HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016

This 2016 May you get a clean health bill from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-entomologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S.

 

Merry Christmas! 2015

The Christmas season is the season of Peace and love
I wish you a happy Christmas
Filled with fun and celebration
Merry Christmas!

Antidepressants During Pregnancy Increase the Risk of Autism

According to a new study, women who take a certain class of widely used antidepressants during their 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy may face almost twice the risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder.

The new research was published last Monday December 14, 2015 in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Pediatrics. They studied 145,456 kids in Quebec that were born between 1998 and 2009, to determine if children of mothers who took antidepressants while pregnant were at an increased risk of developing an autism disorder. This is among the strongest findings linking antidepressant use in pregnancy to poor outcomes in the children born of those pregnancies.

Researchers found that the children of mothers who took antidepressants later in pregnancy were at an 87% higher risk to develop autism than those without exposure. Of the 2,532 children who fell into this category, 31 were diagnosed with autism (1.2%). Second and third trimester are a crucial time for brain development in the fetus.

The risk was even higher for children of mothers who are taking the most common form of antidepressants, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). They had a 117% greater chance of developing an autism disorder. Outh of the 1,583 children in this category, 22 were diagnosed with autism (about 1.4%).


"Our study has established that taking antidepressants during the second or third trimester of pregnancy almost doubles the risk that the child will be diagnosed with autism by age seven, especially if the mother takes selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, often known by its acronym SSRIs," according to the lead researcher Anick Berard, an expert on pharmaceutical safety during pregnancy at the University of Montreal.

SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed anti-depressants, and include brand names such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft.

As many as one in 45 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the United States, according to a recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Scientists still do not fully understand what causes autism, though both genetics and environment are believed to play a role.

Researchers said their findings are significant because as many as 10% of pregnant women are currently being treated with antidepressants. However, experts also stressed that no pregnant woman currently on antidepressants should stop treatment without talking to her physician first. They also said that pregnant women who are untreated for depression faced other risk factors in their pregnancy.

Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurologist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, said pregnant women on SSRIs should not stop taking their medication without more study and information.

"The absolute risk is still low and the odds are overwhelmingly in their favor that it’s low," Wiznitzer said of the chance of a child developing autism after his or her mother took an SSRI.

How to Relieve Sciatica and Low Back Pain?

A lot of people suffers from back pain or sciatic nerve pain specially once you get older. And about 10% of the population suffers from lower back pain. Popping pain relievers is not good since it can be addictive.

In most cases, people blamed lifting of a heavy load have caused their back pains. Sports, accidents, poor posture, obesity, stress, and living a sedentary lifestyle can also cause back pains.

If you experience back pains experts believes that 80% of the time it will resolve on its own within 2 to 4 weeks, even without treatment. But you can always speed up your recovery.

You can try natural stuff that are anti-inflammatory:

Ginger - it has anti-inflammatory properties. Use fresh ginger, steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice.
Curcumin - use by osteoarthritis patients as treatment to reduce pain and increased mobility.
Boswellia - boswellin or "Indian frankincense," contains anti-inflammatory properties.
Bromelain - found in pineapples, it has anti-inflammatory properties.
Evening primrose, black currant, and borage oils - contain the essential fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is useful for treating arthritic pain.
Cayenne cream - it comes from dried hot peppers.

To relieve Sciatic Nerve Pain:

Sciatic Nerve Pain - is a very painful kind of back pain that results when your sciatic nerve gets pinched in your lower back. The pain is typically felt as originating in your buttock, radiating down your thigh. Try this exercise below to relieve  Sciatic Nerve Pain:

Sciatic Pain Exercise




 3 Easy Stretches to Prevent Back Pain

Fast-food wars: McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's Value Meals

There's a war simmering in the fast-food world and McDonald's is getting the upper-hand against Wendy's and Burger King. McDonald's is gearing up to transform their "value platform", meaning they will offer new promotions.

They have already introduce "McPick 2" to replace Dollar Menu, this is a limited-time offer that will let customers choose two of the following items for $2: a McDouble, a McChicken, small fries, and mozzarella sticks.

The offering has gained the necessary votes from franchisees to make it onto the national menu, and will be available in U.S. restaurants for a 5-week run starting January 4, 2016. After that, McDonald's said it may change the details of the offering, but that it plans to stick with the "McPick" concept and name.

They have also made breakfast items like Egg McMuffins available throughout the day.

In response to McDonald's offer, Burger King and Wendy's unleash more promotions, and both chains saw increase in sales.

Burger King offers a 10-nugget deal for $1.49. It's also offering coupons for other food items on its mobile app. While, Wendy's promo is "4 for $4" meal that includes a junior bacon cheeseburger, 4 chicken nuggets, small fries, and a drink for only $4.

McDonald's says that 25% of their customers are looking for value meals.



Burger King Gift Card $25
Wendy's $20 Gift Card

Burnt Toast and Crispy potatoes increase risk of cancer

A new study by the British government's Food Standards Agency (FSA) reported that burnt toast and other highly crispy food contains high amounts of cancer-causing toxin called acrylamide. Acrylamide are chemicals that are produced naturally as a result of cooking starch-rich food at high temperatures like frying or baking. It is also likely to be produced by grilling and roasting food.

"Some foods are rich in acrylamide due to the way they are produced. Further cooking of carbohydrate rich foods, for example the grilling of bread to make toast, causes more acrylamide to be produced. This browning process is indicative of acrylamide production, levels are higher in well cooked dark brown chips compared to lighter brown cooked chips," quoting the report.

The amount of acrylamide produced depends on how long and how high is the temperature in cooking the food. Long duration and high temperatures form more acrylamide than short duration and lower temperatures.

The study is performed using 50 households. They took food samples from each household and measured their acrylamide levels in a lab. They found that 9 micrograms per kilogram of acrylamide in the palest piece of toast, while the darkest piece had 167. Fries contained more than 1,000 micrograms per kilogram of acrylamide.

The study said that regular eating of food that contains the cancer-causing natural by-product of cooking process can increase the risk of cancer.

WHO: Cancer Causing Food Includes Bacon, hotdog, ham, red meat, sausage, cold cuts, and other processed meat

World Health Organization warn the public about eating too much cancer causing food, included on their list are Bacon, hotdog, ham, sausage, cold cuts, and other processed meat (corned beef, luncheon meat, beef jerky, beefloaf). Also included on the list are read meat (beef, pork, veal, mutton, horse and goat), specially if they are cooked in high temperatures or pan-fried since it releases higher amounts of chemicals that can cause colon and stomach cancers.

WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, placed processed meat in the same category as smoking or asbestos that has a confirmed link in causing cancer.

When a meat are cooked in direct contact with a flame or at high temperatures the meat produces carcinogens. The study also suggest that daily consumption of 1.75 ounces (50 gram) of processed meat can increase the risk of developing a colorectal cancer by 18%

However, according to Cancer.gov other food like fish and poultry that are cooked using high-temperature methods (pan-fried or grilling) especially above 300ºF can also form Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Through experiments it has been found that, HCAs and PAHs are mutagenic that is, they cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer.

WHO statement about the link between processed meat and colorectal cancer