South African Reserachers have found that if a marathon runner loses 3% of body weight during the race, the chances of winning increases.

The researchers gathered data on 643 competitors, 560 male and 83 female, who completed the Mont Saint Michel Marathon race in France in 2009. They ran 42 kilometers (26.0975 miles).

The study took place during the 2009 Mont Saint-Michel Marathon (France). 643 marathon finishers (560 males and 83 females) were studied. The change in body weight during the race was calculated from measurements of each runner’s body weight immediately before and after the race.

They found that body weight loss during the marathon was inversely related to race finishing time in 643 marathon runners and was >3% in runners completing the race in less than 3 h.

The researchers found that those with the best finishing times were also the individuals who had lost the most weight.

Runners who finished in four hours lost an average of under 2% of their body weight, compared to 2.5% among those who finished within three to four hours.

Those who finished their run within three hours lost at least 3% of their body weight.

Condoms

You or your partner can roll the condom on to the penis. Some couples do it together as an enjoyable part of sex.

If you are new to Male condoms, here is a step by step guide:-

1. When the penis is hard, and before there’s any genital-to-genital contact, carefully take the condom out of the packet. Be careful with sharp jewellery or fingernails that might tear the condom.

2. If the penis has a foreskin, gently roll it back before putting on the condom.

3. Before you put the condom on the penis, unroll the condom a little bit to check that it’s the right way round and will unroll properly.

4. Squeeze the tip of the condom to get rid of any air, then place it over the tip of the penis.

5. Roll the condom all the way down to the base of the penis. If it won’t roll down, it’s the wrong way round. Throw this condom away and start again with a new one because there could be semen on the tip of the previous condom.

6. If you’re using lubricant, make sure that it’s water-based. Oil-based lubricant (such as lotion, baby oil and lipstick) can damage latex condoms.

7. Check during sex that the condom hasn’t slipped off (you should be able to feel it with your fingers at the base of the penis).

8. After sex, withdraw carefully while the penis is still hard. Hold the base of the condom to stop it coming off and to prevent any sperm from leaking.

9. Wrap the condom in a tissue and put in the bin. Don’t put it down the toilet because this can cause blockages.

Condoms don’t last forever. Change the condom after 30 minutes of sex because friction can weaken the condom, which makes it more likely to break or fail.

* Remember, condoms can prevent HIV & AIDS!

* Read the Useful Tips to avoid Condom Failure!

Insulin Vial

According to the study, undertaken by the British Medical Journal and Channel 4 News, ‘analogue insulin’ – derived from animals or genetically engineered – can cost up to five times that of conventional insulin – taken from human donors.

About 80 per cent of insulin used in Britain is now analogue insulin, according to the report, with two brands dominating the market – Levemir by Novo Nordisk and Lentus by Sanfi-aventis.

But Dr Amanda Adler, of the Diabetes Trials Unit at Oxford University, said that around nine in 10 people with Type II diabetes “would probably do quite well on these human insulins compared with the long acting insulin analogues”.

According to Hans Hogerzeil, director of the World Health Organisation’s Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies, “The global insulin market is dominated by two giant companies who are pushing a new type of insulin analogue at three to five times the cost of human insulin, while its marginal cost-effectiveness is not fully established.”

Deborah Cohen, investigations editor of the BMJ, and Philip Carter, of Channel 4 News, argued in the journal: “Health services and individuals across the world are paying the price for this market drive.”

According to the report, diabetes medication in the UK alone is worth 9-10 Billion per year and the drug companies are marketing it – so as to push the more expensive insulin rather than the cheaper insulin.

The growth in diabetes drug revenue has been caused in part by rising numbers of people with diabetes; partly by more aggressive approaches to glucose lowering; but mainly by increasing unit costs for insulin—a cost that can be attributed to the use of more expensive recombinant insulin analogues.

Sanofi’s ambition to be, in effect, the dominant force means wresting control from the traditional heavyweights of the insulin world, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. However, health services and individuals across the world are paying the price for this market drive, which has seen more expensive analogue insulins taking the place of cheaper human insulin.

The authors have calculated that the National Health Service of UK would have saved upto 250 million Pounds over 5 years if the change over to the more expensive, analogue insulin had not taken place.

In countries, where the patients have to pay from their own pockets like US and India, this would mean significant savings for patients.

Less than 18 months after proclaiming amalgam dental fillings safe, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Tuesday begins rehearing evidence on one of the most controversial topics in dentistry – whether these so-called silver fillings are safe.

Professional organizations representing dentists say the amalgam – about 50 percent liquid mercury in a composition of powdered copper, tin and silver – is not only safe, but also one of the most effective and inexpensive dental products on the market.

The amalgam has been used in the United States and elsewhere for more than 150 years.

But four consumer advocacy organizations have mounted a challenge to the FDA’s March 2009 ruling. They cite a range of new studies that point to neurological conditions and even Alzheimer’s disease as consequences of some people’s dental work. The organizations are asking the FDA’s dental-products panel to, at the very least, reclassify the amalgam to bar its use in pregnant women and children. The organizations, however, have stated publicly they would prefer to see the amalgam banned. Denmark, Sweden and Norway have banned the use of the fillings. Other countries – Canada, Germany, France and Italy – have restricted its use.

The groups are also accusing the FDA and the American Dental Association of maintaining too cozy a relationship with the dental products industry. They note that FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg is a former official with Long Island-based Henry Schein Inc., a dental amalgam company, and divested her Schein stock one day before the agency’s amalgam ruling last year.

Nancy Stade, deputy director of policy in the FDA’s medical device division, said panelists will weigh evidence from several scientific studies during the two-day meeting in Maryland, which ends Wednesday. Speakers who say they’ve been harmed by their fillings, Stade said, will be allowed to speak for four minutes.

Denise Knight, 55, a Holbrook resident and former flight attendant, said she’s been cleared to address panelists. Knight tells a harrowing story of what she believes was mercury poisoning that forced her to quit her job 10 years ago and left her too sick to return to work. The illnesses she attributes to mercury include severe memory loss, colon and heart problems, and breast cancer.

“My whole life was taken away from me,” said Knight, who said her symptoms began when she had the fillings removed. Knight saw an alternative medicine physician who treated her over a three-year period with chelation therapy, an infusion treatment to purge lead from the blood. The treatment is considered offbeat by conventional medical standards.

Aspirin

Research at Oxford University by British Researchers and other centres found that it cut overall cancer deaths by at least a fifth.

The study, published in the Lancet, covered some 25,000 patients, mostly from the UK.

Experts say the findings show aspirin’s benefits often outweighed its associated risk of causing bleeding.

Aspirin is already known to cut the risk of heart attack and stroke among those at increased risk. But the protective effects against cardiovascular disease are thought to be small for healthy adults, and aspirin increases the risks of stomach and gut bleeds.

However, this latest research shows that when weighing up the risks and benefits of taking aspirin, experts should also consider its protective effect against cancer.

Those patients who were given aspirin had a 25% lower risk of death from cancer during the trial period and a 10% reduction in death from any cause compared to patients who were not given the drug.

Taking long term daily aspirin benefits in reducing the cancer risk of the following cancer’s:

• Reduce 20-year prostate cancer risk by 10%
• Reduce lung cancer risk by 30%
• Reduce bowel cancer risk by 40%
• Reduce esophageal/throat cancer risk by 60%

Study leader, Professor Peter Rothwell at Oxford University, England, has been on daily aspirin himself for the last two years. He believes his team’s findings will have a major impact on public health policy. He adds that daily aspirin appears to be more beneficial than screening.

The researchers think that the best time to start daily aspirin would be when the risk of most cancers starts to rise significantly; during a person’s mid-40s.

Professor Chris Hawkey, President of the British Society of Gastroenterology said:

“The study from Prof Rothwell represents strong evidence that aspirin can prevent the development of cancer, especially in the gastrointestinal tract, It is of more than academic interest: it should stimulate a re-evaluation of the role of aspirin with wider use of the drug. At the same time, we are acutely aware that aspirin is not without risks. In particular, it can cause internal ulcer bleeding and patients on aspirin should take a protective anti-ulcer drug such as omeprazole.

But aspirin is not the only measure needed to reduce the risks of cancer. Lifestyle measures such as remaining slim, not smoking or drinking to excess and eating a healthy diet all have an important part to play. People should not ignore warning symptoms like rectal bleeding especially if associated with tummy pain, change in bowel habit or weight loss.”

Blood Pressure Monitor

Pfizer is withdrawing the blood pressure drug Thelin from Europe, Canada and Australia and halting clinical trials it was conducting in a years-long quest to gain approval in the United States, the company said on Friday.

Thelin, a treatment for severe pulmonary arterial hypertension, can cause life-threatening liver problems, Pfizer said after two patients died in a clinical trial.

The Food and Drug Administration has rejected applications to market the drug in the United States at least three times in recent years, out of concern that the risks outweighed the drug’s effectiveness — concerns apparently validated by Pfizer’s announcement.

Drug companies and some business and political interests have often complained that the F.D.A. is too cautious to approve new drugs and medical devices, depriving Americans of needed treatment. Those critics say Europe has acted more in patients’ interests by approving medical advances faster.

But today’s voluntary withdrawal shows such wariness was warranted in the case of Thelin.

The drug was approved in Europe in 2006 and in Canada and Australia in 2007, even as the F.D.A. was turning back applications to bring it to American markets.

Worldwide sales of Thelin were $44.4 million in the first nine months of 2010, Pfizer said. The  drug maker, which is based in New York, acquired Thelin when it bought Encysive Pharmaceuticals in 2008.

Remember to monitor your blood pressure using home blood pressure monitors.

Pfizer’s decision was based on a review of emerging safety information from clinical trials and post-marketing reports.  While liver toxicity is a known complication of the class of drugs to which Thelin belongs, a new potentially life-threatening idiosyncratic risk of liver injury with Thelin has been observed. Given the availability of alternate treatments, Pfizer has concluded that the overall benefit of Thelin no longer outweighs the risk in the general population of PAH patients.  The Company has notified health authorities about this finding and its decision to voluntarily withdraw Thelin from the market and stop clinical studies.

“Pfizer’s priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of patients, and we are in the process of communicating all of this information to the appropriate medical professionals and regulatory authorities in all regions as quickly as possible,” said Cara Cassino, MD, vice president, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs for Pfizer’s Pulmonary Vascular Disease unit.

Pfizer recommends that no new patients be prescribed Thelin and that patients receiving Thelin be transitioned to appropriate alternate therapies as soon as safely possible according to best local practice.  Patients taking Thelin or participating in Thelin studies are advised to consult with their health care professional as soon as possible.  Patients should not stop taking Thelin until they speak to their health care professional.

Blood Pressure Monitor

Home blood pressure monitors may help people keep their blood pressure in check and possibly reduce their medications — but only if patients and their physicians put those home readings to good use, according to findings in a new research review on Hypertension.

Analysis of 37 international clinical trials found that on average, adults with high blood pressure who were assigned to use home monitors were able to cut down their blood pressure by a few points compared to those who stuck with doctor’s office visits to get their readings.

The home monitor users were also twice as likely to reduce the number of blood pressure medications they needed.

Researchers said the findings should encourage people with high blood pressure to invest in home monitors. The devices generally range from about $25 to over $100, depending on model and features.

“Everyone who wants to know how well (their) blood pressure is controlled should monitor blood pressure at home,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Rajiv Agarwal of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

He said, however, that blood pressure monitors are like treadmills. People buy them with good intentions, but how they use them is what matters.

In the study, Agarwal and colleagues found that home monitoring tended to work better when it was part of a general plan to lower medications if readings were good.

A few studies Agarwal’s team reviewed tested so-called telemonitoring, in which wired technology is used to automatically send BP readings to the doctor’s office. Those studies tended to show greater effects on blood-pressure control than studies using traditional BP monitors.

Currently, though, telemonitoring is not commonly used and studies are still investigating its value.

The findings from the trials included a total of 9,446 men and women with high BP. Researchers randomly assigned some patients to use home monitors and the rest to stay with office-based measurements. Most of the studies followed patients for 2 months up to one year.

Overall, home monitor users saw their BP drop by 2 to 3 points, and most studies came out in favor of home monitoring over office-based monitoring alone — though the differences were generally small.

Patients using home monitors were also more likely to reduce their medications. In one of the larger trials, 51 out of 203 home-monitor patients reduced their number of medications, versus 22 of 197 patients who didn’t use home monitors.

Agarwal’s team believed those results may be because home monitoring helps detect the “white coat effect” — when a person’s blood pressure spikes in the doctor’s office.

Dr. Giuseppe Mancia, who co-wrote an editorial published with the study, agreed that home monitors are a good investment.

“I definitely believe that all (high blood pressure) patients should be advised by their physician to use a home BP monitor,” Mancia, of the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy.

Mancia pointed out, however, that patients should use the monitors only as often as their doctors recommend, and not become obsessive about checking their numbers. Obsessive monitoring may spur anxiety, which could boost blood pressure.

Fat Man

Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle report in the journal of General Hospital Psychiatry that losing weight while depressed is difficult when compared to losing weight when not depressed.

They also found that an overweight individual has a significantly greater risk of having depression compared to people of normal weight for their age and height.

Women aged 40 to 65 with body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more and co-occurring symptoms of depression were identified by a population-based survey, by the researchers led by Dr. Gregory Simon.

* A total of 203 of these women were enrolled in one of two behavioral treatment programs: one focused on weight loss and another on both weight loss and depression.

* Both programs included up to 26 group sessions over 12 months.

* Assessments at baseline, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months included measurement of weight, depressive symptoms, self-reported physical activity and estimated caloric intake (via food frequency questionnaire).

Yoga

Satpal Maharaj, 59, a Congress MP is lobbying for a law that will make yoga compulsory in the country’s junior schools, where he says it will help with discipline, fitness and dealing with “computer-related stress”.

Satpal Maharaj, said a recent trip to China had inspired him to push for the law, which would take yoga into India’s 217,000 junior schools where children begin their education at around five.

“We saw school children practicing Tai Chi Chuan (martial art) with great discipline in China and I thought, ‘We gave yoga to the world but we are ignoring it in India and we must bring it into our schools’,” Maharaj told AFP.

Yoga, which in the Sanskrit language means “union” or “integration”, involves the practice of numerous physical postures called asanas and is usually combined with long meditation sessions.

Indian scholars believe yoga dates back 5,000 years, based on archaelogical evidence of poses found inscribed on stones and references to Yogic teachings in the ancient Hindu scriptures of knowledge, known as the Vedas.

Maharaj, who represents the constituency of Garhwal in the Himalayan foothills, said yoga could help schoolchildren and teachers to deal with age-old problems as well as contemporary ailments.

“Western diseases like computer-related stress have come to India, and yoga at an young age will help reduce these ailments – and besides, it will also encourage children to attend class,” he said.

The draft law, called the Compulsory Teaching of Yoga in Educational Institutions Act, states “our modern education is missing out on yoga education and is, therefore, incomplete without it”.

Maharaj said he was sure of cross-party support for his project in parliament once business resumes there.

Exposure to tobacco smoke – even occasional smoking or secondhand smoke – causes immediate damage to your body that can lead to serious illness or death, according to a report released today by U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin.  The comprehensive scientific report – Benjamin’s first Surgeon General’s report and the 30^th tobacco-related Surgeon General’s report issued since 1964 – describes specific pathways by which tobacco smoke damages the human body and leads to disease and death.

The report, How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease, finds that cellular damage and tissue inflammation from tobacco smoke are immediate, and that repeated exposure weakens the body’s ability to heal the damage.

“The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale causing damage immediately,” Benjamin said in releasing the report.  “Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage your DNA, which can lead to cancer.”

“Over the last two years we have stepped up efforts to reduce tobacco use, including implementing legislation to regulate tobacco products, investing in local tobacco control efforts and expanding access to insurance coverage for tobacco cessation” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. “This will remain a key priority of this Administration.”

The report also explains why it is so difficult to quit smoking. According to the research, cigarettes are designed for addiction. The design and contents of current tobacco products make them more attractive and addictive than ever before. Today’s cigarettes deliver nicotine more quickly and efficiently than cigarettes of many years ago.

Tobacco smoke contains a deadly mixture of more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds, of which hundreds are toxic and at least 70 cause cancer. Every exposure to these cancer-causing chemicals could damage DNA in a way that leads to cancer. Exposure to smoke also decreases the benefits of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Smoking causes more than 85% of lung cancers and can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body. One in three cancer deaths in the U.S. is tobacco-related.

The report describes how the delicate lining of the lungs becomes inflamed as soon as it is exposed to the chemical mixture in cigarette smoke. Over time, the smoke can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause cardiovascular disease and could trigger acute cardiac events, such as heart attack. The report describes how chemicals from tobacco smoke quickly damage blood vessels and make blood more likely to clot. The evidence in this report shows how smoking causes cardiovascular disease and increases risks for heart attack, stroke, and aortic aneurysm.

Smoking causes many other harmful effects throughout the body, including making it harder for diabetics to control their blood sugar.  Smoking makes it harder for women to get pregnant and can cause a miscarriage, preterm delivery, low birth weight, as well as damage to fetal lungs and brain tissue. Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome, the report finds.

“This report makes it clear – quitting at any time gives your body a chance to heal the damage caused by smoking,” the Surgeon General said. “It’s never too late to quit, but the sooner you do it, the better.”

Fortunately, there are now more effective ways to help people quit than ever before. Nicotine replacement is available over the counter and doctors can prescribe medications that improve the chances of successful quit attempts.

Smoking is harmful to health