4 DISEASES DOCTORS GET WRONG

Doubting your diagnosis?

Read on to find out what you might really have.

Sometimes even the best doctors miss the mark:

HOW ORANGE JUICE IS BETTER FOR HEART

Daily Glass of Orange Juice is Heart Smart

Antioxidant in Orange Juice Linked to Better Blood Vessel Health, Lower Blood Pressure

By Kelli Miller Stacy

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC

Nov 20, 2009 -- An apple a day is said to keep the doctor away, but orange juice may be good at the job, too.

An antioxidant in orange juice called hesperidin improves blood vessel function and helps lower a person’s risk of heart disease, researchers report.

Hesperidin is a plant-based compound called a flavonoid. (Grapes, red wine, green and black teas, and chocolate also contain flavonoids.) A growing body of evidence suggests that flavonoids can improve the health of the delicate cells that line blood vessels. The way these cells work is referred to as "endothelial function." Problems with these cells can lead to the development of clogged arteries, a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

For the study, 24 healthy men at risk for cardiovascular disease each drank either 500 milliliters of orange juice each day, a "dummy" drink that contained the same calories as orange juice, or a dummy drink fortified with 292 milligrams of hesperidin. A 500 milliliter glass of orange juice naturally contains 292 milligrams of hesperidin. Over the course of the study, every man drank every beverage for one month straight.

The researchers found that when the men drank the daily orange juice or the hesperidin-fortified drink, they had better endothelial function and lower diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number of a blood pressure reading) than when they drank the non-hesperidin beverage. In addition, gene expression profiles (as related to cardiovascular disease development) were improved.

The findings are being presented this week at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

GINKGO BILOBA DOESN'T PREVENT HEART ATTACK

But Herb May Help People With Peripheral Vascular Disease, Researchers Say

By Bill Hendrick

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Nov. 24, 2009 -- Ginkgo biloba, a popular herbal supplement, doesn’t prevent cardiovascular death or major events such as stroke and heart attack in people 75 and older, a new study shows.

However, the herb may have some benefit for people with peripheral vascular disease, scientists say in the Nov. 24 issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Further study is needed to support the new evidence that the herb may help people with peripheral vascular disease, researchers say. Peripheral vascular disease involves poor circulation of blood vessels outside the brain and heart. Classic symptoms include pain in the lower legs, typically associated with walking.

Ginkgo biloba has been used for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease in Europe. The researchers note that some studies have suggested that Ginkgo biloba can help increase walking distance before the onset of leg pain related to peripheral vascular disease.

Researchers randomly assigned 3,069 people age 75 and older to a placebo or 120 milligrams of Ginkgo biloba extract taken twice daily. They followed the participants for an average of six years. The main purpose of the original study was to evaluate the effect of the supplement on the development of dementia. No effect on dementia was found. The current findings come from additional analysis from the original study.

During the study period, 355 people died, 87 as a result of coronary heart disease, and there was no significant difference between patients taking Ginkgo biloba or the placebo. The researchers also say there were no differences in the incidents of heart attack or stroke.

Of the 355 patients who died, 197 were in the Ginkgo biloba group, and 188 in the placebo group, the researchers say.

Although there were only 35 peripheral vascular disease events, the researchers detected a possible benefit for those taking Ginkgo biloba.

Lewis H. Kuller, MD, DrPH, of the University of Pittsburgh tells WebMD that a peripheral vascular disease event "means something like amputation, or a major surgical procedure in lower extremities" such as a bypass procedure.

"This is not just people who had pain when they walked or were put on medication because their feet were cold," he says. "These were major surgical events. The numbers are small but they are very solid."

Twelve people taking the herb in the study had peripheral vascular disease events - compared to nearly twice that number, 23, in the placebo group.

“The difference between [Ginkgo biloba] and placebo was significant but based on very small numbers,” the researchers write. “The results are consistent with studies in Europe that reported increased walking time or distance without pain in trials of [Ginkgo biloba] versus placebo” among patients with peripheral vascular disease.

“It is possible that [Ginkgo biloba] has a unique effect on [peripheral vascular disease] by increasing blood flow...”

What is now needed, the researchers write, is a larger clinical trial. They say their findings aren’t sufficient to call for the use of Ginkgo biloba by people at increased risk for peripheral vascular disease, which can be a precursor of strokes and heart attacks.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF ONIONS

Here are some uses and health benefits of Onions. Onions are commonly used with many food preparations, They are very popular as they can also be eaten raw mixed in salad and in our "kinilao". As for health benefits, onions increase the flow of urine, are slightly laxative and have antiseptic qualities. For sinus condition, they help to drain mucus from the cavities and loosen phlegm. Onions also have been found valuable for the hair, nails of the fingers and toes, and for the eyes.

They also have been recommended for cases of asthma (difficult breathing), bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchial tubes), pneumonia, influenza and colds. Onions has also improved cases of low blood pressure, insomnia, neuritis ( inflammation of nerves), vertigo (dizziness), and obesity. It will also help destroy worms and other parasites in the body. A poultice of crushed onions applied to the chest has been reported to relieve cases of inflammation of the lungs (pleurisy). These are some health benefits of Onions. So why don't you add this spice to your special recipe?

Same poultice preparation can also relieve boils on the skin. Even with my adobo, I put onions and ginger because of it's health benefits. Indeed by eating it raw you get many health benefits of Onions.

INSTANT NOODLES CAN CAUSE CANCER

Dear instant noodle lovers,

Make sure you break for at least 3 days after one session of instant noodles before you eat your next packet! Please read the info shared to me by a doctor. My family stopped eating instant noodles more than 5 years ago after hearing about the wax coating the noodles - the wax is not just in the Styrofoam containers but it coats the noodles. This is why the instant noodles do not stick to each other when cooking.

If one were to examine the ordinary Chinese yellow noodles in the market, one will notice that, in their uncooked state the noodles are oily. This layer of oil prevents the noodles from sticking together.

Wanton noodles in their uncooked state have been dusted with flour to prevent them sticking together. When the hawker cooks the noodles, notice he cooks them in hot water and then rinses them in cold water before cooking them in hot water again. This process is repeated several times before the noodles are ready to be served. The cooking and rinsing process prevents noodles from sticking together.

The hawker then "lowers the noodles in oil and sauce to prevent the noodles from sticking if they are to be served dry. Cooking instructions for spaghetti require oil or butter to be added in the water when boiling the spaghetti to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Otherwise, one gets a big clump of spaghetti!

There was an SBC (now TCS) actor some years ago, who at a busy time of his career had no time to cook, resorted to eating instant noodles everyday. He got cancer later on. His doctor told him about the wax in instant noodles. The doctor told him that our body will need up to 2 days to clear the wax. There was also an SIA steward who after moving out from his mother's house into his own house, did not cook but ate instant noodles almost every meal. He had cancer, and has since died from it.

Nowadays the instant noodles are referred as " cancer noodles ".

DIABETES RATE MAY DOUBLE BY 2034

Cost of Treating the Disease Set to Triple, Researchers Say

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

Nov. 27, 2009 --

If nothing is done, the number of Americans with diabetes will nearly double in the next 25 years and spending on the disease will nearly triple, a new study shows.

An aging population combined with a dramatic rise in obesity has created a perfect storm for diabetes in the U.S., researchers say.

"A perfect storm is a good way to look at it," study researcher Elbert S. Huang, MD of the University of Chicago tells WebMD. "If things stay the way they are right now we will have massive increases in diabetes incidence in this country over the next two decades."

By 2034, as many as 44 million Americans will have diabetes, up from 23 million today, according to the new projections, published in the November issue of the American Diabetes Association journal Diabetes Care.

The cost of caring for diabetes patients is projected to rise from $113 billion to $336 annually, and that is before adjusting for inflation.

These costs will outpace the increase in cases because more diabetes patients will be older and sicker and will require more expensive medical care, experts say.

Trouble for Medicare

Age is one of the biggest risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and the transition of baby boomers from middle to old age will drive much of the increase, the study shows.

As a result, by 2034, half of all direct spending in diabetes care is projected to occur in the Medicare population.

About 8 million Americans covered by Medicare now have diabetes and it cost $45 billion to treat them in 2009.

The number of diabetes patients whose treatment is paid for by Medicare is projected to nearly double to 14.6 million in the next 25 years, and the cost of caring for them is expected to quadruple.

By 2034, annual Medicare spending on diabetes care is projected to rise to $171 billion.

Although little can be done about the aging of the population, much can be done about the other major risk factor for type 2 diabetes -- obesity.

About 65% of Americans are overweight, and about one-third are obese, the CDC says.

The obesity rate among adults in the U.S. doubled between 1980 and 2004, but it appears to have leveled off since then.

The new diabetes model developed by the Huang and colleagues predicts a slight decline in obesity rates in the U.S. over the next two decades.

Target Obesity, Change the Future

All agree that a bigger decline in obesity, achieved though successful public health initiatives, could make a huge difference.

The future projected in the newly published study does not have to become reality, experts say.

"The cost of doing nothing is clearly going to be quite high," study co-researcher Michael O'Grady, PhD, said in a news conference. "To do nothing right now is going to cost billions and billions of dollars."

American Diabetes Association chief scientific and medical officer David M. Kendall, MD says it is now clear that even modest lifestyle changes, such as losing a few pounds or taking a walk most days a week, can drastically reduce a person's risk for developing diabetes.

The Diabetes Prevention Program was one of the largest studies ever to examine the impact of diet, exercise, and drug treatments on diabetes rates in patients at high risk for developing the disease.

The study found that these people cut their diabetes risk dramatically by losing just 7% of their body weight and engaging in moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes, a minimum of five times a week.

Early treatment with the diabetes drug metformin also helped delay or prevent diabetes, but to a lesser extent.

"Even modest weight loss and as little as 30 minutes of exercise five or more days a week and inexpensive treatments can keep people healthy," he tells WebMD. "That is really the big message."

SOURCES: Elbert S. Huang, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, department of medicine, University of Chicago.

David M. Kendall, MD, chief scientific and medical officer, American Diabetes Association.

Michael O'Grady, PhD, National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago, Chicago.

News release, American Diabetes Association, Nov. 27, 2009.

CDC National Center for Health Statistics: "Obesity Among Adults in US - No Significant Change Since 2003."

Diabetes Prevention Program results, New England Journal of Medicine, Feb. 7, 2002.