See u on the next project

Hello everybody,

I really apologies (again :-S) for disappear a long while last weeks. The last days have been crazy so I didn't have time enough to update with a last officially posting on this domain. This one.

Since this project started over 3-4 months ago, I have been somehow surprised with the amount of views the most of my posts had. I have been gratefully amazed. However, the workload required more time than expected considering that I must read rather press media as well as screening the news according to the issues of this blog.

This was the first time I decided to embrace the adventure of creating a blog. It has been more than a simply enriching experience where I have learnt more than I though as started. At the most important, I had fun doing it!

That's way I'm gonna' focus on a new project:

http://laesquizo.blogspot.com/

After studying a huge load of information about this mental disease I found out there is no so many websites around the Net talking about this malignant disease and there are some gaps that it would be possible to cover them.

I'll post either english or spanish as I did so far and I would like you follow me on this new project as you did in the former.

Just let me say: THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ATTENTION

Hello everybody!

First at all, my apologies if I didn't update at all the blog last days. I have been so busy (more than expected indeed) so that's one of the reasons because I write this.

The second reason it's due to I have been thinking over in replace this blog for another, more focused on a matter than this one where I have been posting as well as writing about different issues.

I will keep you informed of my next steps...

See u around!

A call for more opioid dependence treatment

A new report from Simon Fraser University researcher Bohdan Nosyk calls for the expansion of heroin and opioid medical treatment to stem the increase of overdose deaths.

"Prescription opioid abuse and overdose is on the rise throughout North America," says the SFU Health Sciences associate professor and lead author of the study that was published in Health Affairs. "Opioid overdose is now the second-leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., behind only motor-vehicle accidents.

"People from all walks of life, including youths, are accessing these drugs and the consequences are deadly."

The report highlights increases in the prevalence and hazards related to the use of opioids, such as heroin, and prescription opioids like oxycodone, in Canada and the United States, and the gap in treatment availability in both countries.

Evidence shows that methadone and buprenorphine, two forms of opioid substitution therapy, are effective at retaining clients in treatment. Prolonged retention in treatment can lead to reductions in illicit drug use, overdoses, behaviours that increase the risk of contracting HIV, and criminal activity. As a result, treatment has been shown to be highly cost-effective.

The study makes several recommendations to expand access to evidence-based medical treatment, including:

 - Eliminating restrictions on methadone prescribing
 - Reducing financial barriers to treatment
 - Reducing reliance on opioid detoxification treatment
 - Integrating emerging treatments

There is serious concern for the consequences that may result if effective opioid addiction treatment continues to be limited, says Nosyk, who is also a health economist with the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

"In the absence of readily-available treatment, some of the prescribed opioid users who are becoming dependent will switch from pills to injecting heroin in search of a more potent high," he says.

"This would compound the challenges we have in the fight against HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C at a time when new technology and treatment options for these conditions are turning the tide."

Source

Regular walking found to boost memory in those with ‘mild cognitive impairment’

‘Mild cognitive impairment’ describes a reduction in brain function that is not advanced enough to be described as ‘dementia’. It’s usually described via psychological testing. As yet, there is no recognised medical treatment for it. That doesn’t mean, of course, that nothing can be done about it, and in fact some recent evidence suggests that one approach that might help is exercise.

This study, conducted at the University of Maryland School of Public Health in the US, tested the effect of regular treadmill walking on individuals with and without mild cognitive impairment [1]. The intensity of exercise was described as ‘moderate’ (say, enough to work up a sweat but not so much that someone is unable to talk) and the study lasted 12 weeks. The average age of the study participants was 78.

The subjects were tested psychologically and also with ‘functional magnetic resonance imaging’ (fMRI) – which visualises activity in the brain.

The walking programme improved brain function in those with mild cognitive impairment, specifically on a memory task (remembering a list of words). The study also shows that during the task, there was reduced activity in several areas of the brain, including regions that are often affected in Alzheimer’s disease. Reduced activity is generally seen as a good thing, as it essentially signifies that, in this case, less ‘effort’ was required to complete the mental task.

As an added bonus, the study subjects also saw a 10 per cent rise in their fitness, on average.

There are a number of known ways in which regular activity may improve and help preserve brain function:

- Structural changes in the brain, including enlargement of the hippocampus (a part of the brain concerned with memory) and a reduction in the loss of grey matter.
- The stimulation of what are known as ‘brain derived neurotropic factors’ which, among other things, facilitate brain cell communication.
- Enhanced blood supply to the brain.

In a way, the beauty of this intervention is that it is realistic for most people, even those relatively advanced in years. For those who are not infirm, I’d suggest that even more benefits may be had from activity taken outdoors, seeing as sunlight appears to have the ability to improve mood and mental functioning, and this is particularly important in the winter.

Source

Comparación de precios de fármacos entre Colombia y España

Fuente

Farmacéuticas extranjeras hacen experimentos con más de 23 mil peruanos

El INS investigó casos por violaciones a las buenas prácticas clínicas que ocasionaron daños serios y muertes de participantes

Nueve farmacéuticas extranjeras reclutan voluntarios para probar la seguridad y eficacia de sus nuevos productos antes de presentarlos al mercado. Según los registros de autorizaciones del Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS), 23.207 personas están enroladas actualmente en 300 experimentos que realizan laboratorios internacionales en 137 hospitales, clínicas, consultorios y hasta organizaciones no gubernamentales del Perú. Se trata de una actividad que continúa creciendo en nuestro país.

Este millonario y poco transparente negocio rebasa la capacidad del Estado. Comenzó el 2007 luego de que el entonces ministro de Salud, Carlos Vallejos, flexibilizara los trámites y condiciones para la experimentación médica con personas a través de 35 modificaciones al Reglamento Nacional de Ensayos Clínicos, que había sido aprobado en julio del 2006.

Justamente, Vallejos fue propulsor del cambio que dio lugar a un ‘boom’ de permisos y hoy figura entre los 15 médicos que concentran de 10 a más contratos con laboratorios y entidades privadas para ejecutar experimentos médicos con personas en el país, de acuerdo con los reportes del INS a los que accedió El Comercio, a través de una solicitud de información pública.

La información financiera y los pagos por esta actividad se considera confidencial. Pero profesionales que laboran en el campo –y que prefirieron mantener su nombre en reserva- revelaron que por cada persona enrolada para las prácticas, los médicos reciben de 500 a 13 mil dólares, y que los montos aumentan dependiendo de los riesgos del producto en investigación y la complejidad de los procedimientos.

VIOLACIONES A LAS BUENAS PRÁCTICAS

Desde que existe un reglamento para la experimentación con personas en el país, el INS investigó 19 casos por violaciones a las buenas prácticas clínicas que ocasionaron daños serios y muertes de participantes en experimentos. Sin embargo, la norma no contempla una escala de sanciones a los financistas y médicos que violan las buenas prácticas clínicas durante investigaciones y ocasionan daños serios o la muerte de personas.

Un caso es el del cardiólogo Álex Gallegos Cazorla. El INS determinará si ratifica o levanta la sanción en su contra por reclutar a un paciente para el experimento de una farmacéutica, en el hospital Daniel Alcides Carrión del Callao, y abandonarlo cuando su salud sufrió daños irreversibles que lo condujeron a la muerte en el 2011.

Ramón Ríos Astudillo (56) ingresó el 9 de setiembre del 2009 a un estudio para probar la eficacia del anticoagulante Apixiban, del laboratorio Brystol Myers Squibb Perú S.A.C., dirigido a personas con el diagnóstico de síndrome coronario agudo (arterias obstruidas por la coagulación de la sangre). “El doctor Gallegos le dijo a mi esposo que sería una buena alternativa para su enfermedad, pero Ramón sufrió demasiadas complicaciones. Le tuvieron que amputar la pierna izquierda en el 2010 y el médico se desentendió del todo”, narró a El Comercio, Victoria Izarnótegui viuda de Ríos, quien desde hace dos años reclama justicia.

Fuente

Overweight children have higher risk of asthma

Children who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop asthma compared with children of a healthy weight, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente in California examined electronic health records of 623,358 children between the ages of 6 and 19.

 The children were divided into four groups based on their measured height and weight.:

- Normal weight
- Overweight
- Moderately obese
- Extremely obese

All children were monitored over the course of 1 year in order to analyze the prevalence of asthma.

The results of the study revealed that children who were overweight were 1.16 times more likely to develop asthma compared with children who were of a normal weight.

Moderately obese children were 1.23 times more likely to develop the condition, while extremely obese children were 1.37 times more at risk.

Of the children who developed asthma, it was found that moderately obese and extremely obese children were more likely to develop regular and aggressive forms of asthma compared with children of normal weight, resulting in hospital visits and treatment with oral corticosteroids - medication used to reduce inflammation and swelling in the airways.

Asthma risk dependent on age, race and sex

The research also revealed that the effects of body weight and asthma varied depending on race/ethnicity, age and sex.

Moderately obese girls between the ages of 6 and 10 had a 1.36 times higher risk of asthma than girls of normal weight the same age, while extremely obese girls had a 1.56 times higher risk.

Moderately obese Asian-Pacific Islander children had a 1.41 times higher risk of developing the condition, while extremely obese children of this race were at 1.67 times higher risk.

'Close monitoring' needed for asthmatic obese children

Mary Helen Black, lead study author, says:

"As a result of this research, we know that children who are overweight or obese - particularly young girls and Asian-Pacific Islander children - are more likely to develop asthma. With this knowledge, we can work to develop programs to prevent asthma in high-risk groups. Physicians might also monitor obese children with asthma more closely, since these children tend to have a more severe type of asthma."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are currently 7.1 million children in the US suffering from asthma.

It is the most common chronic condition amongst children, and accounts for more than 13 million total missed days at school each year.

The researchers say that although other studies have acknowledged a link between childhood obesity and asthma, there have not been many large-scale studies in the US confirming this.

Therefore, the researchers at Kaiser Permanente plan to continue their ongoing work to better understand how body weight and body mass index in childhood can increase asthma risk.

Source

Tamoxifen for prevention in high-risk breast cancer

The global study was led by University of Melbourne and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The study involved about 2,500 women from Europe, North America and Australia who have inherited mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2, the breast cancer susceptibility genes, and who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. About one-third of these women were placed on tamoxifen.

Tamoxifen has been used for decades to treat breast cancer and has recently been shown to prevent breast cancers in many women.

Until now, there has been limited information about whether it reduces breast cancer risk for women who are at the very highest level of risk with BRCA1 or BRCA2.

Lead author, Professor Kelly-Anne Phillips says this study, the largest to date, suggests that it could work for these high-risk women by halving their breast cancer risk.

"In the past, the only way of reducing breast cancer risk for these high-risk women was to do invasive surgery to remove their breasts and/or ovaries. For women who choose not to undergo such surgery, or who would prefer to delay surgery until they are older, tamoxifen could now be a viable alternative."

Such was the case for US actress Angelina Jolie who was found to carry a mutation in one of these genes.

Previous research led by Professor Phillips revealed that only 1 in 5 Australian women with a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 choose to undergo bilateral mastectomy to prevent cancer.

Professor John Hopper, co-author from the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, says "In light of our findings, it is clear that women who have a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 should review their management plan with their specialist and re-discuss the options available to them to lower that risk."

This important finding has come from more than 20 years of research involving breast cancer families recruited from cancer registries and clinics across the country.

"Without the generous contributions of those families we would not be able to make such discoveries which help future generations fight breast cancer," he says.

However, we should be aware of how the study was carried out. According to William Hait, director of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, who pointed out that Tamoxifen is effective in ER(+) cancers about 50% of the time. Around 70% of breast cancer is ER(+), and that means that if you treat all patients with breast cancer with Tamoxifen, you will see responses only 35% of the time, whereas if you treat only ER(+) cancers you will see responses 50% of the time. Therefore, more details must be needed.  

Source

Overthinking can be detrimental to human performance

Trying to explain riding a bike is difficult because it is an implicit memory. The body knows what to do, but thinking about the process can often interfere. So why is it that under certain circumstances paying full attention and trying hard can actually impede performance? A new UC Santa Barbara study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, reveals part of the answer.

There are two kinds of memory: implicit, a form of long-term memory not requiring conscious thought and expressed by means other than words; and explicit, another kind of long-term memory formed consciously that can be described in words. Scientists consider these distinct areas of function both behaviorally and in the brain.

Long-term memory is supported by various regions in the prefrontal cortex, the newest part of the brain in terms of evolution and the part of the brain responsible for planning, executive function, and working memory. "A lot of people think the reason we're human is because we have the most advanced prefrontal cortex," said the study's lead author, Taraz Lee, a postdoctoral scholar working in UCSB's Action Lab.

Two previous brain studies have shown that taxing explicit memory resources improved recognition memory without awareness. The results suggest that implicit perceptual memory can aid performance on recognition tests. So Lee and his colleagues decided to test whether the effects of the attentional control processes associated with explicit memory could directly interfere with implicit memory.

Lee's study used continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to temporarily disrupt the function of two different parts of the prefrontal cortex, the dorsolateral and ventrolateral. The dorsal and ventral regions are close to each other but have slightly different functions. Disrupting function in two distinct areas provided a direct causal test of whether explicit memory processing exerts control over sensory resources - in this case, visual information processing - and in doing so indirectly harms implicit memory processes.

Participants were shown a series of kaleidoscopic images for about a minute, then had a one-minute break before being given memory tests containing two different kaleidoscopic images. They were then asked to distinguish images they had seen previously from the new ones. "After they gave us that answer, we asked whether they remembered a lot of rich details, whether they had a vague impression, or whether they were blindly guessing," explains Lee. "And the participants only did better when they said they were guessing."

The results of disrupting the function of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex shed light on why paying attention can be a distraction and affect performance outcomes. "If we ramped down activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, people remembered the images better," said Lee.

When the researchers disrupted the ventral area of the prefrontal cortex, participants' memory was just slightly worse. "They would shift from saying that they could remember a lot of rich details about the image to being vaguely familiar with the images," Lee said. "It didn't actually make them better at the task."

Lee's fascination with the effect of attentional processes on memory stems from his extensive sports background. As he pointed out, there are always examples of professional golfers who have the lead on the 18th hole, but when it comes down to one easy shot, they fall apart. "That should be the time when it all comes out the best, but you just can't think about that sort of thing," he said. "It just doesn't help you."

His continuing studies at UCSB's Action Lab will focus on dissecting the process of choking under pressure. Lee's work will use brain scans to examine why people who are highly incentivized to do well often succumb to pressure and how the prefrontal cortex and these attentional processes interfere with performance.

"I think most researchers who look at prefrontal cortex function are trying to figure out what it does to help you and how that explains how the brain works and how we act," said Lee. "I look at it at the opposite. If we can figure out the ways in which activity in this part of the brain hurts you, then this also informs how your brain works and can give us some clues to what's actually going on."

Source

Lung cancer risk cut by eating raw garlic

Eating raw garlic twice a week could potentially halve the risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Researchers from the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China carried out a population-based case control study between 2003 and 2010, to analyze the link between raw garlic consumption and lung cancer.

The researchers collected data from 1,424 lung cancer patients, alongside 4,543 healthy controls.

Data was compiled through face-to-face interviews with the participants, who were asked to answer a standard questionnaire disclosing information on diet and lifestyle habits, including how often they ate garlic and whether they smoked.

Results of the study showed that participants who consumed raw garlic on a regular basis as a part of their diet (two or more times a week), had a 44% decreased risk of developing lung cancer.

The study authors say:

"Protective association between intake of raw garlic and lung cancer has been observed with a dose-response pattern, suggesting that garlic may potentially serve as a chemo-preventive agent for lung cancer."

Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer in both men and women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 205,974 Americans were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009.

Long-term smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, found to account for 9 out of every 10 cases of the disease.

Interestingly, when looking specifically at participants who smoked, researchers found that eating raw garlic still decreased their risk of lung cancer by around 30%.

The researchers say that the link between garlic and lung cancer prevention warrant further in-depth investigation.

Previous research has also shown that consumption of garlic may have preventive properties against certain forms of cancer.

A study from the New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center suggested that a compound found in garlic, selenium, may possess an anti-cancer property

Other research from the Medical University of South Carolina, found that organosulfur compounds found in garlic may play a part in killing brain cancer cells.

The widely used herb has also been cited as preventing and treating other ailments, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Source

Dr. Joan Corbella, respecto a la sobremedicalización

Destacados:

"Actualmente, hay más enfermos sobremedicalizados que antes"

"Es importante ver a los enfermos con cierta frecuencia"

"Hay que atreverse a dar la mínima dosis necesaria"

"Los estados de ánimo colectivos afectan inevitablemente a la población en general"

"El enfermo agradece que se le trate bien y con normalidad. 

Inspirar pena no gusta a nadie"

Back from holidays!

Hello everybody!

As of tomorrow I will keep on posting unbelievable and astonished pharma news...

Hope you still are enjoying your vacation.

1 % esquizofrenia

Destacados:

"Nadie estamos libres de padecer esta enfermedad"

"A día de hoy, NADIE sabe lo que es la esquizofrenia"

"Tan pronto te sientes bien como te sientes fatal"

"Quienes realmente entienden la enfermedad, son los enfermos mismos"

"Parece que no hay nada que te motive, que te guste"

"Tienes miedos, pero en realidad, no dejan de ser sentimientos"

"La esquizofrenia es la dificultad de control de la propia voluntad"

"No hay personas enfermas, sino personas vulnerables"

"Las mujeres toleran mejor los tratamientos que los hombres"

"Es una enfermedad misteriosa, enigmática, conmovedora y que produce pánico"

A quien no está enfermo; a la sociedad

"La causa es genética, por una alteración familiar; pero también puede deberse

a factores ambientales, familiares y educacionales unidos. Probablemente ya haya 

una vulnerabilidad biologica"

"Puede deberse también a una desorganización social general,

es decir, que una sociedad sea LOCA"

"El miedo que tienen los enfermos es muy grande."

"A los enfermos les asusta, a veces, las relaciones que tienen con las personas"

"Muchas personas piensan que en el origen y el fondo de la esquizofrenia

hay unas vivencias de angustia brutales: ANGUSTIA PSICÓTICA"

"Los enfermos tienen miedo de lo que estan viendo y además, tienen miedo

de descontrolarse; precisamente porqué viven situaciones que no controlan"

"Los enfermos se aislan mucho del entorno.

Tienen miedo de poder hacer daño, mucho miedo"

"Los enfermos, en cuanto se ponen un poco

mal, enseguida tienen mucho miedo.

Les da mucho miedo la vida"

"La angustia se manifiesta de dos maneras: miedo a la muerte y miedo

a la locura. Son los 2 miedos más radicales de la realidad humana"

"El problema de la esquizofrenia es el miedo a uno mismo.

También el miedo a la locura de uno mismo"

"El miedo a uno mismo hace que se aisle

mucho mas del resto de las personas"

"Todos tenemos y nos sentimos reflejados a lo

que muestran los enfermos, pero a distinto nivel"

"A la sociedad le cuesta muchísimo ver comportamientos diferentes"

"Para los enfermos es muy duro ser rechazados"

"El esquizofrénico, generalmente, es una persona muy exigente consigo misma"

"Las familías transmiten la idea de que tienes que llegar a mucho, 

les exigen mucho o ser mucho; con padres muy autoritarios"

"Los enfermos tienen miedo a equivocarse, a fallar"

"Soy distante, desconfiado. Me da miedo abrirme a mi familia"

"En las familias esquizofrenógenas siempre hay dos niveles

de comunicación, el doble vínculo o el doble mensaje"

"Los factores familiares son lo no hablado, lo no dicho, sin embargo es sentido

y percibido. Bolsas de comunicación que no se tocan pero que están siempre presentes"

"Hay posibilidades de que la enfermedad destructure la familia"

"El enfermo es muy exigente"

"Los familiares, hagan lo que hagan no le ven mejor;

hagan lo que hagan no le ven más contento"

"Las familias buscan la curación, no importa el precio. No se creen al principio lo

que se les dice. Mientras estés en esa fase de negar, nunca llegarás a asumir"

"Los familiares, una vez el hijo ha sido diagnosticado con

esquizofrenia, superprotegen al hijo o lo rechazan"

"Las familias no veran cumplidos sus deseos de ver en el un ganador, una persona

que hace una vida normal, que crea una família..."

"Los esquizofrénicos pueden llegar a no responder de sus actos"

"Los esquizofrénicos piensan mucho, dan muchas vueltas a las cosas"

"Al principio piensas que las personas son malas, pero

al final te planteas que la mala debo de ser yo (enferma)"

"El 20% de la población reconoce tener delirios y alucinaciones"

"El ciudadano que sufre psicosis no es consciente de la enfermedad,

por lo que no va a ir voluntáriamente al médico"

"Se notan mucho las crisis por la desvariación del sueño, y estas

acaban desvariando el resto de los sentidos"

"Si el enfermo se aisla y se encierra en la habitación,

entra en un proceso delirante"

"El brote aparece de manera progresiva, o de la noche a la mañana"

"Algunos delirios son agradables. Puedo salvar el mundo, puedo con todo"

"La asociación de esquizofrenia con agresividad está lejísimos de la realidad"

"Estadísticamente, los enfermos esquizofrénicos son menos 

agresivos que la población general"

"Los casos puntuales de agresividad por parte

de esquizofrénicos son muy llamativos"

"El primer ingreso siempre resulta ser una situación traumática"

"Los esquizofrénicos se plantean el suicidio cuando están con muy baja autoestima

(has perdido el tiempo en tu vida, no sacas nada claro, que triste es mi vida,

la incomprensión de todo...)"

"La investigación viene financiada y pagada por la

indústria farmacológica"

"Una iniciativa psicosocial puede no llegar nunca. Algo que se ha

probado que funciona en un lugar, no se disemina"

"La farmacología ofrece de forma rápida una anulación de los síntomas,

que es lo que molesta al entorno. Se pueden tratar los síntomas sin tratar

la enfermedad (se puede hacer caminar a un cojo)"

"El delirio no se puede dejar extender, de ahí los fármacos que lo paralizan"

"Es más fácil dar una pastilla a un familiar y anularle, 

en vez de estar una hora hablando intentando saber

cuál es el problema que tienes"

"La intervención psicoterapéutica de los servicios públicos de salud

mental no se puede dar a todos los enfermos, pero la farmacológica sí"

"No se le habla a los pacientes de los efectos secundarios de

la medicación, temen que no se la puedan tomar"

"Si tu das un medicamento y das hora hasta dentro de 2-3 meses,

tu ya no puede controlar el efecto secundario, una vez el 

medicamento ha sido introducido"

"La medicación les ponen feo, les engordan, les deterioran,

la medicación les influye"

"Si no tienen mucho deseo, les cuesta eyacular o NO eyaculan"

"La menstruación en mujeres les va y viene cuando quiere"

"La medicación causa muchos efectos extrapiramidales,

moviendo mucho las manos y los pies"

"Las ganas de llorar te las impide en antidepresivo"

"Conducir un delirio hacia un acto creativo o hacia

algo donde pudiera salir (pintura, danza, escultura...), siempre

y cuando el enfermo tenga necesidad de expresión simbólica.

Pero deben estar dirigidos"

"De esta manera, el enfermo no tendría tanto miedo en delirar

ni en alucinar porqué el psicoanalista podría reconducir esos delirios

y alucinaciones"

"La burocracia en salud mental es terrible"

"La esquizofrenia es, por definición, crónica; pero se cura y recupera"

"El tratamiento en la esquizofrenia es tener esperanza. Nunca
perderla pero nunca hacerse grandes esperanzas"

"Un psiquiatra sólo no es capaz de tratar una esquizofrenia"

"Estamos lejos de tener cubiertas las necesidades de salud mental"

"La OMS/WHO advierte que la esquizofrenia augmentará y será uno
los problemas más graves del siglo XXI"

"Cada vez se diagnostíca más"

"Es más frecuente en urbes que en población rural"

"Es una enfermedad enormemente humana"

"Los esquizofrénicos son grandes luchadores ya 
que se sobreponen a enfermedades enormes"

"Les da mucho miedo el futuro"

"Se plantean el si no hubiesen existido"

What Is Xanax/Alprazolam?

Xanax (Alprazolam) is a commonly prescribed drug to help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and panic. It's manufactured by Pfizer Inc.

Xanax belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, which are central nervous system depressants that work by enhancing the effect of the neurotransmitter "gamma-aminobutyric acid" (GABA).

GABA is essentially the brain's tranquilizing neurotransmitter. Xanax binds to certain sites on the GABAA gamma-amino-butyric acid receptor, slowing down activity in the brain, producing a calming effect.

Xanax is a benzodiazepine with a very fast onset of action. Most people feel its effects kick-in within 20 minutes of ingestion - peak effects of the drug are normally achieved within an hour.

Initially approved by the US FDA in 1981 for the treatment of anxiety, Xanax became the first FDA-approved drug for panic disorder therapy in 1990.

Since its approval the drug has become one of the most prescribed, yet also one of the most misused benzodiazepines available - because of its high potential for abuse and dependence.

Medical uses of Xanax

Xanax is one of America's most popular anti-anxiety medications.

Xanax is primarily used to treat panic and anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety disorder (SAD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Xanax is also used to alleviate nausea after chemotherapy.

According to the FDA, "Demonstrations of the effectiveness of XANAX by systematic clinical study are limited to 4 months duration for anxiety disorder and 4 to 10 weeks duration for panic disorder."

Managing anxiety

The FDA has approved Xanax for short-term treatment of anxiety and for the management of certain anxiety disorders. Several high quality studies have demonstrated its efficacy in reducing anxiety.

A large-scale double blind study found that Xanax was effective in improving symptoms of anxiety in 151 anxious outpatients; the results of the study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, revealed that "alprazolam and diazepam produced similar clinical improvement, which was significantly larger than improvement produced by placebo and was clearly evident after only 1 week of treatment."

Panic disorder

Xanax is considered to be an effective medication for panic attacks. However, due to its potential for abuse it is not a first line treatment option. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, concluded that "evidence fails to demonstrate alprazolam as superior to other benzodiazepines for the treatment of panic disorder."

A report in the Primary Care Companion Journal of Clinical Psychiatry noted that for treatment of panic disorder "four drug classes have similar efficacy (tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs], benzodiazepines, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors)."

The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) only recommends the use of Xanax for the treatment of panic disorder when the patient shows no history of tolerance or dependence.

Precautions

Pregnant women should not take Xanax as it can cross the placenta and affect the fetus, increasing the risk of congenital abnormalities. In addition, taking Xanax during the last trimester of pregnancy can result in fetal drug dependence.

Doctors should be especially careful with patients who have a history of drug dependence when considering Xanax therapy.

Side effects of Xanax may include:

- Dry mouth
- Slurred speech
- Drowsiness
- Disinhibition
- Skin rash
- Constipation
- Hallucinations (very rare)

Dependence and withdrawal

Xanax - like all other benzodiazepines - binds to certain GABA receptors (called benzodiazepine receptors), prolonged use of the drug can eventually cause adaptive changes in these receptors, making them less sensitive to the drug's effect. When this occurs a higher dosage of Xanax is required for the same initial effect to be felt, increasing the risk of physical dependence and tolerance.

According to a paper published in the journal Addiction:

"Physiological dependence on benzodiazepines can occur following prolonged treatment with therapeutic doses, but it is not clear what proportion of patients are likely to experience a withdrawal syndrome."

"Withdrawal from normal dosage benzodiazepine treatment can result in a number of symptomatic patterns. The most common is a short-lived "rebound" anxiety and insomnia, coming on within 1-4 days of discontinuation, depending on the half-life of the particular drug. The second pattern is the full-blown withdrawal syndrome, usually lasting 10-14 days; finally, a third pattern may represent the return of anxiety symptoms which then persist until some form of treatment is instituted."

Signs and symptoms of Xanax dependence include:

- Being unable to cope without the medication
- Severe withdrawal symptoms in between doses
- Tolerance to the effects of the drug
- Unsuccessful attempts to stop taking the drug

Withdrawal symptoms include:

- Increased anxiety
- Depression
- Trouble sleeping
- Depersonalization
- Tremors
- Headache
- Muscle pains
- Hypersensitivity to touch
- Shakiness
- Twitching

It is important to taper off Xanax gradually, otherwise there is a risk of benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome.

Source

Aemps: “La polémica sobre los equivalentes no existe en el plano clínico, sólo en el económico”

César Hernández García, jefe del departamento de Medicamentos de Uso Humano de la Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios (Aemps), ha afirmado este viernes que no existe una definición reglada de equivalentes, "ni tal vez sea necesaria", y eso no ha impedido que los médicos hayan trabajado siempre con criterios de alternativas terapéuticas en los tratamientos de cada paciente. "Si ahora hay un debate se debe a que detrás del intento de crear definiciones generales y categorías de erquivalentes está el precio y el propósito de condicionar el mercado", ha añadido.

Estas declaraciones fueron realizadas en una jornada que, con el título de ¿Existe la equivalencia terapéutica? La opinión de los expertos, han organizado en Madrid la Fundación Ad Qualitatem y PSN.

DEBATE ENTRE PROFESIONALES

Médicos, farmacéuticos de hospital, gestores y representantes de la industria han participado en el debate. "El problema no está en discutir si existen o no equivalentes terapéuticos ni qué organismo es el competente para definirlos, sino para qué se quieren una vez definidos", ha señalado Emili Esteve, director técnico de la patronal española de la industria innovadora, Farmaindustria. Porque, ha añadido, se puede estar induciendo un proceso en el que se reduzca la competencia entre medicamentos, se limite la prescripción de los médicos y se atienda con menos garantías a los pacientes. Esteve ha calificado de "muy importante" el cambio introducido en la Ley de Garantías, artículo 88, al señalar que cada decisión sobre medicamentos tomada por Sanidad será de aplicación en todo el territorio nacional, reduciendo la capacidad de las autonomías de aprobar iniciativas propias en la política de medicamentos.

Más pragmático se ha mostrado José Santiago Rabanal, gerente del Hospital Universitario de Cruces, Bilbao, que ha subrayado que en el Servicio Vasco de Salud hay una larga experiencia en trabajar con equivalentes y que éstos tienen una importante repercusión en la contención del gasto. Eso hay que tenerlo en cuenta, ha explicado, aunque también hay que admitir que "los tratamientos son de cada paciente y generalizar es complicado". En este sentido, José Luis Poveda, presidente de la Sociedad Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (SEFH), ha afirmado en su intervención que los profesionales sanitarios han trabajado siempre con alternativas terapéuticas, que son instrumentos útiles y que tienen una indudable repercusión en el gasto por lo que debe usarse el sentido común, dejar el dogmatismo y abordar este asunto desde la clínica y la eficiencia, "como trabajan siempre los profesionales de la sanidad".

NO PARA LOS ONCOLÓGICOS

El más crítico con los equivalentes terapéuticos ha sido Juan Jesús Cruz, presidente de la Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica, que ha afirmado que, "al menos en el terreno oncológico no se puede hablar de equivalencias, pues cada paciente tiene un perfil propio y además, hacerlo, acabaría con la libertad de prescripción y afectaría a los pacientes".

Fuente

Clear evidence that long-term obesity can lead to heart disease

Researchers have tracked thousands of people in the three decades since the mid-1980s to see what effect getting obese might have on their heart risks. They say this is one of the few studies that can give proof of the consequences of long-term obesity.

Follow-up of the 3,275 adults - who were not obese at the start of the research in 1985-1986 - found that those who became obese were more likely to have coronary artery calcification (hardening of the arteries supplying the heart), a problem that can lead to a heart attack.

Of the people who became obese, the earlier they did - and the longer they stayed overweight - the more likely they were to be at risk of coronary artery disease. This risk was decided by computed tomography (CT), a form of X-ray scan that was used to pick up artery calcification.

The research participants were aged between 18 and 30 years at the beginning of the study, which has just been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They were almost equal in numbers of men and women, and in proportion of white and black people.

Study examined both "overall" and "abdominal" obesity

Two measures of obesity were made at specific points during the long-term study. Overall obesity was worked out by measuring body-mass index (BMI), and abdominal obesity was measured by waist circumference. These checks were done at 2, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years after baseline.

Being obese was defined as:
- Having overall obesity with a BMI of at least 30
- Having abdominal obesity with a waist circumference of more than 40.2 inches (102cm) in men, 34.6 inches (88cm) in women.

During follow-up, 40% and 41% of the subjects developed overall and abdominal obesity, respectively. The average duration of each type of obesity was 13 years and 12 years, respectively. The CT scans to check for hardening of the coronary artery were done at 15 years (in 2000-2001), 20 years (2005-2006), and 25 years (2010-2011).

There was an almost double chance of finding hardened coronary arteries in the people who were obese for 20 years or more, compared with the people who had never become obese.

The researchers - Jared Reis of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD, and colleagues - give percentage values for these results: "Approximately 38.2% and 39.3% of participants with more than 20 years of overall and abdominal obesity, respectively, had coronary artery calcification, compared with 24.9% and 24.7% of those who never developed overall or abdominal obesity."

Not only was the presence of artery hardening more likely in the obese people, but the longer people were too big, the greater the extent to which calcification got worse (disease "progression").

The authors conclude:

"These findings suggest that the longer duration of exposure to excess adiposity as a result of the obesity epidemic, and an earlier age at onset, will have important implications on the future burden of coronary atherosclerosis and potentially on the rates of clinical cardiovascular disease in the United States."

The study has been given the name CARDIA - Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults. It is a large, multi-center, community-based study published in a world-renowned medical journal.

The design of the study, which set out to track future changes over time, means that the association between obesity and heart disease risk is a reliable one. This is because it was a "prospective" study as opposed to a "retrospective" one in which links are drawn from past data.

Source

Cauliflower Prevent Various Cancers

Cauliflower contains glucosinolates and thiocyanates — both sulfur-containing phytonutrients that cleanse the body of damaging free radicals. It also contains a substance called sulforaphane (SFN), a compound known to inhibit the occurrence of some cancers in rats caused by carcinogens, primarily colon cancer.

In the Rutger’s research, it was found once again that diet does matter in cancer prevention:

“Our research has substantiated the connection between diet and cancer prevention, and it is now clear that the expression of cancer-related genes can be influenced by chemopreventive compounds in the things we eat,” said Kong, a professor of pharmaceutics in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Even the American Cancer Society admits that more than two thirds of cancers can be prevented with lifestyle modification, and this includes diet. In this particular study, mice fed a diet high in sulforaphane, the substance naturally occurring in cauliflower and broccoli, enjoyed fewer cancerous tumors, polyps, and smaller tumors in the their colons. After three weeks, the mice fed sulforaphane had a 25% decline in tumors and those given double the dose had a 47% decrease in cancerous tumors.

The results are obvious, “Our results showed that SFN produced its cancer preventive effects in the mice by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) and inhibiting proliferation of the tumors; however, it was not clear what mechanism SFN employs to accomplish this,” Kong said.

Just how vegetables like cauliflower (and other cruciferous vegetables) help to kill cancer cells is still unknown, but Kong’s team found that SFN suppressed certain enzymes or kinases that are highly expressed both in the mice and in patients with colon cancer. The researchers concluded that this enzymatic suppression activity is the likely basis for the chemopreventive effects of SFN.

Along with cauliflower’s high levels of SFN, it is also a powerful antioxidant with high levels of vitamin C and vitamin A, also known as cancer inhibitors. Researchers also believe that if you consume cauliflower and turmeric spice together, you can prevent or eradicate prostate cancer totally. The scientists, once again from Rutger’s, tested turmeric and it’s active compound known as curcumin along with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a naturally occurring substance in certain vegetables such as watercress, cabbage, winter cress, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi and turnips. They found cancer-preventative qualities in the duo.

Source

Hambúrguer chef Jamie Oliver has just won a battle against McDonald's

Hambúrguer chef Jamie Oliver has just won a battle against one of the largest fast food chains in the world. After Oliver showed how McDonald’s hamburgers are made, the franchise announced it will change its recipe.

According to Oliver, the fatty parts of beef are “washed” in ammonium hydroxide and used in the filling of the burger. Before this process, according to the presenter, the food is deemed unfit for human consumption.

According to the chef and presenter, Jamie Oliver, who has undertaken a war against the fast food industry: “Basically, we’re taking a product that would be sold in the cheapest way for dogs, and after this process, is being given to human beings.”

Besides the low quality of the meat, the ammonium hydroxide is harmful to health. Oliver calls it “the pink slime process.”

“Why would any sensible human being put meat filled with ammonia in the mouths of their children?” asked the chef, who wages a war against the fast food industry.

In one of his initiatives, Oliver demonstrates to children how nuggets are made. After selecting the best parts of the chicken, the remains (fat, skin and internal organs) are processed for these fried foods.

The company, Arcos Dorados, the franchise manager in Latin America, said such a procedure is not practiced in the region. The same applies to the product in Ireland and the UK, where they use meat from local suppliers.

In the United States, Burger King and Taco Bell had already abandoned the use of ammonia in their products. The food industry uses ammonium hydroxide as an anti-microbial agent in meats, which has allowed McDonald’s to use otherwise “inedible meat.”

Even more disturbing is that because ammonium hydroxide is considered part of the “component in a production procedure” by the USDA, consumers may not know when the chemical is in their food.

On the official website of McDonald’s, the company claims that their meat is cheap because, while serving many people every day, they are able to buy from their suppliers at a lower price, and offer the best quality products.

In addition, the franchise denied that the decision to change the recipe is related to Jamie Oliver’s campaign.

On the site, McDonald’s has admitted that they have abandoned the beef filler from its burger patties.

Source

4 Foods that Help You Detox Safely and Gently

When you think of removing all the toxins from your body, you may shudder at the process – especially when considering that some experts estimate that we are exposed to 2,100,000 toxins each and every day. While there are numerous approaches to detoxing these poisons out of the body, many of them involve unpleasant side effects. Fortunately, there are gentler approaches to detoxing too.

Every day we come in contact with numerous toxins and pollutants. These toxins come from chemicals in our carpet, plastics, body care products and the air we breathe. But they also come from our water and our food choices. Cumulatively, the pollutants in our environment can have untold negative effects on our health and well-being. This is why keeping your exposure to a minimum may not be enough.

If you aren’t one for dramatic flushes or fasts, the following foods and herbs can offer a gentle detox.

1. Cilantro is a great herb that’s easy to find and simple to incorporate into your daily regimen. You can cook with it, juice it, or eat it raw. You can even find cilantro juice already made at your local health food store. Cilantro is a great detoxifier of mercury and other heavy metals. Cilantro’s antibacterial and antifungal properties make the herb work to reduce inflammation and infections while cleansing.
2. Wheatgrass is another versatile detoxifier. You can grow it yourself or find it in an increasing number of grocery stores. It’s potent so start slow with just a tiny amount of juice in your daily routine.
3. Pectin is found naturally in fruits like apples, citrus, grapes, and bananas. It helps remove heavy metals and other toxins. You can easily get the benefits of this natural detoxing agent by adding pectin-rich foods to your diet. Also, you can add pectin products to your smoothie or water. Be wary of pectin products that contain MSG.
4. Other greens like parsley, alfalfa, and chlorella are also great at chelating heavy metals and detoxing the body. You can juice any one of these or add them to salads.

To make your detox as gentle as possible stay hydrated, eliminate all processed and harmful foods, and listen to your body. You can avoid detox side-effects (a healing crisis), common in some more extreme fasts and detoxes, by simply paying attention to your body’s cues and taking heed.

Source

Drinking Water Can Boost Cognitive Performance

There is evidence that mild dehydration has a negative effect on the brain's performance. Caroline Edmonds and colleagues from the University of East London and the University of Westminster here report that drinking water can improve performance on tasks that require a rapid response, particularly when thirsty.

They tested 34 adults, who had not eaten or drunk anything overnight, for memory, attention, learning, and reaction time. Subjects were tested on two mornings: once after they had consumed a cereal bar and water, and once after eaten a cereal bar only.

Reaction times were up to 14% shorter after drinking water, especially for those who felt thirsty. Unexpectedly, performance on a complex-rule-learning task became slightly worse after drinking. Future research will have to determine why drinking water can be beneficial for some cognitive tasks, but not for others, say the authors.

Source

Children With Type 1 Diabetes Helped To Produce Their Own Insulin With Diet Additions

Adding foods rich in specific amino and fatty acids to the diets of youth with Type 1 diabetes kept them producing some of their own insulin for up to two years after diagnosis, said researchers at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."

The youth still required supplemental insulin, but they may have reduced risk of diabetes complications by continuing to produce some of their own insulin, said Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, professor of nutrition at Gillings and medicine at UNC's School of Medicine, who led the study of more than 1,300 youth. "This also opens the door for a new approach that could really benefit the lives of these children."

The study, "Nutritional Factors and Preservation of C-Peptide in Youth with Recently Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes," was published in the July 2013 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

The participating youngsters, ranging from toddlers up to age 20, are part of a multi-center "SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth," the largest U.S. study of childhood diabetes. Mayer-Davis is national co-chair of SEARCH, funded by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

Type 1 diabetes is almost always diagnosed between infancy and young adulthood, according to the American Diabetes Association. The body's pancreas is unable to produce adequate amounts of the hormone insulin, required to metabolize food properly and create energy for the body's cells.

Leucine, one of the branched-chain amino acids researchers looked at, is known to stimulate secretion. It is found in dairy products, meats, soy products, eggs, nuts and products made with whole wheat. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as salmon.

The researchers analyzed how much (if any) insulin the subjects were producing up to two years after their diagnosis and compared this with nutritional intake.

Mayer-Davis noted the study reflects subjects eating actual foods rich in these nutrients, not taking supplements.

Source

Walnut-Enriched Diet Leads To Fewer, Smaller Prostate Cancers

New research from the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio indicates that eating a modest amount of walnuts can protect against prostate cancer.

The study is described in the journal Cancer Investigation. Researchers at the UT Health Science Center injected immune-deficient mice with human prostate cancer cells. Within three to four weeks, tumors typically start to grow in a large number of these mice. The study asked whether a walnut-enriched diet versus a non-walnut diet would be associated with reduced cancer formation. A previous study found this to be true for breast cancer.

Results

Three of 16 mice (18 percent) eating the walnut-enriched diet developed prostate tumors, compared with 14 of 32 mice (44 percent) on the non-walnut control diet. Also of note, the final average tumor size in the walnut-fed animals was roughly one-fourth the average size of the prostate tumors that developed in the mice eating the control diet.

"We found the results to be stunning because there were so few tumors in animals consuming the walnuts and these tumors grew much more slowly than in the other animals," said study senior author Russel Reiter, Ph.D., professor of cellular and structural biology at the Health Science Center. "We were absolutely surprised by how highly effective the walnut diet was in terms of inhibition of human prostate cancer."

Percentage of diet

The mice consumed a diet typically used in animal studies, except with the addition of a small amount of walnuts pulverized into a fine powder to prevent the rodents from only eating the walnuts. "The walnut portion was not a large percentage of the diet," Dr. Reiter said. "It was the equivalent to a human eating about 2 ounces, or two handfuls, a day, which is not a lot of walnuts."

Study co-author W. Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, published a study in 2011 that showed fewer and smaller tumors among walnut-fed mice injected with human breast cancer cells. Dr. Hardman formerly was a faculty member at the Health Science Center.

"The data to date suggest that using walnuts on a regular basis in the diet may be beneficial to defer, prevent or delay some types of cancer, including breast and prostate," Dr. Reiter said.

Source

Europa exige a España reducir su gasto farmacéutico en hospitales

Expertos reunidos por el Instituto Choiseul para la elaboración de su último informe, defienden el papel de las farmacias comunitarias en el Sistema Nacional de Salud (SNS)

El informe "La Farmacia ante los cambios estructurales" es un trabajo que supera escasamente las 200 páginas, destinado principalmente a defender el modelo de proximidad actual de la farmacia comunitaria e identificar las amenazas que se ciernen sobre él. Entre estos peligros, que ya están provocando que 3.000 oficinas sigan abiertas prácticamente sin generar ingresos, la crisis es el fenómeno más visible pero no el único, ya que es la posible pérdida de la titularidad de los establecimientos, tradicionalmente en reserva para los farmacéuticos, la que debe suscitar mayor inquietud.

El texto, que fue presentado por el presidente del Instituto Chosiseul, Eduardo Olier, transita por los puntos más calientes de la farmacia actual. Para tratar cada apartado, se ha contado con plumas de gran prestigio como la presidenta de los colegios oficiales de farmacéuticos, Carmen Peña, que analiza el estado nacional de la profesión, o John Chave, que disecciona los efectos de la liberalización de la titularidad de las farmacias en aquellos países de Europa donde ya ha tenido lugar. Olier reiteró además, en varias ocasiones, que las 23 medidas legislativas aplicadas contra el gasto farmacéutico, unidas a la larga crisis, han reducido este hasta un 30%. Para el presidente del Think Tank Choiseul, esta realidad va en contra de la propia sostenibilidad del sistema sanitario porque afecta a la farmacia, elemento financiaciador del propio sistema, al absorber parte de la demanda ciudadana en prevención y atención primaria, además de soportar impagos, especialmente de algunas CC.AA., con el efecto liberador (o aplazador) que eso supone para parte de los desembolsos que se deben realizar desde el erario público

En la presentación, realizada este martes en un hotel de Madrid, participó Juan Iranzo, presidente del Colegio de Economistas de Madrid. Iranzo, que es autor del capítulo destinado a explicar el contexto económico del sector farmacéutico en estos días, recalcó que el objetivo principal del informe es ayudar a mantener el actual modelo de Farmacia como garantía en el acceso a los medicamentos para el conjunto de la población. Para este profesor, el modelo actual viene a cubrir el déficit de políticas públicas de salud y aún prestaría mayores servicios, si se estableciera una buena coordinación con los hospitales, siendo muy útil su participación en la dosificación y seguimiento de los tratamientos. Sin embargo lamentó que 3.000 farmacias de las 21.300 que existen en España estén en situación de quiebra económica. Con un 15% de margen neto, elevados costes laborales, amortizaciones, gastos financieros y retrasos en los pagos, una farmacia media que puede facturar actualmente 850.000 euros, apenas supera los 40.000 de ingresos finales. En el plano internacional, Iranzo recordó que la única exigencia expresa de la troica europea es reducir el gasto farmacéutico en hospitales porque es allí donde se está produciendo, paralelamente a las bajadas que se están produciendo en la farmacia comunitaria.

Como es sabido, la troika, o troica, está formada por el Banco Central Europeo (BCE), el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y la Comisión Europea(CE).

Fuente

Harvard Scientists Urge You to Stop Drinking Milk

Vegans may have had it right all along; while raw, organic milk offers numerous health benefits, a Harvard

researcher and pediatrician argues that conventional milk and dairy products alike are a detriment to your health – thanks to added health-compromising sweeteners.

As David Ludwig mentioned in his research, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, there have been countless pieces of research concluding the ill effects of sugar-sweetened beverages. The over-consumption of sugar has been tied to obesity, diabetes, inflammatory-related pain, and much more. And because of sugar’s negative effects on our health, even the United States Department of Agriculture, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other organizations are recommending against consuming calories from sugary drinks.

The one calorie-containing beverage they still heavily promote, however, is reduced-fat milk, where the organization recommends drinking 3 cups daily. This is where Ludwig questions the scientific rationale for such recommendations.

“This recommendation to drink three cups a day of milk – it’s perhaps the most prevailing advice given to the American public about diet in the last half century. As a result, Americans are consuming billions of gallons of milk a year, presumably under the assumption that their bones would crumble without them,” says David Ludwig.

As far as Ludwig is concerned, if the USDA is recommending to drink reduced-fat milk, it is also inadvertently encouraging the consumption of added sugars – a piece of advice that goes against all the research saying not to consume sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages. The idea of consuming low-fat milk or chocolate milk cancels out the whole reasoning for the recommendation in the first place since the fats are simply being replaced with dangerous sugars.

“The worst possible situation is reduced-fat chocolate milk: you take out the fat, it’s less tasty. So to get kids to drink 3 cups a day, you get this sugar-sweetened beverage,” Ludwig says. ”…we can get plenty of calcium from a whole range of foods. On a gram for gram basis, cooked kale has more calcium than milk. Sardines, nuts seeds beans, green leafy vegetables are all sources of calcium.”

The Case Against Low-Fat Dairy, and Other Dangers of Milk

Harvard researcher David Ludwig certainly has a point in analyzing and ultimately criticizing the USDA’s recommendations, but there is much more to the full-fat vs reduced-fat argument for milk and dairy products.

There are plenty of reasons to avoid certain fats such as trans-fats and refined polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils (like corn, soy, sunflower, and canola), but the evidence for moderate consumption of saturated fat, which is found in milk, coconut oil, and grass-fed land animals, is coming to the surface. While saturated fat was villainized for decades, a 2010 analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that “there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of [coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease].”

Further, there are numerous benefits to drinking full-fat dairy products. In it’s most pure state (raw, organic, and coming from grass-fed cows), full-fat dairy has been found in research to potentially promote heart health, control diabetes, aid in vitamin absorption, lower bowel cancer risk, and even aid in weight loss. But while pure dairy could promote your health, conventional dairy may prove damaging.

Before you consume more conventional dairy, please educate yourself as to what’s in your dairy. You’d be surprised that there could be 20+ painkillers, antibiotics, and much more lurking in your milk.

Source

Autoridades chilenas detectan 43.000 kg de carne de pollo posiblemente contaminadas con dioxinas

En el marco del programa oficial de control de residuos que desarrolla permanentemente el Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) de Chile se ha hallado una partida de 43 t de carne de aves, provenientes del sector La Arboleda de la empresa Agrosuper, en la Región de O´Higgins, el cual se encuentra en proceso de confirmación.

Las autoridades han implementado medidas como la suspensión tanto de la certificación como la comercialización de productos provenientes de la zona de origen de las aves.

Conforme a los protocolos establecidos para este tipo de casos, las muestras en cuestión están bajo análisis en laboratorios de referencia nacional e internacional, de manera de verificar bajo los más estrictos parámetros los resultados preliminarmente encontrados.

Fuente

Chinese study finds fasting and calorie-restricted diets may increase lifespan

Science is a step closer to understanding how humans can live longer, with a study revealing a calorie-restricted diet and periods of fasting might increase lifespan.

The Chinese study reduced the calorie intake of mice by 30 per cent and found changes in specific bacteria in the gut, including Lactobacillus, that are correlated with long lifespans.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University professor of microbiology Liping Zhao said the study's results could be applied to extending human life.

"We found that this calorie restriction can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and this might contribute to the extended lifespan and healthier status," Professor Zhao said.

"We cannot directly translate everything from mice studies to humans, however, the principle is applicable to humans.

"Each person is different in genetics, in physical activity, age and agenda and everything, so the nutritional requirement for every person is different."

Source

Los fármacos más usados en osteoporosis podrían no ser eficaces en prevenir fracturas de cadera

Un grupo de investigadores en farmacoepidemiología del Servicio Navarro de Salud (SNS) ha publicado dos artículos en la revista médica British Medical Journal (open access), en los que cuestionan la eficacia de los bifosfonatos en la prevención de fracturas de cadera y fracturas atípicas de fémur (subtrocánter y diáfisis) y proponen reevaluar su uso.

Los fármacos a los que hace referencia el estudio son los más utilizados hasta ahora en todo el mundo para la prevención de la osteoporosis y fracturas óseas, según ha informado en una nota el Gobierno de Navarra, que ha precisado que los nombres genéricos más conocidos son alendronato, risedronato e ibandronato y las marcas prescritas con mayor frecuencia, Fosamax, Fosavance, Actonel, Acrel, Miosen, Bonviva, Bondenza o Bondronat.

El SNS analizaba este aspecto desde 2009, cuando la Agencia Española del Medicamento publicó una alerta sobre los riesgos potenciales de utilizar esos medicamentos a largo plazo y se redujo en gran medida el número de pacientes tratados con ellos.

El objetivo era evaluar si el uso de estos medicamentos reduce la incidencia de fracturas de cadera y de fémur atípicas (subtrocánter y diáfisis) en mujeres mayores de 65 años en condiciones de uso habitual.

Para ello, se seleccionaron más de 2.000 casos de mujeres con fractura de cadera y se compararon con más de 10.000 mujeres sin fractura de cadera. Se estudió el uso de bisfosfonatos en ambos grupos, así como la presencia de otros factores que pueden influir en la enfermedad.

La conclusión del estudio es que no se observó que estos medicamentos sean eficaces en la prevención de fracturas de cadera. A partir del tercer año desde el inicio del tratamiento, el riesgo de fractura de cadera podría ser mayor entre las mujeres que toman estos medicamentos respecto a las que nunca los tomaron. En lo que se refiere a las fracturas de cadera atípicas (subtrocánter y diáfisis), el riesgo era cuatro veces superior en las mujeres que tomaron estos medicamentos.

Los autores del estudio y de los artículos publicados son Juan Erviti López; Javier Gorricho Mendívil y Antonio López Andrés (Servicio Navarro de Salud); el bioestadístico Álvaro Alonso (Universidad de Minnesota - EEUU); y Francisco de Abajo, Miguel Gil, Julia Timoner y Consuelo Huerta (de la Agencia Española del Medicamento, en el artículo de fracturas de subtrocánter y diáfisis).

Los estudios contaron con financiación del Ministerio de Sanidad y se realizaron con las historias clínicas contenidas en la base de datos de la Agencia Española del Medicamento (BIFAP), que en estos momentos cuenta con información clínicas de unos 5 millones de pacientes de España.

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Los huevos no elevan el colesterol en la adolescencia

La ingesta de huevo no conlleva riesgos de enfermedades cardiovasculares. Expertos sugieren una revisión de las recomendaciones alimentarias.

Un estudio de la Universidad de Granada concluye que comer más huevos no se relaciona con un mayor colesterol plasmático en adolescentes ni con un peor perfil cardiovascular, independientemente de su nivel de actividad física. El trabajo ha analizado la asociación entre la ingesta de huevo en adolescentes y los principales factores de riesgo de desarrollar enfermedades cardiovasculares. Pese a que se ha tendido a restringir la ingesta de huevos por asociarlos con un aumento en el colesterol, las investigaciones más recientes afirman que el incremento del colesterol plasmático parece estar más influido por la ingesta de grasas saturadas y grasas trans que por el colesterol de la dieta.

Uno al día

Los resultados del trabajo, perteneciente al estudio europeo Helena y con nueve países implicados, se publican en Nutrición Hospitalaria y "concuerdan con estudios recientes en adultos sanos que sugieren que una ingesta de hasta siete huevos por semana no está asociada con un mayor riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares", explica Alberto Soriano Maldonado, autor del trabajo.

Los autores sugieren una revisión de las recomendaciones para la alimentación de los adolescentes, si bien sostienen que sería conveniente replicar la investigación en una población en la que la ingesta de huevo fuese superior.

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