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The FDA is warning that Zocor, a statin used to lower cholesterol, may cause muscle damage when taken at higher doses. People of Asian descent may be more at risk if they take niacin in combination with Zocor. The generic name for Zocor is simvistatin.

All statins carry a certain risk of muscle damage, but this risk seems to be higher in people taking 80 mg of Zocor. In the Search study, 1% of people taking 80 mg of Zocor experienced muscle damage, as opposed to 0.02% of people taking lower doses of the drug. Rhabdomyolysis occurred in a very small number of patients taking Zocor at the higher dose. Rhabdomyolysis is the sometimes fatal destruction of muscle tissue, often resulting in kidney damage.

Symptoms of muscle damage may include:

• Weakness
• Muscle pain
• Elevated creatinine kinase enzyme, as determined by blood sampling
• Fatigue
• Dark or red urine

All statins carry the risk of muscle damage, and patients taking these drugs should be aware of the above symptoms. Should these symptoms occur, notify your physician immediately.

PreLipid is an all-natural, twice-daily botanical formulation proven to lower cholesterol naturally.

Source: FDA Warns of Zocor Risk to Muscles

Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin”. It is also well known for increasing the absorption of calcium. Beyond these facts, most people are not aware of what important functions vitamin D plays in the body.

What does vitamin D do?

• aids the body to use vitamin A and to absorb calcium and phosphorus
• can be helpful in treating eye infections, such as conjunctivitis
• can help in preventing colds, especially when taken with vitamins A and C
• essential for maintaining normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body
• helps build healthy bones and teeth
• necessary for growth
• aids in the ability of blood to clot
• helps to regulate the heartbeat
• helps to prevent osteoporosis

How do I get it?

There are two main ways to obtain vitamin D: diet and sunlight. Dietary forms of vitamin D are vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and D2 (ergocalciferol). These two forms of vitamin D are inactive. Absorbed vitamin D must be transformed by the kidneys and liver to the active form of vitamin D. Foods that are high in vitamin D are cod liver oil, oily fish, milk, eggs and cereals.

Most of our vitamin D comes from ultraviolet irradiation (sunlight exposure) of the skin. Sunlight is absorbed through natural oils present on the skin, and is then absorbed into the body. Dietary intakes of vitamin D are only critical when there is little or no skin exposure to ultraviolet light or when the body’s requirements are particularly high, such as in young, growing children or during pregnancy.

Vitamin D has been implicated in the prevention of many disorders, including multiple sclerosis, premature birth, osteoporosis, heart disease, breast cancer and colorectal cancer.

Source: Vitamin D

Many women report feeling irritated more easily and more often during perimenopause and menopause. In fact, it is so common that it has become the brunt of many jokes. However, feeling irritable all the time is not funny to the women experiencing this symptom and may often lead to its evil twin, depression.

There are differing schools of thought about what causes irritability in perimenopause and menopause. Hormone fluctuations are thought to play a large role in irritability, much the same as they do during the time before menstruation begins for some women (as in pre-menstrual syndrome). Others believe that concomitant changes in the body during menopause that result in unwanted symptoms (i.e. hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances) are to blame for a women’s moodiness.

There may be other reasons as well. Perimenopause marks a drastic change in a woman’s body and may lead to lower self-esteem and body issues. Perimenopause may be seen as synonymous with aging. Women who have not accomplished all that they have hoped for may feel as if time is running out, and women who had hoped to have children (or more children) may be faced with the likelihood that they may not accomplish their goal. All of these factors, combined with physical changes, may lead to irritation and feelings of depression for some women.

Women who experience these symptoms should know that they are not alone. Although some women sail through perimenopause and menopause with nary a scrape, others experience all the symptoms in the book (and some that they didn’t know about). The most important thing to remember about menopause is that it doesn’t last forever, and negative feelings will eventually fade away. If feelings of irritability or depression linger and affect a woman’s life negatively, help should be sought.

PreMenora is a twice-daily all natural botanical formulation designed to ease the symptoms of perimenopause.

Juvenile arthritis can be defined as a form of arthritis that affects children. Juvenile arthritis is not an uncommon disease of childhood; in fact, almost 290,000 children are affected by juvenile arthritis or other rhematologic conditions.

Symptoms of juvenile arthritis are similar to those experienced by adults:

• Pain in one or more joints
• Swelling
• Redness
• Limited movement in a joint
• Damage to a joint or bone, resulting in deformity
• Diminished growth of a joint or bone, resulting in a  shortened stature
• Eye inflammation (uveitis)
• Fever
• Rash

As in adults, the cause of JA is often unknown. Blood tests are often helpful in making the diagnosis. Children with JA should be seen by a specialist in rheumatology, especially due to the fact that their growth can be disrupted. Managing pain and preventing deformity, as well as maximizing functional capacity, are the goals of treatment. Different medications can be used to suppress symptoms but may also have important side effects, such as stunting of growth, which is why medical management by a specialist is recommended.

Source: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Many people are aware of magnesium and realize that it should be included in a healthy diet, but few can identify what role magnesium plays in the body or what foods are good sources of this mineral.

Why is magnesium important?

Almost half of the body’s total magnesium comes from bone, while the other half is found mostly in the cells of various tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in the bloodstream. The body tries to maintain the serum level of magnesium within a narrow range. Magnesium:

• can help prevent colon cancer, especially in men
• regulates cell growth and division
• monitors and repairs DNA
• is important in normal muscle and nerve function
• supports a healthy immune system
• assists in maintenance of normal blood pressure
• assists in maintaining a steady rhythm of the heart
• helps to regulate blood sugar
• is involved in protein synthesis

Foods that are good sources of magnesium include:

• legumes
• seeds
• nuts
• unrefined grains
• halibut
• peanut butter
• yogurt

Magnesium can help prevent colon cancer, arrhythmia, hypertension and diabetes, and can also help prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) is 310 to 420 mg/day. Remember magnesium during March, which is colorectal cancer awareness month. Magnesium can help to prevent this disease, as well as many others.

Source:

• Magnesium
• Magnesium-rich foods could reduce cancer risk

The temperomandibular joint is not a joint that is commonly affected by arthritis, but when it is it can cause considerable pain and dysfunction. Talking, swallowing and chewing can become very painful activities, and because it is almost impossible to rest this joint, pain may be unrelenting.

The TMJ is the joint that joins the mandible (lower jaw) to the skull, so pain in this area can also cause pain in the ear. People who experience TMJ pain often believe that the source of their pain is their teeth. If someone is already known to have arthritis, the problem is generally easier to diagnose.

Pain can often be relieved with pain medication and heat, which may relax the joint. When these remedies fail, doctors may opt to perform arthrocentesis, flushing the joint with anesthetic and sterile fluids to rid the joint of any fluids that result from inflammation. They may instill steroids to counter any further inflammation. If this procedure is unsuccessful, surgeons may opt to perform arthroplasty, sometimes replacing the joint completely. Although arthroplasty is generally successful, it is not without risk, and less invasive measures should be attempted first.

TMJ pain can cause considerable pain and distress to the person who experiences it. Early diagnosis and treatment can result in improved function of the joint and relief of pain.

PreArthros is a twice-daily botanical formulation designed to ease arthritis pain naturally, with no side effects.

Source: TMJ Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine and absorption of nutrients from food. Also known as celiac sprue, the disease is really an intolerance to gluten, a component of wheat, rye and barley. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, it sets off an inflammatory response in their bowel, resulting in destruction of intestinal villi, the tiny finger-like projections of the bowel wall which allow nutrients from food to be absorbed into the body. Celiac disease is both a food intolerance and a malabsorption disease.

Celiac disease is a hereditary disease and can be triggered by numerous events, such as infection, stress, surgery or pregnancy. People with celiac disease may also be more prone to develop other disorders such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, liver disease, Sjogren’s syndrome and Addison’s disease. In the United States, it is estimated that 1 in 133 people have the disease. The disease can be mild or very severe, and the reason for its variability in expression is not fully understood.

Symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person. Children are more likely to experience digestive complaints, such as:

• Weight loss
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Vomiting
• Pale or fatty stools

Adults may experience more systemic symptoms:

• Anemia of iron deficiency
• Fatigue
• Arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Infertility
• Mouth sores
• Tingling in hands and feet
• Joint pain
• Infertility

Celiac disease can be diagnosed by a simple blood test or by a biopsy of the small bowel. Once a person has been diagnosed with celiac disease, the only treatment is the avoidance of foods containing gluten. Avoiding gluten will allow the intestine to heal. This may take several months in children and several years in some adults.

Although the two disorders may seem to be worlds apart, research has shown that men who suffer fro erectile dysfunction (ED) have a much higher risk of developing heart disease. Why is this?

The answer lies in the commonality of the two health conditions. Erectile dysfunction is often a result of damage to the blood vessels that supply blood to the penis, resulting in difficulty getting and maintaining an erection. Long thought to be due mainly to psychological factors, it is now recognized that ED can result from problems with blood flow. Many men seek help from their doctor when they experience ED and are prescribed medications that improve ED by improving blood flow. However, research shows that many men (and doctors) do not take into account that the same issue that results in inability to achieve an erection may be occurring elsewhere in the body, including the heart and its associated blood vessels.

Men who experience ED should be screened for cardiovascular disease. Because the blood vessels of the penis are smaller than those that supply the heart, ED may show up before a problem with the heart is detected. Nevertheless, ED should prompt physicians to actively search for blood vessel disease or cardiovascular disease elsewhere in the body. Examining risk factors for cardiovascular disease may be the first step in this process. Men with ED should be assumed to have heart disease until proven otherwise; actively screening for heart disease in men with ED may prevent deaths from cardiac disease.

Source: Erectile dysfunction is strong predictor of fatal heart ailments, study finds

Anyone entering into middle age and beyond is at higher risk of developing osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become fragile and are more prone to breaking. People who have osteoporosis may sustain fractures of their spine, hips and wrists with very little provocation. Both men and women can develop osteoporosis, but the condition occurs more commonly in women who are in perimenopause or menopause and beyond, due to declining estrogen levels.

Although some risk factors can’t be changed (i.e. age, sex, heredity, race), there are some risks for developing osteoporosis that can be modified, such as:

• Smoking
• Diet
• Exercise
• Alcohol intake

Exercise can be a powerful tool in the prevention of osteoporosis. Specifically, exercise which involves weight bearing, or impact loading exercises, act on the bones by stressing bones, forcing them to remodel and strengthen themselves. Examples of weight bearing exercises include walking, aerobics, jogging, lifting weights, skiing and even yoga.

Incorporating regular impact loading exercise into your daily routine, as well as ensuring a healthy diet high in calcium, vitamin D and other minerals important to bone health, can help you avoid the development of osteoporosis.

Source: Osteoporosis (MedicineNet)

People are aware that certain tastes evoke certain responses: sweet foods are more palatable than some bitter foods; some people crave salty foods while others prefer sweets. The five tastes that humans are able to differentiate are sweet, salt, bitter, sour and foods that are high in protein (also referred to as umami).

Researchers have discovered that humans can differentiate a sixth flavor: namely, fat. Furthermore, people that are hypersensitive to the flavor of fat are less likely to eat foods with high fat content. Conversely, those people less able to differentiate the taste of fat were more likely to eat foods high in fat, and were also more prone to being overweight and to having a higher BMI (body mass index).

This research is interesting because it holds the possibility of developing new ways to help people lose weight, by altering their sensitivity to the taste of fat. In addition, this research could lead to the development of new foods that are low in fat but are still palatable to those trying to lose weight. Manipulating this new knowledge in a way that targets taste perceptions may offer new avenues to weight loss.

Source: Discovery of ‘Fat’ Taste Could Hold the Key to Reducing Obesity