Therapist Unlimited Blog

Although alcohol consumption is known to be associated with chronic pancreatitis, new evidence indicates that a threshold of five or more drinks per day is required to significantly raise risk; however, most patients with chronic pancreatitis do not drink this amount.
In addition, based on the study it was also discovered that smoking is an independent, dose-dependent risk factor.
"Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammatory syndrome of the pancreas characterized by progressive parenchymal fibrosis scarring of the organ, maldigestion, diabetes mellitus and pain," the researchers explained.
"Recurrent acute pancreatitis [acute pancreatitis that occurs on two or more occasions and may become chronic] and chronic pancreatitis are associated with alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.
The etiology of recurrent acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis is complex, and effects of alcohol and smoking may be limited to specific patient subsets."
Dhiraj Yadav, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues in the North American Pancreatic Study Group examined the current prevalence of alcohol use and smoking and their association with pancreatitis in patients evaluated at U.S. referral centers.
Between 2000 and 2006, 1,000 patients (540 with chronic pancreatitis and 460 with recurrent acute pancreatitis) were  enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Study 2 (NAPS2), as were 695 healthy controls.
All participants (average age 49.7) reported their alcohol consumption and smoking habits.

About one-fourth of both controls and patients were lifetime abstainers. Among those with chronic pancreatitis, 38.4 percent of men and 11 percent of women were very heavy drinkers  (five or more drinks per day), compared with 16.9 percent of men and 5.5 percent of women with recurrent acute pancreatitis and 10 percent of men and 3.6 percent of women in the control group.
"We found the threshold drinking amount for association between alcohol use and chronic pancreatitis to be five or more drinks per day," the authors write. Compared with abstaining and light drinking (half a drink per day or less), very heavy drinking was associated with approximately triple the odds of developing chronic pancreatitis. However, fewer patients with chronic pancreatitis  than expected (about one-fourth) drank at this level. Other factors, including genetic mutations, also contribute to pancreatitis risk.
Although many heavy drinkers also smoked, cigarette use was an independent risk factor for both chronic pancreatitis and recurrent acute pancreatitis. Among smokers, those with chronic pancreatitis tended to smoke more (26.6 pack-years, vs. 19.5 pack-years for those with recurrent acute pancreatitis and 16.2 pack-years for controls; one pack-year is about 7,300 cigarettes  smoked) and had smoked for a longer period of time (a median or midpoint of 30.5 years, vs. 21.9 years for controls and 22.7 years for those with recurrent acute pancreatitis), suggesting a dose-dependent effect.
"In conclusion, only very heavy alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking are independent risk factors for chronic pancreatitis," the authors write. "Risk for chronic pancreatitis from alcohol consumption occurs above a threshold level, while risk due to smoking is dose dependent. Drinking levels in subjects with recurrent acute pancreatitis are similar to controls.
Only a minority of patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis currently seen at secondary or tertiary U.S. centers could be categorized as very heavy drinkers."

A recent study has shown that those who drink heavily are at higher risk of getting inflicted with prostate cancer.
Based on the research heavy drinking consist of four glasses of liquor a day on five days a week.
The researchers in their study also found out that heavy drinking made finasteride ineffective for reducing prostate cancer risk.

Heavy drinkers better stop their habit or limit their liquor intake if they wish to avoid suffering from prostate cancer.

The research has shown that that finasteride’s ability to lower prostate cancer risk was blocked in men drinking 50g alcohol per day.
To avoid chances of suffering from prostate cancer, medical experts hope heavy drinkers will stop their habit or limit their liquor intake for the sake of their health.Prostate cancer, a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system is a deadly disease that should not be overlooked.
The cancer cells may metastasize (spread) from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes.
Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, problems during sexual intercourse, or erectile dysfunction. Other symptoms can potentially develop during later stages of the disease.

A recent study has shown that people over the age of 60 are the most vulnerable to heat waves, with 82% to 92% more deaths than average occurring in this age group.
Based on the research, risks for heat-related illness or injury such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps are also
heightened in people with obesity, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory conditions as these decrease the body’s ability to adapt to temperature changes.
The researchers said physicians and their patients must be aware of the risk factors for older people and people with chronic disease in excessive heat conditions and counsel and manage accordingly.
According to the researchers, laboratory-based physiologic studies show that the ability to detect heat is reduced, and the physiological response to heat with adequate blood distribution and sweating to cool the body is slower, in otherwise healthy older individuals compared to younger people.
The research team explained their ability to respond to thirst is also delayed and they take longer to recover from dehydration.
Moreover, the study has also shown that people of lower socio-economic groups, lower levels of education and those who are socially isolated have a greater risk of mortality.

The elderly need to be careful since they are at higher risk from suffering from heat stress.

The researchers said air conditioning is associated with a risk reduction of 80% and working fans with a 30% reduction.
The researchers added housing may be a factor as lower income people often live in crowded or poor-quality housing, with inadequate ventilation and cooling systems.
They revealed homeless people are at risk because of lack of shelter from extreme heat and often also by underlying physical or psychiatric issues.
Dr. Glen Kenny from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and his co-authors said the new research should focus not only on filling these gaps in the science-based information but also on developing clinical guidelines for health professionals to facilitate the giving of advice to patients.

Medical researchers has recently found out that vitamin C deficiency may impair the mental development of new-born babies.
According to the study made by LIFE Faculty of Life Sciences at University of Copenhagen they discovered that  guinea pigs subjected to moderate vitamin C deficiency have 30 per cent
less hippocampal neurones and markedly worse spatial memory than guinea pigs given a normal diet.
The researchers revealed like guinea pigs, human beings are dependent on getting vitamin C through their diet, they speculate that vitamin C
deficiency in pregnant and breast-feeding women may also lead to impaired development in foetuses and new-born babies.
The researcher explained several factors indicate that the neonatal brain, in contrast to other tissue, is particularly vulnerable to even a slight lowering of the vitamin C level.
 

Studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency could be bad for early brain development of babies.

They revealed the highest concentration of vitamin C is found in the neurons of the brain and in case of a low intake of vitamin C, the remaining vitamin is retained in the brain to secure this organ.
The researchers said vitamin thus seems to be quite important to brain activity.
Based on their study it was shown that mouse foetuses that were not able to transport vitamin C develop severe brain damage.
Researchers said brain damage which resembles the ones found in premature babies and which are linked to learning and cognitive disabilities later in life.
In some areas in the world, vitamin C deficiency is very common population studies in Brazil and Mexico have shown that 30
to 40 per cent of the pregnant women have too low levels of vitamin C, and the low level is also found in their fetuses  and new-born babies.
It is not yet known to what extent new-born babies in Denmark or the Western World suffer from
vitamin C deficiency but a conservative estimate would be 5 to 10 per cent based on the occurrence among adults.
 

Pregnant women who wish to have a safe delivery and have a healthy baby as well should do some form of exercise during pregnancy.
Researchers have recently discovered that exercise can strengthen and improve overall musculoskeletal and physiologic health as well as pregnancy related symptoms.
Based on their study, researchers found out that exercise such as aerobics, impact and no impact activities, resistance training and swimming: eases back and other musculoskeletal pain; lowers maternal blood pressure; reduces swelling; and improves post-partum mood, including sadness.
Lead researcher Capt. Marlene DeMaio, M.D., M.C., U.S.N., Research Director, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia, explained the data shows that the pregnant woman’s body can compensate for the changes with no harm to the fetus during low to moderate intensity exercise.

A latest study has shown that doing some form of exercises during pregnancy is beneficial to pregnant women.

DeMaio said it is important to remember that pregnancy is a temporary condition, not a disease, and that the musculoskeletal and physiologic changes that happen are normal in the majority of patients.
According to the latest study, some physicians continue to advise their pregnant patients to ease back on exercise or refrain from it altogether if they have not already made it a part of their lifestyle.
Moreover, DeMaio, who collaborated with Capt. Everett Magann, M.D., M.C. U.S.N., Chairman in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, also at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, not only reports that exercise is important during pregnancy, but also believes that starting an exercise program when pregnant, is a perfect way to begin and stick with a fitness program.

Researchers have recently discovered that exercise combined with a Mediterranean-style diet is linked with a lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
With their discovery, the researchers said the findings were strong enough to justify setting up controlled trials to investigate the link more robustly and see if there are any other factors that might have an affect on Alzheimer’s risk.
It is said that although previous studies have looked at links between diet or physical activity and risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), this is the first to look at their combined effect.
Lead researcher Dr. Nikos Scarmeas, associate professor of clinical neurology in the Department of Neurology, in the Sergievsky Center and in the Taub
Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at the Center explained Often times people who exercise also follow a healthy diet and vice versa.
Scarmeas added we wanted to tease out which of these two behaviors may be associated with lower risk for AD, or if the combination of the two is associated with decreased risk even further.
To get the information, Scarmeas and colleagues used data on 1,880 elderly residents of average age 77 who were part of a multi-ethnic community living in Northern Manhattan.
None of the participants had dementia at the start of the study.
In interviews that took place at the start of the study, the participants answered questions about their diet and level of physical activity.

Doing regular exercise and eating Mediterranean-Style Diet is a good way to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

For physical activity, the participants were asked to say how much vigorous (eg jogging), moderate (eg hiking or cycling), and light (eg golfing or gardening) they had undertaken in the two weeks prior to the interview.
For diet, they were asked about their food and drink consumption over the previous 12 months. The questions covered nine food categories, the sum of which gave a single score for how close the diet was to a Mediterranean-style one.
A Mediterranean-style diet typically comprises a high intake of fish, vegetables, legumes (eg peas, lentils and beans), fruits, cereals and monounsaturated fatty acids, together with a relatively low intake of dairy foods, meats and saturated fats, and a moderate level of alcohol consumption.
After this, the participants underwent standardized neurological and neuropsychological tests about every 18 months from 1992 to 2006. The researchers then looked for patterns between diet, exercise and diagnosed cases of Alzheimer’s.
The results showed that:
    * A total of 282 incident cases of Alzheimer’s disease were diagnosed during a mean follow up of 5.4 years.
    * Compared with the participants who were least physically active, the most physically active had a 33 per cent reduction in risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
    * Compared with those who adhered the least, the participants who adhered the most to a Mediterranean-style diet had a 40 per cent reduction in risk.
    * Participants reporting the highest level of exercise and whose diet was closest to the Mediterranean-style showed a 60 percent reduction in risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who did not exercise and did not follow a Mediterranean-style diet.
Based on the result of their study, the researchers concluded that:
"In this study, both higher Mediterranean-type diet adherence and higher physical activity were independently associated with reduced risk for AD."
Scarmeas said it seemed that the more they did in terms of both diet and exercise, the lower their risk of develops Alzheimer’s.
But he also said that even a low level of physical activity seemed to have a protective effect.
Scarmeas said the study is important because:
"It shows that people may be able to alter their risk of developing Alzheimer’s by modifying their lifestyles through diet and exercise."
But he went on to caution that this was an observational, epidemiological study, and not a randomized controlled trial.
The data came from self reports, the participants were not randomly assigned to different diet and exercise groups, and there was not control group as there would be in a clinical trial.
"We know that some part of Alzheimer’s is related to genetic changes and as time goes on we discover more and more of these changes. But it is also possible that non-genetic changes, including lifestyle and behavior, may also be affecting our brain health and our risk of developing brain diseases, like Alzheimer’s, maybe in combination with our genetic predisposition," said Scarmeas.
"We need to understand and learn more about the exact biological mechanisms that may connect physical activity and diet with the biological changes of Alzheimer’s disease," he urged.
However, he also said that there are now lots of studies linking healthy diet and exercise with various health benefits and prevention of disease, and given that this study and several others also suggest these benefits could extent to brain health, it would not be unreasonable to emphasize to patients and healthy people that lifestyle, and not just genes, impact health, including brain health.

Parents should be more vigilant with regards to the television viewing and computer games playing of their children.
A recent study has shown that watching too much TV and playing computer games could result in high blood pressure for children.
Based on the study, the discovery is a major public health concern and its effect on blood pressure is of particular concern.
In their study, the researchers said the clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors in overweight youth suggests that risks may be immediate and not just indicative of potential future problems.
The researchers added although elevated blood pressure is associated with genetic factors, healthy physical, dietary and sleep habits seem to be relevant contributors to blood pressure levels in children.
However, the researchers revealed there have not been any clear links between sedentary behavior and elevated blood pressure in children younger than age 9.

Children should avoid watching too much television and playing computer games since it could lead to high blood pressure.

David Martinez-Gomez, B.Sc., of Iowa State University, Ames, and the Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain, and colleagues examined associations between sedentary behavior and elevated blood pressure in 111 young children (57 boys and 54 girls ages 3 to 8).
According to their research they found out that sedentary behavior was determined by an accelerometer generally worn over the right hip and by parental reports stating the average time the children spent watching TV, playing video games, painting, sitting or taking part in other activities with low levels of physical activity each day for seven days.
Moreover, the researchers said the results of this study showed that TV viewing and screen time were associated with elevated blood pressure independent of body composition in children.
The researchers added given that total objective sedentary time was not associated with elevated blood pressure, it appears that other factors, which occur during excessive screen time, should also be considered in the context of sedentary behavior and elevated blood pressure development in children.

A recent study has shown that a lack of sunlight is associated with reduced cognitive function among depressed people.
Shia Kent, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, led a team of US researchers who used cross-sectional data from 14,474 people in the NIH-NINDS-funded REGARDS study, a longitudinal study investigating stroke incidence and risk factors, to study associations between depression, cognitive function and sunlight.
To get the relevant information, the researchers used weather data from NASA satellites to measure sunlight exposure across the United States and linked this information to the prevalence of cognitive impairment in depressed people.
Kent revealed they found that among participants with depression, low exposure to sunlight was associated with a significantly higher predicted probability of cognitive impairment.
He said this relationship remained significant after adjustment for season.

Depressed people should avoid darkness since the scenario could affect their thinking skills.
 

He added this new finding that weather may not only affect mood, but also cognition, has significant implications for the treatment of depression, particularly seasonal affective disorder.
Kent and his colleagues speculate that the physiological mechanisms that give rise to seasonal depression may also be involved in sunlight’s effect on cognitive function in the context of depressive symptoms.
It is said that cognitive function was assessed by measurement of short-term recall and temporal orientation.
As well as regulating the hormones serotonin and melatonin, light has been shown to also affect brain blood flow, which has in turn been linked with cognitive functions.
Moreover,  the researchers said discovering the environment’s impact on cognitive functioning within the context of seasonal disorders may lead not only to better understanding of the disorders, but also to the development of targeted interventions to enhance everyday functioning and quality of life.

Parents around the world should strive hard to keep their children away from smoking cigarettes since tobacco can lead to life-threatening diseases and premature death.
In a recent data gathered by the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) it was discovered that although it is illegal to sell cigarettes to children under the age of 18, 42% of 13 year old regular smokers and 57% of 15 year old regular smokers are reportedly buying cigarettes from a shop, while 13% of 13 year old regular smokers and 10% of 15 year old regular smokers buy their tobacco from a vending machine.
With the alarming result of their research a group of doctors in Scotland wants to see a robust approach to tobacco control in order to reduce the number of teens who smoke.
Dr. Peter Terry, Chairman of physicians group in Scotland explained it is essential that cigarettes are made less accessible to children.

Medical experts revealed children hooked on smoking cigarettes can suffer death if their addiction could not be stopped.

Terry said banning point of sale displays and getting rid of tobacco vending machines will go some way to doing this.
He said smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems.
He added smoking also ages skin, makes your breath smell and stains fingers yellow.
Moreover, Terry said every day doctors witness the death and despair caused by smoking.
Terry said there is a need to break the tobacco trap.
Terry added young smokers will become tomorrow’s parents who smoke and they will continue the cycle of smoking-related ill health.

Stroke patients who wish to do some fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan, for the Muslim faith can do it with ease.
This developed after the recent research made by the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, has shown that those stroke patients who do some fasting during Ramadan cannot suffer from any form of physiological and biological changes from the activity.
The interesting data was taken by the researchers on more than 3,000 stroke patients between the years 2000 to 2006, who do some fasting during Ramadan.

Stroke patients who wish to fast during Ramadan can do without any health repercussions on their part.

They discovered that the case fatality rates before, during and after Ramadan were 25.3%, 24% and 26.1% respectively.
The researcher said the mean survival of stroke patients was not different statistically between Ramadan and the months before or after that.
Fasting during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar is a religious duty for healthy Muslim adults.
During the fasting month, believers are required to refrain from taking any food, beverages or oral drugs between dawn and sunset. Other religions also have their specific fasting regulations.