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Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter November 1, 2001 In This News Letter Introduction*** The Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter is written bi-weekly, solely for information to help seniors, baby boomers and anyone else who may have an interest in staying healthy, living a vigorous, active lifestyle and combating the aging process. The newsletter also includes know-how in the form of useful tips and links to more extensive material on the Internet. It is not meant to prescribe treatments for any particular condition except as something that the individual may wish to discuss with their healthcare professional. Doctor’s Senior Exercise Newsletter strives to give you the best available news that we hope will help in your efforts to maintain a vigorous, pain-free way life. However, you should always seek advice from your healthcare professional before trying any new treatments that you may feel can help you. Discussing your intentions with your doctor is always the proper procedure. Web site: http://www.doctorsexercise.com How to subscribe: Click Newsletter on the left menu at website for more info and to subscribe or browse directly to: http://pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/doctorsexercisenewsletter E-Mail address: newsletter@doctorsexercise.com Healthfully yours*** Sleep is nature’s way of restoring our body’s energy. It is analogous to the fuel that keeps us functioning. Without enough sleep the ability to carry on our work, play, or any of our daily chores would be severely impaired. As we grow older, the ability to fall asleep becomes more difficult, starting around the age of 50. Basically we are not talking about a specific sleep disorder such as apnea, bladder, prostate or a physical condition causing restless leg syndrome. These conditions as well as heart, arthritic, asthma, back problems, or any condition that causes pain will prevent the individual from getting their full nights quota of sleep. Many seniors are under the delusion that the older you get, the less amount of sleep you need. That is the furthest thing from the truth. Nature intended a full 8 hours or more of sleep to keep the body functioning at its’ optimum level. Surveys have shown that most adults have some form of sleep deprivation. This can range from difficulty in falling asleep, or awakening one or more times during the night. You will often hear people say, “I can’t get going in the morning until I have my cup of coffee”. You can bet your bottom dollar that that individual did not have a full restful nights sleep. That person will probably need their caffeine boost throughout the day. Sleep deprivation will manifest itself in our ability to be productive in our work places and during our daily living experiences. Many people who drive while sleep deprived find themselves with their eyes beginning to close, their reflexes severely impaired, or their anger mounting, often leading to “road rage”. There is only one way to improve your sleep deprivation, and that is up to each individual. Read more on what you should do in the “Health Hints” below. Health Hints*** Cut down on your caffeine intake during the day. Do not drink anything containing caffeine before going to bed. Do not drink anything with alcohol. Alcohol may help you fall asleep. That sleep only lasts for a short time and the alcohol causes a rebound that may make it more difficult in falling asleep again. Do not do any strenuous exercise a few hours before bedtime. Light exercise in the late afternoon is permissible. Going to bed at the same time every night is extremely important. It will become habit when repeated often enough. Do not watch television, but reading for a short time may cause sleepiness and help in falling asleep. Avoid anything that is stressful. Do not sit in bed writing a letter or doing crossword puzzles. Keep the bedroom cool and comfortable (not too warm or too cold). The bedroom should be dark. You can darken the room with the proper shades or drapes. Any glow from digital clocks can be avoided by turning the clocks towards the wall. proper support without sagging, or having lumps and bumps. The bedding should be clean and crisp, without wrinkles or being The mattress you sleep on should be firm and give the body the scrunched up. Use a pillow that supports your head and neck. Do not have your shoulders on the pillow. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees. If you sleep on your side, place the pillow between your knees. This will help by reducing stress on your spine, particularly your sacroiliac and hip joints. Following the above regime can be instrumental in restoring normal sleep habits in your life. A normal nights sleep will make your day more productive with more energy and get up and go! And remember too, when you have been troubled with insomnia, you can make up for some of the sleep you have lost. Try to get some extra sleep on the days you have the time. This will help restore your normal energy level. News Item*** Monday October 8 10:11 AM ET Black Tea May Cut Heart Disease Risk: Study By Suzanne Rostler NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking black tea may lower the risk of heart disease by preventing the blood from clumping and forming clots, the results of a preliminary study suggest. Investigators found that individuals who drank five cups of black tea daily for a month had lower levels of P-selectin, a blood protein associated with coagulation, compared with a month-long period in which they drank equal amounts of hot water. Drinking tea, however, did not reduce other blood compounds associated with clumping. The Tea Trade Health Research Association and the National Heart Foundation of Australia funded the study. Sticky blood can more easily form clots, which can block the flow of blood through the body and lead to heart attack, researchers explain in the October issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. While their findings suggest that lower blood levels of P-selectin may be a mechanism by which black tea can cut the risk of heart disease, it is too soon to make any specific recommendations, Dr. Jonathan M. Hodgson, the study's primary author, told Reuters Health. ``At the present time, the overall weight of evidence suggests that a higher intake of tea--black, oolong or green--is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease...but not in all populations,'' said Hodgson, from Royal Perth Hospital in Perth, Australia. Indeed, a number of studies have linked tea consumption to heart health, probably through compounds known as polyphenols--powerful antioxidants that neutralize disease-causing free radicals. These cell-damaging molecules occur naturally in the body and are linked with aging, cancer and heart disease. The study included 22 healthy, nonsmoking adults who drank five cups of water daily for 4 weeks and then consumed the same amount of black tea for 4 weeks. Researchers measured levels of several blood compounds that are markers of blood coagulation. They also measured compounds in urine that indicate polyphenol intake. Participants followed their usual diets throughout the study. ``The effect of black tea on soluble P-selectin provides a potential mechanism for cardiovascular benefits of regular tea,'' Hodgson and colleagues conclude. SOURCE: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001;55:881-886. The terrible events that are going on with the ANTHRAX attacks, and believe me they are terrorist attacks, needs as much publicity as possible. We all have to be on guard when opening our mail. Do not open mail without a return address. If the envelope has a little bulge, do not open unless you know the sender. If you think a piece of mail is suspicious, place in a plastic bag and turn it over to the authorities. HERE IS AN ADVISORY FROM THE CDC: ANTHRAX WHAT IS IT? Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The spore produces a toxin that can be fatal. HOW DOES IT SPREAD? The spores can spread by inhalation (the most fatal form), ingestion or contact with an abrasion on the skin. SYMPTOMS: Usually symptoms appear within seven days. Inhalation anthrax infection can start out like a common cold before acute symptoms such as severe breathing problems and shock. Cutaneous (skin) infection can look like an insect bite at first but within days develops into an ulcer with a characteristic black center. Infection by consuming contaminated food is characterized by inflammation of the intestinal tract, leading to vomiting of blood and severe diarrhea. TREATMENT: Antibiotics, including penicillin. (Note: Doxycycline has just been approved by the FDA for all strains of Anthrax). A delay in the use of antibiotics may lessen chances for survival. PREVENTION: Vaccine PLEASE NOTE: The above is a very brief advisory. You can get more complete information by checking with the CDC site at: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/DocumentsApp/Anthrax/10122001Handle/10122001Handle.asp We should all be informed with the above information. Being careful and on the alert does not mean we should live our lives in fear. The world as we knew it is not the same, and probably never will be. We must remain calm and go about living our lives in an everyday fashion. To do otherwise would be capitulating to terrorism, and they will have won. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN! Doc Cane Copyright, Disclaimer, and Trademark Information Copyrightã 1997-2001 Emanuel M. Cane. All rights reserved. Except stated below, this material or parts thereof may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed by any means whatsoever without explicit, written permission from the author. You may circulate copies of the Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter by Manually forwarding it, providing you forward the issue in it’s entirety, no fee is involved, and you may forward no more than three issues to any one individual. You may not attach advertising or otherwise modify the text of the newsletter. |
