Tropical Oils Beat Fat

They've completed two studies on the cooking oil blend that includes 67 percent tropical oils, 13 percent olive oil, 6 percent coconut oil and 5 percent flaxseed oil. It's called Functional Oil, and it was developed by McGill scientists.

The Functional Oil is composed of medium-chain triglycerides while vegetable cooking oils have long-chain triglycerides. When a person consumes Functional Oil, it's directed towards the liver, where it's burned for energy. It heightens a person's metabolism. The oil isn't stored in the body as fat.

The McGill researchers say there's even some data that suggests Functional Oil may reduce appetite.

The two studies included men and women about 25 pounds overweight. They ate a normal diet, but used Functional Oil instead of other cooking oils.

The studies found that men using Functional Oil lost an average of a pound over a month. Women in the studies didn't lose weight but did experience heightened metabolic rates. Cholesterol levels in both the men and women dropped by an average of 13 percent.

Scoliosis: The Health Threat That Starts in Childhood

In fact, it more often strikes young girls and boys just as they hit adolescence.

Late-onset idiopathic scoliosis -- or LIS -- is the most common form of the disease and is generally diagnosed after the age of 10. The condition, which has no known cause other than genetics, affects 3 percent of children between the ages of 8 and 16, and about 60,000 teens in the United States.

It's more common in girls than boys, can appear in children as young as 5, but usually strikes during the adolescent growth spurt. Scoliosis manifests itself as a side-to-side curvature of the spine. On an X-ray, the spine appears more as an "S" or "C" than a straight line. In some cases, the bones in the spine may also rotate so the person's waist or shoulders appear uneven.

"Before we had school screening, we used to see girls come in with their mothers complaining that they had to hem their skirts differently because of the asymmetry it causes, although there was no actual difference in leg lengths," says Dr. Stuart L. Weinstein, a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Iowa.

The trick is to catch the disease when it first appears.

"It's important that primary-care physicians check for this and look for it on each annual exam," says Weinstein. "School check-ups, particularly when one gets to the adolescent growth spurt at 10 to 16 years of age, are also important. Doctors need to look for it, as do families."

The severity of the condition varies widely; some cases merit treatment, such as surgery or bracing, and others do not. For children and teens with mild scoliosis, doctors frequently recommend a strategy of "watchful waiting" -- regular monitoring to make sure the curve doesn't worsen.

If a severe curve is left untreated, however, it can result in not only cosmetic deformities such as asymmetrical shoulders, hips and ribs, it can also push against body organs and lead to heart and breathing problems.

Fortunately, diagnosing LIS is simple.

"The most common way of diagnosing teenage idiopathic scoliosis is with a forward bending exam, in which the school nurse or nurse or pediatrician bends the patient forward and looks for asymmetries in the posterior lumbar spine or posterior chest," says Dr. Keith Bridwell, president of the Scoliosis Research Society.

"If there's any asymmetry of five degrees or more, then the patient is referred to an orthopedic surgeon, who orders a set of X-rays to see if it is or is not scoliosis."

Scoliosis is usually diagnosed when the curvature is 10 degrees or more. Still, the curve needs to reach 25 or 30 degrees for physicians to start worrying. "If it's under about 20 degrees, the probability of it getting worse or causing any health problems is very small," Weinstein says.

There are three basic categories of treatment, depending on the severity of the condition.

If the curve is mild -- say under about 25 degrees -- most doctors recommend "watchful waiting."

"If the child has growth left, it's observation and seeing the child back once in a while," Bridwell says. This category represents the majority of cases. Scoliosis in this mild category may or may not be visible and will not affect activities, including sports.

A smaller number of children have curves in the 25- to 40-degree range, which often require some kind of back brace to stop the curve from getting worse, but not reverse it. There is some controversy over whether bracing is really effective and which children really need it.

"You don't know if you have two equal children what the prognosis is going to be," Weinstein says. "Some feel very sure that bracing prevents progression and others are not so sure."

For severe curves (45 or 50 degrees or more), surgery is generally recommended. Traditionally, surgery has involved fusing the vertebrae of the spine. Today, there are new options, including one procedure that offers an alternative to bracing.

Stapling is a new procedure that seems to be particularly suited to children who are athletes, dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders or are active in some other way and want to remain flexible, says Susan Porth, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Shriner's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

"Basically it involves using surgical staples along the convex or the outer side of the spine that's curving," Porth explains. "The stapling is designed to hold in check the progression of the scoliosis. It's not meant to correct it."

And stapling does not preclude vertebrae fusion in the future if the person needs it. "We haven't done anything that can't be undone," Porth says.

Still, experts say more research and advances are needed to make significant strides against advanced cases of scoliosis.

"We need a much more aggressive standard," says Joseph O'Brien, president of the National Scoliosis Foundation. "It is in the best interest of our adolescent patients to replace the generally accepted wait-and-see approach with an effective non-operative treatment intervention plan. There is a need for more multidisciplinary research and coordination to develop and validate a more effective late-onset treatment plan."

There is scoliosis in our family. The one who has it had an insatiable need for milk during her teen years but her intake was curbed. Her son was the same way during his teen years and he was allowed a gallon if he wanted it.
 
As this hits females more prevalently at puberty there is an indication that resources lost at onset of menses, as well as rapid growth through out these years, may be the culprit.
 
My recomendation ... provide calcium rich foods and listen to their cravings. Children know what their bodies need. -- Jane

Coping with Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue

In fact, as many as 95 percent of those with multiple sclerosis (MS) report having a problem with fatigue, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. More than just feeling shortchanged of a few hours of sleep, those with MS fatigue feel a pervasive tiredness that often interferes with the ability to complete daily activities.

The first step in getting help is to rule out other causes of fatigue, such as depression or sleep problems. If your physician determines that your fatigue is MS-related, there are several treatments that can help ease the constant feeling of exhaustion.

Occupational and physical therapy can help movement or breathing problems that might be causing fatigue. These therapists can design activity planning and exercise programs that may help reduce fatigue. Occupational therapists, in particular, can help you learn to pace your activities and use energy effectiveness strategies.

Medications such as amantadine, modafinil and pemoline may help, but the society cautions these drugs are not a cure and they don't work for every patient. Also, like all medications, they do have side effects.

Lifestyle changes can also be important. Stress management, relaxation exercises, aerobic exercise, sleep regulation or psychotherapy have all been used to treat fatigue. Additionally, feeling overheated is often a culprit in MS fatigue, so it's important to keep cool.

Eating and Aging

The University of Virginia Medical Center suggests ways to deal with these problems:

• Drink seven to eight glasses of water or other fluids per day. This will prevent dehydration and possibly protect against illness.
• Identify the best time of day to eat your biggest meal and then make sure you eat foods full of nutrients.
• Eat with others. You're likely to eat better when a meal is also a social occasion.
• Find ways to make food tastier. Better tasting food sparks the appetite. You can add herbs and spices, maple syrup, bacon bits and butter flavorings.
• Try to eat slowly, sit up straight when you eat, and eat small meals frequently. This will cut down on the amount of gas you have.
• Avoid lying down flat at least one hour after meals. This allows for proper digestion.
• Include softer foods in your diet, such as cottage cheese, yogurt, casseroles made with ground meat or cheese, canned or very soft fruits.
• Have regular dental check-ups.
• If you suffer from dry mouth, relieve the dryness by drinking something between bites of food.[or Drink a glass of water 1/2 hour before eating - this does not dilute the gastric juices]
• Avoid sugary snacks, caffeine drinks, tobacco and alcohol.

Mental Fitness Wards Off Dementia

The study adds to the evidence that stimulating the mind can ward off Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, much as physical exercise can keep the body fit.

The study was led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. It was funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Researchers are eager to establish whether keeping mentally active can help guard against dementia. That would provide a simple, drug-free way of reducing the risk of the widespread, debilitating ailment. About 10 percent of people develop dementia between ages 60 and 70.

"I think the hypothesis is plausible enough that I spent several years of my life trying to figure out what the mechanism is, and I would advise our government to spend millions of dollars trying to figure it out," said Dr. David Bennett, a neurologist at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago. He has done similar research.

In the Einstein College study of 469 elderly people, those in the top third in mental activity had a 63 percent lower risk of dementia than the bottom third. Taking part in a single activity one day a week reduced the risk by 7 percent.

The use-it-or-lose-it notion is not a new idea. Other researchers have discovered evidence that mental activity may guard against dementia. But it is hard to prove, since early dementia without obvious symptoms may cause people to slack off their hobbies. If this is so, dementia affects hobbies — and maybe not the reverse.

The researchers tried to minimize that possibility by considering only those who were dementia-free for seven years after joining the study. They also tried to eliminate the potential role of education and intelligence in guarding against dementia.

This study also took physical exercise into account. Nearly all physical activities, including stair climbing and group exercise, appeared to offer no protection against dementia. The only exception was frequent dancing, perhaps because dance music engages the dancer's mind, suggested lead researcher Joe Verghese, a neurologist at Einstein College.

It is not clear what physiological mechanism might confer the protection. But researchers say evidence is accumulating that the brain is much more easily molded than scientists once thought. Mentally engaging hobbies might lay down new neural pathways, one theory holds.

"The cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which are critical to these activities, are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use," said Dr. Joseph Coyle, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist who wrote an accompanying commentary.

Even if keeping the mind busy offers no protection against dementia, Verghese said doctors can hardly go wrong in recommending it: "If nothing else, it improves the quality of life."

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