Very Short
According to a November 11 Newsweek poll, “75 percent of Americans say allowing the government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices for seniors should be a “top priority,” including 67 percent of Republicans.” This is the same poll that reports President Bush’s approval rating at a historic low of 31 percent. For more information go to the magazine’s Website at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15667442/site/newsweek/
And Yet, on the Rx Front …
Finally, a ray of hope for cash-strapped seniors drowning in large prescription bills each month: The Partnership for Prescription Assistance or PPA, a group created by the pharmaceutical industry, offers free – that’s right, free – prescription drugs to needy seniors. While the PPA does not offer every drug now available, it does provide an impressively wide range cost-free to needy seniors. To find out more about PPA and its application process, and to see if you qualify for its services, go to https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php or call (888) 4PPA-NOW.
What’s Bad for You Is Good Again: Pot, Caffeine, and Alzheimer’s
It seems that you can’t always trust what your parents and teachers tell you. The journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, as reported on Medical News Today (www.medicalnewstoday.com), says a new study links THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, with the reduction in the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. From the MNT dispatch: “Scripps Research Institute’s Kim D. Janda and colleagues used laboratory experiments to show that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) preserves brain levels of the key neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Existing medications for AD [Alzheimer’s Disease], including donepezil and tacrine, also relieve AD symptoms by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down acetylcholine. THC does so by inhibiting an alternative site on acetylchlolinesterase, and at lower concentrations, Janda’s [group’s] … experiments show that THC also prevents formation of the amyloid plaques that are a hallmark of AD and its damage to the brain. ‘Our results provide a mechanism whereby the THC molecule can directly impact Alzheimer’s disease pathology,’ they state. They also note that THC may provide a ‘drug lead’ -- a model for developing new and more effective medications with more targeted effects on AD.”
Another study, published in November by USA Today, suggests that caffeine, too, may act as an anti-Alzheimer’s agent. “ ‘Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world,’ says [Gary] Arendash, a researcher at the Byrd Alzheimer Institute in Tampa. ‘We think it might protect against Alzheimer’s.’ ” Arendash and his colleagues studied the effect of caffeine on mice in the course of searching for a means to stop Alzheimer’s an early stage.
“At later stages,” the report continues, “Alzheimer’s destroys the memory centers in the brain, leading to severe forgetfulness and confusion. Arendash and his colleagues wondered if caffeine, the stimulant in coffee and tea, would slow this process in mice bred to develop an Alzheimer’s-like disease. He gave young Alzheimer’s mice either plain water or water spiked with caffeine — the human equivalent of about five cups of coffee a day.Months later Arendash and his colleagues gave the older mice a series of brain challenges. They found that Alzheimer-stricken mice that had guzzled caffeine could easily find their way through a maze. Mice that got just water had more signs of brain disease and got confused in the maze, he says.” (For a more detailed account see http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-11-05-caffeine-alzheimers_x.htm)
Where does all of this research regarding marijuana, caffeine, and Alzheimer’s leave us? Scientists hasten to note that there is no conclusive evidence yet that either marijuana or caffeine can prevent or interrupt the development of Alzheimer’s in human subjects. But there does seem to be enough circumstantial evidence to at least imply that perhaps the dire warnings we’ve become accustomed to receiving on caffeine and marijuana might have been a bit too sweeping and absolute. So here’s to feeling more guilt-free when sipping that next cup of brew or even, dare we say, when smoking …well, for liability’s sake, we’ll leave the rest of that sentence to your imagination.
Diabetes Awareness and Markers
Since Type II Diabetes continues to be an epidemic in this country, especially among older Americans, and since many Americans have Type II Diabetes but don’t know it, it might be helpful to remind our readers of some of the markers and risk factors of this serious but treatable disease. The markers include: Having a family member with diabetes. Being of Alaska Native, American Indian, African-American, Hispanic/Latino American, Asian American, or Pacific Islander descent. Having had gestational diabetes, or having given birth to at least one baby weighing more than 9 pounds. Having polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS. Blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher, or a diagnosis of hypertension (high blood pressure). Having HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) below 35 mg/dL, or triglyceride levels above 250 mg/dL. Sedentary lifestyle. History of cardiovascular disease; and Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
If you recognize one of more of these risk factors in yourself, a family member, or a loved one, do go to a general practitioner for a check up and mention that you are concerned about Type II Diabetes. The general practitioner can refer you to a specialist, should you need to see one.
Brain Foods for Baby Boomers
USA Weekend recently listed five “brain food tips for baby boomers.” They are: Eat fish (Tuna’s omega 3 fat reduces your odds of developing Alzheimer’s and may also stimulate communication between brain cells.) Drink at least two cups of green tea a day to decrease your chance of cognitive impairment. Eat curry, which contains curcumin, an anti-oxidant. Drink fruit and vegetable juice at least three times a week to decrease your Alzheimer’s risk (this column ran this tip last month). And, finally, but not lastly, trim your intake of saturated animal fat and calories.
Moving Through Chronic Pain
More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic, or on-going, pain. For most sufferers the temptation is to remain sedentary, avoiding the stresses that cause your pain and/or relying on pain-relieving medication for relief. These strategies may work well during the first few days or weeks of onset pain caused by an accident or injury. But for longer-lasting, more persistent pain, such as that caused by arthritis or fibromyalgia, the above ritual is actually counter-intuitive. Researchers suggest that exercise and other measures which use your body to fight through the pain are actually your best defense.
How can this work? “Physical activity triggers biological defenses against what hurts,” says Robin Warshaw of the National Women’s Health Resource Center, who then quotes Steven P. Stanos, Jr., D.O., medical director of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Chronic Pain Center as follows: “With exercise, your body releases its own kind of endogenous [from within] opioids, or pain-fighting chemicals. There are a number of different pain pathways in your body. The endogenous opioid system helps to suppress the pain response.”
Aerobic exercise causes pain perception to go down markedly, according to Warshaw and the experts she interviewed. The rise in endorphin levels that your body experiences with exercise may help your mood as well, an obvious contribution to your overall health and well-being. Warshaw recommends starting any exercise regimen slowly, beginning with stretching and perhaps water aerobics, and stresses that anyone with a chronic pain condition should consult with a professional before engaging in any exercise program. For more hints from her informative article, see http://www.healthywomen.org/take10/november2006/feature.html
And Then There’s Acupuncture
According to the Internet’s Senior Journal,* a study of more than 3,500 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip has found significant lessening of pain and improvement in quality of life for those who were treated with acupuncture compared to patients who received routine care alone. “Led by Claudia M. Witt of the University Medical Center in Berlin, Germany, researchers conducted a randomized, controlled trial of a large number of patients with chronic pain due to OA of the knee or hip. Between July 2001 and July 2004, a total of 3,553 patients were divided into three groups: 322 immediately received up to 15 sessions of acupuncture in the initial three-month period; 310 controls received no acupuncture for the first three months; and 2,921 (those who did not consent to randomization) received the same treatment as the acupuncture group. Each patient was followed for a total of six months, and the control group received acupuncture during the last three months of their study period … Patients with chronic pain due to OA of the knee or the hip who were treated with acupuncture in addition to routine care showed significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life compared with patients who received routine care alone.
“This was true for both the randomized and the non-randomized groups. Furthermore, patients in the control group who received acupuncture only after three months showed similar improvements at six months. Although the study was not a blind trial, its design was chosen to reflect general medical practice. It was one of the largest randomized trials of acupuncture to date and based in part on the results, the German Federal Committee of Physicians and Health Insurers is considering a proposal that acupuncture will be reimbursed by state health-insurance funds. If approved, it will probably be provided as a routine medical option in treating OA.”
*(http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Health/6-10-30-OsteoarthritisPatients.htm)
