Category: Medical Issues for Men (Page 11 of 38)

      Depression: placebo vs prescription drugs

      January 19, 2011 /

      Those who study depression and the drugs that treat it are concluding that antidepressants are no different than a placebo or “sugar pill”.

      Placebos are widely used when studying pharmaceuticals. E.g., in a controlled clinical trial, one group will be given the real medication while another group is given a placebo in order to observe if the effects of the drug are due to the medication or to the power of suggestion.

      Research has found that patients do improve on SSRIs, tricyclics, and even MAO inhibitors. This conclusion is the basis for blindly prescribing antidepressants to anyone who complains of being depressed.
      When researchers compare the improvement in patients taking medication, however, with the improvement in those taking a placebo, they find that the difference is minuscule.

      The magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medication compared with placebo increases with severity of depression symptoms and may be minimal or nonexistent, on average, in patients with mild or moderate symptoms. For patients with very severe depression, the benefit of medications over placebo is substantial.

      JAMA 2010

      These trials comprised 10030 depressed patients who participated in 52 antidepressant clinical trials evaluating 93 treatment arms of a new or established antidepressant. Fewer than half (48%, 45/93) of the antidepressant treatment arms showed superiority to placebo.

      Int Jour of Neuropsychopharmacology

      Despite the failure of prescription drugs when compared to a placebo for mild to moderate depression, the number of Americans taking antidepressants doubled in a decade, from 13.3 million in 1996 to 27 million in 2005. Is this increase due to an increase in the prevalence of severe depression? Of course not. Walk into a doctor’s office and complain about being depressed; most will prescribe an anti-depressant on the spot. This is mainly due to western medicines lack of a holistic approach to the body, and big pharma’s hold on our medical community and society in general.

      Never doubt the power of the mind. In many cases, a person’s beliefs are as or more effective than drugs when it comes to achieving health.

      Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness, Product review, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      New research: cut back on carbs, live longer

      January 10, 2011 /

      According to the 2002 United States Life Tables, In 2002 the average person in the US could expect to live a little over 19 years longer than in 1920. But does longevity come with a healthy life? Not for most. Arthritis, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, deteriorating senses, and other diseases and conditions all come with age. However, new research may have uncovered a true fountain of youth, and it may be as simple as cutting down on consuming carbs.

      Professor Cynthia Kenyon, a US genetisist, has discovered that the carbohydrates we eat like bananas, potatoes, bread, pasta, and cakes directly affect two key genes that govern youthfulness and longevity.

      But what Professor Kenyon found out was why ­drastically reducing calories has such a remarkable effect.

      She discovered that it changed the way two crucial genes behaved. It turned down the gene that controls insulin, which in turn switched on another gene, which acted like an elixir of life.

      ‘We jokingly called the first gene the Grim Reaper because when it’s switched on, the lifespan is fairly short,’ she explains.

      The ­second ‘elixir’ gene seems to bring all the anti-aging benefits.

      Professor Kenyon has changed her diet as a result of her research.

      ‘Carbo­hydrates, and especially refined ones like sugar, make you produce lots of extra insulin. I’ve been keeping my intake really low ever since I discovered this.

      ‘I’ve cut out all starch such as potatoes, noodles, rice, bread and pasta. Instead I have salads, but no sweet dressing, lots of olive oil and nuts, tons of green vegetables along with cheese, chicken and eggs.

      ‘I’ll have a hamburger without a bun and fish without batter or chips. I eat some fruit every day, but not too much and almost no processed food. I stay away from sweets, except 80 per cent chocolate.’

      She is adamant it will be well worthwhile. ‘You could have two completely different careers if you could stay healthy to 90,’ she says. ‘How fascinating that would be.’

      READ MORE

      Anti-Aging, Cancer, Dementia/Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes, Diets, Heart disease, Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Prostate health, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      Turn back father time by exercising correctly

      January 1, 2011 /

      It’s no secret, the positive anti-aging effects Human growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 has on the body including increased fat metabolism, increased muscle mass, increased bone density, collagen rejuvenation, and more. Although the exact mechanisms that are most efficacious for stimulating release of these anti-aging hormones remains some-what of a mystery, scientists are getting closer.

      Evidence suggests that load and frequency are determining factors in the regulation of hGH secretion. Despite the significant exercise-induced growth hormone response (EIGR) induced by resistance training, much of the stimulus for protein synthesis has been attributed to insulin-like growth factor-1 with modest contributions from the hGH-GH receptor interaction on the cell membrane. The EIGR to endurance exercise is associated with the intensity, duration, frequency and mode of endurance exercise. A number of studies have suggested an intensity ‘threshold’ exists for EIGR. An exercise intensity above lactate threshold and for a minimum of 10 minutes appears to elicit the greatest stimulus to the secretion of hGH. Exercise training above the lactate threshold may amplify the pulsatile release of hGH at rest, increasing 24-hour hGH secretion. The impact of chronic exercise training on the EIGR remains equivocal. Recent evidence suggests that endurance training results in decreased resting hGH and a blunted EIGR, which may be linked to an increased tissue sensitivity to hGH.
      Sports Med. 2003;33(8):599-613.

      Anti-Aging, Exercise, General fitness, Hormone replacement, Men's Health and Wellness, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      The benefits of pre-breakfast exercise

      December 24, 2010 /

      The holidays always spell WEIGHT GAIN for most. However, there may be a way to lessen the blow of higher holiday calories. A study published in The Journal of Physiology for the first time shows that fasted training in the morning is more potent than training after breakfast to facilitate adaptations in muscle and to improve whole-body glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity during a high-fat hyper-caloric diet.

      The holiday season brings many joys and, unfortunately, many countervailing dietary pitfalls. Even the fittest and most disciplined of us can succumb, indulging in more fat and calories than at any other time of the year. The health consequences, if the behavior is unchecked, can be swift and worrying. A recent study by scientists in Australia found that after only three days, an extremely high-fat, high-calorie diet can lead to increased blood sugar and insulin resistance, potentially increasing the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Waistlines also can expand at this time of year, prompting self-recrimination and unrealistic New Year’s resolutions.

      But a new study published in The Journal of Physiology suggests a more reliable and far simpler response. Run or bicycle before breakfast. Exercising in the morning, before eating, the study results show, seems to significantly lessen the ill effects of holiday Bacchanalias.

      The New York Times

      Diets, Nutrition, Obesity, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      More good news for saturated fat

      December 15, 2010 /

      A meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (March 2010 9(3)535-546), combined the relative risk rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) from 21 studies. This Mega-analysis represents almost 350,000 subjects whose diets and health outcomes had been followed for 5 to 23 years. The conclusion: “There is no significant evidence concluding that saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CVD.
      Fallon, S, & Enig, M. (2010). Caustic commentary. Wise Traditionsin Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, 11(2).

      Anti-Aging, Cholesterol levels, Diets, Heart disease, Medical Issues for Men, Nutrition, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

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