Salt has been used by humans since before recorded history began. One of the earliest known writings (written over 4700 years ago) from China mentioned more than 40 types of salt. Ancient settlements have been found around the world with various devices such as pottery used to evaporate water to leave the salt behind. Major ancient civilizations flourished in arid regions at the edge of vast deserts due to the need for salt. I asked Jody Victor® to tell us more.

Jody Victor®: Salt (sodium chloride) is a chemical compound that occurs naturally in many parts of the world. It is an essential nutrient. Your body requires both sodium and chloride and it cannot manufacture these elements on its own. That is why we have a taste bud specifically for salt. The salt taste bud forms one of the basic components of “taste”. Salt is an electrolyte and it has a slight charge. It also preserves food by making it difficult for microorganisms to live. The salt draws water from the cells of microorganisms and dehydrates them.

In the body, salt helps regulate blood volume and pressure. The relationship between salt and blood pressure has been known for 4,000 years when the Chinese Emperor wrote of the connection between salt and a “hardened pulse”. Many current studies have shown that increasing or decreasing salt intake for salt-sensitive people has a direct impact on blood pressure.

Salt serves as part of the ion pump within the body. Just as salt forms a hostile environment for microorganisms by dehydrating them, salt controls the water balance in the human body. The sodium/potassium pump is a prime example of how electrolytes are critical to health. Two potassium molecules are pulled into a cell and three sodium molecules are pumped out.

For many years there has been controversy with respect to the optimal amounts of salt in the diet. Unfortunately many of the studies focused only on salt and did not take into account other electrolytes. Since sodium alone does not regulate the sodium/potassium pump, potassium should be taken into account as well. More important to the amount of sodium in the diet is the ratio of sodium to potassium.

When monitoring sodium in the diet, it is important to consider two factors:

1. The ratio of sodium to potassium. Research suggests that a ratio of 1:1 is a good guideline. The typical American diet has more than a 5:1 ratio in favor of salt. Food labels make it easy to analyze the sodium content of food. Unfortunately, food labels are not required to state potassium content. The major source of potassium is fruits and vegetables. To meet the goal of 1:1 it is important to eat whole, unprocessed foods. Avoid processed foods that are extremely high in sodium and have had most of its nutritional potassium cooked out.
2. Fluctuation of intake. Salt sensitivity is not sensitivity to salt in general. The sensitivity comes from a drastic change in salt intake. If you take 5 grams of sodium consistently and then go on a low sodium diet problems can occur with a radical shift in blood pressure. If you are on a low sodium diet and suddenly increase sodium intake you may experience similar problems as well. Salt sensitivity also happens to people who eat healthy all week then treat themselves to unhealthy meals on the weekend. They can feel nauseous and even experience elevated heart rate and blood pressure.

To summarize- Do not try to eliminate salt from your diet. Salt is an essential element and is required by your body. You should be more concerned with the ratio of salt to potassium than the actual amount of salt in your diet. Increase your potassium intake by eating 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Avoid frequent, high fluctuations in your salt and/or potassium intake.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Every week the Center for Disease Control (CDC) analyzes influenza activity for the U.S. and publishes findings of key flu indicators. I asked Jody Victor® to bring us up to speed.

Jody Victor®: During the week of February 7 through February 13, 2010 most of the key indicators remained the same as the previous week. Visits to doctors for flu-like illnesses increased slightly but are still low for this time of year. Hospitalizations have leveled off. No states reported widespread influenza activity. Three states had regional activity: Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Almost all of the influenza viruses identified continue to be 2009 H1N1 influenza A. They remain similar to the virus chosen for the H1N1 flu vaccine.

The World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency, actively monitors the H1N1 pandemic through frequent consultations with their regional offices and 192 member states. In June of 2009 the WHO declared that the new H1N1 virus was causing the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years and raised the alert level to the maximum 6 on a scale of 1 to 6. The WHO’s recent update shows that the situation is largely unchanged since their previous update. In the Americas, both in the tropical and northern temperate zones, pandemic influenza virus continued to circulate at low levels.

The WHO’s emergency committee, composed of 15 experts, met recently in Geneva, Switzerland to assess whether the H1N1 pandemic has peaked. They found signals demonstrating that infections are falling in most countries but caution that fresh waves are still possible. They also cautioned that even though it appears to be subsiding in North America and Europe, levels of flu activity in countries in the southern hemisphere are cause for concern as they enter their winter months. The WHO emergency committee decided that the pandemic has entered a “post peak” phase and indicated to governments and health authorities that the virus is in a transition to a more normal circulation as seasonal influenza.

The WHO’s top influenza expert, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, warns people and governments, however, to not let their guard down even though the H1N1 outbreak has not been as harsh as past pandemics. Dr. Fukuda said people should continue to seek vaccination against the pandemic, especially young adults and pregnant women, groups not normally vulnerable to seasonal influenza. He added that over 300 million people have been vaccinated and that the shots have proved 70-75 percent effective.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

The Chinese have known about the many health benefits of green tea for over five thousand years. In recent years more than 500 studies have been conducted worldwide to research the potential health benefits of green tea. Green tea has been shown to contain powerful antioxidants that block bacteria from adhering to cell walls, disrupting its ability to destroy them. This blocking mechanism provides extensive health benefits by protecting the body from cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, infections and impaired immune function. I asked Jody Victor®  to tell us more.

Jody Victor®: All tea comes from the same source: the Camilla Sinensis bush. While there are hundreds of varieties of teas they all fall into four main categories based on how they are processed. The four categories are green, black, oolong and scented. Only green tea is steamed, which prevents the leaves’ compounds from being oxidized by fermentation. Steaming causes no loss or weakening of the medicinal qualities of the leaves.

Tea leaves consist mainly of water (75-80 percent). The remaining components are catechin, caffeine, amino acids, vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, F) and minerals. The primary medicinal value of green tea is found in its catechin polyphenols.  Catechins are powerful, water-soluble antioxidants. Green tea contains four main catechins: EC, ECG, EGC and EGCG. Green tea’s catechin EGCG (short for epigallocatechin gallate) is the most powerful of green tea’s catechins. As an antioxidant it is 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E.

A recent study that appeared in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry confirmed that catechins could protect your vision in three ways:

*Protect retina from UV damage

*Prevent cataract formation

*Protect against age related macular degeneration and glaucoma

Chi Pui Pang of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and colleagues analyzed the eye tissues of laboratory rats that drank green tea. The scientists are the first to document how the lens, retina and other eye tissues absorb the catechins. They found that the catechins passed from the stomach and gastrointestinal tract into the tissues of the eyes. They were able to show beyond a doubt that eye structures absorbed significant amounts of individual catechins. The retina absorbed the highest levels of GC while the aqueous humor tended to absorb EGCG. The effects of the green tea catechins in reducing harmful oxidative stress in the eye lasted for up to 20 hours.

“Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress,” the study authors say in a statement.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

1. The United States ranks _____ among countries in soft drink consumption.
2. Americans buy more than 10 _____ cases of soda pop each year.
3. ____ percent of 8-year-olds drink one soft drink a day.
4. One third of teenage boys drink at least ___ cans of soda a day.
5. Soft drinks are now sold in ____ percent of all public and private schools.
6. ___ ___ is the single greatest source of calories in the American diet.
7. ___ ___ is also a big source of health problems in the U.S.

Americans consume more soft drinks than ever before. In fact soft drinks account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the U.S. The per-capita consumption is in excess of 150 quarts per year, or about three quarts per week. All this adds up to more than ten billion cases of soda pop consumed every year in the U.S. I asked Jody Victor®  to give us more info. (Look below for the answers to the quiz).

Jody Victor®: American kids are the biggest consumers of soft drinks. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture kids are guzzling soda pop at an unprecedented rate. Fifty-six percent of eight-year-olds have a soft drink every day. One third of teenage boys drink at least three cans per day. Soft drinks are widely available to our nation’s youth. Besides the usual venues of grocery stores and convenience stores, soft drinks can be found in fast food restaurants, video stores, and drug stores. Soft drinks are also available in 60 percent of all public and private middle schools. Some schools even give away free soft drinks to students who buy school lunches.

It has been widely assumed by most people that soda pop, which is high in calories and sugar and low in nutrients, along with inactivity, can make kids fat. A recent study showed a strong link between soda pop consumption and childhood obesity. This new study by a team of Harvard researchers presented the first evidence linking soft drink consumption and childhood obesity. They studied 12-year-olds who drank soft drinks regularly for two years. For each additional serving of sugar-sweetened soft drink consumed the risk of obesity increased 1.6 times. They also found that it is not simply a matter of drinking too many calories. The researchers found that drinking sugary calories doesn’t register with the brain the same way eating calories does. The brain becomes confused by the sugary liquid calories that pass quickly through the stomach. Since they pass through quickly they do not trigger feelings of satiety the same way calories from foods do. Without the satiety signal that enough calories have been consumed via the sugary drink the stomach does not tell the brain to stop eating or to eat less at the next meal.

All sugary drinks such as soda pop and fruit juices and sugary foods such as candy and dried fruits can cause tooth decay. But the sugar in soda pop is not the only ingredient that causes tooth decay. The acids in soda are notorious for etching tooth enamel. The Ohio Dental Association issued a statement recently: “Acid begins to dissolve tooth enamel in only 20 minutes.”

Phosphorous, which occurs naturally in some foods and used as an additive in many others, is a common ingredient in soda pop. Phosphorous appears to weaken bones by promoting the loss of calcium. With less calcium available, the bones become more porous and prone to fracture. The phosphorous content in a 12-ounce can of soda averages about 30 milligrams. The National Academy of Sciences has set 3 grams as the tolerable upper limit of phosphorous for children 1 to 8 years, 4 grams for 9 and older. There is, however, growing concern that even a few cans of soda pop a day can be damaging when they are consumed during the peek bone-building years. A 1994 study of bone fractures in teenage athletes found a strong association between soda consumption and bone fractures in 14-year-old girls. A follow-up study concluded that girls who drank soda pop were about five times more likely to suffer bone fractures than girls who didn’t drink soda pop. Pennsylvania State University researcher Leeann Birch has found that soft drinks often displace more nutritious beverages, including milk. The increased consumption of soda, decreased consumption of milk and the link between phosphorous and bone health has researchers concerned. “Adolescents and kids don’t think long-term,” says Professor Jamie Stang at the University of Minnesota, “But what happens when these soft-drinking people become young or middle-aged adults and they have osteoporosis, sedentary living, and obesity?” By that time, switching to water, milk or fruit juice may be too little, too late, which leaves parents with the responsibility to regulate soft drink consumption for their children even as they become teens.

What about drinking diet sodas? That would help somewhat with weight issues and dental health (not with bone loss). But studies have shown that diet sodas can boost the craving for more sweets. We have a sweet tooth, not a sugar tooth. Sweets feed a sweet tooth. In addition, diet sodas often pack a lot more caffeine. A 12-ounce can of Diet Coke has about 42 milligrams of caffeine compared to 35 in Classic Coke. Pepsi One has 56 milligrams. Regular Pepsi has 38. It is a big challenge for parents to figure out the caffeine content in the various soft drinks their children consume. Most root beer beverages do not contain caffeine, but some do. Most non-cola beverages do not contain caffeine, but some do. There is no way for parents to know how much caffeine their children are consuming in soft drinks because the Food and Drug Administration does not require soft drink manufacturers to label caffeine content.

Answers:

1. first
2. billion
3. Fifty-six
4. 3
5. 60
6. Soda pop
7. Soda pop

All the Best!

Steve Victor

In the U.S. we eat almost 350 slices of pizza each second. Three billion pizzas are sold every year.  Pizza is very compatible with our on-the-go lifestyle and our quest for fast food choices. But just because pizza is a fast food favorite doesn’t mean you can’t have your pizza and good nutrition too. When ordering a take-out pizza choose a thin crust pizza. The difference between a thin crust pizza and a deep-dish pizza can be 100 calories and 5 grams of fat. Whole-wheat crust (a Jody Victor favorite) is your best choice, but it’s not widely available for take-out. Stay away from creamy sauces. If it’s white it’s cream-based and full of fat. Go for the traditional red sauce. Another way to cut the fat content is to avoid the four-cheese blends. They have four times the calories for the same flavor. Avoid the fat-free cheeses too. They don’t melt well. Stick to the traditional mozzarella or order your pizza with light feta if available. No matter what cheese you order use a napkin or paper towel to dab away the excess fat, which can remove up to ten percent of the calories. As for toppings- load it up with at least three veggies. The fiber will help fill you up and help you eat less pizza. If you still want to add meat to your pizza for the protein order healthy meat like grilled chicken. Avoid the usual meat choices of pepperoni, beef, buffalo chicken, sausage and bacon. If you have some stray veggies at home chop them up while waiting for the delivery person and add them to the top of the pizza when it arrives. Place the pizza under the broiler for a few minutes. Here are some calorie counts for various veggie toppings per slice: banana pepper (5), pepperoncini (5), tomato (5), red and green peppers (6), mushrooms (6), spinach (7), broccoli (10), pineapple (14)

The optimal way to enjoy pizza and get the best nutrition is to make it at home. Make your own whole-wheat crust (recipe below) or check your grocery store for pre-made whole-wheat pizza dough. Pre-made whole-wheat crust is also available for a quick and healthy option. Once you have chosen your crust take the opportunity to be creative with healthy toppings. There are lots of recipes available on-line for pizza. Try a themed pizza such as Mexican or Greek-style (a Jody Victor favorite). Or a seasonal pizza made with grilled veggies in the summer or preserved toppings (EX: canned green chilies, artichokes, olives, garbanzo beans) in the winter. Have fun creating your own not-so-fast-food healthy pizza!

Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water

1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ ts)

1 ts sugar

½ ts salt

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

Stir water, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Let stand until yeast dissolves (about 5 mins). Stir in whole-wheat flour, bread flour and cornmeal until dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 mins). Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size (about one hour). To roll- turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top with flour. Use your fingers to shape the ball of dough into a thick, flattened circle. Use a rolling pin to form a 14-inch circle. Place in round pizza pan sprinkled lightly with cornmeal.

Black Bean Mexican Pizza

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed

½ cup jarred roasted red peppers

1 medium clove garlic, quartered

1 tablespoon chili powder

¼ ts salt

Yellow cornmeal for dusting

1 cup shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese

2 medium plum tomatoes, diced

4 medium scallions, sliced thin

¼ cup pitted ripe black olives

2 tablespoons chopped, pickled jalapenos (or canned chopped green chilies for less heat)

Place beans, peppers, garlic, chili powder and salt in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Sprinkle cornmeal on pizza pan or baking sheet. Place rolled crust in pan. Bake in 450-degree oven for ten minutes, until bottom of crust is lightly browned and top begins to get crispy. Remove from oven and spread bean mixture onto crust evenly. Add cheese, tomatoes, scallions, olives, and jalapenos/green chilies. Return to oven until cheese is bubbly and bottom of crust is browned evenly (lift edge with spatula to check).

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Industrial ecology, the precise analysis of the ecological impacts any manmade item has over its life cycle, has consumers clamoring for more information concerning not just their own health but the health of the planet as well. All this new information is causing eco-angst for consumers. I asked Jody Victor®  to tell us more about it.

Jody Victor®: Standard incandescent or compact fluorescent with mercury? Glass bottle that can break or plastic bottle with Bisphenol A (BPA)? Organic food from distant lands or local non-organic? Remember the sunscreen product that contained a chemical that became a carcinogen when exposed to sunlight? The lesson learned from that was not to stop using sun block, but to use sun block that didn’t use the chemical. Most of our current industrial platforms, processes and chemicals were developed at a time when people were oblivious to ecological impact. It’s not that we didn’t care- we didn’t know. Industrial ecology has only come of age in the last decade or two. 

Thanks to the rise in industrial ecology, and the transparency it affords, consumers are becoming high impact shoppers by tipping market share to products with lower impact on the environment and, in turn, their health. According to a recent Gallup poll, thirty-six percent of the US population “worries a great deal” about global warming and its effects on human health. In fact it rated third in the list of important problems facing us today, just behind a lack of energy sources and Social Security. Eco-angst among consumers is spreading, as information about products is increasingly easier to find. Websites, such as GoodGuide.com and SkinDeep.com, can help you instantly compare tens of thousands of products based on their environmental, health and social impacts.

Many US manufacturers are developing ecological ratings for their products that will be included on their labels. These new ratings systems will eliminate the sleight-of-hand label advertising called “greenwashing” that takes a single virtue of a product from the multitude of a product’s ecological impacts to tout its ecological goodness. Consumers will be able to read the eco-label rating and may decide differently when a tee shirt label not only says “organic” but also lists the dye used to color it (some dyes have been shown to cause leukemia in workers). Or how much water is consumed in the process of making the tee shirt in an arid, impoverished land. Or if it was stitched together in a sweatshop where the seamstresses get injured repeatedly by needles and have no access to even rudimentary healthcare.

So as all this new eco-information becomes available try not to get too stressed out with eco-angst when a new bit of information is revealed about the products you use. Get used to doing some homework again and take the opportunity to vote with your dollars by buying products with a lower impact on your health and the health of the planet.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Sea creatures from the Red Sea have been the focus of scientific researchers for many years. The Red Sea is one of the saltiest and hottest bodies of water in the world. The creatures that live in the hostile environment of the Red Sea are unique in being able to survive extreme conditions. Creatures from the Red Sea are the focus of many studies due their ability to survive in almost lethal environments, including toxic solutions of salt water high in cyanide and other deadly substances. I asked Jody Victor®  to tell us more about it.

Jody Victor®: Researchers say that these Red Sea creatures are giving them some of the best tools to combat cancer. One such Red Sea creature, the Red Sea coral, has been studied for the last five years at South Dakota State University (SDSU). Distinguished professor Chandradhar Dwivedi, head of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department in the College of Pharmacy at SDSU, and Hesham Fahmy, a chemist who already has one patent for his work at the University of Mississippi, have been working on the project together since Fahmy joined SDSU’s College of Pharmacy in 2004. They are now pursuing licensing of their patent based on their collaborative research of sarcophine from Red Sea coral for use in sunscreens.

Exposure to ultraviolet light, especially in the summer months, can contribute to skin cancer. People who spend long hours exposed to sunlight, such as farmers and construction workers, are the most at risk. As people are becoming more aware of the skin cancer risks from over-exposure to sunlight they are making a bigger effort to wear sunscreens. “We have been saying for a long time that prevention is the best medicine,” Dwivedi says. “We have to make the effort to prevent the disease before we treat it.”

Sarcophine-diol is a molecule made from a product called sarcophine that can be isolated from soft coral found in the Red Sea. Dwivedi and Fahmy’s study on sarcophine-diol began as possibly using it for the prevention of skin cancer in sunscreens and has morphed into the possibility of using it as a tool to actually treat skin cancer. As they studied sarcophine-diol for use in sunscreens they found that it did not simply block ultraviolet radiation but also reversed the damage caused by the ultraviolet radiation.

SDSU’s research on the use of sarcophine-diol in sunscreens has opened up numerous possibilities for its use not only for prevention of skin cancer by inhibiting cell growth in cancers but also as a way to reverse the damage by inducing orderly, programmed cell death of cancer cells. Sarcophine-diol is effective in micrograms, as compared to milligrams, for other chemo-preventative products. In other words it is effective in a concentration of about one-thousandth of what is suggested for other chemo-preventative agents. They found that sarcophine-diol could be used both for chemoprevention and as a chemotherapeutic agent for use against non-melanoma skin cancer development.

Their studies have shown that sarcophine-diol did not induce what scientists call necrosis, the premature death of healthy cells. The importance of this finding is that sarcophine-diol could be used in treatments that specifically target cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells. They also found that treatments with higher concentrations of sarcophine-diol induced a higher level of “executioner” proteins that have a role in apopsis, or programmed cell death. And more importantly, sarcophine-diol did not significantly increase the level of “executioner” proteins in normal cells, suggesting that it is considerably more toxic to skin tumor cells than to healthy cells.

“We hope to include it in sun screen or lotion. Apply it once, and you are set for the day. We are hopeful that it will not only prevent skin cancer but may actually treat skin cancer,” Dwivedi says.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Researchers are constantly working towards better solutions to health and disease issues. Recently researchers have been working on both immune system and natural chemical solutions for treating Alzheimer’s. I asked Jody Victor®  to give us some details.

Jody Victor®: A new scientific study has shown for the first time marked improvement in Alzheimer’s disease within minutes of administrating a therapeutic molecule. The study has been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation. The study highlights the importance of soluble proteins, called cytokines, in Alzheimer’s. One of these cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), is the focus of the study. TNF regulates the transmission of neural impulses in the brain. Researchers have found that elevated levels of TNF interfere with normal transmission regulation.

 In the study researchers gave Alzheimer’s patients an injection of an anti-TNF therapeutic called etanercept into their spines at the neck. Language improvement was found within minutes. One 82-year old Alzheimer’s sufferer recognized his wife for the first time in years. The etanercept (trade name Enbrel) binds and inactivates excess TNF. The FDA already approves the use of etanercept to treat a number of immune-mediated diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. “It is unprecedented that we can see cognitive and behavioral improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention,” says Sue Griffin, PHD, director of research at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Doctors are now calling for clinical trials.

Alzheimer’s disease researchers have also isolated bisdemethoxycurcumin- the active ingredient of curcuminoids- a natural substance found in turmeric root (a major ingredient in curry powder)- that may help boost the immune system in clearing amyloid beta, a peptide that forms the plaques found in the disease. The study provides more insight into the role of the immune system in Alzheimer’s disease. The results suggest a new drug development approach by relying on the innate immune system that is present at birth rather than on antibodies which develop later as part of an active immune system.

Scientists at UCLA and UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute have found that a form of vitamin D, together with a chemical found in turmeric spice called curcumin, may help stimulate the immune system to clear the brain of amyloid beta, which forms the plaques that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Their early findings may lead to a new approach in preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by using the property of vitamin D3 alone and together with natural or synthetic curcumin. The main source for vitamin D3 is sunshine and is synthesized into the skin. Deficiencies occur during winter months or in people who spend a lot of time indoors, such as Alzheimer’s patients.

According to Dr. Milan Fiala, involved in the study at UCLA, researchers hoped that “vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventative and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer’s disease.” But researchers found that naturally occurring curcumin is not readily absorbed and that it breaks down quickly, sometimes before it can be utilized in the body. John Cashman of the Human BioMolecular Research Institute, a non-profit institute, has developed synthetic curcuminoid compounds. “We think some of the novel synthetic compounds will get around the shortcomings of curcumin and improve the therapeutic efficacy,” Cashman says.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Researchers are constantly working towards better solutions to health and disease issues. One such new solution is in the field of malarial disease. I asked Jody Victor®  to give us the breakthrough news.

Jody Victor®: Working with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Andrew Fung and his colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles are developing a malaria-detecting gum called Maliva. Fung hopes to have a working prototype of Maliva by next year and begin field-testing the gum soon after.

A person becomes infected with malaria when a female Anopheles mosquito, searching for blood to feed her young, bites the person. Various symptoms occur in six to fourteen days after exposure: fever, chills, vomiting, lack of energy and, sometimes, convulsions. The lack of energy is caused by the malaria parasites bursting out of red blood cells.

If malaria is suspected, doctors now draw a small blood sample and examine it under a microscope. They search for darker than normal red blood cells, which show infection by malaria parasites. Many regions in the world where malaria is prevalent have no microscopes or experienced staff. In those regions doctors use an antigen test. Using a single drop of blood, the tests detect the presence of several molecules made by malaria parasites, which are released into the blood. Some areas of the world can’t afford the antigen tests. And some areas have a taboo against even drawing a single drop of blood.

Maliva could solve all those problems. Three of the proteins that the blood antigen tests detect can also be found in saliva. The current idea for providing the gum with its malaria-detecting properties is to incorporate magnetic nanoparticles into the gum. When a person chews the gum their saliva containing the molecules produced by the malaria parasites pour into their mouth. The magnetic nanoparticles are tipped with antibodies that latch onto the molecules. After a few minutes of chewing, the gum would be removed and placed on a paper strip. The nanoparticles, which are now bound to the malaria proteins, would show up as a thin line. No line- no malaria.

Doctor David Wong at UCLA who is not involved with Fung’s research recently lead a National Institutes of Health consortium. The consortium has been mapping the various proteins in human saliva. Wong is encouraged with the use of saliva for disease detection to replace painful needle sticks. He believes saliva testing will become commonplace in the next few years for all kinds of diseases. He has stated that Maliva “is just the tip of the iceberg. There is no reason why this method can’t be used to detect other conditions as well.” Disease-detecting gum could offer a cheap new way to diagnose or monitor diseases. Distribution would be easy. The disease-detecting gum could be sold anywhere candy is distributed.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Every week the Center for Disease Control (CDC) analyzes information about the Influenza A H1N1 virus. They publish their findings of key flu indicators in a report called FluView. I asked Jody Victor® to give us some updates.

Jody Victor® : During the last week of December some key indicators decreased and others increased. Here is a list of the most recent key indicators:

1. Doctor visits for flu-like illness increased nationally from the week before. This is the first increase after eight straight decreases.
2. Hospitalization rates for flu-like illness were unchanged from the week before.
3. Deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza increased over the previous week showing this key indicator as back above the epidemic threshold for the first time in eleven weeks. Pediatric deaths, however, decreased from nine the previous week to four. Two of these deaths were confirmed 2009 H1N1 related.
4. Four states reported widespread influenza activity, a decline of three states from the week before.
5. Nearly all the influenza viruses identified so far were 2009 H1N1 influenza A. These viruses remained similar to the virus chosen for the vaccine. The identified viruses remain susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir.

In general, since early November cases of H1N1 have continued to decline. Scientists keeping track of the information say that as pandemics go, 2009 H1N1 has turned out to be a mild one. Health officials now are pondering: Will there be a second wave of cases in the new year? Health officials warn that there are still four to five months left in the influenza season giving plenty of time for the virus to make its rounds and find new hosts.

Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues have been studying the H1N1 virus since last spring. Lipsitch anticipates far fewer deaths from 2009 H1N1 than initially predicted. He believes the most likely number will end up between 10,000 and 15,000. Their estimates are far below the toll of the 1957 flu, which killed 69,800 people in the U.S. Health officials do caution on comparing previous pandemics to the current H1N1 outbreak however. Forty years ago health officials lacked the antiviral therapies and nationwide vaccination programs available today.

Health officials’ concern over another winter wave of influenza is all the more reason to continue aggressive anti-flu efforts. People should keep washing their hands, covering their coughs and getting vaccinated. Lipsitch says, “The more people who are vaccinated this year, the less likely the H1N1 virus, which will probably be around next year, will take hold and spread.”

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Snow shoveling is a vigorous activity that causes a quick increase in heart rate and blood pressure. In addition, cold winter air makes it harder to work and breathe. If done properly, however, snow shoveling can be a great way to get fresh air and exercise. I asked Jody Victor® to give us some tips.

Jody Victor® : Before you head out to clear your driveway make sure you are not in the group of people who are at risk for heart attack due to the sudden demand that snow shoveling places on the body:

1. Anyone who has already had a heart attack
2. Anyone who has a history of heart disease
3. Anyone with high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels
4. Anyone who leads a sedentary lifestyle

If you are at risk, talk to your doctor before you pick up the snow shovel.

The average shovel full of snow weighs 5 to 10 pounds. The average driveway can hold 100s of pounds. Newly fallen snow is lighter than heavily packed snow, so get out there as early as possible during a snow storm. You may even want to clear your driveway in stages (2 to 3 inches at a time) if a heavy snowfall is expected. Many spinal disc injuries occur in the morning when there is increased fluid pressure in the disc because the body has been at rest all night. All the more reason to make sure you are in good shape and have warmed up your muscles for the task ahead.

Dress in several layers so you can remove them as you warm up from the activity. Make sure your hat or scarf doesn’t block your vision while you watch out for patches of ice and uneven surfaces. Wear shoes or boots that have slip-resistant soles for good traction. Shoes that have extra cushioning to absorb the impact while shoveling snow would also be helpful. Do some light warm-up exercises and stretches before shoveling and get hydrated before you start. Stay away from alcohol. Stay away from caffeine and energy drinks that will elevate your heart rate. Remain hydrated throughout. Dehydration can cause dizziness and fainting.

Select a snow shovel that is right for you. The shovel handle should hit you about chest high. Too long will make the weight of the snow heavier at the end. Too short will make you bend deeper to lift the load. A smaller shovel blade will keep you from lifting too much weight. Plastic shovels weigh less and the snow doesn’t stick as easily. You can spray the shovel with a lubricant such as Teflon to help keep the snow from sticking as well.

Begin shoveling slowly to avoid placing a sudden demand on your heart. Stand with your feet slightly apart for balance and keep the shovel close to your body. Space your hands on the shovel for leverage and keep your arms slightly bent at the elbow. Holding a shovel full of snow with outstretched arms puts too much weight on your back. Bend from your knees, not your back, and tighten your stomach muscles as you push the snow. Always face the direction the snow will be going. Avoid twisting movements that put stress on your back. Push the snow instead of lifting it whenever possible. If you must lift the snow, lift it properly. Squat with your legs apart, knees bent and back straight. Do not bend at the waist. Scoop small amounts of snow into the shovel and walk to where you want to dump it.

Pace yourself and take breaks as needed for rest or hydration. Listen to your body. If you feel pain- stop shoveling. And call the neighbor kid.

All the Best!!

Steve Victor

Although most people are very unlikely to get caught outdoors in a winter storm, knowing what to do can make all the difference. I asked Jody Victor® to give us some of the most critical "dos and dont's" for this type of emergency.

Jody Victor®: If you get caught in a winter storm while outdoors, cover all parts of your body and try to stay dry. Cover your mouth to protect your lungs from extremely cold air. Look for shelter as soon as possible. If no shelter can be found, make a lean-to, windbreak, or snow cave to get out of the wind. Build a fire for heat and to attract the attention of rescuers. Place rocks around the fire to absorb and reflect heat. If you can’t make a fire due to lack of fuel, make three separate piles of available materials. Rescue teams internationally recognize any distress signal in a set of three as a sign for help. Do not eat snow, which will lower your body temperature. Melt it first.

If you get caught in a winter storm while in your car or truck, stay in it. Disorientation sets in quickly in wind-driven snow, sometimes within minutes of leaving your vehicle. If you have flares in your vehicle, place one each at the front and rear of your car a safe distance away. Tie a colored cloth (red is preferable) to your antenna or door. If the snow stops falling, raise the hood as a signal for help. If your vehicle is stuck in deep snow, make sure the exhaust pipe is clear and not packed with snow. A blocked exhaust pipe can cause high levels of carbon monoxide in the car. Run the engine about ten minutes during each hour for heat. Crack a window for a little fresh air during running time. During the times you are running your engine, turn on the dome light at night to increase visibility to rescuers. Exercise from time to time by vigorously moving arms, legs, fingers and toes to keep blood circulating.

Thanks, Jody!

All the Best!!

Steve Victor

You’re prepared for a winter storm. You’ve stocked up on no-cook foods, extra medical supplies, extra drinking water, flashlights and batteries, and a radio or weather radio. The weather experts are issuing winter storm alerts. You should familiarize yourself with winter storm and extreme cold terms. I asked Jody Victor®  to explain them to us.

Jody Victor®: FREEZING RAIN- Rain that freezes when it hits the ground, creating a coat of ice on roads, walkways, trees and power lines.

SLEET- Rain that turns to ice pellets before it reaches the ground. Sleet also causes moisture on roads to freeze and become slippery.

WINTER STORM WATCH- A winter storm is possible in your area.

WINTER STORM WARNING- A winter storm is occurring or will soon occur in your area.

BLIZZARD WARNING- Sustained winds or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour or greater that will last more than three hours. Considerable amounts of falling and blowing snow that reduce visibility to less than a quarter mile.

FROST/FREEZE WARNING- Below freezing temperatures are expected.

ROAD CLOSING ALERTS- Road closings are listed by levels according to who is allowed on the roads and highways.

Conserve fuel, if necessary, by turning down your thermostat. If your heat goes out during a winter storm, you can keep warm by closing off rooms you do not need. Stuff towels and blankets in cracks under doors. Drape windows with light blankets, sheets or towels. Use only safe sources of alternative heat such as a fireplace, a well-vented wood or coal stove or portable space heaters. Maintain good ventilation when using kerosene heaters to avoid build-up of toxic fumes. Refuel kerosene heaters outside and keep them at least three feet from flammable objects. Keep a fire extinguisher handy. If your gas furnace is out but you still have electricity, you can use your electric stovetop on low for heat. Do not use generators indoors. Do not use charcoal to cook indoors. Do not use your gas oven to heat the house. Prolonged use of an open gas oven can create carbon monoxide gas.

If you lose your electrical service call your utility company to schedule repairs. Turn off or unplug lights and appliances to prevent a circuit overload when the power comes back on. Leave one light on to let you know when power is restored. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to reduce food spoilage.

Open all your hot and cold water faucets that are located on outer walls to a steady drip. Open counter doors to let whatever heat is in your house reach the pipes under sinks. If your pipes do freeze and burst turn off your main water supply. Never try to thaw a pipe with an open flame or torch. And always be careful of the potential for electric shock in and around standing water.

Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight and warm layers and wear a cap or hat to keep you warm from the outside. Eat and drink small well-balanced meals often to keep you warm on the inside. Food provides energy and water will keep you hydrated, eliminating stress on your circulatory system. Avoid caffeine and alcohol.

Keep tuned in to your NOAA weather radio for weather reports and emergency information.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Winter storms can be very dangerous and damaging. When winter is setting in and the temperature is dropping, it’s time to get ready for the worst nature has to offer. I asked Jody Victor® to give us some ideas on how to prepare.

Jody Victor®: Clear rain gutters and repair any roof leaks. Trim any branches that overhang your roof. Bring any outdoor furniture inside. Store it in your garage, basement or shed. Remove any other outdoor items that can be blown around by the wind. Decide whether any dead trees close to your house could be hazards if they were to fall. Have a professional tree service remove them. Winterize your car by checking the battery and antifreeze. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. Get your snow shovels handy and stock up on rock salt. Arrange in advance for snow plowing service if you need it.

To get ready inside for winter storms, start with your heating system. Have it checked by a professional. If you heat by wood, clean your fireplace or stove. Check the chimney flue for buildup of creosote and clean if needed. Store a good supply of dry, seasoned wood. Maintain a minimum of at least three feet from all combustible materials, including drapes and furniture. Insulate walls and attic to help conserve energy. Caulk and weather-strip windows and doors to keep the cold air outside. Install storm windows or use plastic window insulation panels. Install light switch plate and electrical outlet insulators, especially on ones that are on outside walls. Insulate water pipes, especially ones that run along outside walls and in crawl spaces. Learn how to shut off your water supply in case your pipes do freeze. Inspect and flush water heater. Check fire extinguishers and smoke alarms to make sure they are in working order.

Winter is also a good time to update or add to your Family Disaster Supply Kit. Items to include:

Three to five-day supply of drinking water (one gallon per person per day)

Canned/dried/no-cook foods

Canned or bottled juices

Manual can opener

First Aid kit

Battery powered radio and extra batteries

Flashlight and extra batteries

Extra prescription medicines

Extra baby supplies

Vitamins and over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and antacid

Emergency heating source such as a fireplace, wood stove or space heater

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Winter is upon us and ahead are short chilly days that make us want to hibernate. But hibernation won’t help to keep us fit and healthy. Fortunately there are some things that you can do to keep your energy level up and immune system strong.

HYDRATION  Dry, heated indoor air is more dehydrating than warm sunshine. Drink plenty of water before and during workouts (a Jody Victor® suggestion). Drinking six to eight glasses of water or herbal tea a day will keep your digestive system healthy and your weight down. Avoid sugary and caffeinated beverages that suppress your immune-system function. If you’re going to drink alcohol go for a glass of antioxidant-rich red wine or a dark beer and drink a glass of water between each drink. Stay away from dessert-in-a-glass drinks that are full of sugar and cream. When you have a craving for something you shouldn’t snack on, go for a hot drink. A cup of decaf coffee, green tea or low-sugar cocoa will not only warm you but will keep you busy for the 20 minutes nutritionists say it takes for a food craving to pass.

NUTRITION  Move away from the usual comfort foods such as macaroni, mashed potatoes and other starchy dishes. When you crave something hot and comforting, start your meal with chicken-vegetable soup. A study at Penn State University found that beyond the proven illness-fighting chemicals in chicken soup people who ate the soup as an appetizer consumed fewer calories over the entire meal. At holiday gatherings instead of grazing on the baked goods, candy, and chips go for the mixed nuts. Nuts are loaded with protein and healthy fats. At restaurants order a low-fat appetizer or two or offer to split a salad and entrée with someone else. Add garlic to your home cooking. The sulfur-containing compounds in garlic help increase the potency of two important cells of your immune system, which in turn help battle colds.

EXERCISE  Stick to an exercise routine (a Jody Victor® suggestion). When your holiday obligations take up more time than usual at least keep a “maintenance” schedule so you don’t lose any ground. It’s easier to stick to a fitness routine even if it’s scaled down than it is to start up again after months of inactivity. When traveling, stay in a hotel with a gym and use it. If that’s not possible, switch to a calisthenics routine and pack a jump rope and exercise bands for exercising in your room. Don’t stop your usual outdoor-exercise routines for bad weather. Put on the thermals and head outside. Try cross-country skiing, snow shoeing and other winter sports. These activities burn as much as 800 calories per hour.

MENTAL HEALTH  To beat the winter blues, try to get out in the daylight a little bit every day. If possible, get some winter sun. If you don’t get out every day for work make sure you get out socially every couple of days to keep from feeling isolated, which adds to depression.  Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects many people every winter. If you think you suffer from SAD you might want to consider light box therapy. Look forward to spring. Making new plans and goals for springtime gives you something to look forward to.

REST  Get plenty of rest. Getting overtired depletes your immune system and makes you susceptible to infections. Rest is essential for the storage of energy in your body.

PREVENTION  Get a flu shot. Don’t take antibiotics for a cold or flu. These illnesses are viruses, not infections. Overuse of antibiotics contributes to the deadly antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. If you get the seasonal flu, treat with over-the-counter medicines. If you get a cold, take a zinc, vitamin C and Echinacea preparation to reduce the duration of the symptoms. 

All the Best!

Steve Victor  

It’s Thanksgiving time again. Time for family traditions. Time for Aunt Sally’s pumpkin pie and Granny’s nut bread. It’s also time for overeating foods with too many carbs and sugars. The traditional Thanksgiving feast is high in fatty, high cholesterol foods and simple sugars. The average person can rack up 2,000 calories in a single Thanksgiving meal. I asked Jody Victor®  to give us some suggestions for minimizing the intake.

Jody Victor®: Fortunately there are some ways to minimize the bad elements and maximize the nutritious ones. Planning ahead will help you navigate the bounty and get the most out of the meal with healthy benefits. Start your Thanksgiving Day with a healthy breakfast. Eat a few light snacks of fruit, veggies, toast and peanut butter and yogurt during the day. Don’t go to the dinner table hungry. Enjoy a walk or some form of exercise during the day. Taking antioxidant supplements (vitamins C and E) before your meal can help reduce the harmful effects of a large meal.

If you are one of the chefs for your Thanksgiving dinner there are some substitutions you can use to make it a healthier meal. Instead of cooking your turkey with butter, use a mixture of olive oil, onions, garlic and fresh herbs. Cook the stuffing in a separate pan instead of inside the turkey. Skim the fat from the turkey’s juices before making the gravy. Instead of candied yams, bake sweet potatoes and sprinkle with sugar substitute and cinnamon. Steam green beans and top with sautéed onions and mushrooms instead of using cream of mushroom soup and fried onions for your casserole. Simmer fresh cranberries and chopped apples together instead of jellied cranberry sauce in a can. Serve pumpkin pie instead of pecan pie.

When the dinner bell has rung there are some healthy choices you can make and still totally enjoy the feast. Use a smaller plate, if given a choice. Fill one half of your plate with salad, vegetables and fruits; one quarter with white, skinless turkey meat; and the other quarter with a starch such as potatoes, rice or pasta. Reducing the carbs during the main course will help you save them for dessert later. If you can’t skip the gravy, think of it as the same as butter or margarine- a little goes a long way. Focus on the foods you love the most and fill up on those. Don’t fill up on foods you don’t like or can get any time. Keep your portion sizes small. A regular portion is about the size of a deck of cards. Eat slowly and chew your food twice as long as normal. Drink plenty of water during the meal. Take another walk after dinner and enjoy your dessert an hour or so after the main meal.

The main thing is to enjoy the food and the company in a healthy balance.

Happy Healthy Thanksgiving!

Steve Victor

The pumpkin’s bright orange color is a big clue that it is rich with beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids that converts to Vitamin A in the body. During this conversion beta-carotene performs many important functions for maximum health. I asked Jody Victor® to give us more details.

Jody Victor®: Research shows that a diet rich in beta-carotene reduces the risk of developing some types of cancer and protects against heart disease. Pumpkins also contain the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which not only promote healthy vision but also protect against macular degeneration. Alpha-carotene, another pumpkin plus, is believed to aid in the prevention of tumor growth. Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) provide many nutrients as well including bone-strengthening magnesium and copper, cholesterol-lowering phytosterols and inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acids.

Pumpkin Nutrition (per cup cooked):

Calories: 49

Fat: 0.17 grams

Fiber: 2.7 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Calcium: 37 mg

Iron: 1.4 mg

Magnesium: 22 mg

Zinc: 1 mg

Selenium: 1 mg

Niacin: 1 mg

Potassium: 564 mg

Vitamin A: 2650 IU

Vitamin C: 12 mg

Pumpkins can be prepared in many ways. They can be used in soups, casseroles, breads and pies. When buying pumpkins, look for a weighty fruit with no soft spots. They should be firm and heavy for their size. You can store pumpkins in a cool, dark place up to two months before using. Sugar pumpkins are best for cooking since they are less stringy. For a tasty and nutritious snack rinse the removed seeds (pepitas) well to remove any pulp. Let them dry overnight. Spread the seeds onto a baking sheet lightly coated with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, paprika or other seasonings of your choice. Bake for one hour at 250 degrees.

Here are some fun pumpkin facts:

1. Pumpkins are a fruit.
2. The name pumpkin came from “pepon” – the Greek word for large melon.
3. Pumpkins are grown all over the world on six of the seven continents.
4. The top US pumpkin production states are Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California.
5. The pumpkin capital of the world is Morton, Illinois.
6. Pumpkins are grown primarily for processing. Only a small percentage are grown for ornamental sales.
7. Irish immigrants brought pumpkin carving to the US.
8. The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
9. The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds.
10. In early Colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
11. Later Colonists sliced off pumpkin tops, removed the seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Seasonal food has been practiced since ancient times when people ate what nature provided according to the seasons. Different foods were eaten at different times of the year according to the harvest. Seasonal food is when the item is the cheapest, freshest and best tasting. I asked Jody Victor® to give us some details.

Jody Victor®: In the 8^th century the choice of what to eat in each season became a conscious social event. The Cordoba Calendar was an historical record that provided detailed information about the eating habits of Spain in the mid 10^th century. Winter meals consisted of rich vegetables such as beets, cauliflower, carrots, celery, peas, broad beans and lentils along with olives, hard wheat, couscous, pasta, walnuts, almonds and pine kernels. Fruity desserts consisted of dried figs, dates, raisins and prunes. The summer diet was filled with green beans, lettuces, carrots, cucumber, watercress and rice. Fruity desserts were made from lemons, quinces, nectarines, mulberries, cherries, plums, apricots, grapes, pears, apples and melons. Fall meals included summer foods that had more lasting power such as cauliflower, carrots, celery, gourds, turnips, parsnips, onions, acorns and olive oil. Spring meals were made from fall foods that lasted through winter and crops that could be planted very early in cooler weather such as spinach, asparagus, lettuces, marrow, fennel, artichokes, truffles, peas, basil, mint and sweet marjoram.

Over the centuries people have become ignorant of seasonal food. The main reason we became disassociated from our food goes back to the 16^th century when the acts of enclosure reduced the amount of common land on which people could graze animals and grow food. A few landholders held most of the agricultural land. The small landowners who grew and raised their own food became a rarity. People began to lose their connection with the land. Then came the industrial revolution. People moved into towns and cities in large numbers. They became less and less involved in and aware of nature’s seasonal cycles. The diet of industrial workers declined and was the precursor to today’s quick-fix carb, sugar and caffeine diet.

During the 1940’s the hardships of war sent many people back to the land with their backyard gardens to grow and raise their own food. Nutritionally this was one of the healthiest points in human history. After the war, peoples’ fear of wartime rationing and the inability to feed themselves made them turn once again to industrialization. Chemical agriculture was their solution. This removed more people from the land. The consequence of industrial farming is that culturally we know less and less about where our food comes from.

The biggest contributor today to our ignorance about seasonal food are the supermarkets. Supermarket shelves today are filled with the same abundance of fresh produce all year round. The supermarket-driven insistence on predictability of supply and permanent summertime food has made our food chain very oil-dependent. The typical American meal travels 1500 miles to our table. The “food miles” used in airfreighting out-of-season produce also contributes substantially to carbon dioxide emissions. Greenhouses and polytunnels are heated to provide out-of-season produce, adding more greenhouse emissions.

It is a good thing that we do not have to worry about going hungry during the fresh food-gap months or worry about scurvy and other nutritional deficiencies. However, it appears we have completely turned seasonal food on its head. Do we really need strawberries for Christmas? Or asparagus for New Year’s? Blackberries that are free for the picking in July, but cost a small fortune in February? How about those winter tomatoes? How do they taste? The nutritional quality of most fruits and vegetables degrades over time. Produce that has traveled a long distance is lower in nutrients than produce that is picked in season and sold locally. For example: the huge health benefits of broccoli and asparagus can completely disappear over time. Modified atmosphere packaging, which is used to help produce travel further, has been shown to degrade the nutrients in salads.

Eating seasonally can be a positive way to move us back to a food chain that benefits customers, small farmers and our communities. Here are six reasons why seasonal food is a great idea:

1. Food tastes better in season.
2. Food is nutritionally better in season.
3. Seasonal food is cheaper.
4. Seasonal food encourages preserving the surplus for the winter months.
5. Seasonal food supports your local farmer and your local economy.
6. Seasonal food is better for the environment.

All the Best!!

Steve Victor

We are all aware of the merits of eating in instead of eating out. In the case of home cooked versus fast food, we know it’s much healthier to eat in. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is in almost all fast food. Medical studies show that MSG causes obesity. In addition, all the techniques for processing fast food virtually destroy the flavor of the fast food. Chemicals under the label of  “natural flavors” are then added to put the taste back in. The fewer chemicals you have in your body, the better you feel. Chemicals in food have been shown to cause obesity, cancer and neurological complaints. We have also learned that real, whole foods give the body more energy. Whole foods give the body the power it needs in the natural way the body is meant to take it. I asked Jody Victor®  to lay out a plan for us.

Jody Victor®: If you plan on cutting fast foods out of your diet (and your wallet) and preparing more meals at home, learn to navigate your grocery store for the best nutritional bang for your buck. Select most of your food from the periphery of the store. That’s where you’ll find the real, whole fruits, vegetables, bulk grains, nuts and dairy products. Avoid the expensive, over-processed packages on the interior shelves.

Here is a list of some very healthy foods that cost under $1:

1. Apples- tasty, cheap and filling.
2. Bananas- a dollar will get you one a day for the workweek.
3. Beets- packed with nutrients. Use the greens as well in salads or stir-fry.
4. Broccoli- cheap and easy to cook.
5. Butternut squash- in season, less than a dollar a pound.
6. Coffee- when you make it at home it’s just 50 cents a cup.
7. Eggs- one of the cheapest sources of protein.
8. Garbanzo beans/chickpeas- cheapest in dry form, but still a good value precooked.
9. Kale- cheapest greens in the store.
10. Milk- per serving, milk and milk products like yogurt are still under a dollar.
11. Nuts- peanuts, walnuts and almonds in the shell are a good value for the nutrients.
12. Oats- high in fiber and good for cholesterol. One dollar will get you a week’s worth of breakfast.
13. Potatoes- eat skin and all for a good source of vitamin C and potassium. Sweet potatoes and yams add beta-carotene.
14. Sardines- so low on the food chain it doesn’t accumulate mercury and adds lots of nutrition.
15. Spinach- cheap year-round and packed with nutrition.
16. Tofu- cheap protein source.
17. Whole grain pasta- stick to whole grain for nutritional punch.
18. Wild rice- costs about the same as white rice but has more nutritional value.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Just as the novel virus Influenza A- H1N1 is rapidly spreading throughout the US, the vaccine has become available and is being administered initially to high-risk groups, which atypically tend to be the young (especially young pregnant women). Though the H1N1 virus is a novel virus, the vaccine is not. The vaccine was made and tested by the FDA in exactly the same way previous seasonal flu vaccines have been made and tested. Both vaccines, seasonal and H1N1, are inactivated flu strains. In fact they are so similar that had the novel virus emerged just a few months earlier, the 2009 H1N1 vaccine would have been included in the 2009 seasonal flu vaccine. The regular seasonal flu vaccine is a mix of the three viruses health experts predict will most likely be the dominant viruses in a given year. I asked Jody Victor®  to give us more details.

Jody Victor®: The CDC recommends that the following groups receive the 2009 H1N1 vaccine first: pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, persons between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, and people ages of 25 through 64 years who are at higher risk because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

Additional Frequently Asked Questions concerning the 2009 H1N1 vaccine:

1. Will two doses of vaccine be required? The FDA has approved the use of one dose for persons 10 years of age and older. Infants younger than 6 months of age are too young to get the vaccine.
2. What is the recommended interval between the first and second dose for children under 10? CDC recommends that doses be separated ideally by 4 weeks, but do consider an interval of 21 days to be valid.
3. Can the seasonal vaccine, the pneumonia vaccine and the 2009 H1N1 vaccines be given during the same doctor’s visit? Yes, the inactivated vaccines can be given together. The live 2009 H1N1 vaccine can be administered during the same visit as any other live or inactivated vaccine EXCEPT seasonal live attenuated influenza vaccine.
4. Should a person get vaccinated against 2009 H1N1 if he/she has had flu-like illness since the spring of 2009? The symptoms of H1N1 are very similar to the regular flu and unless you were tested for H1N1 you can’t be sure which virus you had. Specific testing, called “RT-PCR”, is needed in order to discern specific strains. This test is different than rapid flu tests doctors can do in their offices. So if you have had flu-like illness since the spring and did not get the “RT-PCR” test, it is recommended that you get vaccinated. Plus, if you did have the H1N1 virus without test confirmation and now have some existing immunity to it, the additional vaccine will not be harmful.
5. Will there be enough vaccine for everyone? The US Federal government expects that there will be enough 2009 H1N1 vaccine for anyone who chooses to get vaccinated. They have procured 250 million doses of the vaccine. This accounts for the National Institutes of Health data showing that children 6 months to 9 years will need two doses and persons over 10 will need one dose.

All the Best!!

Steve Victor

Native Americans have known the health benefits of squash for hundreds of years. The word squash is derived from the word askutasquash. It literally means, “a green thing eaten raw” in the Nahahiganseck language. The Nahahiganseck Sovereign Nation comprises the Native Americans who lived in the area surrounding Narragansett Bay in present-day Rhode Island, portions of Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts. Squash are actually fruits. By botanical definition, fruits have their seeds on the inside. Squash is very versatile. It can be prepared in many ways: sautéed, grilled, steamed, boiled, broiled, baked, fried, microwaved or freeze-dried. I asked Jody Victor to tell us more.

Jody Victor: The main health benefit from squash is in its fiber. The fiber/bulk fills you up and helps you to skip a second helping. Squash is also a bargain if you are counting calories. A half a cup of squash ranges from 50 to 125 calories, depending on the variety. Squash provides twenty percent or more of your recommended daily requirement for magnesium, potassium and vitamins A, C and E with every 4-ounce serving. Squash is a good source of calcium, antioxidants and beta-carotene as well.

The terms “summer” and “winter” squash refer loosely to when the squash is harvested. But since squash is available year-round, the terms actually group squash varieties by durability. Summer squash varieties contain more water and are thin skinned and bruise easily. Some, such as zucchini, can be eaten raw. Summer squash can last about a week in the refrigerator. Winter squash, on the other hand, have hard, thick skins. Acorn squash is a winter variety. The thick skins of winter squash add longevity to their side. You can keep winter squash in a cool, dark place for up to three months.

Here are some tips for storing squash:

Avoid storing squash near apples, avocados or passion fruit, which have natural ripening agents.

When storing winter squash with woody stems (acorn, buttercup, butternut, turban, and pumpkin), leave a four-inch or longer stem on the fruit.

For fleshy or soft-stemmed squash (banana and hubbard) cut the stems to one to two inches long.

Winter Squash Gratin Recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

½ cup dry white wine

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or ½ teaspoon paprika

1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

Sugar (if necessary)

1 butternut winter squash (2 ½ to 3#)

4 ounces Fontina or Gruyere cheese, sliced

Freshly chopped parsley

Heat olive oil and add the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and a little salt. Cook over medium heat until the onion is soft. Stir frequently. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add cayenne or paprika and the tomatoes. Cook slowly for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick. Taste and add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are tart. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the tomatoes are cooking, prepare the squash. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the two halves cut-side down and peel off the skin with a potato peeler. Slice the peeled squash into large pieces about 3 inches long and ¼ inch thick. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large frying pan and fry the squash on both sides until it is browned and tender. Drain on paper towels and add a little salt and pepper.

Spray a 9 x 13 glass dish with cooking spray. Put tomato mixture in bottom of glass dish. Put a layer of squash in dish, then a layer of cheese. Repeat layering and finish with the top layer of cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the gratin is hot, about 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley scattered over the surface.

(This dish can be made ahead of time, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until baking time. Baking time will take longer than 15 minutes if starting with a cold casserole.)

All the Best!

Steve Victor

As Americans we have become more environmentally aware and active in the last decade. We have taught our children how important it is to sort trash for recycling and to conserve water. They have learned that those two things are the minimum that you can do and still make a huge difference. These days when students go off to institutions of higher learning they are also entering places of higher environmental education as well. Colleges and universities across America are rapidly implementing all kinds of ways to reuse, reduce, and recycle. I asked Jody Victor® to tell us more.

Jody Victor®: Whether a college is designing new construction or retrofitting older buildings it does everything it can with the latest technology to inflict the lowest impact on the environment. This includes solar panels on roofs, replacing carpeting with wood or tile for easier cleaning and reduction of allergens, installing dual-flush and low-flow toilets, replacing light switches with occupancy sensors or timers, and replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs. Some colleges are even staging competitions among their students who live in dorms to find inefficiencies and create green solutions.

Campuses across the country have found subtle ways to make a big difference such as trayless dining, a new method of reducing waste and conserving water by keeping students from piling more plates and glasses of food and drink on their trays than they can actually consume. Without trays in the dining hall, there is less food wasted and a lot less dishes to wash. As a positive side effect trayless dining also helps alleviate the dreaded “freshman fifteen”. Colleges are changing over to “Thin Client” computers, a smaller version of the traditional desktop, which consumes a fraction of the energy (5 watts versus over 60 watts of a traditional desktop).

Large college campuses are making large changes. Some have their own waste management systems that rival small cities’ systems. They collect and bale recyclables such as paper, aluminum and plastic and sell them by the truckload for additional revenue for the school. Most large colleges have begun to favor larger mall areas to promote more walking. They have installed miles and miles of bike paths and bike lanes. Some have their own transit systems with around-the-clock bus service. Many of their busses run on biodiesel fuel made from excess cafeteria cooking oil. Even students’ recreational activities have seen big changes. Soccer and other intramural games are played across fields of Astroturf instead of endless stretches of lawns that need mowed and watered.

In recognition of colleges going green, Kaplan has focused its new Kaplan College Guide 2009 for the first time on environmentally responsible schools and green careers. The Guide features 25 green private and public colleges from across the country. Kaplan reviewed a range of criteria to formulate its list of green colleges. Specific areas include: environmentally responsible campus projects; initiatives and courses offered; organizations and student groups on campus; achievements in the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s College Sustainability Report Card 2008. The list highlights schools that have a long-term commitment to sustainability and encourages students to make better choices.

The top five green colleges on Kaplan’s list of twenty-five green schools are:

1. Pitzer College in Claremont, California. Pitzer is getting noticed for their green dorm rooms and bike program.
2. College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Human ecology is the only major subject at this small school. Human ecology is “the study of our relationship with the environment”.
3. Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. They have an organic farm center and use recycled paper and natural cleaning products.
4. Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. This liberal arts school has a car-sharing program and energy monitors in dorm rooms.
5. Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. Harvard has a green cleaning service and organic food in the cafeteria.

The Kaplan Guide for green schools also includes the ten hottest green careers list. They surveyed the course of study of hundreds of undergraduate students and compared the selections against the fastest growing, most competitive global industries tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor. The 10 hot green careers on their list are:

1. Environmental conservation
2. Environmental design
3. Environmental engineering
4. Environmental science
5. Geothermal development
6. Green interior design
7. Hydrology
8. Organic agriculture
9. Solar energy engineering
10. Transportation systems planning

All the Best!

Steve Victor

The human body is equipped with powerful tools for resisting invading microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. These tools are known as the immune system. Autoimmunity is when a body’s immune system goes awry by misdirecting its responses and attacking the body itself instead of the invaders. Autoimmunity is present in everyone to some extent. It is a universal phenomenon of vertebrate life and is usually harmless. Autoimmune diseases are defined when the progression from benign autoimmunity to pathogenic autoimmunity occurs. I asked Jody Victor® to give us more details.

Jody Victor®: There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. Learning the symptoms of some of the more common ones can help you recognize the signs if you get one. To complicate matters some autoimmune diseases share symptoms and make it hard for your doctor to find out if you really have one and which one it is.

Here are the symptoms of the most common autoimmune diseases:

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (underactive thyroid)

1. tiredness
2. depression
3. sensitivity to cold
4. weight gain
5. muscle weakness and cramps
6. dry hair
7. tough skin
8. constipation

Graves’ disease (overactive thyroid)

1. insomnia
2. irritability
3. weight loss without dieting
4. heat sensitivity
5. sweating
6. fine brittle hair
7. weakness in muscles
8. light menstrual periods
9. bulging eyes
10. shaky hands

Lupus

1. swelling and damage to the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain
2. “butterfly” rash across nose and cheeks
3. rashes on other parts of body
4. painful and swollen joints
5. sensitivity to the sun

Multiple sclerosis (MS)

1. weakness and trouble with coordination, balance, speaking and walking
2. paralysis
3. tremors
4. numbness and tingling feeling in arms, legs, hands and feet

Rheumatoid arthritis

1. inflammation begins in the tissue lining the joint and spreads to whole joint
2. muscle pain
3. deformed joints
4. weakness
5. fatigue
6. loss of appetite
7. weight loss
8. confined to bed in severe cases

If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease you can take medicines to help with your symptoms. The type of prescription medicine you take depends on which disease you have and what your symptoms are. You might be able to take medicine that helps slow the progress of your disease. Some people can take over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen and aspirin for pain. Your doctor will advise you which OTC medicines you can take and how much.

In 1982 the Nobel Prize was given to three researchers for their discovery that hormones known as eicosanoids contribute to chronic disease. These hormones include a good chemical that helps cells rejuvenate and a bad chemical that promotes cellular destruction. Since both types of processes are needed by the body eicosanoids have to be in balance. When there is a shift toward the bad chemicals, chronic inflammation and disease develop. All eicosanoids are derived from dietary fat in the form of essential fatty acids. The three essential fatty acids that produce eicosanoids include dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid (DGLA), arachidonic acid (AA), and eicosapentoenoic acid (EPA). DGLA and AA are omega-3 fatty acids. EPA is also an omega-3 fatty acid but is found primarily in fish oil. EPA and DGLA promote cellular rejuvenation whereas AA is a bad eicosanoid that accelerates cellular destruction, aging, inflammation, and disease.

The incidence of autoimmune disease has tripled in the last few decades. Twenty four million Americans are now affected. Environmental toxins are a big contributor to autoimmune disease. Over 80,000 chemicals have been introduced into our society since 1900. Only 550 have been tested for safety. A recent government survey found an average of 148 chemicals in our bodies.  Studies have shown toxins confuse the immune system and set off an autoimmune response. To ward off autoimmune responses, Dr. Mark Hyman, a former autoimmune disease sufferer himself, suggests you get tested for mercury and other heavy metals. He also suggests getting tested for celiac disease, which is an autoimmune reaction to wheat and other gluten containing grains

There is no cure for autoimmune disease but if you are living with one there are things you can do each day to help you feel better:

1. Eat a healthy diet. The list of nutrients for a healthy immune system is long. Try to get all you need from food instead of overloading on vitamins. Eat balanced meals from all the food groups. Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat or fat-free dairy. Avoid fatty foods.

2. Get plenty of exercise but don’t overdo it. Thirty minutes a day is best. Try gradual and gentle exercise programs such as yoga or tai chi.

3. Get enough rest. Rest allows your body tissues and joints the time they need to repair. Sleeping helps both your body and mind. When you don’t get enough sleep, your stress level and symptoms can get worse. Also- you can’t fight off sickness as well when you have sleep loss. Try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night.

All the Best!

Steve Victor 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a report in August 2009 that found that the average American consumes between 150 to 170 pounds of simple sugars, also known as refined sugars, (this includes glucose, fructose, and sucrose) or simple carbohydrates in one year. That’s 150 to 170 pounds per year or one quarter to one half pounds of sugar every day. You may be thinking, “I don’t eat that much sugar.” And you may not. But for every American who eats only 5 pounds per year, there is one who eats 295 pounds per year. To help put some perspective on this- less than a hundred years ago, the average intake of sugar was only about 4 pounds per person per year. I asked Jody Victor® to spell out some healthy alternatives from the AMA.

Jody Victor®: The American Heart Association (AMA) has also issued recommendations based on data gathered during a national nutrition survey between 2001 and 2004. The survey concluded that Americans consume on average 355 calories, or more than 22 teaspoons, of sugar a day. The AMA recommends that most women should limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, a day; for men, they recommend 150 calories, or nine teaspoons. The AMA has previously encouraged consumers to moderate sugar consumption by linking added sugar consumption to obesity but this is the first time they have suggested specific limits. The AMA’s recommendations apply only to what are known as added sugars- those that are added during manufacturing, or by consumers. They don’t include sugar that occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, dairy products and other foods.

The main sources of added sugar in the diet include soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, fruit drinks, ice cream, frozen yogurt and alcoholic beverages. Dr. Rachel Johnson, professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont, states that added sugars ”offer no nutritional value other than calories to the diet.” Dr. Johnson and her colleagues on the AMA’s nutrition committee based their suggestions on the concept of discretionary calories that are part of the USDA’s dietary guidelines called Mypyramid. Discretionary calories are those allotted to a person beyond what are necessary to consume nutrients essential to a healthy diet while still maintaining a proper weight. Under the Mypyramid guidelines, people on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet have 267 discretionary calories. Active young people on a 3,000-calorie-a-day diet have 512 discretionary calories. The committee decided that allocating half of the discretionary calories for added sugar was a proper course. For a moderately active middle-age woman on a 1,8000 calorie-a-day diet, the recommendations translate to about 100 calories for added sugar. For a sedentary middle-age man it’s 150 calories for added sugar.

The challenge is figuring out how much added sugar is in different foods. Current food labels don’t list sugar content in calories or teaspoons and they don’t differentiate between natural and added sugars. Consumers are encouraged to read labels and do some math. Example: There are 120 teaspoons in one pound of sugar. This means 1/2 pound of sugar contains 60 teaspoons and ¼ pound contains 30 teaspoons. An average 12-ounce can of soda contains about 8 teaspoons of added sugar. Six teaspoons of sugar equals 100 calories. The AMA’s discretionary sugar calories recommendation for a moderately active middle-age woman is 100 calories. One can of soda is already over the limit! Fruit-flavored yogurt has 6 teaspoons of added sugar. Low-fat chocolate milk has about 4 teaspoons. One cup of frosted whole grain cereal has 3 teaspoons.

Public-health professionals and nutritionists alike say that added sugars in one’s diet contribute to the higher risk of such problems as diabetes and cardiovascular disease among the nation’s overweight and obese consumers. The medical costs associated with treating obesity-related conditions reached 147 billion dollars last year.

Some professionals go so far as to classify refined sugar as a drug or poison because it is depleted of its life forces, proteins, minerals and vitamins. There are dangers to consuming too much sugar in your diet. It can lead to organ malfunction and hormone disruption. When these systems are disturbed and unbalanced, other conditions manifest. Allergies, obesity, degenerative/organ disease, diabetes, depression and behavioral problems can occur. Studies have shown that consuming 20 teaspoons of simple sugars (2 ½ can of soda) can suppress your body’s immune responses considerably. Simple sugars are known to create a 40 to 50 percent drop in the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria and germs within the body. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours. By consuming 150 to 170 pounds of simple sugar each year, a person may have up to 80,000 hours of immune suppression.

All the Best!

Steve Victor 

The novel virus H1N1 that emerged in the spring of 2009 and quickly moved to the United States and other countries has continued to spread rapidly. Unlike the seasonal flu, which tends to affect the elderly, H1N1 is increasingly affecting children and young adults. I asked Jody Victor® to give us more details.

Jody Victor®: More than half of the nation’s colleges and universities tracking H1N1 cases are reporting infected students. Colleges and universities represent more than 2 million students. Of those students, 1,640 cases of H1N1 were reported within the first weeks of classes. So far (since the end of August) one student has been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. Fortunately, the H1N1 virus has caused relatively mild illness in most of the students infected. But because the virus is new, young people have no immunity against it and officials say many more students could get the flu this year.

Federal health officials have recommended that colleges prepare for the new virus this fall and have issued new guidelines for keeping dorm-dwellers from making each other sick. The main advice from the guidelines is for students with flu symptoms to avoid other people until 24 hours after a fever is gone.

*Students with a private dorm room should stay in their rooms and find a “flu buddy” to deliver meals and notes from classes.

*Students with roommates may need to move to some kind of temporary housing for sick students.

*If sick students can’t avoid close contact with other people, they need to wear surgical masks.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, “The point is for sick students to isolate themselves. If a student is not feeling well, they don’t need to be walking around to get meals; they don’t need to be walking around to pick up class notes. They can get a friend or roommate to help.”

The new guidelines for colleges and universities recognizes that each school’s plan will vary according to the size and location of the school, the number of students living on campus and the severity of the outbreak. One guideline that was recommended, however, for every school regardless of size and numbers is to remove the normal demand of a doctor’s note to prove the student is sick or recovering because doctors may be inundated.

Amherst College in Massachusetts is keeping two residential halls empty for isolating infected students. Nearby Mount Holyoke will send infected students home by private car if they live within 250 miles and students who live farther away will be assigned to isolated quarters. St. John’s in Maryland has a campus gymnasium it plans on using for isolating students. Carnegie-Mellon in Pittsburgh has reserved an unused sorority house if needed. Some colleges have concluded that it would be too difficult for them to isolate entire groups of sick students. They plan to focus instead on sick students’ roommates and are offering to move those in high-risk groups to other dorm rooms or possibly hotels. Larger schools are focusing on getting students to isolate themselves. The University of Michigan and Penn State are asking students to stay in their rooms or apartments and they will have boxed meals delivered to their rooms. Many other colleges are planning boxed food deliveries as well as delivering “flu kits” containing tissues, thermometers and masks to sick students.

Moderately ill students should fare well with isolation, delivered meals and a “flu buddy”. Students who are experiencing severe symptoms should seek medical attention. Severe symptoms of the H1N1 virus include:

1. Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
2. Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
3. Sudden dizziness
4. Confusion
5. Severe or persistent vomiting
6. Flu symptoms improve but return with fever and worse cough

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Public officials say a vaccine is the best defense against the novel virus, Influenza A/H1N1. The government and vaccine manufacturers have been conducting clinical trials to determine whether the vaccine is effective and how large a dose is needed. Initial results are expected in early October. But what does this mean for all of us? I asked Jody Victor® to give us some details.

Jody Victor®: Some experts and advocates have expressed concern that the vaccine may be administered to pregnant women and children before full tests results are in. Dr. William Schaffner, a flu researcher at Vanderbilt University, which is running one of the clinical trials, played down safety concerns: “There is no alternative” to approving the new vaccine based on the limited data. He adds, “The novel H1N1 vaccine is created exactly the same way our seasonal vaccine is created, year in and year out.”

A federal advisory committee issued sweeping guidelines on September 2^nd for a vaccination campaign against the H1N1 pandemic. The guidelines identified more than half of the U.S. population as targets for the first round. The priority groups include: pregnant women; health care and emergency services personnel; children, adolescents and young adults up to age 24; household and caregiver contacts of children younger than 6 months; and adults with certain medical conditions. The committee’s recommendations could prove important if the H1N1 pandemic spreads widely before sufficient quantities of vaccine can be produced to protect everyone. The recommendations would ensure that the most vulnerable groups receive priority status.

The advisory committee also recommended that, once sufficient supplies exist to meet the needs of all the targeted groups, the vaccine should be offered to healthy adults ages 25 to 64. Once those needs are met, the vaccine should be offered for people aged 65 and older. The high-risk groups targeted for the A/H1N1vaccine differ starkly from previous seasonal flu vaccine campaigns. The difference is based on data showing higher infection rates among younger people. The rate of lab-confirmed cases in Americans 65 and older is just 0.06 per 100,000 compared to 2.6 per 100,000 for children 5 to 11. Studies have found that many older people (over the age of 55) carry at least some antibody protection against the new virus, probably because it is similar to flu viruses that circulated widely in the 1920s through the early 1950s.

Ideally, the H1N1 flu vaccination campaign would run concurrent with the usual seasonal flu campaign, which should be getting underway soon. But with the H1N1 vaccine still unavailable, Dr Schaffner says patients should get the seasonal vaccine before distribution centers are swamped with demand for the pandemic vaccine. He also warns that by the time the new vaccine gets distributed it may be of limited use. “If the pandemic strain starts spreading fast between now and October, hospitals and medical personnel will be pushed to the limit. The virus and the vaccine are in a race; the virus may win.”

All the Best!

Steve Victor

The symptoms of H1N1 in people are similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal viruses. Symptoms include fever, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, headache and sore throat. Uncharacteristically, some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting with H1N1. If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people, except to seek medical care. If you have severe illness or are at high risk for flu complications, seek medical care immediately. I asked Jody Victor® to explain it further.

Jody Victor®: Most people will experience only mild symptoms if infected with the new virus and will not need medical treatment. Additionally, by the time most people would seek medical care (EX: running a fever for more than 72 hours), the time has passed for anti-viral medications to help. If you have a known close exposure with someone who is a confirmed, probable, or suspected case of H1N1 you should get tested within the first 24-36 hours of developing the symptoms. If you test positive, anti-viral treatment may be advised, especially if you are in a high-risk category.

Typically, people in the flu high-risk category include the very young and the very old, people with certain chronic medical conditions, and people with weakened immune systems. The novel virus H1N1, however, is creating a new category of high-risk people. People under the age of 55 seem to be getting H1N1 at a higher rate than normal. CDC scientists have also found that pregnant women were more than four times as likely to be hospitalized with the new flu as the general population.

Like seasonal flu H1N1 may cause a worsening of underlying medical conditions and may increase the incidence of secondary infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. The CDC has issued a list of warning signs that indicate the need for urgent medical attention:

Child Emergency Signs:

1. Fast breathing or trouble breathing
2. Bluish or gray skin color
3. Not drinking enough fluids
4. Severe or persistent vomiting
5. Not waking up or not interacting
6. Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
7. Flu symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Adult Emergency Signs

1. Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
2. Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
3. Sudden dizziness
4. Confusion
5. Severe or persistent vomiting
6. Flu symptoms improve but return with fever and worse cough

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Flu season is rapidly approaching the Northern Hemisphere and now is the time to make preparations for your family’s health. Seasonal influenza occurs every year, peaking in the U.S. between December and March. At first, public health officials feared the worst from Influenza A/H1N1 because of its novelty. I asked Jody Victor® to tell us more.

Jody Victor®: Traditionally, the flu strains that circulate every winter are variations of known strains and many people have at least some immunity to the circulating viruses. In addition, flu vaccines are developed every season for the likelihood of which strains will be circulating. But H1N1 is a new virus and one to which most people under the age of 55 have little or no immunity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on June 11 that H1N1 was now a global pandemic. The decision was made based on the spread of the new virus, not on the severity of illness caused by the virus. The 2009 influenza pandemic has spread internationally with unprecedented speed. In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than 6 months to spread as widely as H1N1 has spread in 6 weeks. Even though the spread rate has been significant, the severity of H1N1 has been moderate. The good news is that the overwhelming majority of people who have caught the H1N1 virus are recovering without the need for hospitalization or medical care. There are also no signs that indicate that H1N1 will mutate or strengthen.

The H1N1 influenza is a respiratory illness. It causes sudden onset of cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, body aches, and fever (rarely does a fever not occur). The most important thing you can do to avoid getting any flu is to wash your hands, frequently, with soap and water. If soap and water is not available, you can use an alcohol-based hand cleanser. Keeping your hands clean allows you to keep the flu virus from traveling from your hands to your mouth and nose. Soap and water helps stop the spread of H1N1 by killing the virus instead of spreading it to the things you touch.

You also need to remember to cover your coughs and sneezes. When you cough or sneeze you send the virus through the air to land on any available surface. Carry tissues with you and throw them away after use. If a tissue isn’t handy, health officials recommend coughing or sneezing into your sleeve instead of your hands to prevent the virus from spreading to the air and the objects around you.

Educate your children as to the importance of not sharing cups, glasses or utensils. Get in the habit of carrying your own pen to use to sign receipts while shopping. Use paper towels at home for drying hands. Or make sure every member has his or her own cloth hand towel. Keep a supply of respiratory facemasks at home for when the bug has hit your family and do not reuse them after you take them off. Stock up on Lysol and other disinfectant products to use on surfaces such as tabletops, doorknobs, counters, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, light switches, phones and keyboards. Any communal surface your sick family members put their hands on.

Be prepared for family sick time. Stock up on foods that won’t go bad, such as dry cereal and ready-to-eat canned foods. If a family member takes medicines, try to keep a good supply at home. Stock up on baby formula and pet food. If your whole family comes down with the flu and no one can get out to shop you’ll be glad you stocked up on every day supplies.

If you do get the flu, you should stay home for 24 hours after the fever goes away. This is often difficult for today’s working families, but the more time people suffering from the flu can spend recuperating at home, the less time the H1N1 virus has to spread.

For extra protection, get the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. The government and vaccine manufacturers are conducting clinical trials to determine whether the vaccine is effective and how large a dose is needed. Initial results are expected in early October.

All the Best!!

Steve Victor

About 55 million US children will be going back to school in the coming weeks. Concerns are growing that influenza A/H1N1 will spread even further than it has. The virus has already turned up in nearly every corner of the world. It has defied public health officials’ predictions that it would slow down during the summer months and has proliferated in military units and kids’ summer camps. More than two million are believed to have contracted the new virus in the US. Of those, 7,500 were hospitalized and 477 have died as of August 13^th. Worldwide, 177,457 people have contracted H1N1 with 1,462 deaths reported. I asked Jody Victor® to give us some more details.

Jody Victor®: The H1N1 virus is a novel virus that has never before circulated among humans. Officials believe it developed within the last six years, possibly in the United States. It was virtually unknown until the outbreak in Mexico that started in March 2009. People should keep in mind that influenza A/H1N1 is not “the flu”. It is not a 24-hour bug. It’s not the “stomach flu”. Influenza seldom causes vomiting, and rarely causes diarrhea. Instead, influenza is a respiratory illness, causing a sudden onset of cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, body aches, and fever. Only rarely in influenza does fever not occur. Symptoms typically last for 5-7 days, and fever for 3-4 days. Influenza is not a “bad cold”, rather a distinct illness by itself.

There are three types of influenza- types A, B, and C. Type A influenza viruses are the most common. Influenza A viruses are further put into subtypes according to different combinations of virus surface proteins. Among the many subtypes of influenza A viruses, influenza A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 are the ones currently circulating among humans. The avian virus, influenza A/H5N1, is still out there causing sporadic outbreaks with high rates of death in Indonesia, Vietnam and Egypt.

Why are people so worried about H1N1? Seasonal influenza occurs every year in the US and the viruses change every year but many people have at least some immunity to the circulating virus, limiting infections. Novel influenza A/H1N1 is a new virus. It is one to which most people under the age of 55 have little or no immunity. Thus this virus could cause more infections and more complications than are normally seen with seasonal flu. People over the age of 55 do not seem to be getting this new influenza as much or as severely as younger people. This is attributed to the theory that older people may have been exposed to flu viruses similar to H1N1 when they were very young. Other groups of people at risk are: pregnant women, people with asthma, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases. Seventy percent of those hospitalized in the US and about eighty percent of those who have died from the virus had underlying medical conditions. Scientists are monitoring the disease. They point to a few hopeful signs: The H1N1 virus lacks gene sequences that made the 1918 flu virus so deadly, and it hasn’t mutated into a more virulent form despite its rapid spread. More details in Part II next time.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Previous studies have reported that dark chocolate can lower the risk of developing blood clots and bowel cancer and prevent macular degeneration. The research established a strong link between cocoa-based confections and lowered blood pressure or improvement in blood flow. The antioxidants in cocoa are responsible for its live-saving properties. Antioxidants are compounds that protect against so-called free radicals, molecules that accumulate in the body over time that can damage cells and are thought to play a role in heart disease, cancer and the aging process.

A new study, led by Imre Janszky of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, is the first to demonstrate that consuming dark chocolate ( a Jody Victor® suggestion) can increase a person’s chance of survival after they have suffered a heart attack. “It was specific to chocolate- we found no benefits to sweets in general,” said Kenneth Mukamal, a researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and co-author of the study.

In the study, Janszky, Mukamal and colleagues tracked 1,169 non-diabetic men and women, 45 to 70 years old, in Stockholm County during the early 1990s from the time they were hospitalized with their first acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). The participants were questioned before leaving the hospital on their food consumption habits over the previous year, including how much chocolate they ate on a regular basis. The participants underwent a health examination three months after discharge and were monitored for eight years after that. They found that “the incidence of fatal heart attacks correlated inversely with the amount of chocolate consumed.” The results held true for men and women, and across all the age groups included in the study.

The heart attack survivors who ate chocolate two or more times per week (a Jody Victor® suggestion) cut their risk of dying from heart disease about threefold compared to those who never ate chocolate. The study also concluded that eating less chocolate offers less protection against another heart attack, but some is still better than none. Other factors that might have affected the outcome, such as alcohol consumption, obesity, and smoking, were taken into account as well.

“Our findings support increasing evidence that chocolate is a rich source of beneficial bioactive compounds,” the researchers concluded.

All the Best!

Steve Victor