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News on Health & Science

Will Sleeping on Your Side Reduce Snoring?

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Snorers are often told to sleep on their sides rather than on their backs. This is because if you are lying on your side, the base of your tongue will not collapse into the back of your throat, obstructing breathing.
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However, for some snorers, changing sleep position may not make a difference. There are two types of snorers — those who snore when sleeping on their backs, and those who snore in every position.

According to the New York Times:
“… [W]eight plays a major role. In one large study, published in 1997, patients who snored or had breathing abnormalities only while sleeping on their backs were typically thinner, while their nonpositional counterparts usually were heavier … But that study also found that patients who were overweight saw reductions in the severity of their apnea when they lost weight.”

THE BOTTOM LINE :Sleeping on your side can help reduce snoring, though in people who are overweight, it may not make much difference without weight loss.

Resources:
*New York Times April 18, 2011
*Harefuah May 2009; 148(5):304-9, 351, 350
*Chest September 1997; 112(3):629-39

*http://healthmad.com/health/best-ways-that-will-help-you-stop-snoring-3-very-effective-ways/

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News on Health & Science

Study Finds Troubles With Gastric Band Surgery

A study has found that nearly half of a group of patients who received gastric band surgery for weight loss over ten years ago had the bands removed because of medical complications.

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The study is the first to track laparoscopic gastric band surgery outcomes over a long period. The bands eroded in almost a third of the patients, and sixty percent went on to undergo additional weight loss surgery in spite of the bands.

According to the New York Times:
“Researchers concluded that the adjustable gastric band surgery, which is growing in popularity in the United States, ‘appears to result in relatively poor long-term outcomes.’ The results ‘are worse than we expected,’ said Dr. Jacques Himpens … lead author of the new study.”

Furthermore, significant bone loss has been shown to occur in teens receiving gastric bypass surgery, the same result that occurs in adults receiving this more invasive type of stomach surgery. Researchers took bone density measurements every three months for two years after the teen’s surgeries and according to USA Today found that:

“Two years after the surgery, the bone mineral content of the 61 obese teens studied had declined, on average, by 7.4 percent.”

Resources:
New York Times March 24, 2011
Archives of Surgery
USA Today April, 2011
Pediatrics March 28, 2011

Posted By Dr. Mercola | April 15 2011

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News on Health & Science

Is Zinc Really Good for a Cold?

A review of the medical research on zinc shows that when it is taken within one day of the first symptoms, it can cut down the time you have a cold by about 24 hours. It also greatly reduces the severity of symptoms.

The authors of the review did not make any suggestions as to what type of zinc product to buy. They also did not suggest an optimal dose or formulation, stating that more research was needed before such a recommendation could be made.

Zinc supplements also have downsides — they can cause nausea and a bad taste in the mouth, and they may interfere with your body’s uptake of other key minerals.

According to the New York Times:

“Zinc experts say that many over-the-counter zinc products may not be as effective as those studied by researchers because commercial lozenges and syrups often are made with different formulations of zinc and various flavors and binders that can alter the effectiveness of the treatment.”

Colds are transmitted only by droplets, such as from sneezing, that come from a person who’s infected. These droplets can, however, remain on surfaces for some time. Colds normally last about seven days.

Cold medicines are not recommended for children under 4, and no cold medicines are cures — they only relieve symptoms. Washing your hands is still the number one recommended way to keep yourself free of colds.

Resources:
New York Times February 15, 2011
CNN February 16, 2011
The Cochrane Collaboration Reviews: Zinc

Posted By Dr. Mercola | March 03 2011

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Exercise Healthy Tips

The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast

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A new study suggests that exercising in the morning, before eating, can significantly lessen the ill effects of a poor holiday diet.
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Researchers recruited healthy, active young men and fed them a bad diet for six weeks. A group of them that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight and showed no signs of insulin resistance. What’s more, they burned the fat they were taking in more efficiently.

According to the New York Times:
“Working out before breakfast directly combated the two most detrimental effects of eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet. It also helped the men avoid gaining weight.”


Resources:

New York Times December 15, 2010
Journal of Physiology Nov 1, 2010;588(Pt 21):4289-302

Posted by: Dr. Mercola | January 04 2011

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Health Alert

New Warnings about the Hazards of Cell Phones

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Holding a cell phone against your ear, or putting it in your pocket, may be hazardous to your health – or so says the fine print on a little slip that you probably tossed aside when unpacking your phone.
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Apple says your iPhone should come no closer than 5/8 of an inch; BlackBerry recommends about an inch.

Statistics show that, over all, there has not been a general increase in the incidence of brain cancer since cell phones arrived – but the average hides that fact that brain cancer has increased in the 20-to-29 age group while dropping for the older population.

According to the New York Times:

“The largest study of cell phone use and brain cancer has been the Interphone International Case Control Study … The authors included some disturbing data in an appendix available only online. These showed that subjects who used a cell phone 10 or more years doubled the risk of developing brain gliomas, a type of tumor.”

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal investigates various methods of cutting down the radiation your cell phone produces. However, they say the most effective one may be the simplest — keep the phone away from your head and body.

Resources:
New York Times November 13, 2010
Wall Street Journal, October 5, 2010
Good Health Nov 15 2010

Posted by: Dr. Mercola | November 29 2010

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