BETTER TO WEAR OUT THAN RUST OUT

Sitting around is a very unhealthy state that will kill you.  Half of women and one third of the men by age 70 do not participate in any physical activity. Expect most of them to die by age 74.  Just increasing your activity levels a little bit will make your life healthier and more enjoyable.

As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary. This results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Visit drneedles is blogging" at the end of each blog for a complete alphabetical list of all my blogs.
Visit http://www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on mind, body, and spirit healing

BETTER TO WEAR OUT THAN RUST OUT

 Your body was always designed to be physically active. Your ancestors, through physical activity, provided the necessities of food, shelter, and water to help them survive. When you are inactive, your body organ system becomes totally disrupted, leading to poor health.

 Half of women and one third of the men by age 70 do not participate in any physical activity. Expect most of them to die by age 74.

 The father of medicine, Hippocrates, said in 400 BC: “Every part of your body has a function.  When used in moderation it will become healthy and you will age more slowly.”

 EXCUSES NOT TO EXERCISE

 The truth is you hate to exercise, have no time, the weather is too lousy, your kids are sick, you’re physically hurting, and you didn’t get enough sleep.

 Stop making such excuses and make regular exercise an integral part of your life, like eating, sleeping, brushing your teeth, and drinking beer.

 Hold a few walking business meetings, while watching TV --march in place, take lots of breaks during the commercials, walk around, climb stairs, and at least get up [from your easy chair and start standing.

 CAN’T WALK?   TRY JARMING

 Don’t let grandma and grandpa just sit there. Get them to jarm.

 Jarming is upper body jogging. It might be the perfect exercise while you watch the NCAA finals or the Olympics.  Your heart will pump 50% better, and you will strengthen the muscles of your back shoulders, and chest, unlike regular jogging.  Since you using the smaller muscles, your blood pressure will rise higher than when you exercises with your larger muscles.

 If you are recovering from surgery, have a lot of joint disease in your knees and hips, or are disabled, walking is not an option.  Start exercising in a chair. At least you can’t fall out of a chair while holding it.  Perhaps even leg stretching and bike riding might be options.

 THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE

 Exercise will lower your blood pressure, gets rid of some fat, lower your cholesterol, improve your diabetes, and relieve your stress.  Your energy will be up. Your strength will be stronger, your physical appearance will improve, and overall you will feel better.

 Your sleep will be deeper and your appetite will decrease. You will become more alert, work more productively, and develop more muscle tone and stronger bones.

 If you are suffering from chronic ailments of heart or lung disease, arthritis, depression, diabetes, or even dementia, you can gain significant health benefits from exercise.

 Merely by walking around the house, cleaning, or just plain moving, you will notice you breathe better and your heart, your heart will beat more regularly, and you will not tire so easily.

 NOT MOVING MAKES YOU RUST OUT

  Inertia is very hard on the heart.  A link has been found between heart disease and the amount of time you spend in a chair, on the computer or watching TV.  Even if you are slim, exercise regularly, and consider yourself in great shape ,you are more likely to die of heart disease within 12 years if you sit for continuous long periods of time.

 Sitting around is a very unhealthy state that will kill you.  When you sit, your muscles go silent and shutdown. There is a drop in a fat burning enzyme.  Inactivity increases your risk of strokes, chronic disorders (increased by 50%), and gallstones (increased by 20%).

 THE MESSAGE:   JUST KEEP MOVING

 The older you are the more you must perform some sort of regular physical activity.  It need not be aerobic training. Just walking a bit faster will decrease your mortality. If you have limited mobility, resistance training may be the answer rather than aerobic training.

 A brisk walk for 30 minutes a day, a walk inside the house, or walking up and down stairs, walking from room to room, or even moving in place, all result in increased brain volume, memory planning, multitasking, and physical endurance.

 COMMENTARY

Choose an exercise you really enjoy and one that is pretty convenient, and fits your time schedule.  If possible, break your exercise into two or three sessions a day.  Make it the same time every day so it becomes routine. Start slowly, gradually build up in intensity and duration, and always remember to warm up, cool down, and stretch.

 Pick a variety of activities to keep you motivated and your interest up.  Make exercise a part of your lifestyle, and make some short and long-term goals to strive for.   Just increasing your activity levels a little bit will make your life healthier and more enjoyable.

Visit www.drneedles.com for more discussion of controversial medical topics that are important for your health and well-being.

SOURCES

European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Jan 2010 (east Anglia study)

Archives of Intern Med, Jan 252010

Arch Intern Med. 2010; 170:179-185.

Dr. Wassersung .1984, book: “Jarm:  How to Jog with your arms and live Longer”

LONG TERM CARE HOSPITAL SCHEMES

Medicare has never taken steps to curb this financially perverse scheme developed by long-term care and traditional hospitals.  Long-term care hospitals don’t treat any specific type of patients or offer services that you couldn’t get in a traditional hospital.  They are cheap to set up and can be run profitably. Companies have rushed to open them up and have spent over $4 billion to build them.  Many now are hospitals within hospitals.

As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary. This results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Visit drneedles is blogging" at the end of each blog for a complete alphabetical list of all my blogs

Visit http://www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on mind, body, and spirit healing.

LONG TERM CARE HOSPITAL SCHEMES 

Our general hospitals have always been equipped and staffed to provide short-term inpatient medical and surgical services. They handle any acute episodes, accidents which require intensive care. Over the past several years, hospitals have been forced to provide only short-term inpatient care which would be reimbursed by Medicare.

In the early 1980s, to respond to this crisis, more than 400 long-term care hospitals have opened nationally.  Over half of these are hospitals within hospitals. They occupy a floor or two of an existing hospital, rather than having their own building.  Few of them have doctors on staff, and most are for profit needs. They keep patients longer than hospitals are smaller, and average about 60 beds.  Hospitals no longer are intended to treat patients for weeks or months. Their intensive care units help agents survive acute illnesses, heart attacks, and  trauma.

 Since Medicare no longer was paying for long periods of hospital stay, traditional hospitals have changed their goals. They now have a financial incentive] to discharge you to a long-term hospital.  If you have a complex clinical medical problem or chronic condition, you may need hospital care for a long time. No longer are you admitted to a traditional hospital.

THE BIRTH OF LONG CARE HOSPITALS

 In the early 1980s, to respond to this crisis, more than 400 long -term care hospitals were opened nationally.  Over half of these are hospitals within existing traditional hospitals. They occupy a floor or two of an existing hospital, and don’t require their own building.  Few of them have doctors on staff, and most are run for profit. They can keep patients longer, and average about 60 beds.

The traditional hospital will admit you to a long-term care hospital where the average Medicare length of stay must be greater than 25 days. If you are directly transferred from a traditional hospital to a long-term hospital you pay no additional deductions.  However if you go home after your discharge from a traditional hospital, and then go to a long-term care hospital, you are responsible for deductions and copayments for the first 90 days.

 WHO IS ADMITTED TO LONG-TERM CARE HOSPITALS?

Patients at long-term hospitals care for very sick patients usually in stable condition.  These hospitals play an important role by treating patients who are too sick for nursing home care.

 They may be on dialysis, need a ventilator, or have sores that will not heal. Since they have no emergency room, they can choose which patients they want to admit. Usually they pick the most profitable types of patients.

 Long-term care hospitals don’t treat any specific type of patients or offer services that you couldn’t get in a traditional hospital.  They are cheap to set up and can be run profitably. Companies have rushed to open them up and have spent over $4 billion to build them.  Many now are hospitals within hospitals.

THE INTERRUPTED STATE

 Hospitals get one payment for interrupted state patients. An interrupted state is when you are discharged from an acute care hospital, stays for a specific time, go home for less than nine days and then are readmitted to the same hospital.

  

 If you are admitted to a long-term care hospital and then return less than 25 days to a regular hospital, Medicare will not pay the bill.  Any long-term discharge admitted within three days is also considered an interrupted state. A long-term hospital only gets one payment for every interrupted state patient regardless of the time that is spent at that hospital.  Long-term hospitals generally spend less on patients and have higher margins of profit than the traditional hospital.

 MEDICARE PAYMENTS

Medicare pays a higher rate, for stays in a long-term hospital than a general hospital.  The long-term care facility requires you to stay more than 25 days to receive their Medicare payment.  If you stay less than 25 days, the hospital must repay their Medicare payments.

 Today, Medicare pays a predetermined amount for discharge rates based on your diagnosis.  Seven years ago, these hospitals were paid on the care they gave, if it did not exceed a predetermined limit.  Medicare pays a different payment rate for different cases on the expected costs of treatment for that patient group.     Once that estimated initial payment is reached, a hospital loses money the longer you stay.   This encourages the hospital to transfer you to a long care treatment center once you reach the limit.

 DOUBLE DIPPING

 Since the long-term hospital has a different ownership than the traditional hospital, it is considered a separate entity for payment purposes. A second reimbursement will occur when you are simply transferred between floors to what now is now a long-term hospital.

 When a regular hospital transfers you to a long-term hospital the long-term hospital gives a Medicare payment that averages about $40,000.   Meanwhile, the regular hospital has an additional bed for a new patient and a new in reimbursement.  The long care hospital is not required to provide quality data to Medicare and there is no penalty for failure to submit this data.

 FRAUD SCHEMES

 The long care hospital keeps you longer than medically necessary just to pad the number of days to 25 so it can get payment from Medicare. They delay creating discharge plans and tell you that your doctors want you to stay a few more days.   A transfer to a nursing home or hospital facility is delayed if you have not reached the 25-day Medicare goal requirement.

They circumvent the interrupted state regulations that do not pay more funds if you return for readmission to the hospital in less than 10 days. The purpose of this rule was to prevent transferring you to another hospital just to bring you back.

If you are admitted to a hospital with an illness that Medicare will pay for a 30-day stay, the hospital will not get paid beyond that time.   But if they send you away for 10 days and then you return, you can be readmitted to the hospital and Medicare will again pay your traditional hospital.

 If you get better in eight days and go back to the long-term hospital and must return to your traditional hospital, the traditional hospital will block your admission by stalling and refusing to allow you to be transferred back until the 10 days are past, so they can again get Medicare money.  Both hospitals benefit financially by this process.

COMMENTARY

Since these hospitals are understaffed and have a high staff turnover, complications are more numerous than in the traditional hospital.  Statistics and state inspection reports all cite the long-term hospitals complication rate to be twice that of regular hospitals.

 Medicare could force hospitals out of their program but this would force the hospital to close. The medical reimbursement rules have encouraged the growth of long-term care hospitals to receive a payment for a patient based on its diagnosis and not on its cost of care. If you recover quickly the hospitals are more profitable, if you become chronically ill, the hospital loses money.

 When a regular hospital transfers you to a long-term care hospital, the long-term care hospital automatically gets an average of $40,000 from Medicare.  The regular hospital also wins since it now has an extra bed for a new patient and new reimbursement.

 Medicare has never taken steps to curb this financially perverse scheme developed by long-term care and traditional hospitals.

What do you think? Visit www.drneedles.com for more commentary on controversial medical subjects.

Source: NYTimes  Feb 12, 2010

BRAIN INJURED PATIENTS CAN NOW COMMUNICATE

Patients with severe brain injuries, can by controlling their thoughts, influence scans of their brain activity and answer simple questions.   They may retain awareness despite showing  no evidence of it.


As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary. This results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Visit drneedles is blogging" at the end of each blog for a complete alphabetical list of all my blogs
Visit http://www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on mind, body, and spirit healing.

 BRAIN  INJURED  PATIENTS  CAN  NOW  COMMUNICATE

When a loved one gets a brain injury, can’t communicate, and is unresponsive, doctors require your input as you agonize over the question whether your loved ones still has a flicker of consciousness. 

With the use of  functional MRIs,  researchers have found that patients with severe brain injuries, can by controlling their thoughts, influence scans of their brain activity and answer simple questions. Though appearing to be in a persistent vegetative stat, they may retain awareness despite showing  no evidence of it.

THE STUDY

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging,  fMRI,  the brain-injured patient is asked to imagine playing tennis or walking through the room of his home.  Imagining tennis, activates the motor planning regions in the brain; picturing activity in his house, activates a brain region involved in recognizing familiar scenes.

 The patients  were asked six questions: imagining playing tennis, would  indicate YES to the question asked, and by picturing his home would  indicate NO to the question.   All the questions involve basic autobiographical details: the name of his father, or whether he had brothers or sisters.

 Even though the brain injured patients  could never do anything to indicate consciousness in tests at the bedside, they could unambiguously tell us they were conscious.

Researchers estimate awareness in brain-damaged patients may be as high as 40%.   Some people in a vegetative state may have some consciousness but their brain injury left them deaf or incapable of responding.

DEFINITION OF DEATH

 Life and death do not overlap, and a person can only be in one or the other at any given time.   Death is the permanent cessation of critical functions of the whole organism, and the irreversible cessation of all clinical functions of the entire body.

Can doctors now say you are definitely dead when your heart stops beating, your brain no longer has electrical activity, or you  no longer can live without medical equipment, such as a ventilator or life support?

 In this new world of technology, the meaning of death requires redefinition, since loss of vital functions can be continued and performed artificially. To define death, we now must identify measurable criteria and develop tests to validate death.  

HEART TRANSPLANTATION

 Modern medicine can now suspend life and death in a comatose patient. If the brain is partially dead and has a slight ability to function, you may continue to breathe with the aid of a ventilator your organs stay healthy.  The decision to pull the plug and face the consequences of choice,  are problems families must deal with. 

 In order to obtain heart organs, the definition of brain death has recently been expanded. A brain-dead patient  with working organs can have his organs transplanted to a sick recipient with a failing system.  If the brain is dead, machines will support the corpse brain, and this is considered a form of death.

 Today many brain-damaged patients in vegetative states have their hearts removed from life support units only seconds after that they are disconnected, and transplanted into other sick patients.   It is impossible to transplant a heart successfully after a reversible stoppage. According to cardiac criteria, if the heart is restarted, the person from move the heart was taken, could not have been truly dead.

Is it ethical to remove hearts for transplantation from patients who satisfied the diagnostic criteria of brain death, even though we are convinced they are not really dead?   

The appropriate time to observe a patient heart cessation, and before the declaration of death, has not been established.  We use a three-minute rule after loss of cardiac function (based on recommendations of two minutes in the critical care literature). 

There are dangers in taking hearts from donors before the traditional complete cessation of heart and brain functions that typically define death. Surgeons  now wait for confirmation of brain death,  to confirm a heart  donation, and immediately do the transplantation.

 The definition of brain death, requires the complete absence of all functions of the entire brain, despite the retention of essential neurologic functions.  Organ donation advocates now argue: “If the patient is permanently unconscious, he is dead !” 

With this recent study by Owen, is there justification that a patient still should be diagnosed as dead, if he spontaneously breathes and appears to be in a vegetative state?    Evidence has shown that brain dead patients who are supported beyond the acute phase of their illness, (which is rarely done), can survive for many years.

 The definitions of death are being changed simply to make hearts available.   Before 1968, the lack of a heartbeat and breath were considered definite signs of death.   As medicine advanced, we can now keep people alive on respirators and feeding tubes, even if the brain is no longer functioning.

 A massive brain lesion, as trauma, intracranial hemorrhage or anoxia, classically causes brain death.  Medical science redefined brain death, as a complete absence of brainstem reflexes, no evidence of breathing on one’s own, and no signs of consciousness.

Since the world’s organ supply is dwindling, especially hearts, most organs are taken from patients with brain injuries  before they are declared dead and before their bodies are taken off life support.

Until recently, if a doctor recommended switching off life support, intensive care would have to wait, until the patient’s heart stopped beating, brain activity ceased, and the doctor officially declare the patient brain-dead.   By that time the organs would be too damaged to be usable.

COMMENTARY

The line between consciousness and unconsciousness now is blurred.  The Owen fMRI, is technically intensive and not yet ready for widespread use in hospitals.   It also can’t be used on patients who require medical metal apparatus.  However once adopted,  clinically it will involve brain injured patients in their medical care decisions .

 Often doctors and families of brain dead victims don’t have the same view about the end of life, and this affects their decision to donate their loved one’s organs. When observing patients in vegetative states, many wonder whether they are alive or dead.  The functional MRI may help solve these problems.

Instead of watching the patient  for signs of physical activity, who has entrusted his life to them,  current  new protocols for heart donation,  have resulted in doctors watching the readings on sophisticated equipment and a second hand on the clock, to make sure they wait the right length of time.

 The current definition of death requires circulatory, cardiac, death and brain death, and permanent cessation of functioning of the organism as a whole.   As organ transplantation has been mainstream and especially lucrative,  these protocols have expanded to permit invasive intervention in living organ donors, and changing the tests required to determine  that death has  truly occurred.   In many cases, patients are euthanized so their hearts can be donated.

The recent criteria for brain death is only that there is absence of specific brain reflexes.   Functions of the brain, our temperature control, blood pressure, cardiac rate, salt and water balance are not considered. Many patients who are brain dead,  still maintain these functions which are frequently active.

The quick pronouncement of death on the basis of cardiac criteria,  ends up sacrificing patient care to save another patient on the organ donor waiting list.   The fMRI may prevent transplant surgeons from jumping the gun and declare someone hopeless, when they might have the potential to recover at some point in the near future.

All vegetative patients are not what they appear to be. They have cognitive capabilities far beyond what they are appearing to be capable of.

 Functional MRIs will help identify residual cognitive function of patients. It will prove useful when there is concern about the accuracy of the diagnosis and whether residual cognitive functions are detected.  It should also increase our understanding of disorders of consciousness after severe brain injury.

RELATED POST:  Be a heart donor

Visit www.drneedles.comwww.drneedles.com for more discussion of current controversial medical subjects.

Sources:   NEJM, February 3, 2010.

                  Arch Neurol. 2007;64:1098-1102

SEX TALKS SHOULD BEGIN BY AGE 12

When is the right time to talk about sex with your child?  An abstinence only intervention seems to help young teens (12 years old) delay sex and reduce their recent sexual activity as well.  This may lead to less pregnancies, reduced the risk for AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases.


As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary. This results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Visit drneedles is blogging" at the end of each blog for a complete alphabetical list of all my blogs
Visit www.americanacupuncture.com for more detailed information on mind, body, and spirit healing.

SEX   TALKS SHOULD   BEGIN BY AGE 12

When is the right time to talk about sex with your child?   It seems like the age of 12 is the right time.  A recent study by Dr.   Jemmott, found that only a third of sixth and seventh graders who complete abstinence-focused program started having sex within the next two years.   Over half of the students who attended other classes about contraception and abstinence also did not become sexually active for the following two years.

 THE STUDY

 Six hundred sixty two Afro-American students, averaging 12 years of age, from four public middle schools, participated in the program. This group was the most at risk youth.

 The sessions encouraged children to delay sex till they were ready not necessarily until married.  Condoms were not discouraged. There was no instruction on contraceptives, and no religious arguments as reasons to delay sex until they were ready.  Instructors talked about the student’s knowledge of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Role-playing exercises and brainstorming sessions were conducted to correct misconceptions about sex and sexually transmitted diseases, abstinence was encouraged, and the students were offered other ways to resist the pressure to have sex.  

TIMING FOR SEX TALKS

 If you wait for the right time to talk to your kids about sex, you probably already missed the window of opportunity. Talking to their parents about sex is inconceivable, by the time your children are teenagers.

A Harvard study, by Dr. Schuster, of teens between 13 and 17 years of age, found two thirds of high school seniors had lost their virginity by their senior year in high school.  Over 40% of boys and girls had sex before their parents even gave them any advice on how to ask someone out on a date.  Your sex talk is often too late after your child become sexually active.

CONCLUSION OF STUDY

 Early sex education classes that focus on encouraging children to remain abstinent persuades a significant proportion to delay sexual activity.  This may be another way to help prevent teen pregnancies.

This can protect many of them against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The theory-based abstinence only curriculum is as effective as a combined course and more effective than the safer sex only curriculum now used in delaying sexual activity.

Two thirds of the students in this study, delayed sex for at least two years after the program was initiated as opposed to those without a program or who were instructed only in safe sex.

FEDERAL  FUNDING ELIMINATED

Recently the White House eliminated all federal financing for abstinence only programs (more than $150 million dollars).  A pregnancy prevention initiative has been started that will finance programs only on scientific studies thought to be effective.

 This study shows that other programs can work and federal funding abstinence programs should be eligible along with a mix of other programs.   Some federal funding should be available again  for experimental programs as this study, to see if the results in this study could be replicated.

 COMMENTARY

 There has been an intense debate over how to reduce teenage sexual activity, pregnancies, births, and sexually transmitted diseases among children and teenagers.  We need a variety of intervention to address an epidemic like HIV pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases.

 An abstinence only intervention seems to help young teens (12 years old) delay sex and reduce their recent sexual activity as well.  This may lead to less pregnancies, reduced the risk for AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases. The classes held in the study did not portray sex negatively or suggests condoms should not be used, and only contain medically accurate information.

The program in the study was a research program and is not currently used in schools.  Some of the federal money for experimental programs should be used to see if these results could be replicated.  It would certainly add a new tool to our repertoire.

What do you think?  Your comments are always appreciated.

Visit www.drneedles.com and twitter.com for more information on controversial medical subjects.

Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, Jemmott, Feb 2010

Pediatrics, Dec.2009, Schuster

OMEGA 3 THE PERFECT ANTI-DEPRESSION BRAIN FOOD

Fish oil may be more beneficial than drugs in the treatment of mental disease and depression.  Sixty percent of your brain solid matter is composed of essential fatty acids that are a large portion of their communicating membranes of the brain.  Brain cells have omega-3 in every  cell membrane.  If they don’t function well, neither will your brain.
Only 5% of those on fish oil went on to develop full-blown psychosis versus 28% of those who got psychotherapy alone.  


As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary. This results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Visit drneedles is blogging" at the end of each blog for a complete alphabetical list of all my blogs
Visit http://www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on mind, body, and spirit healing.

OMEGA 3 THE PERFECT ANTI-DEPRESSION BRAIN FOOD

Young patients, suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, improved dramatically while on fish oil for 12 weeks.  After taking fish oil only two weeks , they showed fewer signs of disorganized or delusional thinking, more motivation, and better overall functioning than those in a comparison group, who just got psychotherapy.

After a year on the fish oil, they continued to function still better, have fewer symptoms, and were less likely to suffer a psychotic episode than those who did not get the fish oil. Only 5% of those on fish oil went on to develop full-blown psychosis versus 28% of those who got psychotherapy alone.

Man never was the biggest, fastest, nor strongest animal.  Dinosaurs ruled the world for millions of years, but we outlived them by being smarter. Our brain size radically increases once we started eating fruit, fish and animal foods. Today, though we live in a wealthy society, our diets are very deficient in crucial nutrients, especially Omega-3 brain food.

Since 1930, our intake of omega-3 has decreased by 80%.   In the past, we ate fish seven days a week, today we eat very little fish and suffer from a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids. This deficiency may be a reason for our increased incidence of heart and brain diseases.

BRAIN FUNCTION

The brain is the greediest organ in your body and has high dietary requirements.   The old sayings: “Fish Is Brain Food”,  “Eating Fish Will Make You Smart” may well be true.  Sixty percent of your brain solid matter is composed of essential fatty acids that are a large portion of their communicating membranes of the brain.

Most neurotransmitters in the brain are composed of fatty acids, which support acetylcholine secretion and help cognitive abilities.  These transmitters have intricate wiring controls that control our actions, thinking, and moods.

Brain cells have omega-3 in every  cell membrane.   If they don’t function well, neither will your brain.   Omega-3 is found in the fatty membranes of every brain nerve cell.  You feed the brain with effective nutrients it will perform better.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

 Essential fatty acids have become synonymous with fish oil in modern american marketing.   Unsaturated fats found in the oils of some fish as: salmon, vegetables and certain nuts and seeds.   They are healthier than the saturated fats found in meats and dairy products and help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.   They are called essential because he must be obtained through the diet and are necessary for the growth and function of muscles, nerves cells and organs in humans. There are two families of essential fatty acids omega-3 and Omega-6.

 Omega-6, present in saturated fatty acids, have a straight structure while omega-3 is markedly curved. The saturated straight fatty acids are closely packed together in a cell, which makes them stiff while the curb fatty acids in EPA can’t be packed so closely take more space and make the cell walls more plastic and less stiff.

 Omega-3 fatty acids are found in many cold-water fish including salmon and trout, sardines, anchovies herring, tuna and cod.   EPA and DHA are the two most potent forms of omega-3 fatty acids and are known as good fats unlike saturated fats. The other form of omega-3 fatty acids, DHA, is a major component of human brain and retinal tissue and is essential for the transmission of nerve impulses.

Cold-water fish contain omega-3 fats and DHA, that boost brain development. One should eat oily fish three times a week, or consider a mixed fish oil supplement that has at least 500 mg of EPA and DHA combined

BENEFITS OF OMEGA-3

 Everyone agrees the benefits of fish oil and essential fatty acids in the diet. Omega-3 fatty acids can help cardiovascular health and good unsaturated fats from fish unlike  bad saturated fats from red meat, animal products and dairy.

Omega-3 fatty acids keep our joints flexible, and skin more elastic.   It is in each brain cell and increases nitric oxide, synthase, a mediator of transmission in the brain.  EPA helps produce hormone like substances, prostaglandins that control blood clotting and artery function.

Omega-3 supplements in children were found to improve attention deficit hyperactive disorders.    DHEA is important in fetal and infant mineral development, and is now even available in infant formulas.  It incorporates into the brain and retinal cell membranes especially the last trimester and early infant life.

Children with low levels of omega-3 exhibit a great number of behavioral problems, temper tantrums, learning problems and sleep disturbances.   Those given fish oil supplements, concentrated better, were less impulsive and are calmer.

 Consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce coronary heart disease risk and reduce dementia.  It has prevented the buildup of amyloidal protein in the brains of rats, as seen in Alzheimer’s.  When you eat too little fat, your body warns you by causing depressions.

WILD SALMON

 Omega-3 rich salmon, sardines, anchovies, and herring and other deep cold-water fish are loaded with omega-3. These are essential for brain function and also contain anti-inflammatory substances.

Wild salmon, fighting for survival in the fierce oceans and rivers, have developed strong muscular tissue and their fat levels have increased.  Wild salmon is incredibly good for brain health and is one of the healthiest foods you can eat and is best source of essential fatty acids, as omega-3.  It also has the lowest amounts of contaminants as mercury, among all the seafood. Your will note improvement in your brain matter, mood, synaptic connections, your arteries, and you will reduces your risk of stroke, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.  Despite its high costs, your brain and body are worth it.

 Most fish oil is extracted from the fatty flesh of these fish. Nutritious fish oil from cold-water fish in the wild is great because the fish required vegetation to survive. The best fish come from the deep Atlantic of Norway and other Scandinavian countries. The colder the water, the less chance of toxins as mercury, lead, dioxins and PCB

 FARM RAISED SALMON

Today most salmon served in restaurants is farmed salmon. Most are grown in good sustainable, eco-friendly farmed salmon operations.   Most farm-raised salmon exist in a locked up, artificial, and occasionally contaminated environment. They are fed food to make them look orange and healthy instead of white and sickly.  Often color is added after to give the orange look to make them acceptable.  

Salmon reared in fish farms are customarily fed grains, are grayish white in color, not quite as bad as we are accustomed to.  A normal wild diet of smaller salmon gives it its robust red color and its omega-3 fatty acids. The heart and brain benefits are not as protective as wild caught salmon, since they have less omega 3.

OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTS

 Fish oil is  extracted  naturally by pressing or by centrifuging.  Cold pressing means that the oil was produced without damaging temperature or unnecessary pressure.   Some is extracted from petrochemical solvents as hexane.  There are hundreds of thousands of fish oil supplements on the market, all unregulated by the FDA.  Safety, efficacy and strength vary immensely among brands.  Look for terms cold water, as opposed to farm raised.  If the fish oil is molecularly distilled, it ensures the absence of heavy metals and other contaminants as PCB.  If the fish oil is extracted from fish liver it can be high in heavy metals and contaminants.  North Atlantic deep cold-water fish is the most nutritious.

COMMENTARY

 Try to offset the temptations of junk food with its high levels of saturated fats and give yourself lower fat options. Perhaps manufactures should use omega-3 has an additive in all kinds of food including ice cream. Taking it will help your heart, your immune system your mood, your aging brain and you’re dimming eyes. It may even help ward off cancer.

 One must remember that fish become rancid immediately after death.  Unstable fish oils have a poor unpalatable taste.  If you bite the tasty oil and it is unpleasant, the oil is unstable.  Stable fish oil has a neutral taste and is odorless.  Grilling or frying the fish destroys the oils

Natural fish oils are more favorable than chemically modified supplements, and have a balanced mixture of fatty acids.  Chemically modified products, have higher concentrations of EPA and DHA at the expense of other antioxidants.  The living fish has a potent antioxidant system that is lost during preparation, resulting in free radical formation.  Fish oil preparations are restored by the addition of a mixture of natural antioxidants.

Since omega-3 reduces the ability of the blood to clot and increases risk of bleeding, caution must be used if you are taking a blood thinner, as aspirin or warfarin.

 Besides fighting depression and psychosis, it makes sense to add it to your dietary regimen since it also reduces your total cholesterol, triglycerides, fibrinogen, and lowers your blood pressure.

Visit www.drneedles.com, and  twitter.comtwitter.com for more information on controversial medical subjects that affect your health. Your comments are always appreciated.

Sources

Amminger, Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(2):146-154.

Journal of human brain mapping, Thompson

Haglund J. Med. Sci. 98: 89-148,1993.

Yang American Heart Journal 126: 1287-1292, 1993.

Haglund. Journal of Internal Medicine 227: 347-353,1990

Haglund Lipid Digest 8: 29-31, 1990.

Haglund Journal of Nutrition 121: 165-169, 1991. Luostarinen Nutrition Research 12: 455-468, 1992.  Saldeen TNutrition Research 12: 1419-1430,1992. Wallin R, Nutrition Research. 17: 163-176, 1997

ASSISTED SUICIDE'S SLIPPERY SLOPE

  It’s hard to believe the conservative western state of Montana would vote for a radical social change, since their state’s constitution states an explicit right to privacy.  Since doctors don’t have to find solutions for medical problems, their jobs will now be easier.  Once you say you want to die, there is less incentive for your doctor  to care for your symptoms and needs.  The only care he will need to provide is an overdose of medication.  Now your parent’s doctors can prescribe the necessary drugs without fear of being prosecuted.

As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary. This results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Visit drneedles is blogging" at the end of each blog for a complete alphabetical list of all my blogs
Visit http://www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on mind, body, and spirit healing.


ASSISTED SUICIDE'S SLIPPERY SLOPE

Thanks to the marvels of medical science, you should live to be over 80, before you find yourself dependent on your children for your basic needs.  Medical technology will keep you alive artificially and make you a slave to pacemakers, and dialysis machines.  It will even force you to form living wills.

 You thought you were safe and now find yourself more likely not to be kept alive longer, nor make that 80^th birthday.   You will be forced to wish that your life would end sooner than planned.  The technicalities of eldercare will change your family and require your children to struggle and balance care giving while depleting your own retirement savings in the process.

THREE STATES NOW OK PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE

 Three Western states are trying to help you out of this dilemma. Montana just recently has joined Oregon and Washington to allow patients to seek physician-assisted suicide.  It’s hard to believe a conservative western state of Montana would vote for a radical social change, since their state’s constitution states an explicit right to privacy. Now your parent’s doctors can prescribe the necessary drugs without fear of being prosecuted.

 Assisted suicide means providing drugs and equipment to allow your loved one to take his own life with dignity. Euthanasia is an act where someone other than the patient can stop medical treatments, withhold illegal substances, or force the end of your life as a patient.

A POLARIZING ISSUE-DOCTORS NOW THE KILLERS

This act is so polarizing; your doctors are reluctant to discuss it with you and even their own patients. To intentionally share ending someone’s human life is in total opposition to the Hippocratic oath doctors have taken for the past 200 years.

 The medical profession now encourages doctors to initiate end-of-life conversations making the patient fully aware of the options of his treatments provide counseling, and support in decision-making.

NO ONE SEEKS DEATH

 Most people do not seek death because they have pain, but because they fear the loss of enjoyable activities, fear losing their dignity, and fear of being burdens to their children. Hospice answers these problems by providing for the needs and medical problems, and assuring true death with dignity. The desire for suicide quickly disappears.  Because your parent is dying does not make him less worthy of being loved and he need not die in agony.

 THE SLIPPERY SLOPE

 To legalize assisted suicide is very risky business. The Dutch have approved this for over 30 years and now have extended the criteria to killing the terminally ill, the disabled, and have abolished all rescue medical treatments. Soon infanticide, to disabled babies will be legalized.

HOW DOES THIS HELP THE STATE?

 Our states services  for the poor are cut to the bone, medically uninsured people exceed the entire population, and many people are now in HMOs, where limiting costs makes profits.  It makes economical sense to spend $100 by assisting a patient to die rather than cause $100,000 to provide quality care to the same patient who does not commit suicide.

 WHAT DOES THE DYING PATIENT NEED?

 Most dying patients need love, want to be included in decision making of their medical care, and see their lives have value. Above all, they do not want to be sent to their deaths. With our broken profit driven health care system, we must weigh our private wishes with the dangers to society when we make legalized assisted suicide a public policy.

THE  UNPROTECTED  PATIENT

 Patients now are not protected against doctors writing a prescription for the sole purpose of causing their death.  The doctor has reversed his role from a healer, comforter, and consoler to a killer.  Doctors should stay committed to the protection of life.

 The elderly are very vulnerable, the poor and disabled are easily manipulated into accepting a prescription death if they feel they are financial and emotional burdens to their family. Health care should dress this problem not by making death the appropriate solution.

Since doctors don’t have to find solutions for medical problems, their jobs will be easier.  Once you say you want to die, there is less incentive for him to care for your symptoms and needs. The only care he will need to provide is an overdose of medication.

PAIN MANAGEMENT WILL BE SOLVED

 Pain management will disappear, since you will be asking to die because you will not be given pain medication. Yet, pain is really not the issue. All doctors now can treat pain even though the treatment may shorten your life, but it is not specifically aimed to cause your death. Most people, who fear death, are very independent and controlling people and refuse to go to hospice.  These patients who are dying need a great deal of love and medical care that adds values their lives.

 THE MESSAGE WE SEND

 Dying patients are told they are burdens and because of their illness, they are less worthy of being loved, and will die in agony. Their children get the message that in this particular instance suicide is right.

 COMMENTARY

 Your life is more likely to end now by doctors will be asked to refuse you medical care if it extends your life artificially.  It won’t matter if your family wants you to live: the answer will still be no. All medicine will be stopped and IVs will be discontinued. The medical system and doctors will teach your children how to end your life rather to extend it.

 Our health system reimburses doctors for doing procedures tests.   Spending hours discussing your problems is not cost effective. There is no time for discussion, reflection or explanation.

 Being knowledgeable and honorable doctors, they will help you die in a reasonable and ethical manner. How can you expect our government to protect the vulnerable patients from end-of-life decisions made by doctors who spend at most 10 minutes with you?

Suffering must be somehow validated.  Doctors should not have to require a terminal diagnosis before they spend most of their time talking to patients and their caregivers.

Visit www.drneedles.com and www.twitter.com for more discussion of controversial medical subjects pertinent to your good health.

Your comments are always appreciated.