Exercise improves leptin and insulin sensitivity

(NaturalNews) Our diet and lifestyle has a direct effect on our endocrine system. Our hormone regulation can change based on what we choose to eat and how we choose to live. Leptin and insulin are two powerful hormones that influence how energy is metabolized throughout the body. Exercise has been shown to increase sensitivity to both leptin and insulin, which is an important part of maintaining healthy homeostasis and natural energy regulation.

About Leptin and Insulin

Leptin and insulin are the master hormones when it comes to weight control. Leptin, in particular, signals the brain to store or burn fat. Leptin is used by the body to regulate energy use through metabolism and appetite. Fasting or consuming too few calories on a regular basis can lower sensitivity to leptin, which leads to increased hunger, cravings and lack of energy.

Along with leptin, insulin is another hormone that regulates how fat is used or stored in the body. When the body is sensitive to the actions of these hormones, natural homeostasis exists and weight is naturally regulated. However, cells in the body can become resistant to leptin and insulin. When this happens, the body requires higher and higher levels of these hormones to get across the proper signals. This often leads to a distorted appetite, poor energy levels, and unwanted fat gain. In the long term, it can also increase your risk for developing metabolic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

Exercise Improves Leptin and Insulin Sensitively

For years, research has shown that the benefits of exercise far exceed a simple equation of calories burned during activity. Exercise appears to have a powerful influence on our neurotransmitter and hormone levels, and what exercise you choose can determine how your body responds.

Exercise and movement in general have a positive effect on leptin and insulin sensitivity. A study at the University of Florida has shown that modest exercise allows leptin to work properly, thereby reducing weight gain.

Many experts believe that interval training in particular has a strong impact on the regulation of hormones like leptin and insulin. Short bursts of vigorous exercise interspersed throughout a moderate level workout appear to have long term positive effects on how these two key metabolic hormones are used in the body. Small studies have demonstrated that this type of exercise may in fact be the most effective both for fat loss and muscle growth.

Simply starting with a walking program with intervals should kick-start one`s leptin and insulin switches into their proper mode. As these hormones begin operating more efficiently, energy and appetite are better regulated, making good health easier than ever to achieve.


Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/031459_leptin_insulin.html#ixzz1EuPjFGQF

How Much Do You Know About Gout?

The Egyptians were the first to identify gout over 4,000 years ago, and the Greek physician Hippocrates, “the father of medicine,” wrote bout it. Hippocrates even noted the connection between the intense and temporary joint pain of gout and the consumption of alcohol and rich foods.

Understanding gout has changed in more recent times and once considered a condition of the wealthy, it was known as the “disease of kings,” gout is now known to affect everyone in all walks of life. Food and drink do play a role in gout, but there are also several other risk factors including genes. And according to the American College of Rheumatology, gout affects up to 3 million Americans, making it one of the most common types of arthritis.

If you have high uric acid levels in your blood then the stage is set for gout. Uric acid is the byproduct of the body's breakdown of substances called purines. Purines are found naturally in the body and are also present in high levels in certain foods. When the purines are broken down, the results are uric acid and then that is carried through the bloodstream to the kidneys and then flushed out of the body through your urine.

There are some people who have high levels of uric acid that builds up in the bloodstream, a condition that's called hyperuricemia, that may be the result of an excess of purines in the body, caused by a purine rich diet or because the body produces too many purines. More commonly, it is the result of the kidneys' inability to remove enough uric acid from the blood. There are times when it's a combination of the two causes. Also, there are some people, not all, with hyperuricemia, that have the uric acid in the blood form into sharp, needle-like crystals that can collect in a joint and this sets off an inflammatory reaction, that causes pain, swelling, and redness, this is gout.

Gout usually follows a pattern of “attacks” followed by periods with few or no symptoms. Gout attacks usually come on suddenly, often at night, with intense pain and inflammation in a joint or joints. Without treatment, the pain usually lasts 5 to 10 days and then subsides and you may not have another attack for several years. After several attacks, the episodes of gout will often become more frequent and longer lasting.

The big toe joint is the most common place for gout and is usually the first joint affected, while other joints can also be affected, like other joints in the foot and the ankle, knee, elbow and with more advanced gout the hands and writs may be involved. Gout can affect more than the joints, crystals can collect in the urinary tract and kidney stones can form.

The diagnosis of gout can usually be made with a high degree of accuracy using a needle to take a fluid sample from an affected joint and then examine the fluid sample under a microscope for uric acid crystals. If this test isn't available, the doctor will consider the symptoms such as hyperuricemia (blood test can establish this) and sudden and intense pain, especially in the joint of the big toe. Some people with gout will have a lump of uric acid crystals called a tophus that may form near the affected joint and is usually associated with advanced gout.

Gout is more common in men, in the age group between 40 and 60, but women will develop gout at increasing rates after menopause.

An increase in uric acid levels in the blood can be found in foods high in purines and raise the risk of a gout attack. Seafood like shellfish, sardines, herring, and anchovies are high in purines and so are red meats and organ meats like liver, kidney, and sweetbread. All alcohol causes the kidneys to excrete less uric acid, thereby raising uric acid levels in the blood, but beer, having this affect also is high in purines.

Diet isn't the only factor that influences whether or not you develop gout or have another attack. There are people who eat foods that are high in purines and never get gout, while others can eat these foods and still get gout.

Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure have all been found to raise the risk of gout, although, it's not clear why they do. While rheumatoid arthritis and other types of arthritis don't have the same effect. Also, diuretics, or “water pills,” as well as other medicines, including cyclosporine, Neoral, Sandimmune, and moderate doses of aspirin, can increase the risk of gout, while low dose aspirin that is taken to reduce heart attacks and strokes, are safe for people with gout.

For those people who have gout attacks, it's important to have treatments to reduce the blood levels of uric acid because as the uric acid levels go down in the blood, the uric acid crystals in the joints and tophi are reabsorbed back into the body and the symptoms of gout decrease or go away completely. But, if you leave your gout untreated, it can cause serious problems in the joints and after a time of intermittent attacks, gout can become chronic, causing pain even between attacks and it can damage the structure of the joint. Chronic gout can damage the kidneys as well.

San Francisco considers banning infant male circumcision

I heard this story on the national news this afternoon and want to share it with you.  It absolutely floored me that this activist group would have the nerve to do this.  I read the comments on this subject and everyone talked about how barbaric it was.  I really feel that it is a matter of choice for the parents and it is preformed when the boy is older it can be worse on the boy, at least that's what I've been told by men who have had it done later in life.  What do you think?  Leave a comment.

(NaturalNews) A proposed ballot measure could end the practice of infant male circumcision in San Francisco, Calif., as soon as this fall. The measure, which needs 7,000 local signatures to be included on the November ballot, has sparked some controversy among local circumcision advocates. Proponents of the bill, however, say the procedure provides little to no benefit, and actually increases disease risk.

If passed, the bill will make it illegal to "circumcise, excise, cut or mutilate the foreskin, testicle or penis of another person who has not attained the age of 18." Violators of the ruling would be fined $1,000 and have to serve a year in prison.

"I always knew this was something wrong to do to a child," said San Francisco resident Lloyd Schofield, creator of the bill. According to a report in theSan Francisco Examiner, members of groups pushing for federal legislation to "end male genital mutilation in the U.S." have approached Schofield as an ally in their pursuits.

An NBC Bay Area report says that both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association "do not recommend routine circumcision." And others say the practice is based primarily on tradition and should be stopped because it does not serve a legitimate medical purpose.

According to Doctors Opposing Circumcision (DOC), an organization of physicians and others who oppose non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision, the procedure is highly dangerous to baby boys. Not only does the procedure cause up to 7,000 serious complications for every 100,000 that take place, according to statistics, but it sometimes results in permanent sexual injury and even death.

"Not a single medical society worldwide recommends (circumcision) -- not the AMA, not the AAP, not ACOG, not RACP, not the BMA, not ACS," says DOC literature. "There is no valid diagnosis, no conservative treatment plan, no histology, no pathology, and no urgent need for amputation of healthy, nerve-dense tissue."

Sources for this story include:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/poli...

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/201...

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/031464_San_Francisco_circumcision_WHO.html#ixzz1EuM8RyB6

Advocacy l Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act l Write to Congress l Arthritis Priorities

Advocacy l Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act l Write to Congress l Arthritis Priorities

Virtual Summit: Arthritis Caucus

Like arthritis, the Congressional Arthritis Caucus knows no political party. By joining, your Member of Congress will join the ranks of their peers in a commitment to end arthritis. Arthritis advocates have crossed aisles, states, and mountains to fight arthritis. Let's encourage Congress to unite against arthritis, too. Ask your Representative to join the Congressional Arthritis Caucus today.

The mission of the Bicameral Congressional Arthritis Caucus is to serve as a clearinghouse for information on arthritis and a bipartisan forum to help Members of Congress work together to address arthritis. The Caucus will strive to raise awareness about arthritis and work toward the goal of educating all Members about how arthritis impacts their communities and how to help support federal and local efforts addressing arthritis in all its forms.

U.S. Supreme Court denies parents of vaccine damaged children their right to seek justice

U.S. Supreme Court denies parents of vaccine damaged children their right to seek justice

(NaturalNews) In 6-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has handed down a decision that bars parents of vaccine-damaged children from seeking justice against vaccine manufacturers. The parents, Robalee and Russell Bruesewitz of Pittsburgh, saw their healthy child damaged by a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine in April, 1992. Just hours after receiving the shot, their daughter Hannah went into seizures. Today she still suffers fromresidual seizure disorder.

The parents sought compensation by first filing their case with the vaccine court -- a special pseudo-justice system set up by the U.S. government to provide blanket immunity to the drug companies while still offering settlement payouts for parents whose children are damaged by vaccines. Since being formed in 1986, this court has paid out $1.9 billion to parents whose children were damaged by vaccines.

But in the case of Bruesewitz, their claim was denied. The vaccine court, after all, is run by the U.S. government, and the government doesn't want too many payouts to take place because that would set a precedent of vaccine damage that could cost the government billions (or even trillions) of dollars in unexpected settlement fees.

So the Bruesewitz parents decided to file their claim in the regular court system as their last remaining option for seeking justice for the damage caused to their child by what can only be called a "faulty product" (the vaccine).


Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/031453_Supreme_Court_vaccinations.html#ixzz1EuK9EAxi

Inexpensive rinsing effective at reducing post-op infection following joint replacement surgery


A rinsing technique with betadine that costs just a little over one dollar per patient may significantly reduce the infection rate following total knee and hip joint replacement surgery according to a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

The study, presented at the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons 2011 Annual Meeting, found that a three minute diluted betadine lavage combined with painting of the skin with a 10% betadine solution prior to surgical closure nearly eliminated early deep post-operative infection.

Deep periprosthetic joint infection is a rare but devastating complication associated with total joint replacement. Despite aseptic techniques, careful skin preparation and prophylactic antibiotics, deep infections still occur with a prevalence ranging from 0.3% to 1.9%.

Previous research has shown that a diluted betadine lavage of the surgical wound prior to closure reduces the rate of post-operative infection in orthopedic, urologic, cardiovascular and general surgery but it has not been previously studied in total joint arthroplasty.

Racial disparity observed in varus and valgus thrust study of knee OA


A recent study determined that African-Americans were less likely to have a varus thrust, but more likely to have valgus thrust than Caucasians.  Varus thrust is visualized during gait as the worsening or abrupt onset of varus (bow-legged) alignment as the leg accepts weight, with a return to less varus and more neutral alignment during lift-off of the foot and the swing phase of gait. Prior research has shown that varus thrust seen in gait is associated with a 4-fold increase in the risk of progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA).  Disparity in thrust presence between the races may help explain differences in the pattern of osteoarthritic involvement at the knee. Study findings are published in the May issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

Weight loss improves knee pain from common arthritic condition, study says


Knee pain related to osteoarthritis (OA) is a common complaint among obese individuals and retired professional athletes, especially former NFL players, but researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day program (February 19th) say they have a simple solution: lose weight.

Further research needed to develop evidence-based nutrition guidelines for cancer survivors


Cancer survivors die of non-cancer-related causes at much higher rates than the general public. In 2008, the U.S. economic burden of cancer totaled over $228 billion but only 41% of these costs involved direct cancer care. The majority of expenses were attributed to increased morbidity, lost productivity, and premature mortality. A commentary published in the March 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association examines the current evidence supporting nutrition recommendations for preventing cancer recurrence and managing chronic conditions prevalent in cancer survivors, as well as improving quality of life and decreasing health care costs.  The commentary also describes knowledge gaps and suggests future nutrition research directions.

New Drug For Depression Approved By FDA

Drug.com (Internet) Vibryd Information from Drug.com

Viibryd

Generic Name: vilazodone
Date of Approval: January 21, 2011
Company: Trovis Pharmaceuticals LLC

Treatment for: Major Depressive Disorder

Important information about Viibryd

Viibryd and other antidepressant medicines may cause serious side effects.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, or call 911 if there is an emergency:

1. Suicidal thoughts or actions:
• Viibryd and other antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, or young adults within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed.
• Depression or other serious mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts or actions.
• Watch for these changes and call your healthcare provider right away if you notice:
  • New or sudden changes in mood, behavior, actions, thoughts, or feelings, especially if severe.
• Pay particular attention to such changes when Viibryd is started or when the dose is changed.

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