Podcast 30: 12-01-08

PODCAST #30 12-1-08

WELCOME TO THE 30th EDITION OF THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST

Covering: Taking blood pressure: Vitamin D: Preventing dementia

Stupidity is its own reward Dr. D. G. Carpenter

When taking blood pressure, certain guide lines should be followed: You should be sitting in a chair with your back supported, your feet on the floor and your arm at heart level.
You should sit quietly for five minutes, before taking a reading. If you do not follow these recommendations your readings can be 7 to 12 % higher than your real blood pressure. Some people suffer from “white coat syndrome” in the doctor’s office. This is a higher reading then if taken at home. If your pressure is always high in the doctor’s office, get a home BP monitor and check your pressure at home 3 times a day for a week. If you have constant high BP try life style changes before going on drugs.

New research reveals that high levels of vitamin D (Intake 2000 to 4000 IU a day.) Helps protect against Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s diseases and the flu. Blood levels of) vitamin D should be in the range 50 to 80 ng/mL.

California researchers followed more than 2,200 women aged 78 and older for four years, and found those with larger social networks were 26% less likely to develop dementia compared with women who had smaller networks. Daily social contact was also associated with a lower risk of dementia. Surprisingly the contact didn’t have to be face-to-face; Communicating via email and telephone also made a difference. Men also benefit from staying connected. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University who tracked 147 pairs of male twins for 28 years discovered that cognitive and social activity during midlife significantly reduced the risk of dementia later on. Among the activities tied to lower odds of dementia were visiting with family and friends, club activities (such as attending parties and playing card games), and home hobbies.

Genetics clearly plays a role in breast cancer, but recent research shows that up to 73% of cases may be caused by other factors. A Swedish study of more than 44,000 sets of twins found that genetic factors (such as family history or the presence of BRCA-1 and -2 gene mutations) accounted for only 27% of all breast cancer cases. While a 2003 study found that up to 40% of the women with BRCA-1 and -2 mutations may never get the disease. Researchers are turning up more evidence that environmental factors may have a significant influence on breast cancer risk.

That’s all for PODCAST #30. I hope you found it interesting and informative. The next PODCAST will be the week of Jan. 1

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST OUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IS
health@lencolabs.com.

For more information on this subject and other subjects go to www.lencolabs.com, thank you for listening to the health and happiness podcast with–Leonard Austin