Battling For Health

Little Yellow Packets

In the United States, Sucralose is marketed under the brand name Splenda. Most diabetics have heard of this sugar alternative, marketed as the no-calorie sweetener made from sugar. According to an entry on Wikipedia,: “Sucralose is approximately 600 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar),twice as sweet as saccharin, and four times as sweet as aspartame. “ Today not only diabetics, but many others use Sucralose in all of their sweetened foods/drinks every day.

How Safe Is It?

Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by, according to popular legend, by a cross in communication. A researcher thought he was asked to taste the powder, when he was actually asked to ‘test’ it. He found that the Sucralose was very sweet and it was from there that Sucralose began its journey to our kitchens. The Canadian equivalent of the U.S. FDA allowed Sucralose to be introduced to the Canadian market in 1991 and the Canadian Diabetes Association concluded that a person of 150 pounds could ingest what amounts to 75 packets of Sucralose a day with no ill effects for a lifetime.

One adverse effect that is suspected: Sucralose may trigger migraines in some people who are prone to them.

Zero Calories?

Sucralose has been marketed as zero calories. The actual product does contain a very low amount of calories, but in the United States, if a product contains a very small amount, almost negligible, it can state 0 calories. Sucralose actually contains nearly the same amount of calories as sugar per 100 grams. The difference in calorific content becomes clear when the volume is measure. Sucralose is only 14.5% the volume of sugar, meaning less is needed for the identical amount of sweetening. When Sucralose is added to manufactured food products, no fillers are used, so no calories are added to the final product.

Misleading Advertising.

The makers of Splenda have found themselves at the center of controversy often in the past few years. Another alternative sweetener company brought suit against the Splenda manufacturers for stating that Splenda was made from sugar. Originally the product was made from sugar, so the company used that as their marketing strategy. Recently, a complaint to the FTC stated that Sucralose was not found in nature, so it could not be considered a natural alternative. In countries around the world, Splenda is facing the same accusations of misleading consumers.

Use of Splenda is not considered harmful by the health and food government institutions, but diabetics are urged by many health groups to find more natural ways to sweeten their foods.

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As the author of a blog about Alzheimer’s disease, I’m obviously interested in finding a shorthand way to refer to people who have the disease. And this has stymied and frustrated me.

The term “Alzheimer’s patient” seems to put the focus of their life on their disease, not on them, and puts the focus of their hopes on their treatment, as if they spent all their time waiting for someone to inject life into them, instead of living their own lives the best they can. People with other handicaps would never stand for something like that. For people who are visually impaired or physically impaired, their disability does not define them. People with disabilities sometimes hang out with each other, but not because they don’t want to be in the wider society, but because people in the wider society often misunderstand them.

The term “Alzheimer’s victim”… well, it turns people into victims. As in, helpless victims. As in, lying on the dungeon floor waiting for their next visit from the inquisition. Victims can’t do anything about their situation, and again, their situation defines who they are. Same thing with “Alzheimer’s sufferers.” (Sometimes the caregivers suffer more than their loved ones with Alzheimer’s.) But people with other disabilities don’t want to be called victims. No to mention deaf activists who, far from seeing themselves as victims, are proud of their unique languages and cultures. We all have weaknesses. The goal of good Alzheimer’s care, in my opinion, is to work around the weaknesses, providing prosthetics where necessary.

So, in search of a shorthand term for people with Alzheimer’s, I did a Google search of the Alzheimer’s Association website. They’ve been writing about Alzheimer’s longer than I have. How do they do it?

Here are the numbers - how many times different terms appear on the Alzheimer’s Association website:

• 51 from alz.org for victim
• 169 from alz.org for suffer
• 567 results from alz.org for patient

And the apparent winner?

• 1,830 from alz.org for person

So why don’t we just call people with Alzheimer’s “persons”? We could just call them “people with Alzheimer’s”. What a thought.

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Greetings .. Gloria is away this week, and will resume posting on February 4, 2008. In the meantime, please enjoy this article about Ankle Arthritis. // HART

There are different types of arthritis but the most common, osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that gradually reduces the cartilage in joints. With the cartilage the bones in the joint rake together and causes pain in addition to the prospect of bone damage. While arthritis can affect many joints, ankle arthritis is one of the most painful and the ankle and foot consist of 28 bones and about 30 joints, any one of which can lead to trouble walking due to the pain.

While arthritis can affect any of the joints, the most common is where the end of the shin bone rests on the top of the ankle bone. When a person is suffering ankle arthritis, their entire weight is placed on this bone and if the cartilage is worn thin or has been removed through disease, walking will be painful, if not impossible. Ankle arthritis can also affect the heel bone, the middle bone or arch as well as the first joints of the toes. With the body’s weight distributed on these joints, there is bound to be pain regardless of which joint is affected.

A bone scan may follow a gait analysis to diagnose ankle arthritis, and may be followed by a bone scan to determine the extent of cartilage loss and to detect any bone damage. Magnetic Resonance Imaging or Computerized Tomography may also be used in the diagnostic process.

Conservative Treatments Used At Onset Of Ankle Arthritis

Most physicians will treat a newly diagnosed patient with ankle arthritis with anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers. They may also recommend an arch support in the shoes or another similar device to help take some of the weight off the affected area. Custom-made shoes with a solid arch may also be needed to help stiffen the joint offering the most trouble.

The doctor may also suggest wearing a brace around the ankle to prevent the bones from sliding together as well as using a cane. In patients that may be over weight, an exercise program to help them shed the extra pounds may be recommended. They may also treat the pain of ankle arthritis with steroid injections to help provide a temporary padding into the joint.

If the non-invasive treatments are not producing the desired effects to rid the pain of ankle arthritis, arthroscopic surgery may be used to peer into the joint and remove any unwanted bone fragments that have worked their way into the cartilage areas of the joint. The most severe cases of ankle arthritis may require replacing the joint with an artificial one made of metal and plastic.

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Sex and Diabetes

If you are a young and otherwise healthy adult, you may find that your sex life has been suffering without knowing why. Many adults who have diabetes also have problems in their sex lives. The Journal of the American Medical Association conducted a survey in 1999 and discovered that %43 percent of women with diabetes (who participated in the survey) had some sort of sexual dysfunction. This is compared to %31 of men who participated in the same study.

What Are Issues Women Face?

Many women who have diabetes can find that during their period, their blood glucose levels may be harder to control. Studies had been performed to determine the cause of this fluctuation, but until 2007 there was no hard evidence on what caused the blood sugar to become so hard to control. In 2007, ABC News had released an answer to a question from a diabetic on their website (ABC News) that concludes that hormone levels in the week before, then during a period will cause insulin resistance.

Diabetic women also might have more issues than their non-diabetic counterparts with vaginal dryness. Proper lubrication is very central to enjoying intercourse. Use of a lubricating gel can help ease these issues. Diabetic women can also have less sensation in their genitals because of nerve damage, similar to the damage that causes loss of feeling in the fingers and feet.

Men and Impotence

Trouble attaining and maintaining erection is a problem that most men who are having problems with their sex life report. This can be due to nerve damage, much like the loss of sensation women can experience. It can also be attributed to fear of performance if there have been a loss or failure to achieve an erection in a past sexual episode. One very important factor is proper blood flow, since erections are achieved by a rush of blood to the penis during arousal.

Men should speak with their doctor if they are having issues with erection. Sometimes there can be a blockage in one (or more) of the blood vessels in the penis or to the penis. This not only can cause sexual problems, but other health issues as well. Some other factors to be considered are smoking, which constricts blood vessels throughout the body, and drinking which is infamous for causing erectile dysfunction.

The Afterglow

A diabetic who is taking insulin instead of controlling their diabetes through diet should try, if possible, to check their blood glucose before sex. It has been shown that occasionally sex can lower blood glucose levels. A small snack before and after sex may help counter this.

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I have been asked recently whether frequent guest-poster Amanda is my outspoken secret identity. The answer is, “No.” Amanda is very much a real person, and you’ll soon be able to see her writing on a new blog that will be launching soon. In the meantime, read her take on some of the little-known aspects of cancer treatment here:Let’s play an association game. I give you a word, and you record the first thing that comes to mind. If I say “hammer”, you might say “nail”. Another example would be if I said “oxygen”, and if you are an utter science geek like me, you might be thinking respiration (or maybe not). Now, what if I said “chemotherapy”? The last thing to cross your mind would probably be “sex”. But maybe it should be.Chemotherapy, while a necessary evil in the fight against cancer progression, is absolute hell on your body and your mind. You may feel nauseous and sick all the time, you are going lose weight, and you may even lose your hair. In addition to all this, you can also experience a complete loss of sexual desire, vaginal infections, dryness, and impotence. With all you are experiencing relating to the battle with cancer, this additional load is the last thing anyone needs to deal with.I am all for sex, believe me. Sex is great!! However, when a loved one is undergoing chemotherapy, they are probably not feeling very desirable or attractive. They are probably nauseous and have a headache. The important thing is that you don’t have live without sex while fighting your cancer. Now, if you just went through a cycle of chemo, and the mere thought of sex makes you want to throw up, DON’T have sex. The choice is yours. But if you do want to have sex with your partner, but don’t know how to get past the chemo-induced obstacles, talk to your doctor. Burst through the waiting room, screaming “I want sex!!! Give me sex!!”  Well, maybe that is a bad idea, but you get the point. Cancer does not have to be the end of your sex life. You just need to learn to outmaneuver the treatment.Like what you’re reading? Consider subscribing to our feed! 

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Reviewing the corporate world’s latest news releases about Alzheimer’s disease, instead of Alzheimer’s helmets and instant shots in the neck:

When it comes to Alzheimer’s treatment, where does the hype end and the future begin? A panel of leading experts in Alzheimer’s disease talk about the treatment approaches with the most promising early data in a new report, “Thought Leader Insight & Analysis: Alzheimer’s Disease.” The report discusses acetylcholinesterase (butyrylcholinesterase) inhibitors, NMDA, M1, 5-HT, alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine agonists, active and passive immunotherapy, gamma-secretase and beta-secretase inhibitors, insulin related mechanisms (IDE, RAGE), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, anti-TNF, GSK3 and more.

Some of the companies discussed in this report include General Electric, Bateman/Holtzman, Bayer-Schering/Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Satoris, Neurochem, Sanofi-Aventis, Eisai/Pfizer, Novartis, J&J, Debio, TorreyPines, Forest/Merz/Lundbeck/Daiichi-Sankyo, Medivation, Merck, GSK, Neuropharma/Zeltia, Abbott, AstraZeneca, Roche/Memory, EnVivo/Bayer-Schering, Baxter, Elan/Wyeth, Lilly, Pfizer, Eisai/BioArctic, Roche/Morphosys, AC Immune/Genentech, Affiris, AC Immune, Boehringer-Ingelheim/Ablynx, Lundbeck/Pharmexa, Myriad, Lilly/Elan, Wyeth , Schering-Plough, Elan, BMS, TorreyPines, Cellzome/J&J, CoMentis, Sunesis/Merck, Astex/AstraZeneca, Amgen, Wyeth/Amgen, TransTec/Pfizer, Accera, Sirtris, Neuropharma, Prana, Epix/GSK, and Elan/Transition Therapeutics.

“Thought Leader Insight & Analysis: Alzheimer’s Disease” can be ordered from MedPredict, which produces similar reports in other areas using its proprietary database of over 1,000 global physician thought leaders, including 40+ specialties in 30+ therapeutic categories. Of course, the price of the report is US $6,000. Is that tax-deductible? Can I get a discount from Amazon? Will they have a summary of the report in the AARP magazine, or would it lack the baby boomer appeal?

Source: MedPredict

Medivation, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDVN) has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will let them use their company’s previously completed trial conducted in Russia as one of the studies required to support the approval of Dimebon to treat mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The FDA says that a significant proportion of the sites in the confirmatory Phase 3 trial, to be conducted in the second quarter of 2008, must be located in the United States.

About 525 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, Europe and South America will participate in the next phase of the study. Test groups will take medication three times a day: either 20 mg of Dimebon, 5 mg Dimebon, or a placebo (sugar pill). For six months, patients in the text may not be taking any other Alzheimer’s disease drugs.

In the previously completed trial, Dimebon-treated patients were significantly improved over placebo patients on both the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale - cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and the Clinician’s Interview-Based Impression of Change plus caregiver interview (CIBIC-plus). The level of statistical significance was several times better than what is required to obtain marketing approval. Still, these sound like the kind of tests I’m skeptical of, where a elderly person could get a different score each time simply if they have insomnia, depression, or a hangover. What if I don’t feel like being tested? Is grumpy the same as mentally impaired? Sometimes it can sure look like it.

Source: Medivation

Beside having record sales and earnings for 2007, Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) is proud of the completion of a phase II study of their intravenous Alzheimer’s drug Gammagard. It was tested for six months with 24 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The company says, “Cognitive, behavioral and functional measures were collected at baseline, three months and six months of treatment. The primary endpoints of the Phase II trial were cognitive function (as measured by ADAS-Cog score) and global function (as assessed by ADCS-CGIC rating).” But they won’t present the final results until the second quarter of 2008.

According a Dow Jones story for Morningstar investors, Gammagard is a “decades-old Baxter drug now used to treat malfunctioning immune systems.” It’s classified as an intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG, drug, which means it’s chock-full of natural human antibodies. Theoretically, it helps Alzheimer’s patients rebuild their depleted stock of antibodies that could remove plaque from their brains. Even though Gammagard is produced from humans, not from chemicals, Baxter insists that they can provide enough of it to meet market demands.

Source: Baxter

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Greetings .. Gloria is away this week, and will resume posting on February 4, 2008. In the meantime, please enjoy this article about Neck Arthritis. // HART

For many people cervical spondylosis can be a real pain the neck, as it is the result of the degeneration of the padding with the disks in the back in the cervical spine. This form of neck arthritis is the most prevalent cause of neck pain and is most common in the older population. Typically, in patients over 60, about 75 percent of men and women suffer from some form of neck arthritis. While the aging process is the most common cause of this problem, a neck injury that may have occurred several years prior, can also be blamed.

Cervical spondylosis, also known as cervical osteoarthritis or neck arthritis, is a degenerative condition cause by the unusual wearing of the bones in the neck and the loss of cartilage, which cushions the vertebrae in the neck. Neck pain can also be caused by bone spurs on the bones that can break off an work their way into the cartilage. The loss of cartilage also creates an open space between the vertebrae into which nerves can be compressed, causing additional pain in other extremities.

Pain the neck, arms and back can result from this nerve interaction and if the spinal cord is affected by neck arthritis, the pain can also make its way into the legs. In addition to the pain caused by neck arthritis, a loss of feeling may also be experienced.

Non-Surgical Treatments Used In Treatment

For persons in the first stages of neck arthritis, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications can help ease the pain, but one of the principal concerns is to prevent damage to the nerves and the spinal cord. In some cases, a neck brace may be needed to stabilize the neck area and prevent awkward movements. As the conditions worsen, holding the neck still with a cervical brace may be recommended and cortisone injections into the affected part of the cervical spine may relieve some of the pain.

In more severe cases of neck arthritis, hospitalization may be required with a traction device to prevent the neck from moving and causing nerve and spinal cord damage. In these case, while hospitalized with neck arthritis, a person may be given muscle relaxers and narcotic pain relievers.

As a last ditch effort, doctors may recommend surgical intervention of reclaim the space between the vertebrae. Surgery may also be needed to remove any bone chips or fragments what have moved into the space vacated by the degenerated cartilage.

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Alzheimer’s disease can be expensive. Many analysts focus on the extra costs brought on by old people not dying according to schedule. I don’t plan to die on schedule myself. Millions of us uncooperative people will be living long enough to display the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (though Alzheimer’s may take years to develop) and that has major implications for public health.

So how can a country save on health costs? As Mike the Actuary notes, in a recent survey of 870 British physicians,

Ninety-four per cent said that an alcoholic who refused to stop drinking should not be allowed a liver transplant..

Okay, so they’re saying that the British National Health Service shouldn’t have unlimited responsibility for health problems that people bring on themselves. I can understand that.

Smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving some operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone.

Wait, did they say the elderly? That’s not exactly a problem that people bring on themselves. So who can the British Health Service afford to serve? American Pundit answers, “Only healthy people, apparently. Which sounds kind of… pointless.”

Many of these doctors echo what others have said in health debates. As summarized in Creative Minority Report:

Among the survey of 870 family and hospital doctors, one in three said that elderly patients should not be given free treatment if it were unlikely to do them good for long. Half thought that smokers should be denied a heart bypass, while a quarter believed that the obese should be denied hip replacements.

But the British medical establishment is not in full agreement about this.

Responding to the survey’s findings on the treatment of the elderly, Dr Calland, of the BMA, said: “If a patient of 90 needs a hip operation they should get one. Yes, they might peg out any time, but it’s not our job to play God.

I’m not a great fan of the health system, socialized or otherwise. Some of it is determined by attorneys, some of it treats symptoms by causing more symptoms. But I’m no fan of choosing whom to abandon. It’s been done before, in Nazi Germany and sometimes in the Arctic.

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Choosing The Proper Glucose Monitor

Every day and in most cases, several times a day, you should be checking your blood glucose levels. The best monitor for you will fit your lifestyle. Today there are many different monitors to choose from. Some allow you to use blood from a small prick on your arm, while others need a larger amount from your fingertip.

But, which type is the most accurate? I have used both types and have found that the difference between blood taken from the forearm and from the fingertip can be staggering. This comes from several experiments with my mother’s glucose monitor over the course of the past 5 months. In some cases there was a difference of 70 points.

Best Time To Check

The best time to check your glucose levels is before you eat and before you retire for the night. Some diabetics may feel shaky if they have not eaten or if their meal does not have enough sugar in it. Remember that sugar can form in the blood from carbohydrates in your food. If you do not have the proper balance of carbs in your meals, a drop in blood glucose can occur giving you symptoms of shakiness, dizziness, or weakness. Cold sweats can occur with an extreme drop.

Often it may be hard to tell the difference between high glucose and low, because the symptoms can mimic one another. If you experience any of the symptoms described above, check your sugar! There have been times when a diabetic was given sugary substances in an effort to raise their glucose levels when their glucose was already dangerously high. An injection of insulin to someone who seems to be having a high level can be fatal! Never take any action until you have checked your glucose levels or someone else has. Be sure to keep a notification in your wallet, on your fridge, or by wearing a medical alert bracelet. This will help anyone who needs to give you emergency care know what they need to do for your condition.

Monitor Your Sugar

This is very important. Take note of your sugar levels in a small notebook or the glucose diary that comes with your glucose monitor. Eventually you will come to notice a pattern and may be able to better control your diabetes with your diet and exercise. Talk with your doctor at each visit and make sure to bring your glucose diary. Knowing your diabetes and how your body reacts with stress, food, and other influences can give you the tools you need to stay healthy.

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The majority of my work day is spent doing some form of internet research. That’s why I was happy to find that Yahoo! had a partnership with the American Cancer Society to help raise funds for cancer awareness, prevention and research funding. Each time you use Search to Fight for your search engine needs instead of Google or another default web site, a significant portion of the advertising revenue raised by visiting sponsored links will be donated to the American Cancer Society.From the Search to Fight website: 

Yahoo! will contribute a significant portion of its advertising revenue generated by your clicks on paid advertising sites that are displayed on your search results page. We ask that you use this site honestly. You should use SearchToFight just as you would any other search engine. If you conduct fraudulent searches, then it will reduce the amount of contributions to the American Cancer Society. Fraudulent searching includes, but is not limited to repeated manual clicks, the use of robots or other automated querytools, etc. 

I would estimate that I use a search engine website about once every twenty minutes when I work and click on a sponsored link at least four times a day. It’s nice to know that a simple substitution can help raise funds for one of my favorite volunteer-run organizations. Make it even easier to raise cancer funds every day, and set Search to Fight as your internet browser homepage! Check out this article on how to do that in Internet Explorer.

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