Bens Herbs Place: Medical Tests

Showing posts with label Medical Tests. Show all posts

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Coffee Increases or Decreases Risk of Heart Attack?

The Journal of the American Medical Association found that drinking coffee with caffeine (not decaf) may raise the risk of heart attacks.

The Journal of the American Medical Association found that drinking coffee with caffeine (not decaf) may lower the risk of heart attacks.

Make up your mind?

Actually both findings are correct.

Whether coffee is heart-healthy or heart-harmful seems to depend on whether you have a "slow" or a "fast" version of the gene that tells the liver how to use an enzyme known as CYP1A2. This enzyme breaks down the caffeine in coffee.

If your liver can break down caffeine quickly, then the body benefits from all the antioxidants coffee provides. If your liver breaks down caffeine slowly, then the benefits of coffee's antioxidants is more than offset by the stress on the heart caused by caffeine.

But that's not the entire story.

Even if you have a "fast" CYP1A2 gene, the liver also uses the enzyme it codes to break other potential toxins besides caffeine. The reason some people with asthma breathe easier when they drink caffeinated beverages, for instance, has to do with the fact that the enzyme is busy breaking down caffeine so it doesn't break down the active chemicals in asthma drugs.

The same principle explains why some coffee drinkers experience increased blood pressure when they take calcium channel blockers or angiotensin II antagonists to lower blood pressure. The CYP1A2 is occupied clearing out the medication, so it can't clear out the caffeine.

So how do you know whether caffeine increases or decreases your risk of heart attack?

It seems logical that if drinking coffee after dinner keeps you up at night, you might have a "slow" version of the enzyme, but it's also possible your brain is just very sensitive to caffeine.

Right now, the only way to know for sure is through genetic testing to determine how your body makes CYP1A2. (More info on testing.)

Source:
Cornelis MC, El-Sohemy A, Kabagambe EK, Campos H. Coffee, CYP1A2 genotype, and risk of myocardial infarction. JAMA. 2006 Mar 8;295(10):1135-41.

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Sunday, September 8, 2013

Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms

From Dr. Sircus

Few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in our bodies. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body, After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies, vitally important yet hardly known.

It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it In fact there happens to be a relationship between what we perceive as thirst and deficiencies in electrolytes.

I remember a person asking, “Why am I dehydrated and thirsty when I drink so much water?” Thirst can mean not only lack of water but it can also mean that one is not getting enough nutrients and electrolytes.

There are many common ailments related to magnesium deficiency .... Read the entire article.

Supplement Resource:
Magnesium Complex Capsules
Magnesium Tablets - 250 mg.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

7 Most Overused Medical Tests and Treatments

From AARP

The exercise stress test that's part of your yearly physical. The MRI you got when you threw out your back moving the couch. The antibiotics you took for your sinus infection. You probably didn't need any of them.

The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation (ABIM) asked nine medical societies — from family doctors to allergists and cardiologists — to each identify five commonly used medical tests and treatments that are often unnecessary. A list of 45 overused procedures was presented at a news conference. Read the entire article.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Human Feeding Experiment and New Diseases

From Green Med Info

In Kansas, for instance, an experimental 3200 acres of GMO rice have been planted with inserted DNA from human organs.

GMO's were approved in the US without undergoing long term tests to determine if they were safe for human consumption. The rats that were fed GMO food didn't do too well; they either died, or lived with horrible distended intestines and misery. Yet, due to the lack of required labeling, Americans do not know if they are consuming GMO foods in a meal. Regardless of public outcry, the labeling of GMO's is not required.

A subset of GMO foods are called Transgenic foods. Some researchers are suggesting that the rise in autism is due to Transgenic foods. The introduction of GMOs into the food chain has now been correlated with an alarming rise in chronic diseases and food allergies.

A growing body of evidence has shown GMOs may cause mysterious allergies, immune reactions, liver problems, sterility, and an alarming rise in severe chronic disease. New diseases of unknown causes are sprouting up all over the world. Why? Read the entire article.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Microchip-Laden Drugs Given FDA Approval

Rumors regarding the development of a 'digital pill' with a microchip inside have been circulating for some time, but today, the FDA actually green lighted the product.

The company, Proteus Digital Health, gained FDA approval for its 1 square millimeter device (the size of a grain of sand), which it believes will "shift the care paradigm" into an era of digital medicine.

According to Proteus Digital Health's website: Digital Medicines are the same pharmaceuticals you take today, with one small change: each pill also contains a tiny sensor that can communicate, via our digital health feedback system, vital information about your medication-taking behaviors and how your body is responding.

The company added "As a result, you can be sure you're taking your medicines as prescribed, while at the same time receiving unprecedented feedback on your physical response to treatment." Read the entire article.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

PSA Screening Controversy

From WebMD.com

Don't get the PSA prostate-cancer screening test, a U.S. expert panel says. Do get it, many urologists and patient advocates say.

What's a man supposed to do? To provide clarity amid the controversy, here's WebMD's FAQ.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

New Safer Down Syndrome Test

The old testing methods of amniocentesis or chronic villus sampling (removing a small piece of the placenta from the uterus during early pregnancy for testing).

These two invasive procedures which have a small risk of inducing miscarriage. This new test just may be valuable for decreasing the need of the more risky testing.

According to researchers these new test just may be accurate enough to replace the old invasive testing methods. Read the entire article.

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