Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Lipoic Acid May Reduce Atherosclerosis and Weight Gain
2. Music Therapy May Help Depression
3. The 10 Most Expensive Health Conditions
4. Prevent Drug Reactions in Older People
5. Tips to Help Women Avoid Osteoporosis





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1. Lipoic Acid May Reduce Atherosclerosis and Weight Gain

A new study done with mice has discovered that supplements of lipoic acid can inhibit formation of arterial lesions, lower triglycerides, and reduce blood vessel inflammation and weight gain 0151 all key issues for addressing cardiovascular disease.

Although the results cannot be directly extrapolated beyond the laboratory, researchers report that “they strongly suggest that lipoic acid supplementation may be useful as an inexpensive but effective intervention strategy . . . reducing known risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis and other inflammatory vascular diseases in humans.”

The findings were made by scientists from the Linus Pauling Institute and College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University, and the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington. They were just published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

The study found that lipoic acid supplements reduced atherosclerotic lesion formation in two types of mice that are widely used to study cardiovascular disease, by 55 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The supplements were also associated with almost 40 percent less body weight gain, and lower levels of triglycerides in very low-density lipoproteins.

As a result, the authors concluded that “lipoic acid may be a useful adjunct in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic vascular diseases.”

“We are excited about these results, particularly since the supplements of lipoic acid appear to provide several different mechanisms to improve cardiovascular health,” said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute. “They are helping in a fundamental way to reset and normalize metabolic processes, in ways that could help address one of the most significant health problems in the Western world.

“These findings also reinforce the need for more comprehensive human studies,” Frei said. “That will be the next step in our research, in double-blind, randomized, clinical studies during the next five years with Oregon Health and Science University.”

Alpha lipoic acid is a naturally occurring nutrient found at low levels in green leafy vegetables, potatoes and meats, especially organ meats such as kidney, heart or liver. The amounts used in this research would not be obtainable by any normal diet, researchers said, and for human consumption might equate to supplements of about 2,000 milligrams per day. Even at low, normal, dietary levels, the compound can play a key role in energy metabolism.

Also of considerable interest, Frei said, is the apparent role of lipoic acid supplementation in reducing weight gain. It appears to have this effect both through appetite suppression, an enhanced metabolic rate, and — at least in laboratory animals — has been shown to stimulate higher levels of physical activity, which again would increase caloric expenditure and further reduce weight.

Weight gain and obesity is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and heart disease, and lower weight and abdominal fat may be one of the mechanisms by which lipoic acid has beneficial effects, Frei said. The study concluded that “lipoic acid supplementation may be a promising approach to prevent weight gain and to lower cardiovascular disease risk in humans.”

Editor's Note:

Food Additives in Your Diet May Be Making You Fat.


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2. Music Therapy May Help Depression

A therapist may be able to use music to help some patients fight depression and improve, restore and maintain their health, states a Systematic Review from The Cochrane Library.

About 121 million people world-wide are believed to suffer from depression. This can be seen in disturbed appetite, sleep patterns and overall functioning as well as leading to low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness and guilt. It can lead to suicide and is associated with 1 million deaths a year.

Drugs and psychotherapy are common treatments, but a group of Cochrane Researchers set out to see whether there was evidence that music therapy could deliver benefits.

After searching the international literature, they identified five studies that met their criteria. Four of these reported greater reduction in symptoms of depression among people who had been given music therapy than those who had been randomly assigned to a therapy group that did not involve music. The fifth study, however, did not find this effect.

“While the evidence came from a few small studies, it suggests that this is an area that is well worth further investigation and, if the use of music therapy is supported by future trials, we need to find out which forms have greatest effect,” says lead author Anna Maratos, an Arts Therapist who works in the Central and Northwest London Foundation NHS Trust, London, UK.

“The current studies indicate that music therapy may be able to improve mood and has low drop-out rates,” says Maratos.

“It is important to note that at the moment there are only a small number of relatively low quality studies in this area, and we will only be able to be confident about the effectiveness of music therapy once some high quality trials have been conducted,” says Maratos.

Editor's Note:

Miracle Fat Aids Depression and Keeps Your Brain Healthy.


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3. The 10 Most Expensive Health Conditions

The nation’s 10 most expensive medical conditions cost about $500 billion to treat in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The money paid for visits to doctor's offices, clinics and emergency departments, hospital stays, home health care and prescription medicines.

Estimated spending for the 10 most expensive conditions:

Heart conditions $76 billion
Trauma disorders $72 billion
Cancer $70 billion
Mental disorders, including depression $56.0 billion
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease $54 billion
High blood pressure $42 billion
Type 2 diabetes $34 billion
Osteoarthritis and other joint diseases $34 billion
Back problems $32 billion
Normal childbirth $32 billion
AHRQ, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, works to enhance the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care in the United States. The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid.

Editor's Note:

Make Your Heart Healthy Again — Doctor Tells You How.


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4. Prevent Drug Reactions in Older Adults

Adverse drug events are more common in older adults because they are prescribed more drugs and are affected differently by these drugs than their younger counterparts. A review article written by Tufts University School of Medicine clinicians, published in American Family Physician, summarizes steps that physicians and other healthcare providers can take to avoid overuse, misuse, and underuse of medication in older adults.

“About one in three older persons taking at least five medications will experience an adverse drug event each year, and about two-thirds of these patients will require medical attention. Approximately 95 percent of these reactions are predictable, and about 28 percent are preventable,” cite the authors, Cung Pham, MD, fellow in the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency at Cambridge Health Alliance’s Malden Family Medicine Center, and Robert Dickman, MD, Jaharis Family Chair of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Pham and Dickman summarize interventions for reducing inappropriate prescriptions as follows, while noting that there is limited research to support clear interventions.

— Avoiding misuse of medications

If a drug is listed on the Beers Criteria, a widely-adopted list of drugs that labels medications as “potentially inappropriate” for older persons or for older persons with specific medical conditions, the authors report that physicians can avoid those drugs apt to cause a severe adverse drug event simply by selecting alternatives. If there is no alternative, the best choice for a necessary drug is to start at the lowest effective dose and, when possible, discontinue the drug.

— Avoiding overuse of medications: polypharmacy and overdosing

Polymedicine describes the use of an increasing number of drugs related to an increasing number of medical problems, while polypharmacy is defined as inappropriate use of multiple drugs. While there is no standard marker for when a patient’s polymedicine list becomes polypharmacy, “increasing the number of medications increases the risk of drug-drug interactions and adverse drug events,” says Pham, “and reviews of medications should be routine.”

The “brown-bag” method, where patients bring all of their medications in a brown bag to the physician’s office, can lead to dropping at least one medicine in 20 percent of patients and a change in medication in 29 percent of patients.

Pham and Dickman highlight other methods, from systematic reviews, found to be effective in reducing inappropriate prescriptions. These include using a team approach involving pharmacists and nurses to evaluate drug regimens and suggest changes; exploring nonpharmacologic treatment options, such as exercise or cognitive therapy; and using advances in technology, including personal digital assistants and computerized alerts with health records, to reduce adverse events.

— Avoiding underuse of medication: underprescribing and nonadherence

“Despite concerns about overprescribing, many conditions remain underdiagnosed or undertreated,” write the authors. “Ascribing all symptoms to degenerative disease or old age will potentially miss treatable conditions,” including heart disease, depression, osteoporosis and pain.

“Nonadherence (or noncompliance) is a complex phenomenon determined by a variety of issues, including physician-patient communication, cognitive decline, and the cost of medication,” write the authors. Most interventions focus on education or on cognitive aids, but the combination is more promising. In some cases, cost is a factor that will not be mentioned unless the physician inquires. “Simply asking whether a patient plans to use his or her prescription may open a dialogue about the costs of a patient’s prescriptions,” say Dickman, senior author. “Sometimes there are alternatives, including prescriptions for generic substitutes or identifying a combination drug that may be less expensive than two individual drugs.”

“Much drug therapy in older adults is to prevent illnesses by decreasing risks that will never affect them,” writes Allen Shaughnessy, PharmD, associate director of the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency, in an accompanying editorial. Physicians will benefit by finding “the balance between the potentially lifesaving benefits of medication and the life-threatening complications of these drugs.”

Editor's Note:

Cholesterol Drugs Can Be Worse Than Cure — See Risks Here.


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5. Tips to Help Women Avoid Osteoporosis

We can’t control all the factors that contribute to osteoporotic fractures, but there’s a lot women can do to strengthen and preserve their bones, reports Harvard Women’s Health Watch. Here are eight things to keep in mind:

1. Get vital nutrients: Maintain a healthy diet that provides bone-building nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin D.

2. Exercise: Get at least 30 minutes of bone-strengthening activity most days. Include both weight-bearing activities, like running or brisk walking, and resistance exercise.

3. Don’t smoke: Smokers lose bone faster and have higher fracture rates.

4. Know your risk: Most guidelines recommend osteoporosis screening through bone mineral density (BMD) testing starting at age 65—earlier for women who have health conditions or take medications that increase risk.

5. Consider bone-preserving drugs: Postmenopausal women who’ve had a fracture or received a BMD score of –2.5 or worse should take an osteoporosis drug. Women with scores of –2.0 to –2.5 should consider medication.

6. Be aware of the depression connection: Research has found links between depression and bone loss. For example, women with a history of major depression have lower bone density and higher levels of cortisol, a hormone related to bone loss. If you’re being treated for depression, ask your clinician about whether you should have a BMD test.

7. Maintain a healthy weight: Weighing less than 127 pounds or having a body mass index under 21 is a risk factor for osteoporosis. Also, if you lose weight during the menopausal transition, you’re more likely to lose bone. Avoid ultra-low-calorie diets and diets that eliminate whole food groups.

8. Avoid falls: Keep floors clear of tripping hazards, make sure stairways and entrances are well lit, and add grab bars to your bathtub or shower.

Editor's Note:

Pain-Free Joints Forever — Prevent Osteoarthritis.


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Editor's Notes:

Food Additives in Your Diet May Be Making You Fat.
Miracle Fat Aids Depression and Keeps Your Brain Healthy.
Make Your Heart Healthy Again — Doctor Tells You How.
Cholesterol Drugs Can Be Worse Than Cure — See Risks Here.
Pain-Free Joints Forever – Prevent Osteoarthritis.
Common Vaccines Are Putting Your Family’s Health at Risk.
Stress May Be Causing Your Brain to Shrink. Stop it Now!
Don’t Buy Worthless Vitamins and Supplements. Doctor Explains.
Discover the Bacteria Your Body Needs to be Healthy.
Are You the Victim of Hidden Allergies? Find Out Here.





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