the second, lighter bout, is “morning sleep.” This pattern holds true for young people as well as older individuals, although older people can be yanked out of sleep by disturbances more easily.

That’s because aging brings less time spent in deep, slow-wave sleep — the “dead” phase where nothing wakes you. In the current study, this held true, and yet, the older subjects displayed less daytime sleepiness than the younger folks. Dr. Hnida explains, “The reason older folks need less sleep is because they get a better quality of sleep. That means the older the brain, the more effectively it cycles through the stages of sleep.” If he’s right, it’s an interesting twist on the commonly held belief that staying in deep, delta-wave sleep is what restores the body. Rather, Dr. Hnida says, it’s cycling through all the stages of sleep that’s the key.

Given that over half of all elderly people complain of insomnia, these findings shed light that may help at least some older people accept their reduced ability to sleep as normal, as long as they don’t experience daytime sleepiness — and that’s the bottom line. One of the researchers, Dr. Derk-Jan Dijk, commented, “Our findings reaffirm the theory that it is not normal for older people to be sleepy during the daytime. Whether you are young or old, if you are sleepy during the day you either don’t get enough sleep or you may suffer from a sleep disorder.” The older subjects in the study who slept less than the younger subjects were not sleepy during the day.

Still, it is true, even after reframing, that aging does bring real sleep issues to many who slept just fine when younger. The causes range from hormonal changes after menopause in women, to medical issues that cause pain and discomfort, to depression, anxiety and dementia, and to the side effects of medications — a huge factor. Since lack of sleep contributes to rapid aging, you need to sleep enough for your body to recuperate, no matter your age. And as I’ve written before, drinking caffeine-laden sodas and coffees, eating sweets, and eating a poorly balanced diet all create sleeplessness. So do many pharmaceuticals. Not getting enough exercise also throws the metabolism off and makes sleep difficult. Instituting a healthy regimen that includes good diet and exercise and that avoids pharmaceuticals to the extent possible will help you to sleep tight whether you’re 20 or pushing 100.

:hc

Posted in Aging | No Comments »

Economic Downturn Good for Health: Health Blog

October 27th, 2009

Economic Recession, Mortality Rates

When the economy tanks, not everything goes into the toilet. Though it seems as counterintuitive as Magnetic Hill, where cars in neutral roll up the mountain, history shows that during economic recessions, longevity increases and health improves. In fact, according to a new study out of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, the Great Depression ushered in a considerable leap in life expectancy, but as soon as the economy looked sunny again, life expectancy took a nosedive.

The study focused on the two decades between 1920 and 1940, a period of extreme economic volatility. During the years of the Depression, from 1929 to 1933, the gross domestic product dropped five percent while the population experienced a 6.2-year gain in life expectancy. The pattern held true for both genders and across ethnic groups. While life expectancy has consistently climbed since the 1920s (it was 57.1 years in 1929, and currently is 77 years), the gains were greatest and fastest during the years of the worst economic conditions. In the case of this study, life expectancy rose by 8.8 years during the entire 20-year span, with, as mentioned above, the majority of the increase — 6.2 years — occurring during the four years of the Depression. Of course, one needs to read life expectancy numbers with a skeptical eye since they don’t always mean what you think they mean.

Nevertheless, throughout the 20 years studied: whenever the economy improved, mortality rates went up. Whenever the economy suffered, mortality rates went down. Translated another way, according to Dr. Christopher Ruhm of the University of North Carolina, for every increase of one percent in unemployment, mortality rates drop by half a percent. And according to research director Dr. A. Tapia Granados, the same thing happened during the recession in the early 1980s and 1990s. Recessions abroad have seen the same pattern. On virtually every health parameter studied — heart problems, kidney disease, cancer, pulmonary disease, tuberculosis, infant mortality — recession ushered in improvements. The only exception was death by suicide, which did increase during the Great Depression.

“This is a pattern that is found again and again,” Dr. Granados confirmed. “The basic finding … is that mortality rates tend to evolve in parallel to the economy. When the economy goes up, mortality tends to go up. When the economy goes down, mortality rates tend to go down, too.”

The scientists have no definitive explanation for the unexpected phenomenon, but they do have some theories. First, they cite the fact that fewer people drive automobiles when the economy is bad. This means that fewer die in automobile accidents, which helps mortality statistics. It also means that air pollution from vehicular emissions decreases, reducing deaths triggered by particulate matter. Along a similar line of reasoning, when companies shut down, they add less pollution to the air, and so in times of low productivity air quality improves. Then again, wouldn’t the health benefits of better air quality be reflected several decades down the line after long term non-exposure?

An article in US News and World Report suggests that recession cuts into people’s cigarette and alcohol budget, and the less people drink and smoke, the healthier they stay. It’s a good theory, but there’s a credibility gap given the fact that recent data indicates that cigarette sales have gone up for the first time in years ever since the recession hit. Recent tax increases on cigarette sales may be impacting that trend, but overall, alcohol, tobacco, and chocolate are among the few items still selling well in spite (or possibly because of) the economy. And again, as with air quality, wouldn’t the mortality benefits show up several decades down the line? I mean, it’s not like you get cancer one month after smoking your first cigarette.

Dr. Granados postulates that the debilitating impact of working too hard explains higher mortality in boom times. “During expansions, firms are very busy, and they typically demand a lot of effort from employees, who are required to work a lot of overtime, and to work at a fast pace. Also, new workers may be hired who are inexperienced, so injuries are likely to be more common,” he says. He suggests that the stress may drive people to smoke, drink, and eat unhealthy foods — but again, data shows that smoking and drinking rates stay relatively stable as the economy fluctuates. But he’s probably on target in suggesting that work demands may cause people to sleep less, and of course, there’s the general impact of stress on the body to consider — and that’s a huge factor. Then again, you might think that being out of work would be incredibly stressful, but as it turns out, it’s not that simple.

Along those lines, another study perhaps offers some clues. The University of Michigan research compared two groups of subjects, one surveyed between 1986 and 1989 and another between 1995 and 2005. The study found that those who “feared” losing their jobs suffered far more health-wise than those who had actually been laid off or fired. “In fact, chronic job insecurity was a stronger predictor of poor health than either smoking or hypertension in one of the groups we studied,” the director of that study, Sarah Burgard, said.

The other viable theory that Dr. Granados puts forth is that economic distress causes people to band together. People have more time to spend socializing, and they tend to support each other more than when everyone has money. “This would improve the level of social cohesion and social support and could have a protective effect on health,” he says.

One possibility that none of the experts put forth is that when people can’t afford medical treatment, they fare better simply by avoiding doctors. They aren’t subject to harmful pharmaceuticals, hospital disasters, and dangerous diagnostic and surgical procedures. While public health officials fret and sigh that people aren’t getting the care they need, in fact, doing nothing may oftentimes be healthier than going to the doctor. Given the 98,000 deaths annually from medical error in the US, less exposure to medical practitioners may have a bigger impact on declining mortality rate than those other factors named. The bottom line is that it is not a coincidence that time after time, when doctors go on strike, mortality rates drop dramatically in those cities or countries affected by the strikes.

I’m certainly not saying there’s no place for health care and that we should all just ride out whatever ailments assail us without any intervention. But if illness does come, a natural health regimen may be the safest first choice, reserving pharmaceuticals and surgeries for the most dire cases and for illnesses that won’t respond to less invasive approaches. Hopefully, this is a lesson the public can learn without having the economy completely bottom out.

:hc

Another Reason Not to Buy a Convertible: Health Blog

October 17th, 2009

Hearing Loss

Most dogs love to drive with their heads hanging out the window, the wind whipping the saliva out of their open mouths. Likewise, many humans believe that every dog should have his day and that driving a convertible is one of life’s drool inducing pleasures. But the open-air fun and glamour that convertibles evoke may come at a cost beyond the price-tag, because new research shows that convertible riders have an elevated risk of losing their hearing.

The study, funded by Worcestershire Royal Hospital in the UK, found that the typical noise generated by a moving convertible registers considerably higher than the threshold usually associated with hearing loss. Dr. Philip Michael, the study director, said, “If you are exposed for long periods above 85 decibels [of sound], you have the potential for hearing loss. The maximum noise [of cars tested] was at 70 miles per hour and that was 89 decibels. It has the potential for causing long-term hearing loss.”

The researchers tried out a variety of vehicles just to make sure the noise level stayed loud from one car to the next. In the name of medicine, they drove a Toyota MR2, a Mazda Miata MX5, the Audi A4 Cabriolet, a Morgan plus 4 Roadster, a Porsche 997 Carrera, an Aston Martin V-8 Vantage, and a Bentley convertible — all at 50, 60, and 70 miles per hour.

Dr. Michael found that paying a lot for a car doesn’t mean it becomes exempt from wind resistance. The expensive cars were as noisy as the cheapest once the tops went down. Also, going slower made only a minimal difference in noise level when driving on the highway. Oh, and cranking up your car’s stereo to override the wind noise doesn’t actually help.

But in the world of ear-popping noise, all is relative. While normal conversation registers at about 60 decibels, you could drive with the top down to a Rolling Stones concert and back again and get a whole lot less noise exposure than if you actually went into the concert, where the noise-level would be at about 115 decibels.

And that brings up a simultaneous study of 5,000 people in the US, which found that men have three times the risk of hearing loss related to noise compared to women. While driving a convertible may up the ante for potential deafness, so do many other activities — and apparently, men indulge in more of those activities. For instance, operating heavy equipment or machinery like chain saws or lawnmowers without ear protection can damage hearing. Men are more likely to shoot guns, to drive motorcycles, and to listen to head-banging music — in other words, to have jobs or hobbies that require noise exposure.

It’s something that most people don’t think about in the course of normal life — that turning the stereo up too high can degrade hearing over time, even if it’s Mozart on the sound waves. In fact, a significant percentage of adults do suffer from noise-induced hearing loss, including 13 percent of the subjects in the sample. According to Dr. Douglas Mattox, professor of otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine, “Noise-induced hearing loss is the number one preventable kind of hearing loss. We’re all born with 20,000 inner hair cells on each side of the head, and those are a non-renewable resource, and they never come back every time one is lost.”

How can you lessen your chances of damaging your hearing while still having fun? First, wear earplugs or noise-canceling headphones when operating noisy machinery, playing the drums, taking off in the airplane, and when driving your convertible (assuming it’s legal to do so in your state). Next, lower your frequency of exposure. As Allison Grimes, head of the audiology department at the UCLA Medical Center says, “…if you drive eight hours a day, seven days a week you have a much greater concern than if you drive two hours on a Sunday afternoon.” If you have a convertible, roll up the windows to slash the noise level, and use a wind guard. Also, eat your vegetables and fruits: another simultaneous study found that men over the age of 60 can decrease their risk of hearing loss by a full 20 percent just by consuming plenty of folates, which are found in leafy green vegetables, fruits, and beans.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention: men can also possibly preserve their hearing by remaining single. The data shows that married men suffer far more noise-induced hearing loss than single men, a fact that puzzles the researchers. Some media sources have been having fun with this fact, blaming nagging wives for the phenomenon. A more politically correct analysis might theorize that with a wife’s second income, men can afford to buy more of the toys and tools they crave — the power saws, CDs, and motorbikes. If so, perhaps they can begin diverting some of the excess funds to a folate supplement and a pair of good noise-cancelling headphones.

:hc

Optimism Adds Years: Health Blog

September 10th, 2009

Optimism, Longevity

When Norman Vincent Peale wrote the Power of Positive Thinking, he didn’t focus on longevity as one of the benefits of happy thoughts. The many imitators who have followed him, including the authors of The Secret, also don’t hype long life as a chief benefit of thinking positive. On the other hand, I actually devoted a whole chapter, “The Thought that Kills,” to the subject in Lessons from the Miracle Doctors. And in fact, several major studies over the years have backed me up and discovered that optimistic thinking does result in longer life. 

The latest study to confirm this link comes from The University of Pittsburgh, where researchers culled data from the Women’s Health Initiative study of more than 100,000 women over age 50 followed since 1994. The researchers found that optimistic subjects were 14 percent more likely to still be alive eight years into the study, and nine percent less likely to develop heart disease. Also, confirming the old sorcery idea that if you send out hostility it may come back to strangle you, the study found that women who hold hostile thoughts toward others or who are mistrustful do seem to suffer a boomerang effect, with hostility upping the risk of dying by 16 percent within the eight-year window. (What can I say? I love each and every one of you reading this.)

The researchers ascertained just how optimistic the subjects were by asking them to respond to a series of standardized statements such as, “If something can go wrong for me, it will,” “In unclear times, I usually expect the best,” “I’ve often had to take orders from someone who didn’t know as much as I did,” and, “It’s safest to trust nobody.” Apparently, even after controlling for other health issues and lifestyle factors (none of the women had cancer or heart disease at the outset), the optimists outlived the pessimists. Study director, Dr. Hillary Tindle of the University of Pittsburgh comments, “Taking into account income, education, health behaviors like controlling blood pressure and whether or not you are physically active, whether or not you drink or smoke, we still see optimists with a decreased risk of death compared to pessimists.”

As a side note, race plays a role in the happy-thoughts factor, with black women particularly vulnerable to death by misery. The pessimistic black women in the study had a whopping 33% greater risk of dying compared to their optimistic cohorts. Researchers don’t know why this discrepancy occurs. Also, earlier studies found that gender counts, with optimism playing an even greater role in longevity for men than for women.

One study that confirmed the gender factor also found a far stronger correlation between optimism and longevity than the current research. According to that study, which was led by Dr. Erik Giltay of the Psychiatric Center GGC in Delft, the Netherlands in 2004, optimists have a 55-percent reduced risk of death from all causes. The subjects included about 1000 men and women aged 65-85 who completed a 30-item “optimism” test. The most optimistic subjects not only lived longer than the least optimistic over a 15-year period; they also had a 23 percent reduced chance of death by cardiovascular event.

The authors of that study wrote in The Archives of General Psychiatry, “We found that the trait of optimism was an important long-term determinant of all causes [of death] and cardiovascular mortality in elderly subjects independent of socio-demographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors. A predisposition toward optimism seemed to provide a survival benefit in elderly subjects with relatively short life expectancies otherwise.”

Why does optimism seem to up the lifespan? The researchers essentially shrug their shoulders, although Dr. Tindle does put forth two theories. First, upbeat people tend to have more friends and larger social networks, which means that they probably get more support during crises. Also, they handle stress better, which means they not only stay happier, but their bodies manage the physiological impact of stress better. Then again, as I point out in Miracle Doctors, there are numerous studies that identify the direct connection between what you think and your immune system. Happy thoughts jack up your immune system. Unhappy thoughts shut it down. That alone would have a major impact on life expectancy.

So what can you do if you’re not naturally ebullient but you would like to live longer (despite your belief that it will be a long, miserable haul)? Find ways to handle your stress. One previous study of monks and nuns in Hamburg, Germany found that the monastic life leads to longevity, which the researchers attribute to the routine and lack of stress encountered by the cloistered subjects. Short of entering the monastery, though, maybe Stuart Smalley (Al Franken) was onto something. No matter what went wrong in his life, he was always able to affirm, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.”

:hc

Binge Drinking in Your Golden Years: Health Blog

August 29th, 2009

Binge Drinking, Senior Citizens

For at least some senior citizens, relaxing on the porch with a cup of tea just doesn’t cut it for entertainment — unless that tea happens to be spiked. The results of one of the largest-ever studies of substance abuse recently discovered that a surprising number of older adults enjoy binge drinking a bit too much. In fact, out of 11,000 respondents, 22 percent of men aged 50-64 and nine percent of women in that same age group had indulged in binge drinking in the previous 30 days. Plus, 19 percent of the men and 13 percent of the women drank two or more alcoholic beverages daily on an ongoing basis, which experts consider risky levels. Of those over 65, the binge-drinking numbers came in at 14 percent of men and three percent of women, with at-risk drinking on a daily basis applying to 13 percent of men and eight percent of women. Or as John Belushi said in Animal House, “Toga! Toga! Toga!”

The study, a joint project of Duke University and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, analyzed results of surveys administered between 2005 and 2006.  Binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more drinks in a single sitting. (Toga!) Since the surveys relied on self-reporting and since the brain undoubtedly goes too fuzzy to count after a few drinks, it’s possible that even higher percentages of the nation’s seniors regularly get blotto. No wonder so many elders get into car accidents — and we worry about teens!  In fact, research shows that similar percentages of 50-64 year olds binge drink as do adolescents — slightly under 20 percent of those aged 12-20 (although that percentage skyrockets once the kids hit college).

According to study director Dr. Dan Blazer of Duke University, “A surprising number of older Americans are engaging in drinking patterns that are putting their health at risk, yet these problems often go unrecognized. Middle age and older adults may be easy to miss for at-risk or binge drinking because most clinicians are focused on excessive drinking behaviors among young people, such as those in college. [Older adults] often don’t show the typical signs of alcohol dependence.”

Or perhaps, many of those signs are ascribed to other possible causes such as side effects from prescription drugs or diabetes or heart disease.

Interestingly, the data showed that the higher the income, the greater the likelihood of binge drinking. Divorced, separated, or widowed men were more likely to binge drink. In general, men binged more than women did, as did smokers and those who indulged in recreational drugs.

The Duke University researchers expressed concern that heavy drinking poses more of a risk to elderly people than it does to teens, in part because so many older people take prescription medications that may interact with alcohol. Plus, drinking can exacerbate health problems typical among the elderly, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and there’s a much greater chance of broken bones if elderly people fall when drunk. Dr. Blazer comments: “[Older people] don’t metabolize alcohol as quickly, they may be on medications, or they may have some health problems that alcohol may contribute to. On average, if a young person drinks five beers and an older person drinks five beers, the older person is almost certainly going to have more difficulty.”

But there is another side to this story. In contrast to Dr. Blazer’s concerns, another large-scale study a few years ago found that being over 65 doesn’t necessarily mean that drinking will have negative health consequences. That research analyzed drinking patterns of over 13,000 seniors in the US and England, and found that consuming up to two drinks a day usually caused no health problems; in fact, the subjects who had the two drinks a day fared better health-wise than those who didn’t drink at all. The director of that study, Dr. Iain Lang of the Peninsula Medical School, said, “Current guidelines on drinking for the elderly are too conservative, and a couple of drinks a day will do no harm, and will in fact have a more beneficial affect on cognitive and general health than abstinence.”  (Toga!)

(On a side note, that study found that heavy drinking among elders in the UK far exceeded the rate in the US, with 10.8 per cent of US men versus 28.6 per cent of UK men exceeding recommended daily drinking limits, and 2.9 per cent of US women versus 10.3 per cent in the UK. But that’s a subject to explore at our next toga party.)

So, to drink or not to drink, that is the question — if you’re over 50. Certainly, it isn’t safe to binge drink and then drive to Bingo, nor is it a good example for the kids. Binge drinking may impair your reputation, your judgment, and your health if pushed to the point where you’re incoherent and unsteady. But enjoying a few glasses of wine daily (as long as you avoid the heavy metals and pesticides) or an evening martini is unlikely to present much of a problem. Essentially, you can choose your study — if you love to drink, go with the UK study and make sure the rest of your health routines are clean and life-supporting. If drinking isn’t essential to your happiness, go with the Duke study, be righteous, abstain, and avoid wearing togas.

In any event, happiness correlates with longevity, and if drinking correlates to happiness for you, perhaps that’s something to consider when evaluating the Duke study and its call for needing far better mental health services for seniors.

:hc

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Older Equals Happier: Health Blog

August 15th, 2009

Aging, Mental Health

When songwriter Jeff Dayton wrote these lyrics celebrating his aging father –”I might have been younger, faster, stronger….but I’ve never been better”– he probably didn’t know he was tapping into a universal truth. Because in fact, studies show that the older you get, the happier you get and the more mentally balanced you become.

Sure, it goes against the stereotypical image of the cranky old person who can’t wait for it all to be over, hurting and miserable. But in fact, a recent review of seven studies presented at the American Psychological Association convention revealed that mental health improves with age except for those with dementia-related illnesses. According to research director Susan Turk Charles of the University of California, Irvine, the studies revealed that not only does happiness improves with age, but so does the ability to maintain emotional control.

In one of the studies, several hundred subjects were made to overhear others calling them “boring” and “untrustworthy.” While the younger subjects, who were between the ages of 18 and 40, reacted with anger and distress, the older subjects, aged 63 to 86, were more likely to shrug it off. Generally, the older the subject, the less affected he or she was by the criticism. One might argue that the seemingly detached subjects simply hadn’t turned their hearing aids on and so missed the slight, but Dr. Charles says in fact, the studies show that advancing age leads to improved anger control and perspective, and better skills at deflecting conflict.

“Research has also shown that older adults … are more likely to actively avoid or limit negative, stressful situations than do younger adults,” Dr. Charles noted. “We know that older people are increasingly aware that the time they have left in life is growing shorter… They have also had more time to learn and understand the intentions of others, which help them to avoid these stressful situations.”

The researchers did find that when faced with chronic stressors, such as the long-term illness of a loved one, age worked against subjects because they simply didn’t have the physical resources to cope. “Older adults may have more difficulty with these situations because distressing events require both psychological and physical resources,” Dr. Charles said.

Still, overall, age seems to lead to serenity and even happiness. But why? One explanation that pops up repeatedly has to do with social interaction. One of the studies found that those in their 70s and 80s were twice as likely to be involved in community activities as younger subjects. Plus, while young people may spend their time building 1000-friend networks on Facebook, the elderly focus on family and strong friendships already established, which apparently leads to less stress and more satisfaction. Also, elderly subjects often have dumped their jobs and retired, which removes a layer of stress and grants more play time.

Another finding emerging from the studies puts forth the idea that the older brain lets go of negative memories more quickly and more completely than the younger brain. While younger people mull over negative experiences, plotting revenge or wallowing in guilt, elderly people simply let the memory go. Similarly, in one of the seven studies, Professor Lauren Carstensen of Stanford University found that elderly subjects live more in the moment than younger counterparts. “Older people do not dwell in the past as popular stereotypes claim, but they do not think as much about the future as younger people do,” said Dr. Carstensen. “We argue that much of the benefit to mental health comes from living in the present — stopping to smell the roses and noticing what is good about life.”

One key fact overlooked by the study and virtually all the press coverage is that the results look rather different when viewed through the skew of gender. According to a study published in The Journal of Happiness last year, up until age 48, women out-happy men by a considerable margin, but that flips around once women pass through the gates of menopause. The researchers theorize that men have more success meeting their goals late in life — they’ve finally reached financial goals, for instance — and their happy enough in their marriages. Women, on the other hand, often haven’t met their life goals, and their marriages ultimately turn disappointing when the kids leave home, or, they find themselves widowed.

In any event, given the possibility of finding the golden road emotionally in the golden years if you don’t have dementia, it makes sense to keep the body and mind healthy so that you can partake of your well earned reward. Unfortunately, of the more than 22 million adults over age 71 in the US, more than one third show signs of mental decline. But there are things you can do to decrease your chances of being one of the declining unhappy third and to increase your chances of being able to sing, ‘I might have been younger, faster, stronger….but I’ve never been better.”

:hc

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