Are you sat down reading this? The chances are likely you probably
are. However, you may not be sat comfortably for long. According to
research, those who are sat down for extended periods of the day are
putting themselves at serious risk of a whole host of health problems.
This risk is something that applies to nearly all of us with the
average Brit spending 8.9 hours per day sat down; either at home in
front of the television, at work, or in their car. Factor in around
seven hours of sleep per day and this equates to just a third of our
time spent on our feet.
Those spending large amounts of time on
their backside are probably more at risk of obesity than others who are
active as very little energy will be expended to burn off calories, but
the sedentary amongst us are also putting themselves in danger of
developing a multitude of other problems.
For example, sat down for many hours each day may actually cause
problems such as diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, deep vein
thrombosis, brittles bones, depression, dementia and muscular and back
problems.
The dangers are serious enough for health experts to brand sitting
down for too long as ‘the new smoking’, a time bomb just waiting to
explode. In fact, it is so worrying that The World Health Organisation
have highlighted physical inactivity as the fourth biggest killer on the
planet, even ahead of obesity. Back, neck and muscular conditions
linked to a lack of activity are said to cost the UK economy over a
staggering £1billion each year from sick days, and is predicted to rise.
This has led to the creation of a new campaign called Get Britain
Standing, aiming to get Brits off their chairs, back on their feet
moving about, and reduce the number of ailments that are associated from
spending too much time sitting down.
Gavin Bradley, director of Get Britain Standing, says: “It’s like
smoking during the 1970s and passive smoking during the 90s. We all know
a sedentary lifestyle is bad for us, we just don’t realise how bad it
is. Spending less time sitting down really can add years to your life.
That is the most important message. Unfortunately, it also seems to be
the hardest one for people to believe.”
The World Health Organisation say a healthy adult should be at least
in engaging in 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, or 30 minutes
on at least five days of the week. This will suffice to receive
benefits of regular exercise, but will still not be enough to prevent
you from the risks of a sedentary lifestyle if you spend the rest of the
time being sat down.
Dr John Buckley, an expert in exercise science at Chester University,
says: “A person may have got more than 30 minutes’ exercise by cycling
to work and home again, but if they have been sitting still all day they
will lose some of those benefits. It is like exercising but then eating
an unhealthy diet or exercising and being a smoker. Physical inactivity
is equally as important as those other well-known issues like diet and
smoking.”
The body’s metabolism is slowed down when we are sat for extended
periods and this hampers how enzyme lipoprotein lipase breaks down the
body’s fat reserves. In addition, blood glucose levels and blood
pressure both increase.
Activity such as even just standing and moving around throughout the
day should be enough to reverse this increase. It is believed that 30
minutes of light activity in two or three-minute bursts may be just as
beneficial to us a half-hour block of exercise.
Unfortunately, failure to keep active will cause blood sugar levels
and blood pressure to raise and cause damage to the inside of the
arteries. This in turn increases the chance of developing conditions
such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Dr Buckley says encouraging people to be active and spend less time
sat down is the biggest thing that could be done to reduce the risk of
such diseases.
“The human race didn’t evolve to spend so much time sitting down,” he
says. “Up until relatively recently we spent much of our time moving
around.”
Medical Specialist® are a registered UK pharmacy established in 1994 providing prescription & non prescription medication online since 2001.
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Is fat really that bad for you? Survey reveals we are terrified of being overweight
According to a survey for Women’s Health magazine that quizzed over 4,000 people, over two-thirds of us believe we are fat, yet bizarrely a similar number of people from the same research say they aren’t overweight. It seems the nation has some self-esteem issues that need addressing.
Fat may get a bad rep and almost be a taboo subject, but we actually need fat to survive. “Science has shown us that a little fat both on our bodies and on our plates is actually healthy,” commented Women’s Health editor Farrah Storr.
“For years, fat has been seen as the enemy, but the tide is turning. As we become more nutritionally aware, many of us now realise fat could even be the secret to a longer life and a smaller waistline.”
So why do we need fats in our body? Firstly, fat is important as it provides the body with energy. It is difficult to eat foods within a low fat diet to receive enough energy your body requires. Diets that are too low in fat (less than 20 – 25%) can trigger cravings and food binges. Fat aids the transportation, storage and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. A lack of fat could result in deficiencies of these particular vitamins. Fat also gives insulation under our skin from the cold and the heat, in addition to providing protection to organs and bones from shock.
However, this doesn’t mean you can start overloading on fat without worrying about the consequences. An average male should not consume over 30g of saturated fat per day, whilst it is just 20g of saturated fat per day for women. The NHS Choices website offer a fantastic guide into what fat we need and some of the foods it is advised to cut down on.
The Women’s Health survey showed a fascinating insight into the nation’s view of fat, with both sexes being afraid of it. Many who answered the questions would rather somebody viewed them as being stupid or old than fat and perhaps surprisingly, twice as many than women have contemplated using diet pills.
Women’s Views
. 76% go to the gym to lose weight.
. 72% think they are fat.
. 67% would prefer to be thought of as stupid than fat.
. 67% would prefer to look old than fat.
. 66% are aware they are not overweight.
. 63% look in the mirror and think they are fat at least once a day.
. 58% would prefer to be thin and unhealthy than overweight and healthy.
. 46% would not date a person they deem fat.
. 44% have thought about using diet pills.
. 36% think about their weight at least once a day.
. 20% have not gone on holiday because they felt fat.
Men’s Views
. 95% have thought about using diet pills.
. 77% would prefer to look old than fat.
. 74% go to the gym to lose weight.
. 71% would prefer to be thought of as stupid than fat.
. 65% think they are fat.
. 62% have not gone on holiday because they felt fat.
. 60% are aware they are not overweight.
. 57% would not date a person they deem fat.
. 48% think about their weight at least once a day.
. 47% would prefer to be thin and unhealthy than overweight and healthy.
. 35% look in the mirror and think they are fat at least once a day.
The dangers of fake medicines: Let’s work together and counter the counterfeits
However, Steve down the pub flogging what appear to be ‘Viagra’ tablets, for a fraction of the cost of genuine Pfizer Viagra, is not a trusted source. He is more than likely neither a qualified doctor nor pharmacist, will not ask you about your medical history, for a recent blood pressure reading, or if you take medications for other health problems. For instance, men taking nitrate-based drugs such as Nitroglycerin for heart problems should not take Viagra as the two drugs can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure.
Simply put, this friendly chap you meet in the toilets to buy your impotence pills does not care for your well-being but is looking to make easy money off you. It might seem appealing to save a few pounds to buy from Steve instead of a reputable and established pharmacy like Medical Specialists™, but do you really know what you are even buying?
To counter this, Medical Specialists™ now actually offer Sildenafil Teva and Sildenafil Actavis, two erectile dysfunction medications that contain the same active ingredient as the more expensive Pfizer Viagra, but for substantially less in price. Why purchase an unknown product from an unreliable means when you can spend a similar amount for the aforementioned Sildenafil brands and can rest assured you are receiving UK-manufactured medicines, with your consultation questions assessed our GMC-registered doctors who actually do care about your health. Prices for Sildenafil Teva from Medical Specialists™ works out from as little as £2.69 (based on pack of 4 x 25mg tablets on private prescription).
Ingredients in cheap Viagra-like tablets are likely to be of poor quality, expired, or many not even contain any Sildenafil Citrate whatsoever (Viagra’s active ingredient). This can result in very little, if any at all, improvement in your erections or potentially deadly consequences from taking the cheaper knock-off. On the other end of the scale, tablets with unregulated higher doses are highly dangerous. Super-potent drugs with more than a safe level of Sildenafil Citrate could result in a heart attack.
You may also be shocked and disgusted to learn about some of the ingredients that have previously been found in confiscated counterfeit Viagra include:
. Antifreeze.
. Blue printer ink.
. Cyanide (sometimes used in rat poison).
. Drywall and plaster.
. Dye to replicate genuine Viagra’s texture and colour.
. Speed or amphetamine.
If all that isn’t enough to raise eyebrows, it’s how these drugs are made which is equally shocking. Steve in the pub may have seemingly real-looking blue ‘Viagra’ pills, but he will not tell you about the processes to produce them, and probably doesn’t know himself. Within the dirty, grotty warehouses where these pills are made, there lies the danger of potential toxicity from heavy metals and other unknown ingredients, not the risk of bacterial and fungal infection from the pills being produced in unhygienic conditions.
Friday, 4 April 2014
Air Pollution, Hay fever and the Treatment
Every year in the UK millions of people experience the discomfort and
symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis, better known as
hay fever. In fact, health experts say Britain currently has one of the
highest rates of hay fever in the world with around a quarter of the
population suffering with it.2014 UK Air Pollution
As many will know, this week has seen many parts of the UK affected by high levels of air pollution. The smog-like conditions are a dangerous mix of dust from the Sahara with local and continental pollution. One poll conducted this week of 532 asthmatics for Asthma UK discovered that 30% have suffered an attack because of the pollution and 84% said they are using their blue reliever inhaler more frequently than usual.
Dr Keith Prowse, honorary medical adviser to the British Lung Foundation, spoke of the danger the Saharan dust and air pollution may have a “significant impact” on those with respiratory problems.
“People who use a reliever inhaler should make sure that they carry it with them. If they feel that their conditions are worsening then they should contact their GPs” he said.
According to the Defra (the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) website, those with lung and heart conditions have been told to cut down or avoid outdoor strenuous physical activity and those feeling the repercussions of pollution – including sore eyes, coughs and sore throats – are advised to reduce the amount of activity and time spent outdoors.
Hay fever symptoms and cause
Symptoms include sneezing, a blocked or runny, nose, headaches, red, itchy, or watery eyes, and are caused by an allergic reaction from pollen in the air that has been released from grasses, weeds or trees, usually during the spring and summer months. The plants produce ‘allergens’ – substances that trigger an allergic reaction.
For those unfortunately with hay fever, your body is producing immunoglobulin when you come into contact with pollen allergens and mistakes it for something harmful like a virus, your immune system overreacts and then the release of chemicals is triggered into certain cells in the eyes, nose and throat. One of the chemicals is histamine and it is this histamine which is responsible for the troublesome symptoms of hay fever.
Treatment
Prior to seeing a GP, you can speak to your local pharmacist about your symptoms as over-the-counter medicines may be able to help such as antihistamines; Loratadine is a popular non-drowsy antihistamine and can be taken as an ‘as required’ treatment when symptoms arise or as a ‘preventative’ method before you leave the house and know the pollen count is high. Non-drowsy antihistamine nasal sprays such as Prevalin can also be used to relieve the symptoms of hay fever in the nose and eyes. Alomide eye drops is another over-the-counter treatment are used to relieve the symptoms of hay fever such as red, itchy, watery and puffy eyes. The eye drops need to be used regularly to achieve relief from the symptoms. Once your symptoms improve, you should continue to use the drops regularly for as long as necessary to prevent the allergy.
There is also prescription-only corticosteroid nasal sprays such as Nasonex, which works at reducing the inflammation inside your nose after pollen has triggered an allergic reaction. Whether it’s hay fever, dust allergies or a seasonal problem, Nasonex can prevent you from suffering and allow you to enjoy life again.
All of the above treatments are available today from Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy at low prices, in addition to a wide range of asthma inhalers such as the blue reliever Ventolin Evohaler; asthma has been often linked to hay fever and both conditions need to be closely monitored and treated.
Who is at risk?
Around 2 in 10 people in the UK have hay fever, usually beginning in childhood and during the teenage years. The condition may actually disappear or improve in some cases, usually after suffering with symptoms each season for many years.
It is unclear what causes the immune system to react in the way it does to cause hay fever, but the condition tends to run in families. Your hay fever risk is also increased if you already have asthma or eczema or if you have already have hay fever, you are more likely to develop eczema or asthma.
The pollen count
The millions of people with hay fever are probably familiar with something called the pollen count, which is average number of pollen grains within one cubic metre of air over a period of 24 hours. As different people may have symptoms from certain types of pollen only, there are pollen counts for grass, tree and weed pollen and fungal spores and sufferers are usually advised to monitor weekly pollen forecasts so they can decide when it is best to begin or stop treatment. The pollen count is affected by weather and there is normally more pollen on dry, sunny days and much less pollen in the air when it is raining.
The pollen count forecast is normally judged as:
. Low: less than 30 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air.
. Moderate: 30-49 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air.
. High: 50-149 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air.
. Very high: 150 or more grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air.
In the UK, the pollen count season is segregated into three sections:
. Tree pollen – late March to mid-May.
. Grass pollen – mid-May to July.
. Weed pollen – end of June to September.
This is only an approximate guide, with the pollen count season occasionally starting in January or ending as late as November.
As noted earlier, allergens may also cause asthma symptoms to flare-up such as a shortness of breath, tight chest and coughing and wheezing. There has been evidence to show a clear association between hay fever and asthma and your asthma symptoms may become more severe when your hay fever symptoms occur fever, or asthma symptoms may only flare-up when you have hay fever. People with both conditions should speak to their GP or an asthma nurse as soon as possible as it is imperative to treat both conditions with the appropriate medicines.
How long do American men last for in the bedroom?
An smartphone mobile app named Spreadsheets which tracks the ‘duration, thrusts, and decibel peak’ of a couple’s sexual rhythm, analysed the data from 10,000 of its users to assess just how long couples from different states in America were lasting for.
According to the Spreadsheets app website, the technology works by monitoring ‘user’s movement and audio levels through the accelerometer and microphone to provide statistical and visual analysis of their performance in bed’. Those using the app can unlock 30 ‘achievements’ – a points-based system where couples can set targets or challenges for themselves, such as earning ten points for early morning sex.
For those concerned about privacy, you might be relieved to learn that the app will not record or playback audio or video and all data is stored securely on a person’s mobile device and information will never be relayed, backed up, or synced to the internet, according to the Spreadsheets website.
New Mexico, a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States, topped the average intercourse time (excluding foreplay) with just over seven minutes, compared to a mere average time of 81 seconds in the state of Alaska.
The full list was as follows:
1. New Mexico (7:01)
2. West Virginia (5:38)
3. Idaho (5:11)
4. South Carolina (4:48)
5. Missouri (4:22)
6. Michigan (4:14)
7. Utah (3:55)
8. Oregon (3:51)
9. Nebraska (3:47)
10. Alabama (3:38)
11. Delaware (3:33)
12. Hawaii (3:28)
13. Wisconsin (3:22)
14. North Dakota (3:18)
15. Arizona (3:17)
16. Maryland (3:15)
17. Mississippi (3:10)
18. Rhode Island (3:09)
19. Connecticut (3:07)
20. Texas (3:06)
21. New Hampshire (3:04)
22. Wyoming (3:03)
23. New York (3:01)
24. Pennsylvania (2:58)
25. Maine (2:58)
26. Washington (2:51)
27. Iowa (2:50)
28. Illinois (2:49)
29. North Carolina (2:47)
30. Tennessee (2:46)
31. Kansas (2:38)
32. California (2:38)
33. Massachusetts (2:31)
34. Florida (2:29)
35. New Jersey (2:28)
36. Indiana (2:26)
37. Virginia (2:23)
38. Oklahoma (2:21)
39. Colorado (2:21)
40. Minnesota (2:19)
41. Ohio (2:18)
42. Louisiana (2:17)
43. Kentucky (2:14)
44. Arkansas (2:08)
45. District of Columbia (2:08)
46. Nevada (2:07)
47. Georgia (2:07)
48. Montana (2:03)
49. Vermont (1:48)
50. South Dakota (1:30)
51. Alaska (1:21)
Precisely how long sexual intercourse should last can vary from one couple to the next, i.e. what is satisfying for one couple may not be satisfactory for another. The 2009 study ‘Canadian and American Sex Therapists’ Perceptions of Normal and Abnormal Ejaculatory Latencies: How Long Should Intercourse Last?’, determined that sexual intercourse usually ranges from three to seven minutes on average and another study found the average time was five and a half minutes from the moment of penetration to ejaculation.
For a man to ejaculate prior to or within a minute of penetration, this is usually deemed to be a genuine medical condition requiring treatment through over the counter products such as Stud 100 spray and/or the prescription-only medication Priligy – the latter works to prolong a man’s sexual performance by an average of 200% to 300%.
As highlighted earlier, sometimes a man’s premature ejaculation problems are so severe that sex is a seemingly impossible task as he ejaculated before entering the vagina. This can be hugely damaging for a man’s self-confidence, and frustrating for both partners especially if they are trying for a baby.
Could diet soft drinks cause heart attacks and strokes?
However, this too good to be true mantra, may actually be fitting after the alarming findings of a new study into artificially sweetened fizzy drinks and the impact they can have on our body.
Worryingly, those people who are drinking two or more diet soft drinks each day may be a staggering 50% more likely to die because heart disease. This conclusion was arrived at after health experts looked at the diet drink consumption of nearly 60,000 people taking part in the women’s health initiative, a long-term US study into the cardiovascular health of post-menopausal women.
The average age of the women was calculated at 62.8 and all women must have had no prior history of cardiovascular problems to be involved in the study.
Through a questionnaire, women were asked to document how many diet drinks they drank over a duration of three months, with a drink being taken as a 12oz (355ml) sized beverage including diet soft and fruit drinks.
The researchers tracked the women for an average follow-up time of about 9 years, variety of negative outcomes occurred in 8.5% of those who drank at least two diet drinks each day. These negative outcomes included: coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, heart attack, ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease and cardiovascular death.
In contrast, negative outcomes occurred in 6.9% of the women who drank between five and seven drinks each week, within 6.8% that had drank one to four drinks per week, and 7.2% drinking between zero and three diet drinks each month.
“Our findings are in line with and extend data from previous studies showing an association between diet drinks and metabolic syndrome,” commented Dr Ankur Vyas, of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, lead investigator of the study. The syndrome has been linked to a number of risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.
“We only found an association, so we can’t say that diet drinks cause these problems,” Dr Vyas added, highlighting there may be other reasons for the link between diet drinks and a risk of heart attack and stroke.
Dr Vyas stressed that the women who had drink two or more diet drinks each day were typically younger in age, more likely to smoke, with a higher prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure and of being overweight, adding that further research should be conducted to see if there is an actual definite link between diet drinks and cardiovascular risk.
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Earl Grey tea as good as statins at fighting heart disease?
The tasty beverage – a popular drink in television program Downton Abbey - contains a fragrant Mediterranean citrus fruit bergamot, an extract responsible for the distinct taste and smell which experts found can be as beneficial as statins like Atorvastatin or Pravastatin in lowering bad cholesterol and ultimately lowering the risk of heart disease.
New research has shown that Earl’s Grey tea contains enzymes called HMGF (hydroxy methyl glutaryl flavonones), which work at fighting the body’s proteins that help to cause cardiovascular disease – something which is the primary reason for a quarter of deaths in the UK.
The study was conducted by scientists from Italy’s University of Calabria, who worked with concentrations of HMGF on the proteins that are responsible for ‘bad’ cholesterol and heart disease.
Writing in the Journal of Functional Foods, they said that a dietary supplement of HMGF could be as comparable as statin therapy in fighting low-density proteins (LDL) or ‘bad’ cholesterol, with the bergamot extract with HMGF working just as well as the medications after comparison.
Not only were levels of the bad LDL cholesterol reduced, but researchers also found that the bergamot extract also increased HDL, also referred to as ‘good cholesterol’.
Citrus foods belong to the heavily praised ‘Mediterranean diet’, something which adhered to, many health experts argue it can dramatically lower the risk of heart disease. Food and drink from this diet that can aid health include a moderate consumption of ethanol – derived from the wine, low consumption of meat, and high intake of vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes, fish and olive oil.
Bergamot has only been added to many traditional Mediterranean‘folk’ medicines for the treatment of wounds, inflammation and as an antiseptic, in addition to its boost for the heart.
The journal’s report said: “High cholesterol is a common health concern for us all and often statins are given to help treat the condition. Extract from bergamot – most commonly used in Earl Grey tea – reduced total cholesterol and LDL levels but there was an increase in HDL levels (good cholesterol). Therefore a daily supplement of bergamot fruit extract could be very effective for the treatment of high cholesterol.”
Cholesterol-busting statins such as Crestor (Rosuvastatin) and Lipitor (Atorvastatin) are currently prescribed to around 7 million Brits and function by raising good/protective cholesterol (HDL) and lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. The higher your cholesterol level, the higher your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke due to your arteries being clogged up with the fat-like substance known as cholesterol.
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