Acupuncture

The article that I chose to blog about this week was about acupuncture and whether or not acupuncture really works for pain relief or if is just a placebo effect? Before I can answer this, it is important to know what acupuncture is, how it works, etc. Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing. This is done by inserting needles and applying heat or electrical stimulation at the acupuncture points. Acupuncture stimulates specific points on the surface of the skin which then have the ability to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions in order to relieve pain (back pain, joint paint, neck pain, menstrual cramps, etc.)

 The Eastern Explanation for how Acupunctures works is that the life energy flows through the body (aka Qi). This flow of energy can be altered or balanced by stimulating specific points on the body. The points on the body are located along certain channels of energy (aka meridians) which is the connector for all major organs. When the flow of Qi is off, these meridians no longer function properly, become unbalanced, and the can no longer nourish the tissues. In order to fix it, we need to reset the flow of Qi, using acupuncture.

The modern scientific explanation is that when you apply a needle to the acupuncture points, you nervous system is stimulated which then releases chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals alter how much pain you feel and will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which help reduce pain. This is supposed to help the body’s natural healing process.

Acupuncture can help reduce pain, physical problems, and emotional problems. Once you decide to get acupuncture, the amount of treatment you need varies from person to person. If your problem isn’t that severe, you may only need to go once or twice a month. If your pain is severe, you may need to go a couple times a week for a couple months or until the pain is eliminated. There is usually minimal pain or no pain at all when the needles are being inserted. The needle is stainless steel, solid, and thin. With it being solid, when the needle is inserted, it isn’t as painful as if it were hollow (getting blood removed). There is usually no bruising or swelling either. As energy is redirected in the body, internal chemicals and hormones are stimulated and the healing process and reduction of pain begins to take place.

There have been many arguments as to whether acupuncture actually works for pain or if it totally the placebo effect. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) states that it actually does work. More people have been successfully treated with acupuncture in the past 2000 years than with all other types of health methods. It is widely practiced in Asia and Europe. Americans are coming around to the idea of it and it is being used more and more in the US.  I do not believe it is a placebo effect and think that it really does work because it has been used successfully on cats, dogs, horses and other animals. These animals don’t know nor can they comprehend the placebo effect or understand the process that helps them get better. If it can help animals who don’t know the difference, then how can the question of a placebo effect have any grounds to stand on? I believe it can help people and really does work. It is a given that if you go into it with a positive attitude, the overall successful effects may be a greater.  Just the same, if you go into acupuncture with a negative attitude, this may hinder your success. But it doesn’t mean that your attitude makes it work or not, because acupuncture works regardless of your attitude. It’s the amount of success and how quickly that is affected by your attitude.

I think one of the reasons that it is thought to be a placebo effect is because acupuncture affects everyone differently, just as medication does. The reason many people don’t believe in it is because they don’t see as great of results or results as quickly as if they were taking a medication. This occurs because medication alters the chemical balance in your body unnaturally, while acupuncture alters the chemical balance in your body naturally through the flow of energy. Many people also don’t understand the flow of energy so they can’t grasp the concept of acupuncture and think it is nonsense.

Health Care System

The article that I chose to blog about this week is about the health care system of the United States and how to fix it to make it more efficient and lower the costs for patients. As of right now, anytime you visit a doctor or a hospital, patient bills can be quite high. This is because of the inefficient system that we currently have. Mayo Clinic has been known as a very prestigious hospital with some of the best doctors and best technology. Recently, Mayo Clinic has acknowledged that their unique technique needs to be shared with the rest of the United States and that they need to help lead in fixing the health care system. The article stated that, “Researchers at the Center will use in-depth medical records studies, informatics, epidemiology health services research and systems engineering to design and validate the most efficient and effective medical practices. The results will be shared with other providers and could prove ‘transformational’ for the U.S. health care.”

Mayo Clinic has always been proud to say that they put the needs of their patients first. They are aware of rising costs in health care and are trying to move along their technology and infrastructure in order to improve the quality of care for their patients and hopefully lower their costs as well. In making this change, they hope to set an example that the rest of the United States hospitals and doctor’s offices can follow.

Mayo Clinic is known for their in depth research on finding cures and discovering diseases. They have always been about their delivery system and maintain their priorities. I can recall when my mom was really sick that everyone had recommended Mayo Clinic. We didn’t know what was wrong with her; all we did know was that she was weak, sick, and losing weight fast. We had heard that Mayo Clinic had many different specialists who worked in “teams” along with scientists to help figure out what is wrong with the patient and how to help treat them. Since 70% of health care spending is on treatment for chronic disease, it is vital that the doctors can figure out a system of helping prevent them, maintaining them, and curing them. Diabetes alones costs the U.S $22 billion a year. If Mayo Clinic could figure out a way to help treat these patients more efficiently, then the costs would decrease and the money saved could go toward finding other cures for diseases.

An engineer names Mr. Howard has said about Mayo, “In manufacturing, you want to be efficient so you can deliver a low-cost product. But you also want to be reliable and within product specifications. We have a lot of complexities and variables in health care. But it isn’t all that different. If you know the best way to provide care, you want to build systems that drive consistent reliability and quality experiences each time. ‘Value’ is not just about how much a test costs.” Having said this, Mayo Clinic strives to have the latest expertise and treatments for their patients. They are hoping that their team of doctors and scientists will adapt to the new technology and that it will help set new standards of treatment. Telemedicine is the newest and most upcoming new technology that is allowing doctors and patients to connect using digital observation cameras, robots, smartphones, etc. Along with new technology, Mayo Clinic is trying to improve their Intensive care unit (ICU) so that people don’t have to stay in the hospital as long and their costs are reduced. With new improvements in the ICU, there are less complications and better outcomes.

Mayo’s ultimate goal is to share their data on treatment quality, costs, and patient outcomes with the rest of the United States and have since partnered with 5 leading health care providers to make this happen. They want U.S. health providers to join forces to improve patient care and to lower costs nationwide. The six health care providers will join together and go over each other’s data and come up with the best practices and implement them. They really are trying to make a difference and I hope one day, the costs decrease and the quality of patient care increases along with new technology.

http://discoverysedge.mayo.edu/health-care-delivery

Childhood Obesity

The topic that I chose to blog about this week discussed the issues of childhood obesity. In today’s society, nearly one in three children are obese. Childhood obesity is determined based on their Body Mass Index (BMI). To determine what a child’s BMI is, you need to measure their height, weight, and age. There are many systems that will calculate BMI when you enter this information in. You can also take your child to a health care clinic where they will have the proper equipment and tools to be able to determine BMI. Usually, a child is considered obese if they exceed the “normal” BMI for their certain percentile.  

When a person is obese, there are often many health risks and issues that arise. Problems such as high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, and breathing problems can all occur due to physical strain that the excess weight puts on a person’s body.

There are many reasons to blame childhood obesity on. First, sometimes weight problems can be genetic. If your parents have bad genes and transfer the genes onto the child, he or she is more likely to be overweight. Often times, children pick up the habits of their parents.  If a child’s parents have poor eating habits, then it is likely that the child does as well because most likely the child is eating whatever the parent is since most children don’t cook.

 Lack of physical activity such as exercise is another problem as to why more and more children are obese. With the increase in technology, more kids are staying inside and playing on the computer or their Playstations than ever before. I remember when I was a kids and growing up, we never used any of these things. I, along with the rest of the kids in my neighborhood, was constantly outside playing games and sports. We were always running around and getting exercise without even knowing it. In today’s society, it is rare that children play outside with all of their cool technological games that don’t require kids to get up off the couch.

Another reason for children being overweight is the way that they eat. Many parents don’t have the time to pack their child a lunch every day for school so they give them money instead. The standards at the school cafeterias are very poor; often times they are filled with greasy, fatty, and fried foods such as fries, burgers, cheesy sticks, etc. When the child can only choose from these unhealthy options, they are more likely to become obese. Making these food choices is also teaching them to eat like this on a regular basis and it becomes a habit outside of school too.

The article that I read discussed how,  “Families who have 5 or more meals together have children who are about 25% less likely to encounter nutritional health issues than children who eat less than or equal to one meal with their families” (WebMD).  I believe this to be true because when families have meals together, the parents can monitor what kinds of foods the child is consuming, what time of the night they are consuming food, and how much food they are eating. Proportions are a big issue with weight problems. Often times, Americans overeat without realizing it. When families eat together, the meals are consumed in a slower manner because everyone isn’t rushing to just quickly eat something and be done; they are taking their time and enjoying each other’s company. When I was in high school and living at home, my mom tried to make sure we had family dinner every day. She would cook extremely healthy food (we always had some type of meat with vegetables and a salad). I would complain when I was younger, but looking back on it, I am extremely healthy today and eat very similarly to how she cooked. I make sure to incorporate vegetables and fruits into my diet on a regular basis.

 I was fortunate to not be overweight as a child because I ate properly and my parents encouraged me to play sports to keep in shape. I think that it is mainly the responsibility of the parents to make sure your child is healthy and continuously exercises.

The good news is, once you are diagnosed as obese, it is not necessarily a permanent diagnosis. It is up to you to change your eating habits and exercise. You can shed the excess weight and get back to a normal weight. This will help reduce your risk of medical problems that could occur in the future and will help you to be an overall healthier person.  

http://children.webmd.com/preventing-childhood-obesity

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20110502/family-meals-help-cut-risk-of-childhood-obesity

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/health-risks

FDA

The article that I chose to blog about this week was on the FDA. The FDA, which stands for the Food and Drug Administration was set up by the government to help regulate the safety of things that a consumer purchases. This includes food, medicines, products, etc. I personally think that the FDA does not do a good job and can be misleading. I always thought that if something was FDA approved then it meant that whatever the product or food or medicine said it could do, then they agreed. I have recently found out that this isn’t true. Apparently, when something says FDA approved, it simply means that whatever it is safe to use, eat, etc. but does not mean that it does what it says it does. For example, some weight loss supplements are FDA approved, however, this just means that the product is safe, not that it actually works.

The FDA does make sure that when there is false labeling or misleading information on something, that the company must correct it. Like I said before, the job of the FDA is to make sure what the consumer is purchasing is safe, but it is hard to be safe when the product has misleading information or isn’t telling you the whole truth about what it really is or does. Recently, the FDA sent warning to 17 manufacturers about their products having false information on 22 labels of their products. The only reason they did this is because many people including myself check the labels and make purchases accordingly. I know that I expect what the labels say to be true or else I probably wouldn’t buy most of the stuff that I buy.

An issue that the FDA Company was having with some of these manufacturing companies’ labeling was that they would make claims like their olive oil is “extra light” which would lead consumers to believe it was lower in calories and fat. However, this was not the case. What was “light” about the olive oil was that the color was and so was the taste. If they were going to be honest, the label must read something like “Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil”. There are a lot of other issues with products being 0 grams Trans fat. Even though a product might be less than that, it may still be high in saturated or other fats, which can be even worse for you. It makes me happy that the FDA is mandating stricter labeling laws.

Another thing that I noticed was that the FDA is good about sending out warnings with products. Another article that I read was talking about an antidepressant warning about the side effects that this medication may have based on other studies and cases of people who have taken the medication. It talked about how some people have become even more depressed from taking it and actually committed suicide. Now without this warning, some people might see the medication and take it because they think that if the FDA approved it, then it must be safe and work. Luckily by having a warning label, it warns parents of children who are going to be taking it and also adults who are going to be taking it about potential side effects. This warning label might make people think twice about this product and they might not take it. By having this warning label, the drug company who makes this product might try and remodify it so that there aren’t these side effects or there are less harsh side effects. Antidepressant medication isn’t the only product that has warning labels, however most medications do. I have seen commercials where it will say: may cause heart conditions, diarrhea, nausea, or even death if taken too long. When I hear side effects like that, it makes me not want to go anywhere near those products. I feel as though the side effects are worse than me just dealing with the problem I am currently having. However, like I mentioned before, if I didn’t see these warnings from the FDA, then I probably would consider trying it out and seeing if it worked. The only thing that I don’t understand is how the FDA could approve something that if taken too long could kill you??!! That just doesn’t make any sense to me.

I am overall very thankful of the FDA because I know a lot of research goes into what they consider safe and they have strict regulations that the companies must follow.

Sunless tanning: self-tanners

The article that I chose to blog about this week was on sunless tanning. I chose this topic because I tanned religiously in high school during the winter, and then during the summer, I worked at a pool so I was constantly outside catching rays. I have heard many people talk about how bad UV rays are from the sun and from the tanning beds. I knew that the UV exposure could cause premature aging and skin cancer; however I loved being tan so I didn’t want to give it up. Then I started hearing about sunless tanning and figured I would give it a try since there were no UV rays involved.

Sunless tanning products, aka self-tanners, can be purchased at most convenient or beauty stores and some come in sprays, creams, lotions, and gels. Depending on the brand, some of the tanners go on clear while others go on tinted so you can apply evenly without missing any spots or having streak marks. If you don’t want to do it yourself because you are worried about streaking, you can get it professionally done at most tanning salons or sometimes in regular salons. It will be more expensive to go with this route, but the quality will be better. I have also heard of tanning pills that are supposed to make your skin tan, however, these pills are not safe for your body…they can cause liver damage and ruin to retina of the eye. You are better off using the self-tanner lotions or sprays.

The way that the self-tanners work is kind of gross. The active ingredient that helps to give your skin color, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), reacts with your dead skin cells which gives you the darker color. When your dead skin cells start to fall off, your tan is going to fade because the tan is attached to the outer layer of your dead skin cells. This differs from UV tanning because with UV tanning, the rays are penetrating into the deep layers of your skin and the melanin is affected, not your outer layer dead skin cells. With sunless self-tanners, the affects usually won’t be noticeable for 8-24 hours after you apply it.

If you do decide to use self-tanners, I have found that there are a few tips that will help you to get the best results. I always exfoliate first. Since DHA reacts with your dead skin cells, it is important to scrub off excess cells in order to get the best results. I always shave my legs beforehand so that the product will last longer with even application. Less is more when it comes to applying the product. You want to make sure you reach all parts of your body. For some reason, dry/thick skin like your ankles, knees, and elbows always react differently to the tanner so make sure you use a very tiny amount over these areas. Your face is important to apply to as well, just make sure it doesn’t get near your eyes or nose. When you have everything done on your body, apply the tanner to the tops of your hands. The self tanner will react and most likely turn the palms of your hands darker (this just looks weird), so it is a good idea to wash your hands before you apply it and use a cotton ball to apply rather than your palms. When finished, make sure you allow yourself enough time to dry before you decide to put your clothes on or else some of the products could stain your clothes. Like I mentioned before, you generally won’t see results for up to 24 hours, so be patient and wait to take a shower to let the self-tanner soak into your skin.

Some potential problems with self-tanners include:

·         If you apply it unevenly, you may look streaky

·         If you get your face spray tanned, you may get the chemicals in your eyes or up your nose

·         It is unknown what DHA can do to your body if inhaled

If you are like me and really enjoy being tan, then I suggest you try out self-tanners. They do fade quicker than using a tanning bed or being out in the sun to get color, however they are less harmful to your skin. The way I look at it, if I want to be all wrinkly and have alligator skin, then I should keep tanning in a tanning bed. But if I want to have young looking skin, then it is probably a good idea to make the switch to self-tanners. The good news about self-tanners is that they are generally inexpensive to buy and there is enough product in the bottle to be able to use many times.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sunless-tanning/SN00037

ß Some of the different brands of self-tanners

 ßA woman being spray tanned

ß Before and after with a spray tan

Fad diets

Annie Cairo

“Detox” Diets

The fad diet that I chose was “detox diets”. Detox is short for detoxification, which basically means that you are trying to remove toxic substances or poisons from your body by altering your diet. The main reason that people do a detox diet is to cleanse the body and to aid the function of your organs, mainly your liver, but also to lose weight. Because there are so many different types of detox diets, I decided to choose and talk about one that I personally have tried, the Lemonade diet.

There are no advertisements in magazines or television ads. If you go to Google and type in “detox diets” many different ones will show including the Lemonade diet which is how I heard about it. I read that you can lose lots of weight in a short period of time by drinking a delicious tasting drink. They advertised it as inexpensive and something you could do anytime anywhere and make it yourself instead of ordering a product offline. I thought, why not? And so I gave it a shot. The diet was originally called the Master Cleanse, created by Stanley Burroughs and to lose weight, you completely disregard food for 10-20 days.

There were no real clinical trials done to test this diet, however there are many testimonials of users who all seem to say the say the same thing, that it works but once you stop it you gain weight again. (This seems to be true about any diet that you try whether it be detoxing or taking some sort of supplement that will help you to lost weight.) Expert opinions and doctors say that there really is no need to do a detox diet because your organs are strong enough to detox your body on its own, not with a diet or supplements. Experts say that they have many concerns with the diet because it is not that healthy to not eat and only drink your way into weight loss.

When I did the Lemonade diet, it worked for the time frame that I did it but stopped working the second I was off of it. I noticed that it made me have to frequently use the bathroom and that I was not sufficed with the “lemonade” that I was drinking. I still wanted to eat food and during the diet, I craved the most random things. This happened until the end of my diet when my body just was use to not eating. The diet leads to weight loss because instead of eating food, you sub it out for a liquid concoction composed of water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. To cleanse your body, you are supposed to drink 6-12 glasses a day. The way that the diet works is that it goes through you very quickly. The hot peppers in it make you have to go to the bathroom very often. This helps eliminate the toxins in your body as well as help to lose weight.

Detox diets can be very controversial especially because sometimes the side effects can really take a toll on your body. Most detox diets are unhealthy because you lose a significant amount of weight rather quickly (mostly without exercise). because you are eliminating the nutrients from the everyday foods that you would normally consumer and replacing them with specific foods and liquids, your body becomes deprived of vitamins and minerals which prevents the immune system from functioning normally and ultimately hinders the body’s ability to fight disease and infection. Although the lemonade diet is a liquid diet therefore you are consuming liquid, your body often times will experience fluid loss especially in your muscles. If there is a large loss, you can become dehydrated, irritable, cranky, tired, etc. Another risk to be concerned about is the aftermath of the diet. Anytime you skip a meal or limit your caloric intake, the body can’t perform to its best ability. When you aren’t consuming the sufficient amount of calories or carbohydrates, your body will resort to muscle for energy, which slows your metabolism. When your metabolism slows, you gain weight. So once you are off the diet, you will regain the weight you lost or even more than what you lost to begin with.

I would agree that the Lemonade Cleanse initially works and helps you lose weight (I lost 7 lbs. in one week); however the second you go back to your normal diet, you gain the weight back. If you are looking for a quick fix, yes it works, but if you are looking for this to be a long term solution, then no it does not work. I think that the best way to lose weight is to exercise and work out along with healthy eating habits (fruits and vegetables).

Organic Foods

The article that I chose to do was called Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?

This article basically talked about the differences between organic foods and conventional foods and how they are grown. Organic foods are generally grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, often rotate the crops in order to manage the weeds, and feed the animals organic diets so they are healthy. Conventional foods are grown with the use of chemicals and fertilizers in order to help the crops grow bigger. There are insecticides and herbicides to prevent the crops from being harmed by weeds and pests, and the animals usually are given some sort of antibiotic or grown hormones to increase their size for more profit.

In order for a food to be considered “organic”, it must meet the standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA says that in order to use the organic seal, (the picture I have included below) products must be 100% organic (fruits, vegetables, etc.) or those products that are at least 95% organic. If a product is less than that, the seal is not allowed on it. However, the product can say something along the lines of “made with organic ingredients” and can mention organic items throughout the labeling. I feel like this can be misleading though. I know that when I go to the grocery store, if I see the word organic, I assume that it is 100% organic and that it is healthier for me because it isn’t made the same way that conventional products are. I think that it is easy for any company to say that their product is organic, but you have to really read the ingredients or look for the seal to be sure. (I also didn’t realize that there was a seal that had to be clearly shown in order for the product to actually be organic.)

This article also talked about whether or not organic food is more nutritious than conventional food. Many studies have been conducted to try and prove that this theory is correct, however, most studies have shown that in nutrient value, both conventional and organic food are on a similar level. There really is no proof that organic food is better for you. Yes, they are produced in a healthier environment; however, the contents that you are eating are similar in health benefits.

This article also talked about whether organic and natural meant the same thing. This is not true. Natural simply means that the way that the food was processed and grown is either “hormone free” or “free range”, but it doesn’t mean that they are organic. The article specifically states that in order for a food to be labeled organic.... “Only foods that are grown and processed according to USDA organic standards can be labeled organic.”

Why do people choose organic food then? For one, I know that I choose organic because I like that the animals aren’t fed unhealthy steroids and antibiotics that will be going into my body once I eat them. I have heard many horrible stories about pesticides and the effects that they can have on a person’s body. I like to know that my food isn’t being sprayed with random chemicals when I choose organic. I have never really been concerned about the environment, but recently have been more aware of the harmful effects that some types of farming can have on it. With organic farming, the environment is being less polluted, the soil quality is raising, and we are conserving water.

There are a few down sides to organic foods as well. For one, they can be very expensive. On a college budget, it is hard to pass up more inexpensive boxed goods for expensive organic foods. Another down side is that not every place that I shop even carries the organic foods that I am looking for. I would have to drive a far distance to go to a place like Whole Foods or Trader Joes to make these purchases. The fact that not everyone has the time or a car to drive far distances makes it hard to get. I am lucky because my boyfriend lives in the city of Milwaukee and there happens to be a Whole Foods two blocks away.

I have learned that whether I buy organic foods or conventional foods, it is important to have a variety in my diet. I don’t want to just purchase products from a single location…I like the idea of going to a few different types of stores to mix up my diet. I also learned that it is key to purchase items when they are in season. I love summer because that is the best time to purchase fruits and vegetables. If I am going to buy conventional fruits and vegetables, it is important to wash them to help eliminate any possible chemicals that are on them. I will also make sure to read the labels when I see the word “organic” on a product.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255/METHOD=print