SHOULD YOU USE PAIN KILLERS FOR MENSTRUAL CRAMP RELIEF

It’s all too easy to reach reach for that large bottle of anti -inflammatories/pain killers when menstrual cramps strike but are you aware that they come with a huge list of unpleasant and debilitating side effects.

REGULAR USE OF NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) INCREASES ALZHEIMER’S RISK

Researchers followed 2,736 dementia-free people age 65 and older for up to 12 years, during which time 476 developed dementia.

Those who were "heavy" NSAID users (the equivalent of approximately six Advil per day) were 66% more likely to develop dementia, and 57% more likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease in particular. 

These statistics held true after the researchers controlled for other factors that might make people vulnerable to dementia -- among them education, APOE gene status and diabetes.

So rather than helping slow the onset of Alzheimer's, NSAID's may actually increase your risk of developing it!

* Medical studies have repeatedly shown that taking traditional painkilling drugs like ibuprofen and diclofenac have a 55% and 24% increased risk of heart attack respectively.

These drugs can also INCREASE your risk of peptic ulcers, diabetes and breast cancer.

* NSAIDs – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – commonly used as a first line arthritis treatment, result in a staggering 100,000 hospital admissions per year due to gastrointestinal problems linked to long-term use.

Even worse: approximately 15 per cent of those patients die as a result of their adverse reactions.

* Cox-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Cerebrex have been found to substantially increase your risk of heart attack, to such an extent that Vioxx was withdrawn from sale when it was found to DOUBLE the risk of heart attack and stroke.

* TNF-Blockers, such as Rituximab, have been shown to cause respiratory failure, as well as nausea, myalgia (muscle pain) and low blood pressure.

* SAARDs and DMARDs, like Methotrexate – an immuno- suppressant used to treat patients whose arthritis is at an advanced stage – can exacerbate side effects such as serious gastrointestinal disorders, cause liver damage and can even cause death.

It’s quite likely that you’re already taking one of these drugs without realizing it…..and without even realizing what the full side-effects and risks may be.

If you’re unsure, then check out below some of the drug names that you need to watch out for, such as:

Acetaminophen,oxycodone, tramadol, diclofenac potassium, diflunisal, etodolac, fenoprofen calcium, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen, indomethacin, ketoprofen, meclofenamate sodium, meloxicam, nabumetone, naproxen, piroxicam, celecoxib, valdecoxib, aspirin, choline salicylate, magnesium salicylate, cortisone, dexamethasone, prednisolone, triamcinolone, auranofin (oral gold), azathioprine, cyclosporine, hydroxychloroquine sulphate, methotrexate, minocycline, penicillamine, sulphasalazine.

Source:

John C.S. Breitner, MD, MPH, of the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and head of geriatric psychiatry at University of Washington School of Medicine.

If you must use a pain killer or anti inflammatory for the management of pain only use if you really have to and try to avoid any long term dependence on them, better still try to find an alternative pain relief technique that works for you.

Here are some suggestions for alternative pain relief techniques to help with menstrual cramps that don’t require the use of drugs.

Take a warm bath

Taking a warm bath can also help lessen heavy menstrual flow, and the warm water will alleviate lower abdomen pain, and relax the muscles.

Excercise

Probably the last thing you want to do besides curling up in bed with a hot water bottle but regular exercise, including exercise right before and during your menstrual cycle can help lessen the severity of menstrual cramping.

Valerian Tea or Tinctures

Medicinal uses of valerian date back to 400 B.C. with the Greek physician Hippocrates. Valerian is traditionally used to improve sleep and treat insomnia. However, it may also be effective for treating menstrual cramps. Take valerian in liquid tincture, tea, capsule and tablet form.

Valerian contains valepotriates and valerenic acid, which can attach to the same brain receptor sites as Valium. This makes valerian beneficial for treating pain, anxiety and insomnia.

Therapeutic Heat

Take advantage of therapeutic heat to relax your menstrual cramps.  ThermaCare^® Menstrual provide soothing heat that relaxes muscular contractions to relieve menstrual cramps. 

ThermaCare are heat patches and their ultra-thin design conforms to your lower abdomen for discreet comfort.

They can provides soothing heat for 8 hours of menstrual-cramp pain relief and are thin enough to wear under clothing and on the move.

Omega-3 and Magnesium supplements

Read this informative article ‘2 excellent remedies for menstrual cramps’ for further information on supplementing your diet with omega-3 and magnesium citrate.

STATINS AND THEIR NASTY LITTLE SECRET

I was particularly irked the other day to discover that my mother was taking statin drugs to reduce her cholesterol.

It wasn't so much that she was taking them, that annoyed me, but the fact that her doctor had not told her that taking statins could reduce her Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) uptake by as much as 40%

In 1994 drug companies introduced a new class of cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins.  To date statins are the most profitable drugs in history! and studies have found that these drugs not only lowered blood cholesterol levels but also produced a slightly lowered risk of heart attack.

So why all the fuss about CoQ10 - well it is an essential co factor your body uses to derive energy, without it you simply could not exist and it is a powerful anti-oxidant present in every cell of your body.  Because of its ubiquitous presence (it's everywhere) you may see it referred to as ubiquinone.

CoQ10 is especially important to your energy hungry organs such as your heart, liver, brain and kidneys.

Consider this:

• CoQ10 deficiencies are more common in people in their forties and beyond
• Long duration endurance exercisers tend to have lower levels of CoQ10
• Deficiencies in CoQ10 are very common in patients with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and low HDL levels of cholesterol
• CoQ10 levels are often low in those people who avoid eating meat and extremely low in vegans

If you fit into any of the above categories then you may want to consider supplementing your diet with CoQ10 as it may have a dramatic effect on your energy levels and cardiovascular health.

If you exercise moderately and eat a well balanced diet yet feel you need some additional help in maintaining healthy blood pressure then you'll be interested to know that supplementing with CoQ10 has been demonstrated to lower blood pressure in several human clinical trials. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, was conducted in 2001 by researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, who succinctly concluded that ". . . CoQ10 may be safely offered to hypertensive patients as an alternative treatment option."

CoQ10 can either be made in the body or obtained from food.  The best sources of CoQ10 are animal foods which contain fat! and as heart patients are often advised to reduce their fat intake in an effort to reduce cholesterol levels; no CoQ10 being made in the body and a reduced CoQ10 intake from food equals a recipe for disaster!

As studies have found (of which there are many) CoQ10 actually protects and strengthens the heart, I therefore find it ironic that the world's most profitable drug should actively suppress it.

It's a mad world!

To your health

Margaret x

P.S. if you suffer with joint problems and arthritic complaints read this article:  The Hidden (and painful) Cost of Statins

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT FAST!

How to lose weight fast? build muscle mass! Anaerobic exercise or strength training only increases our muscular strength and adds much lean shapely muscles to our bodies and the only thing this type of muscular gain will cause is a much more attractive body and increased confidence levels!

Don’t worry you wont end up looking like Arnie Swhatshisname as the only way to achieve this ‘look’ is to take anabolic steroids and growth hormones! Yuk!

If you aim to exercise/work your most powerful muscles, namely your shoulders, thighs, calves, buttocks at a max ouput for a short space of time you will increase the density of mitochondrial power plants within your muscle cells. These plants are like mini furnaces that help the body to burn fat for energy.

Did you know that for every pound or approx 2kg of muscle we lose we are burning 40 less calories a day or better still for every pound of muscle we gain we need to expend 40-50 calories a day just to keep that muscle alive!

When I was in my teens and early twenties I had good muscle mass, I was fit active and strong yet very lean (muscle takes up less space than fat!) and whatever I ate had no effect on my weight. It was only until my thirties that I started to lose muscle mass that I started to gain weight!

If you want to follow a simple strength training program, which I do twice a week, without the use of expensive gym equipment or membership which can be carried out in the comfort of your own home then download the following *free* High Intensity Strength Training’ guide.

Either click on the download button bellow or scroll up to the Free Guide menu at the top of the page and have a browse through some of the other free guides on offer.

To your health

Margaret x

EXCERCISE LESS... REALLY IS MORE!

Calling all gym junkies! read and weep!

If you lead a busy life, finding the time to exercise can be difficult or if you’re like me and you simply don’t like exercising then you’ll love this recent research into fitness that suggests that exercising just a few minutes each week can be just as beneficial as jogging round the park for an hour or so.

More gain for less pain! Sounds too good to be true? ....read on!

Professor Julian Baker from the University of the West of Scotland is at the forefront of this startling new research into fitness. His fitness regime involves short bursts with high intensity activity. For example you can run or step (anything that involves high intensity exercise) flat out for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds. You then repeat this cycle 4 times over. Professor Baker’s research has found that pushing muscles to their absolute limit can improve your fitness. But what’s incredible about this fitness regime is that it lasts for only 4 minutes with 2 of them spent resting! Or put another way with only 2 minutes spent exercising!

Professor Baker recommends that you would need to do the exercises about 3 times a week and your initial fitness level will depend on how quickly you improve your overall fitness.

Current UK government guidelines recommend that we exercise 30 minutes to an hour a day of moderate exercise 5 times a week!

The data compiled by the University of the West of Scotland suggests that this type of training improves above and beyond the benefits gained from exercising for 30 – 60 minutes.

So how can a man or woman who is effectively only exercising for 2 minutes get the same or better fitness benefits as someone who exercises for longer.

One line of reasoning is that if you do short burst exercising you’re working 250% harder in terms of the intensity of the exercise than say a jogger. The exercise for the jogger is much more gentles on the muscles where as the short burst exercises is pushing your muscles to the max, which has the maximum benefit on your fitness.

Scientists are still trying to find out why this type of exercise should work but they do know that exercising to the absolute limit is more effective in reducing blood pressure and widening blood vessels and strengthening muscles.

Depending on your initial level of fitness over a 5 week fitness period of exercising in short burst high intensity could result in a significant loss of body fat and loss of weight but could up your overall level of fitness by as much as 50%.

If you haven’t exercised in a while don’t start running, stepping or any high intensity exercising straight off. You will need to build up from a gentle pace and see your doctor before you start any exercise regime if you have any concerns.

I think everyone no matter how busy and hectic a life they lead can find 12 minutes a week to exercise!

To your health

Margaret x