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Do Some Fish Oil Supplements Contain Mercury?

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Fish oil supplements are increasingly popular, but it has sometimes been suggested that they could also expose you to the harmful pollutants found in some species of fish.
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However, studies have found that most of the widely available supplements contain little or no mercury, dioxins or PCBs.

Most companies use species of fish that are lower on the food chain, like cod and sardines, that accumulate less mercury. Many companies also distill their oils to help remove contaminants.

A report by ConsumerLab.com, which conducts independent tests of supplements, examined 41 common fish oil products and found none contaminated with mercury or PCBs. Another report, by researchers at Harvard Medical School and at Massachusetts General Hospital, studied five popular brands of fish oil and found that the brands had “negligible amounts of mercury.”

Resources:
New York Times March 23, 2009
Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Dec 2003;127(12):1603-5 (Free Full Text Article)

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Healthy Tips News on Health & Science

Fish-Eating Moms’ Diet Affects Kids, Study Shows

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Since the current guidelines on fish consumption were issued, Dr. Emily Oken, a physician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, has led studies to examine the sum effect of eating fish.

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One of those was published in May in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Researchers asked 341 pregnant women in Massachusetts about their diet and tested their blood mercury levels during the second trimester. Then, when their children were 3, they were tested in a range of thinking and movement tasks.

Children of mothers who ate more than two servings of fish per week had higher scores than kids of non-fish-eating moms, even when other influences of early childhood development, such as birth weight and breast-feeding duration, were factored out. No measurable benefit was seen in kids born to women who ate fewer than two servings of fish per week, which corresponds to the current FDA/EPA advice.

The improvements in kids were even more striking in kids of moms with lower mercury levels, suggesting that choosing low-mercury fish is key. Researchers did ask about broad categories of fish, but, Oken says, it’s a big uncertainty in this kind of research. “We don’t really know a lot of detail about the kind of fish that women are eating.”

On the flip side, children of mothers with the highest mercury levels in their blood scored poorly, and if their moms ate less fish, the detriments were greater.

In short, Oken was able to demonstrate both the benefits of fish eating and the risks of mercury intake. When both fish and mercury are taken together, Oken’s study suggests that the good may outweigh the bad, at least in the fish-eating habits of her subjects.

Sources: The Times Of India

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Can Refrigeration Bring us Back to Life?

The seemingly miraculous revival of a newborn baby that had initially been pronounced dead and refrigerated in Israel is raising eyebrows among scientists and doctors.

Some wonder if the baby really died before being put in a morgue refrigerator for more than five hours and then apparently reviving. And though the baby has since died (possibly, again), some doctors remain baffled about whether the extreme cooling had a life-preserving effect.

“We don’t know how to explain this, so when we don’t know how to explain things in the medical world we call it a miracle, and this is probably what happened,” hospital deputy director Moshe Daniel said, according to Reuters.

However, there could be a less divine and more scientific explanation for the recovery via refrigerator.

“There have been a number of well-documented case histories of adults and children who drowned in very cold water, even trapped under ice for hours, and were successfully revived many hours later,” Alistair Jan Gunn, a professor of physiology and pediatrics at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, told LiveScience. “Of course, this is used routinely in modern cardiac bypass.”

Decreasing a body’s temperature can induce a state of suspended animation, where metabolism slows and the body needs less oxygen and energy to survive.

“There is some historical precedent for how this might work,” said Dr. Neil Finer, chief of the University of California-San Diego‘s division of neonatology. “Many years ago some babies were put into ice water at birth to try to revive them. There were reports that this actually could be effective and that some children survived.”

Induced hypothermia has even been studied as a treatment for various injuries, sometimes with astonishing results.
In some experiments, such as those conducted by Hasan Alam at Massachusetts General Hospital, animals such as pigs and dogs survived normally-fatal injuries and blood loss by being cooled to a state of hibernation while doctors repaired their injuries.

Cooling therapy has even shown promising results in infants with hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy, or brain damage due to lack of oxygen, according to a 2005 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine .

Sources: The Times Of India

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Why Migraines Strike

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A migraine is more than just a headache; it is intensely painful and has distinct phases. The disorder used to be considered vascular, but recent research has revealed it to be neurological in origin, related to a wave of nerve cell activity that sweeps across the brain.

The root of migraine may reside in brain stem malfunctioning. Debate still swirls about the precise cause of migraines, but new discoveries are already permitting the development of new treatments.

At the moment, only a few drugs can prevent migraines, all of them developed for other diseases such as hypertension, depression and epilepsy. But they work in only 50 percent of patients, and even then, only 50 percent of the time, and can also induce a range of potentially serious side effects.

New techniques are now being tested, such as drugs that work by preventing gap junctions, a form of ion channel, from opening, thereby halting the flow of calcium between brain cells.

Sources:
Scientific American July 2008

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Ailmemts & Remedies

Headaches

I have a headache.   Everyone   from children, teenagers and adults to the elderly   has said this at some time or the other. The statement may be true, or it may simply be an excuse to avoid an unwelcome conversation, person or venture. After all, the pain is in the  head  (no pun intended) and it cannot be objectively verified or measured.

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The brain itself is actually devoid of nerves and cannot feel pain. The sensations arise from receptors in the nerves in the surrounding structures such as the eyes, teeth, sinuses, facial muscles, scalp and the meninges (covering of the brain).

Acute pain may be due to an infection in any of these structures. If the headache is chronic and recurrent, it is probably due to tension or migraine, with an overlap between the two conditions.

During such a headache, biochemical analysis of the blood shows a drop in the levels of a neurochemical called serotonin and the trace element magnesium. This, in turn, stimulates the trigeminal nerve (one of the cranial nerves) and results in the release of substances called neuropeptides. Their action is dilatation and inflammation of the blood vessels of the covering of the brain. The result is a throbbing or dull, aching sensation in the head.

Tension headaches may not be confined to the head. There may be pain in the scalp, neck, jaw or shoulder. It may be associated with non-headache symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, irritability, loss of appetite or lack of concentration.

Migraines are the other type of recurrent headaches. They occur in 12 per cent of the population and are three times commoner in women. The headache may be familial, with many members of the family complaining of a similar indisposition. A typical migraine may be preceded for a few days by vague symptoms of drowsiness, irritability, depression, craving for sweets or increased thirst. A few hours before the onset of the headache, there is usually a typical aura with flashing lights, a feeling of lightening bolts in the head, tingling and numbness. (This differentiates migraines from tension headaches, which typically do not have an aura.) The headache that follows is throbbing and unbearable. It may last for a couple of hours or a whole day. It usually subsides with vomiting, leaving a physically and emotionally drained individual who has effectively lost a full working day.

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Migraine attacks are usually preceded by a typical aura with flashing lights, lightning bolts in the head, numbness, etc.

Devastated by the ailment, most sufferers learn to recognise and avoid triggers which precipitate the headache. Migraine may be due to  hormones, especially fluctuating levels of oestrogen and progesterone. This is the reason why migraines are commoner in women. They are also aggravated at the time of hormonal surges and changes like menarche, pregnancy and menopause.

Foods containing monosodium glutamate (an additive in Chinese food) and tryptophan (found in chocolates, oats, bananas, poultry and red meat) and some preservatives. This has lead to the coining of the term   Chinese restaurant headache.

Stress at home or at work, which can cause the release of chemicals.

Scents and perfumes or even the smell of paint.

Insomnia as well as excessive sleep.

Change in the weather.

Headaches are a source of anxiety, especially if they are severe and recurrent. There may also be the persistent nagging fear of a sinister diagnosis like a brain tumour. If you are worried,

Keep a   headache calendar, so that when you consult the physician you have precise documentation of the type, frequency and duration of the ailment.

Have an ENT (ear, nose and throat) evaluation to rule out sinusitis and an eye check-up for refractory errors or glaucoma.

If these are normal and the headache is still worrying, you need to consult a physician. You may require further tests like a CT scan or an MRI, especially if the headache is non-typical.

A physician needs to be consulted if :

The onset of the headache is abrupt and severe,

If it is associated with fever, stiff neck, rash, mental confusion, seizures, double vision, weakness, numbness or speaking difficulties,

If it has occurred after a head injury or has suddenly appeared after the age of 50 years.

Most headaches respond well to a simple paracetamol or an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) like ibubrufen or tolfenamic acid preceded by an antiemetic like domperidone or stemetil. Lying in a darkened room also helps. Anecdotal evidence suggests that acupuncture or pressure are helpful.

CLICK & SEE:  Some Natural Remedies For Headache and Migraine

Lifestyle modifications help to reduce the severity and frequency of attacks. Triggers should be avoided. Aerobic exercise for 40 minutes a day like walking, jogging, running or stair climbing releases protective mood-boosting chemicals from the calf muscles in the leg. Regular yoga, Tai-Chi, meditation and relaxation also lessen the levels of tension causing chemicals, thus reducing attacks and improving the quality of life.

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.

Source:The Telegraph (Kolkata,India)

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