Cranberry or Antibiotics for Urinary Tract Infection?

Bladder or urinary tract infection (UTI) is a problem that most women have experienced at some point in life.  For some women, UTIs recur on a regular basis.  Cranberry is an effective natural remedy at treating UTIs, and decreasing recurrence rates.  A recent Dutch study found that daily antibiotics for a year were more effective than cranberry at preventing UTIs -- sounds great, right?  Yes, until you get to the part about 85% of the bacteria becoming resistant in the group treated with antibiotics.  In other words, overuse of antibiotics produces superbugs that will just require more and stronger antibiotics down the line.

Also, as I often tell my patients, antibiotics don't just target the "bad" bugs that you don't want -- they also wipe out the beneficial bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tract (normal flora, or probiotics).  These probiotics help to regulate our entire immune system, and they also contribute to the normal digestion of food, normal bowel movements, and the production of vitamin K.

Cranberry does not cause resistant superbugs, and it does not kill your beneficial intestinal flora.  It works by preventing the adherence of bacteria to the wall of the bladder.  So which is the better option -- daily cranberry, or daily antibiotics?  I hope that from the point of view of your total health, the choice should be obvious.  After all, if you do end up with an acute bladder infection, you can always treat it with higher dose cranberry (combined with other herbs, such as uva ursi), or even use a short-term antibiotic -- followed, of course, by 2-3 months of probiotic supplementation.

Antibiotics Beat Cranberries at Fighting Urinary Tract Infections in Study

More Muscle = Less Diabetes

Most of us know that extra body fat is not good for your health -- it tends to lead to insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes.  Researchers at UCLA have confirmed what I've been telling my patients for a long time:  more muscle mass improves insulin sensitivity.  This is protective against diabetes.

Yet another reason that exercise is my favorite supplement.  And while cardio workouts burn more calories, which is good for decreasing fat tissue, don't forget the resistance training too.  Building up muscle can be just as important for your health.

Increasing muscle mass may lower type 2 diabetes risk

Higher potassium, lower sodium intake = longer life

A study published this month in Internal Medicine showed that those with the highest dietary potassium intake, coupled with the lowest sodium intake, had the lowest risk of dying from cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke).  With the opposite diet (high sodium, low potassium), there is a 46% increased chance of cardiovascular death.

What this means is that we not only should be cautious about our salt intake, but also make sure we're getting plenty of potassium-rich foods, too -- namely fruits and veggies, like bananas, oranges, grapes, carrots, and leafy greens.  Keep in mind that, on average, about three-quarters of the salt in the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) comes from processed foods (packaged foods, fast foods), not the salt shaker.  By sticking with freshly prepared whole foods, then, you take care of both lowering sodium and raising potassium in one fell swoop.  Sounds like the Mediterranean diet to me.

Once again, we can dissect out individual nutrients like this, but by focusing on whole, minimally processed foods, we usually have all the bases covered.

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-salt-potassium-heart-20110724,0,5730467.story

Navigating a Toxic World

In the 1967 classic movie, The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman’s character has just finished college and is seeking direction for his future career.  The unsolicited advice from a family friend?  “One word:  plastics.” 

Plastics certainly have become ubiquitous in the past forty years since those prophetic words.  Everything from water bottles to medical equipment to the cars we drive depends on them.  While this has brought many conveniences to life, it’s wise to stop and examine the consequences of all this “better living through chemistry.”

We are now exposed to tens of thousands of substances that did not exist a century ago.  It’s impossible to predict how all of these will affect our bodies’ systems, which are adapted for the natural world.

A study just published in July 2011 in Environmental Health Perspectives found that chemicals called phthalates and bisphenol A (or BPA) can harm thyroid function.  The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating our body temperature and energy levels, and thyroid problems have been increasing in recent years.  This just adds to the body of evidence about the harms of these chemicals, which are found in numerous household plastic items, food can liners, and even some toys.  What can you do to protect yourself?

In this case, the best offense is a good defense – in other words, limit your exposure as much as possible.  Avoid plastic water bottles, and even microwave popcorn (the bags are lined with harmful chemicals).  Never microwave food in plastic containers; only use ceramic or glass.  Look for BPA-free baby bottles.

Look around your house, and cut down on the number of chemicals as much as possible:  yard treatments, cleaning products, even beauty products.  Choose organic produce, meat, and eggs at the grocery store to avoid exposure to organophosphate pesticides.

Industry and regulators would argue that these chemicals are present in consumer goods in safe amounts.  While this may often be the case for individual products, what is almost never studied is the cumulative effect of this toxic soup that we now live in.  Most of these chemicals are stored for years, even decades, in our fat tissue.

If you’re concerned about the effects of such chemicals on your health, talk to a holistic physician about lab tests for your chemical levels. 

Relationship between Urinary Phthalate and Bisphenol A Concentrations and Serum Thyroid Measures in U.S. Adults and Adolescents from NHANES 2007-08

Calling all docs and nurses...

And now, some blatant self-promotion!  :-)

I will be giving a presentation:
Chiropractic Interventions in the Management of Osteoarthritis

When:  Friday, July 15 at noon
Where:  Provena United Samaritans Medical Center in Danville, in the conference rooms by the cafeteria
Why:  For great information and a free category 1 CME credit (license renewal due by the end of this month!)

See you there!

Do this to reduce your risk of dying by 92%....

One myth that I like to dispel right away with my patients is the inevitability of getting a chronic disease because of family history.  "Well, my father had heart disease, and my grandmother, so I guess I'm doomed!"  Numerous studies in the past have taken a look at the relative contribution of genetics versus lifestyle in the development of chronic disease -- and the majority of the burden has always come down on lifestyle.

This past week's issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) had yet another amazing research study proving this point.  They looked at the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in American women -- the type of fatal heart attack that comes with no warning, and in many cases no known "traditional" risk factors (like high cholesterol).  Researchers looked at this in light of four healthy lifestyle factors:  daily exercise, non-smoking, normal body weight, and high adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet.

Scoring well in even one of these categories reduced risk of SCD by 44%, compared to those who had none of the healthy lifestyle features.  But with all four healthy factors?  A whopping 92% lower risk of SCD!  This translates into lifestyle accounting for about 80% of the risk of SCD compared to genetics.  Yet another reminder that your health is largely in your own hands -- family history is not destiny.

So, anyone for a dinner that includes extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, and fish, after a quick workout at the gym?  Your life may depend on it.

Adherence to a Low-Risk, Healthy Lifestyle and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death Among Women

With health care, do you get what you pay for?

The U.S. spends more per capita on health care than any other country in the world, yet a recent study found that we trail many other countries in terms of life expectancy.  If life expectancy is a measure of population health, then what is our money buying?  It's nice to have access to expensive, high-tech medicine like MRIs, transplants, and chemotherapy, but maybe we need to focus on the healthy lifestyle practices that prevent the need for those interventions in the first place.

 Life Expectancy in the U.S. -- CNN