Best foods for healthy hair

Most of us have probably seen at least one television advert for the latest ‘miracle’ shampoo that claims to give you luscious, glowing and healthy-looking hair by using said shampoo.  In recent years, Cheryl Cole is the latest in a long line of celebrities who have provided their good looking presence for such adverts, endorsing the L’Oréal shampoo products – ‘because you’re worth it’, as the memorable slogan states.

In one particular advert that features the attractive Geordie singer, she smiles at viewers and pronounces: “My hair feels stronger, full of life, replenished with a healthy shine. It’s got its mojo back.” Of course, information not fully made clear is that in addition to being blessed with good genes, the diet that these chosen celebrities are on is without doubt a lot healthier than the average person due to them being able to afford luxuries like personal chefs and trainers. Oh, included on the aforementioned advert is a very small disclaimer than informs viewers that Cole is sporting hair extensions…costing in the region of £1,000!

So, if you are not a multi-millionaire singer but are curious how to go about achieving healthier hair, what can you do? Well, if it is actually hair loss that is the problem (a problem ironically sometimes caused by extensions), there are clinically proven products available such as Regaine (for both men and women), Propecia (for men), Dianette and Florisene (for women).

However, as highlighted earlier, dietary choices can also have a major impact of the health, strength and structure of our hair. Occasionally, hair loss can actually be linked to a lack of certain vitamins and minerals.  A diet that is sparse of foods containing these important nutrients can be detrimental to maintaining a good head of hair.

Here are some of the best foods for healthy hair:

. Salmon – It contains plenty of protein, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids; all vital for healthy hair. Your body doesn’t produce omega-3, but it is an essential component of hair growth. Approximately 3% of the hair shaft is comprised of these fatty acids. In addition, omega-3s are contained in cell membranes in the skin of your scalp and within the natural oils that maintain scalp and hair hydration.

. Walnuts – As well as boosting sperm health (mentioned yesterday), walnuts are just like salmon in that they are rich in omega-3. As your hair is unprotected from the sun’s rays, it is exposed to DNA damage and therefore the biotin and vitamin E in walnuts are particularly useful as they shield the cells from such damage.

. Carrots – It is a widely known fact that carrots are great at boosting vision. However, they are also rich in vitamin A. This helps in promoting the formation of sebum oil in the scalp. Sebum keeps your scalp and hair moisturised, resulting in much healthier hair.

. Beef – If you aren’t suffering with high cholesterol, beef (eaten in moderation) is excellent for hair. It contains protein, vitamin B, iron, zinc and other vital minerals that aid in maintaining the health of your hair and scalp.

. Prunes – Are you suffering from dryness, stiffness, thinning or discolouration? If so, then a lack of iron in your diet may be the cause for these problems. Prunes are known to be rich in iron and not only do they provide a boost to hair texture, they are great for ensuring regular bowel movements.

. Eggs – For those wanting a head of healthy looking hair, eggs are the way to go (again, eaten in moderation). They are packed with essential nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc and omega-6 fatty acids. Lacking any of these vitamins and minerals will have a negative impact on hair. Eggs also contain biotin – useful to help combat hair loss.

. Green tea – Green tea is rich in polyphenols which work to keep your scalp healthy. A healthy scalp therefore means much healthier hair! Some experts also argue that washing your hair with green tea or applying it to the scalp can help with conditions such as psoriasis and dandruff by soothing skin and lessening irritation.

Smoking rates high among the mentally ill

People who suffer with a mental illness in the United States smoke cigarettes at a 70% higher rate than those who do not have any such illness. This is one of the many findings contained in a report released this week as a joint venture by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The new data also indicates that roughly one in every three adults across America with a mental illness smokes, compared to just one in five adults without mental illness. It is estimated that there are almost 46 million adults suffering with mental illness in the United States (about a fifth of the total population).

The report, which was constructed using information obtained from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, suggests that adults with mental illness light-up around a third of all cigarettes in the United States – smoking a higher quantity of cigarettes every month, (averaging 331 cigarettes per month, compared with 310 for other smokers) as well as more likely to have difficulty quitting the habit compared to those without mental illness.

“Many people with mental illness are at greater risk of dying early from smoking than of dying from their mental health conditions,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control.  He added: “We need to do more to help smokers with mental illness quit.”

For the CDC study, researchers looked at data from the 2009-2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which comprised of 138,000 adults being interviewed at their homes.

They were given 14 questions designed to determine possible psychological distress and disability. Participants were categorised as having mental illness if their answers reported a mental, behaviour or emotional disorder in the previous year. Anybody who stated they had a substance abuse problem or those with developmental disorders were not deemed to have mental illness.  Patients in mental hospitals or members of the U.S. military were excluded from the study.

For the purpose of the study, a ‘current smoker’ was defined as a person who had smoked at least some of a cigarette during the previous 30 days.

According to Dr. Frieden, in those with a mental illness, it was noted that smoking rates were increased in younger, poor and less-educated adults. Interestingly, regional discrepancies were seen for smoking habits among the mentally ill. For example, the rate was merely 18.2% in Utah, however it rose to 48.7% in West Virginia.

Some reasons highlighted in the study for reasons why the smoking rates are so high for those mentally ill include marketing from the tobacco industry and the historical utilisation of cigarettes as an incentive to help behaviour in psychiatric hospitals. Dr. Frieden says: “There are some effects of nicotine which can mask some of the negative effects of mental illness.”

Another reason was the fact that smoking may be hampering the effectiveness of certain medications, in turn leading to smokers with a mental illness then smoking more to deal with their symptoms. In addition, the study authors say that many people with mental illness find it challenging to sustain a life that is healthy both financially and socially, and more unable to cope with withdrawal symptoms from stopping smoking.

Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death is numerous countries around the world and Dr. Frieden concluded that the subject of this report is “a very serious health issue that needs more attention.”

Too much time watching TV may decrease sperm count

Men who are more active and engage in more exercise will benefit from a higher sperm count in comparison to their peers who lead a more sedentary lifestyle and spend several hours in front of the television.

These are the suggestions emanating from a U.S. study recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health surveyed 222 healthy males who were aged between 18 and 22 in 2009-2010, as part of the Rochester Young Men’s Study. All were students at a university in New York.

The participants were required to submit a sperm sample and asked to make note of roughly how many hours each week they had dedicated to exercise over the preceding three months, in addition to how much time had been spent watching television, DVDs, or videos over the same period. The men were also asked about any medical or reproductive health problems they were aware of, as well as their diet, smoking habits and level of stress.

Researchers contrasted sperm test results against answers provided in the surveys and they discovered an apparent connection between an inactive lifestyle and low sperm count.

It was found that the more active men, who engaged in ‘moderate to vigorous’ exercise of 15 or more hours each week, actually had a 73% higher sperm count compared to those who had only exercised less than five hours per week. The majority of the moderate to vigorous exercises included football, baseball and basketball.

For the less active men in the survey who had spent at least 20 hours each week indoors watching TV or DVDs , overall their sperm count was found to be reduced by 44% compared to those who rarely spent time in front of the TV. However, it was also determined that nobody in the survey had such low sperm levels that they would be classified as ‘sub-fertile’. It was established that sperm motility (how effectively the sperm swims), shape, and sample volume were not impacted regardless of somebody leading an active lifestyle or not.

On the whole, it would appear that semen quality has been declining over the last few decades following the results from many studies conducted around the world. Nobody knows for sure the reasons why but some scientists believe that a more sedentary lifestyle could lead to a warming of the scrotum and be detrimental to semen concentrations.

Study leader Dr Audrey Gaskins, said: “We know very little about how lifestyle may impact semen quality and male fertility in general so identifying two potentially modifiable factors that appear to have such a big impact on sperm counts is truly exciting.”

Past studies that have focused on sperm quality and exercise have centred more on athletes such as cyclists and marathon runners. Study co-author Jorge Charravo, assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, added to Dr Gaskins’ comments and said: “The majority of the previous studies on physical activity and semen quality had focused on professional marathon runners and cyclists, who reach physical activity levels that most people in the world cannot match.

We were able to examine a range of physical activity that is more relevant to men in the general population.”

However, before men start over-doing it at the gym, Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, gave his thoughts on the findings and commented: “It remains to be seen if coaxing a TV-watching couch potato into doing some regular exercise could actually improve his sperm count. Or whether there exists an unknown fundamental difference between men who like exercise and those who do not which might account for the findings. This should be a relatively easy study to perform, but before all worried men hunt for their sports bag it’s important to note that other research suggests that doing too much exercise can be harmful to sperm production. My advice would be everything in moderation – and that includes time in the gym as well as watching TV.”
For men wondering how they can increase their sperm count, Medical Specialists Pharmacy can advise on numerous tips, such as:

. Cut down on alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption can reduce testosterone levels by up to about 20%.

. Stop smoking. Cigarettes are massive culprits for decreasing both sperm count and sperm-cell motility.

. Wear less restrictive underwear such as boxer shorts over Y-fronts – tighter underwear can overheat the scrotum and affect sperm production.

. Adopt a healthy diet, making sure to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants.

. Eat more nuts. In particularly, walnuts have been linked to a boost in sperm health.

Gastric bypass patient wins £35,000 after surgical negligence

The dangers of undergoing gastric bypass surgery in order to lose weight, is something Medical Specialists Pharmacy covered in June 2012. For those unaware, a gastric bypass is an operation whereby the surgeon will make your stomach smaller and also reduce the length of small intestine that food travels through.

It is usually performed via keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery. With this method of surgery, small cuts are made are in the abdomen instead of one much bigger cut. The surgeon uses small instruments assisted by the aid of a camera to see the surgical field. However, it is estimated that around 25% of patients who have undergone this type of surgery later require additional treatment because of a post-operative complication.

The dangers of keyhole surgery have been further laid bare this week with the news that a 28 year-old mother of two has won a whopping £35,000 pay-out due to a botched operation.

Rachel Benefer from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, decided on weight loss surgery after reaching a weight of 23 stone in 2007. She realised that she urgently needed to do something about it before her health became affected as obesity is a well-known high risk factor for numerous problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and many more.

Unfortunately, Mrs Benefer found it difficult due to shed the excess pounds because of an old back injury hampering her efforts as well as having polycystic ovary syndrome – a condition that interferes with hormones and results in unpleasant symptoms such as acne, irregular periods, hair loss and weight gain.

It was then Mrs Benefer decided to read up on gastric bypass surgery and thought this was the route to take. At a staggering £9,500 – £15,000 for an op, she was rejected for funding on the premise she had to visit a dietician and psychologist for twelve months before being approved for the surgery.

In retrospect, following her 2007 surgery at Hull and East Riding Classic Hospital, perhaps Rachel would have chosen against opting for this method of weight loss. Despite seemingly being a successful operation, problems began to arise after just a few days.

Rachel explains: “Everything seemed fine and I was discharged. But a few days later I was being sick and I was in agony. I was rushed to hospital and ended up in intensive care for two weeks and was later placed in an induced coma.”

The surgeon had not correctly closed a small incision which led to Rachel developing a hernia. This restricted her small bowel and the severe pressure had obliterated the stomach bypass. When doctors realised the serious situation they were dealing with, Rachel had to be rushed into intensive care and then placed in the induced coma.

Because of the complications arising from her botched surgery, Rachel needed to undergo two further operations and had to endure 11 days on a ventilator. She continued: “I spent a total of 11 days on a ventilator and also underwent a tracheotomy. People think having a gastric bypass is an easy way out, but I had thought about it and had tried everything to lose weight, including hypnotherapy. When I was at 23 stone I was just a mess, I was depressed and also stopped working as a carer because I couldn’t get about, I became a recluse. Before I hit puberty I was extremely thin but then the weight just piled on, even though I often only ate one meal a day. I didn’t eat a lot of chocolate, sweets or crisps, I ate normal meals. My husband Chris has been by my side the whole time, we have been married for eight years and he loves me, no matter how much I weigh.”

With Gastric surgery costing up to £15,000, this last resort and potentially dangerous weight loss method is clearly not for everybody, especially in times of financial austerity. If you are obese why not try a clinically proven weight loss aid such as Xenical, Alli or XLS-Medical Fat Binder. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet in conjunction with one of these treatments can help you lose weight. All three are available today from Medical Specialists Pharmacy at fantastic prices. Head to the ‘Obesity’ area of the website for more information about how to obtain them.

Pharmaceutical Dangers: The Story of Pradaxa

More than 2 million people take blood thinners every year, making this segment of the pharmaceutical market a multibillion-dollar industry and spurring on drugmakers to develop and sell competitive new drugs that bring in profits. Unfortunately, sometimes even after studies show dangerous side effects, a hazardous drug will remain on the market. And it is the consumer who pays the price.

That is the case with Pradaxa, a newer blood thinner that can have debilitating side effects like bleeding accidents, which can be fatal.

A New Blood Thinner 

Blood thinners are used to decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke; help patients following knee or hip replacement surgeries; and treat atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).
For decades, there was only one blood thinner on the market: warfarin.
Pradaxa arrived in 2010, and it has since been used by millions of Americans. With Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim offers patients a blood thinner that is more convenient than warfarin. Pradaxa does not require the diet changes or regular blood tests that warfarin does, and in clinical trials it performed with an equal level of safety and efficacy.
However, Pradaxa has been linked to thousands of adverse events — including severe bleeding events — prompting further evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Pradaxa Timeline

Oct. 19, 2010: FDA approves Pradaxa for the prevention of stroke and blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Dec. 7, 2011: FDA reports hundreds of reports of serious bleeding events related to Pradaxa.
March 2012: Two journals publish studies revealing that Pradaxa has a greater risk of heart problems, including heart attacks, than warfarin.
May 31, 2012: QuarterWatch, a publication for the Institute of Safe Medication Practices, issues a report stating that Pradaxa accounted for 3,781 serious adverse events in 2011, including 542 deaths.
August 2012: Federal Pradaxa lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim are consolidated into multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
Nov. 2, 2012: The FDA reviews data on serious bleeding events and claims that Pradaxa does not present a greater risk of serious bleeding than warfarin.
Dec. 19, 2012: The FDA informs the public that Pradaxa is not indicated for use in patients with atrial fibrillation caused by mechanical heart valves.

The Future of Pradaxa

Even with Pradaxa’s history of debilitating side effects and litigation, the drug remains on the market. Patients need to be aware of the risks of Pradaxa – specifically, the risk of uncontrollable bleeding. Unlike warfarin, there is no antidote for bleeding caused by Pradaxa. Patients and doctors need to decide whether the benefits of Pradaxa outweigh the risks.
Boehringer Ingelheim is seeking approval from the FDA to expand the use of Pradaxa for patients who have had hip or knee replacement surgery. Any expanded use of Pradaxa could put more patients at risk.

 Alanna Ritchie is a researcher and writer for Drugwatch.com, a consumer advocacy website.
Disclaimer:

This information is provided by Drugwatch.com and is not suitable for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Drugwatch.com is wholly responsible for this article, and should any third party wish to discuss or have concerns over any part of this article, we may be contacted at: webmaster@drugwatch.com

A vegetarian diet can boost blood pressure and cholesterol

A Cancer Research UK and the UK Medical Research Council-funded study featured in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that those who adhere to a vegetarian diet and ditch meat and fish will see major health benefits over their meat-eating peers.

The findings of what is the largest study of its kind, could persuade some people to give-up meat in favour of veg and comes ironically only weeks after the Tesco horse meat scandal where some of their own-branded beef burgers were found to contain as much as 29% horse meat.

Scientists at the University of Oxford analysed 44,561 people in England and Scotland, recruiting participants over the age of 20 during 1993 to 1997. They specifically wanted vegetarians and vegans in the study to look at associations between nutrition and general health in contrast to the general UK population.

All participants were required to fill out a food-frequency questionnaire that quizzed them on what food they ate over the previous year, in addition to asking them about exercise, smoking habits and alcohol consumption. The researchers classified people as either non-vegetarian if they said they had eaten any meat or fish, or as vegetarian if they reported eating no meat or fish. For study purposes, vegetarians and vegans were categorised together (about 15,100 in total).

Over the course of an average 11.6 years of follow-ups, there were 1,235 cases of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). From this number, 169 people in the study had died as a result of heart disease and there were 1,066 recorded hospital admissions.

After taking into account factors such as age, gender, physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, education and social background, it was calculated that being a vegetarian can decrease the risk of death or hospital admission from heart disease by a staggering 32%. Amazingly, a reduced risk was evident in both continuous vegetarians and in those who had begun eating meat at the five year follow-up.

If that wasn’t enough of a persuader to ditch the meat, vegetarians were also found to have lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol in their blood and a lower systolic blood pressure reading. Moreover, they were typically more slender with a lower body mass index (BMI) than the meat eaters, and had a reduced risk of developing diabetes.

Dr Francesca Crowe, author of the study at the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, said: “Most of the difference in risk is probably caused by effects on cholesterol and blood pressure, and shows the important role of diet in the prevention of heart disease.”
Co-author Professor Tim Key, deputy director of the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, added: “The results clearly show the risk of heart disease in vegetarians is about a third lower than in non-vegetarians.”

Red meat – particularly processed meat – comprises of numerous ingredients that have been regular attributed to increased risk of chronic diseases including bowel cancer. Such ingredients include heme iron, saturated fat, sodium, nitrites and certain carcinogens that are formed during the cooking process. At least by hitting the daily recommended intake of five portions of fruit and veg means that people can benefit from their antioxidant properties that work at reducing cholesterol, control blood glucose levels and reduce the risk of many types of cancer.

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for the largest number of deaths in the developed world. According to World Health Organisation statistics, it claimed 17.3 million lives in 2008 worldwide, with 6.2 million of these from strokes. A famous figure who almost succumbed to heart disease was former U.S. President Bill Clinton, once notorious for his strong penchant for hamburgers; he was required to have a coronary bypass operation in 2004 and is now leads a much better lifestyle.

As highlighted earlier, high cholesterol is a primary contributor for heart disease. However, Medical Specialists Pharmacy provides online consultations for patients with high cholesterol and with our help you can reduce the risk of developing heart problems. For suitable patients our in-house doctors can prescribe statin medication (Lipitor and Crestor), and our in house pharmacists can dispense to patients within 24 hours. We also dispense statins for patients who can provide a private prescription, and in 2012 we introduced the legally available generic Atorvastatin at much lower prices for suitable patients.

ED drug Cialis helps ejaculation and orgasm problems too

The findings of a new U.S. based study published within the February edition of the British Journal of Urology International suggests that the wonder erectile dysfunction medication (ED) Cialis may provide use to men in other areas of sexual dysfunction besides the obvious one of helping them to achieve and maintain an erection.

According to those behind the study, non-erectile sexual dysfunction issues are often both underreported and undertreated compared to ED possible due to a social stigma involved in addition to confusion about the physiology of male sexual response and orgasmic dysfunction, but problems reaching an orgasm and ejaculating are actually more common that people realise.

‘The Weekend Pill’ Cialis is one of three main ED medications together with Viagra and Levitra, rapidly becoming popular with millions of men after stepping out of large shadow cast by Viagra purely because it was released before Cialis and Levitra.

In recent times as clinical trials have taken place exploring the massive potential of Cialis, it has received European approval to be prescribed to men suffering with both ED and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); a condition that mainly affects older men that results in an enlarged prostate gland and problems including difficulty passing urine, a need to urinate frequently, or finding it difficult to completely empty the bladder.

Researchers from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, led by Dr. Darius Paduch, opted for a meta-analysis statistical analysis – examining data extracted from 17 different placebo-controlled clinical trials that included a total of 3,581 participants, with a mean age of 54.9. Only some of the patients had reported as having mild or moderate ED.

In total, it was calculated that 1,512 of the men were suffering with severe ejaculatory dysfunction (EJD) and 1,812 had severe orgasmic dysfunction (OD) – two closely linked conditions but slightly different in that men with EJD experience an inability to achieve ejaculation during sexual activity, despite the male wanting to and still having an erection. OD is also referred to as ‘Anorgasmia’, whereby there is a loss of ability to have an orgasm which could be connected to factors such as certain medications, illness, depression, alcoholism or pelvic surgery. ‘Primary anorgasmia’ sufferers however have never achieved an orgasm despite sexual activity, but this is more prevalent in women.

The researchers looked at the men’s response to questions about what (if any) impact that Cialis had on ED, EJD, and OD, among other measures of sexual satisfaction. The questionnaire was tailored more towards ED and how Cialis improved this, but the comments given by the participants were intriguing and showed that Cialis could be used in other areas of sexual dysfunction too.

After a meta-analysis of the clinical trials, it was found that 66% of men who had severe EJD and 66% with severe OD who took Cialis prior to sexual activity over 12 weeks reported improved ejaculatory function, compared to just 36% and 35%, respectively, in the group assigned the placebo. Interestingly, benefits from Cialis were evident regardless of severity of the man’s ED.

Speaking in a press release, Dr Paduch said: “There are many men who have, at most, very mild problems achieving an erection but who cannot easily ejaculate. Our study shows Cialis works very well for these men with problems ejaculating. Many of my patients are young men who want to have children and so they want to solve their issues with ejaculation. We don’t know why this occurs. Every internist faces this problem in his male patients and has no options to offer. Our study shows Cialis may help.”