Author:Linda Chae

Aging isn’t just wrinkles. . .it’s disease and illness

Most of us think of ‘aging’ as wrinkles that begin to appear on our face. But that word applies to all the diseases and conditions that impact our health . . . breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, etc. Chances are you or a family member has experienced the fear and pain of one or more of these frightening conditions. And yes, wrinkles can be painful, but they aren’t usually life threatening.

What few realize is that skin care products and other topical personal care items we use are significant contributors to these diseases. The products applied to our skin to help us look younger actually contain Age Accelerators. Synthetic chemicals used in the formulation of these products have been scientifically linked to these diseases. So when you apply anti-wrinkle cream to your face, it is actually making you older.

The typical industry response to concerns about toxic ingredients has been, “Oh, the ingredients are such fractional amounts they cannot possibly be harmful”. That’s like the tobacco companies telling us one cigarette will not cause lung cancer. It’s the multiple packs of cigarettes every day, month after month, that is the problem.

“We look good, we smell good, and we have just exposed ourselves to 200 different chemicals a day, through personal care products.” (U.S. News and World Report)

So, every day, we apply creams and lotions, use deodorant, brush our teeth, use perfume (or products with fragrance) . . . and the small amounts of toxic, carcinogenic and hormone disrupting chemicals add up. In fact, scientific studies have shown these chemicals remain in our blood and fat tissue, and some have been found in breast cancer tumors. The specific chemicals are not in the air we breathe, the water we drink, or the food we eat. They are only found in the products which are then absorbed through the skin.

“Cosmetics are being marketed in the United States, which may pose a serious hazard to the public. Over 2,983 chemicals used in cosmetics…and one-third (884) of these ingredients have been reported as toxic substances…” (Senator Edward Kennedy, quoting a General Accounting Office report).

Much of the related statistical evidence can be found in government agencies: Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Center of Disease Control (CDC), National Institute of Health (NIH), Government Accounting Office (GAO), Poison Control Center and others. The manufacturers that claim these synthetic ingredients are safe rely on Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to protect their workers from the very chemicals found in the products you and your children are exposed to on a daily basis.

As the largest organ of the body, the skin absorbs much more than we can imagine. Yet, it doesn’t absorb water. Otherwise, we would gain weight every time we took a shower or bath. But the small molecules of skin care ingredients are absorbed. Just think of those transdermal patches delivering medicines through the skin. The skin is also a wonderful elimination organ. People can be embarrassed by perspiration, but that is the body’s way of releasing toxins.

Yes, there is hope. We can improve our health and look younger.

Here are the basic habits I recommend:

·Avoid cigarettes and alcohol. These have been proven to be dangerous to our health and actually age our skin prematurely. Alcohol in moderation, especially a glass of wine, should not be problematic.

·Eat healthy. This may be a challenge with busy lifestyles, but try to eat as many fruit and vegetables as you can - and choose organic.

·Look for natural skin care and personal care products that bear Certified ToxicFree® Seal. It’s your assurance the products are free of toxic, carcinogenic and hormone disrupting chemicals.

·Choose organic. Just as you select ‘organic’ food, look for skin care that is organic and free from age accelerating ingredients.

·Contact the ToxicFree® Foundation (www.toxicfree.org), and purchase a ToxicAlarm Guide. This quick-read booklet includes a list of dangerous chemicals and how to identify them on the labels of products.

·Use information resources: www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep is a website to research some products and nearly every ingredient. Don’t be alarmed, there are safe alternatives.

To improve your skin and retain a healthy, ageless appearance:

·Begin your skin detoxification program by choosing a ToxicFree® cleanser to remove dirt, pollutants and chemicals from the skin surface.

·Select a masque with glacier silt that can help draw the toxins from deep within your skin. Remember, your skin is an excellent elimination organ.

·Tone your skin with products that contain Oxyene” to counter exposure to polluted ‘city air’. This is a patented form of ‘liquid stabilized oxygen’ that will help breathe new life into your skin.

·Moisturize your skin with natural, organic skin care products appropriate for your skin type and age to assure your skin has the hydration and nutrition it needs.

Once you find the right organic skin care you will be on the path to detoxifying your skin for longer life and an ageless appearance.

Author:Kyler Robinson 

Nasal sinus surgery in medical terms can also be referred to as ethmoid sinus surgery or at times endoscopic sinus surgery can also be referred to as nasal sinus surgery because the endoscope or a thin optic tube is inserted through the nose.

Firstly, in order to understand this surgical procedure of nasal sinus surgery one needs to first know what is exactly an ethmoid sinus allergy/infection is and also where is this sinus located. Ethmoid sinus is located next to the eye and near the nose; and when this part is infected by bacteria; which is the primary cause in most cases this area swells. Swelling leads to narrowing down of the channel that lies between the nose and the mentioned sinus and a self-formed barricade disables the free flowing of water, mucus and other secretions. Similarly in cases of frontal sinus and maxillary sinus the infected areas swell and cause problems.

Nasal sinus surgery not only helps in getting relief from uneasiness and discomfort that complements sinus infection but also is painless. But nasal sinus surgery should only be performed after it is advised by an E.N.T specialist/ otolaryngologist and under the supervision of hands with expertise because of the sensitive location of this particular sinus in concern. The sensitive location increases the chances of damage to both eyes as well as brain. That is the reason why in nasal sinus surgery is either performed with the help of an endoscope in general cases i.e., by Endoscopic Sinus Surgery or Functional Endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) or in severe chronic cases by Image guided surgery.

Image guided surgery is a comparatively new technique that rules out doubts that would have cropped up with the idea of inserting a tube in a sensitive area where there is a possibility of irreversible damage to the tissues and nerves that are connected to the brain or eyes. The Image guided surgery is carried out with the help of a three dimensional mapping system which is bringing together of CT scan and real-time information that gives the exact location of the infected area and the infrared rays are used as surgical tools.

Nasal sinus surgery not only subdues the discomforts caused by infected sinuses but also is the last resort in cases of chronic or severe chronic sinusitis.

Author:Davis Liu, M.D. 

The most important financial asset each of us owns is our ability to earn money. Specifically our earning power. But we can only work if we are of sound mind and body - i.e. we need to be healthy. Staying healthy and being able to work is a more powerful financial asset than our investment portfolio and our real estate holdings, particularly in today’s market.

Yet most of us don’t take the same level of care managing our health the same way we do our mutual funds. We spend more time evaluating the performance of the stock funds rather than how well our health insurance plan does to keep us healthy. Many of us sit down in front of our computers watching our bank account fluctuations rather than actively exercising and eating well to ensure we have the opportunity to make more money by staying healthy.

If we valued our health as much as we did our other financial assets, then we would take better care of it by quitting smoking, limiting alcohol intake, and getting adequate sleep. We would only seek out insurance plans that were best at promoting our health much the same way we would select mutual funds with a high rating by Morningstar and a solid ten year return. Instead of being distracted by the latest me too drug and newest medical malady, we would be focused on getting the boring hardly sexy preventive tests done like mammograms, colon cancer screenings, and cholesterol, much the same way we’ve been taught to save money early and often into financial investments we understand and are familiar with.

Too many of us treat our health the same way we do our retirement planning. We don’t take the time and effort to do the little things that matter and then when we want to retire we find out we didn’t do enough and can’t. With health, many ignore the important preventive interventions only to develop a more complicated and expensive medical condition that should have been easily addressed had it been given priority. Instead of having a long productive and high quality of life, the individual now faces costly medical bills and often lost income because of the illness. People don’t realize how fragile good health can be for if they did they would be much more careful with it.

A RAND study found that during a ten year period for individuals between the age 25 to 54, those in very good health who then described their health as excellent a decade later doubled their net worth. Those, however, that identified themselves as being in poor health saw their net worth shrink by half.

As your stocks and real estate holdings become less valuable, be sure to keep your most important financial asset in tip top shape. On average our healthcare system makes sure that you get the right preventive care only 55 percent of the time so like any of your other investments, take the time to educate yourself and then act on the information. Maintain a healthy weight, ask for the preventive tests shown to save lives, and partner with a primary care doctor, who is your advocate in keeping you well. Once you protect your most important financial asset, then any downturn in the market can be managed because as long as you are healthy, you can make more money. Having more money, however, doesn’t necessarily mean one can acquire good health.

Author:Sunita Reed

Secrets of a Centenarian

101-year-old Adele Lerner lied about her age until she was in her 90’s. But she didn’t do so out of vanity. Rather, she didn’t want people to view her as incapable of doing the things she wanted to do. When she finally told her children, Terry and Karen, that she was actually three years older than they had thought, they persuaded her to “come out of the closet.”

Lerner explains what happened next.

“With the first interview in the Jewish newspaper everybody knew my life. I have no secrets. And I felt so good, because that was a bad secret for me,” says Lerner.

Lerner, who started painting in her 50’s, earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts at the age of 83. And she never stops learning. Since age 96, she talks daily to daughter Karen in California via web cam and instant messaging.

Lerner has sisters who lived into their 90’s. She thinks she lived so long and stayed so healthy because of her faith, and her genes- which new research shows may account for both her longevity and her small size.

“I’m the shrimp of the family,” Lerner explains. She’s also the longest-lived.

Lerner was one of 450 people who’ve participated in a longevity study conducted by physician scientist Nir Barzilai and his team at Albert Einstein College of Medicine along with colleagues at UCLA and Johns Hopkins. The results showed that the fact that, at her tallest, she was a petite five feet, might also be linked to her longevity.

Previous studies in animals, such as mice, worms and flies, showed that mutations or variations in the genes affecting growth result in smaller animals with longer lifespan. In order to find out if these types of genetic variations correlate to height and longevity in people, Barzilai studied men and women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent who ranged in age from 95 to 108. He also studied their sons and daughters.

First he analyzed the blood levels, in the children, of a protein involved in growth called insulin/insulin-like growth factor I (IGFI). Levels of this protein correlate with the action of growth hormone. While the sons did not show variations from the comparison or control group, the daughters had 35 percent higher levels of IGFI. Daughters were also about an inch shorter than the control group. This indicated that the action of growth hormone was higher. So, why were the daughters shorter than the comparison group?

To answer that question, Barzilai’s team looked at the gene that codes for IGFI receptors, the “landing spots” on cells that respond to IGF1, carrying out its orders. He studied the DNA of the seven shortest female centenarians in the group, and found that they had a high incidence of mutations in those genes. Barzilai also found that those mutations impaired the IGFI receptors, reducing the function of growth hormone.

While centenarians who had these mutations also had higher IGFI levels, “the growth hormone is not active and… the body is trying to compensate by producing more growth hormone, but of course not totally successful,” Barzilai says.

“This really proves the concept that actually low growth hormone action is consistent with longevity, just like it happens everywhere in nature,” he says. But he points out that this is just one gene in the growth pathway.

“This confirms the possibility that some centenarians get to this age because they have mutations in the IGF [growth pathway]. But it doesn’t mean that all centenarians need to have this mutation in order to get to age 100,” he adds.

In previous studies, Barzilai has found two other “longevity” genes which seem to increase the levels of “good cholesterol,” or HDL. He believes that many other gene variations that contribute to long life will be found in future studies.

“I think that what we know from this technology so far is that we are going to have surprises. We are going to have genes that are associated with longevity or are protective against aging that we never thought before. That’s going to be very exciting for us,” says Barzilai.

Caution About Using Growth Hormone

But Barzilai cautions that his findings indicate that growth hormone injections used as an anti-aging treatment might backfire.

“We think that if you give growth hormone to an elderly subject that’s gong to potentially be harmful, at least form the longevity point of view,” Barzilai says. “Even if there are some good effects, we think that the fact that low growth hormone action is so consistent with longevity, growth hormone itself might not be.”

He says the goal of his research is to find out how people can remain healthy as they grow older.

Regardless of whether we have protective genes, staying active mentally and physically is likely still the best bet. And Adele Lerner’s example seems to suggest that staying mentally young is key.

“Age doesn’t mean anything. You know, I am young in thought,” Lerner says.

PUBLICATION: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 4, 2008

STUDY TITLE: Functionally significant insulin-like growth factor I receptor mutations in centenarians

AUTHORS: Yousin Suh, Gil Atzmon, Mi-Ook Cho, David Hwang, Bingrong Liu, Daniel J. Leahy, Nir Barzilai and Pinchas Cohen

RESEARCH FUNDED BY: National Institutes of Health

Author:Brent Delaurentis 

Fake doctor notes are getting more and more popular today, and with rising health care costs and stricter rules on the job, there are more and more people who are beginning to use the doctor notes. Of course while there are some risks involved, many people find that it is so much better to use a doctor note than actually having to pay to visit the doctor every time they are sick and end up missing work.

If you decide that these doctor notes are the right choice for you, then it is important that you make sure that they look real. So, here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure that you make the notes look real before you hand them in to your employer.

Four Main Elements

First of all, since these fake doctor notes are actually legal documents, there are four main elements that you are going to have to have on the notes.

- Contact Information - First of all, it is important that you have the contact information of the doctor on the doctor note. This should include the name of the doctor, their address, and the phone number where the doctor can be reached as well.

- Date and Time - The date and time that you saw the doctor should also be on the note. Make sure that there is a date for the days you are excused from work as well. This is an important element to excuse notes that should always be there.

- Name of Person Seen - Your name should also be on the fake doctor notes to make them look real. Just your name can be on the form, and you don’t need to give too much information about your medical condition, since this can violate the HIPPA laws of privacy.

- Limitations - Any limitations that you may have in the next few days should also be included on the doctor notes. For example, if you can’t lift a lot or you have to wear a certain kind of shoes, this should be on the note, so be sure to include this as well.

Limitations that Can Be Added to Notes

So, you may be wondering, what are some of the limitations can be on these fake doctor notes without making them look fake. Well, there are a variety of different limitations that you can list.

You may choose to add a limitation of only working at a desk, only being allowed to life 10 pounds or list, limiting standing or walking, or even wearing shoes that are comfortable and supportive. Just make sure that any limitations that you include on the doctor note actually sound legitimate.

So, if you do decide to use doctor notes from online to get out of work, keep these things in mind to make sure that your doctor note actually sound reasonable and believable.