Expressing Anger May Protect Against Stroke And Heart Disease

Men who outwardly express anger at least some of the time may be doing their health a favor: A new study suggests that occasional anger expression is associated with decreased risk of stroke and coronary heart disease

Men with moderate levels of anger expression had nearly half the risk of nonfatal heart attacks and a significant reduction in the risk of stroke compared to men with low levels of anger expression. In the case of stroke, the researchers found that the risk decreased in proportion to increasing levels of anger expression.

The findings indicate “a more complex pattern of associations between anger and cardiovascular disease than previously described,” according to Patricia Eng, Sc.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues.

“Moderate anger expression seems to be protective against cardiovascular disease over a limited follow-up period,” Eng says.

Previous research suggests that chronic anger is related to the development of coronary disease, but few studies examine how different styles of expressing anger might impact the disease, according to the researchers.

The 23,522 study participants, men aged 50 to 85, completed surveys that asked them to rate how often they behaved in certain ways when they were angry, choosing from options like “I argue with others,” and “I do things like slam doors.” Eng and colleagues also documented 328 cases of cardiovascular disease among the men in the two years following the survey.

Among healthy men with no prior history of cardiovascular disease, the protective effects of anger expression were unrelated to how often the men reported feeling angry. Among men who already had heart disease, however, an increased frequency of angry feelings was significantly associated with an increased risk of another bout of heart disease.

The study participants had low levels of anger expression compared to other groups who had taken the survey previously, possibly due to their age and relatively high socioeconomic status, say the researchers.

Individuals with high socioeconomic status are more likely to lead healthier lifestyles and to be in positions of power where they can express anger freely, which may modify any “potentially toxic effects of anger or hostility,” Eng says.

The study is published in the January/February issue of Psychosomatic Medicine and supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

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Nasal spray can beat migraine pain in 30 minutes with relief lasting up to two days

A new fast-acting drug that is inhaled could tackle migraine pain within 30 minutes.

As well as acting quickly, the drug - Levadex - provides relief for up to two days, compared to just a few hours for some drugs.

Results from clinical trials suggest that the new medicine can ease the agony of a migraine faster than existing treatments and with fewer side-effects.

The rapid relief is due to a unique inhaler device, similar in appearance to those used to treat asthma, which propels tiny particles of medicine deep into the lungs.

Once inside the airways, the particles are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream before travelling to the brain to dampen down pain signals.

One in four women and one in 12 men in the UK suffer from frequent migraines. They are thought to be caused by changes in levels of a brain chemical called serotonin.

Low levels of serotonin can make blood vessels in the brain go into spasm, which makes them narrower.

Doctors think this is what causes so-called 'aura', a term used to describe disturbing symptoms such as flashing lights, zigzag patterns and blind spots which can often occur during a migraine.

Meanwhile, the extreme headache occurs when the blood vessels dilate, allowing the blood to rush back.

There are many potential triggers for migraine. For women, these include hormonal changes around the time of their period. Other triggers are stress, tiredness and even strong smells.

Some sufferers experience several attacks a week, but others can go for months or years between migraines.

Lying in a darkened room during an attack often helps soothe the pain.

Treatment often begins with over-the-counter painkillers, such as aspirin or paracetamol.

DO THIS: Eat fried eggs. Canadian scientists have found that frying releases more ACE inhibitors - compounds which dilate the blood vessels and lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart attack. It's thought the intense heat is the key  -  just go easy on the oil.

But in recent years, a new class of drugs has emerged. Called triptans, these are taken as pills, nasal sprays or injections and work by reducing the dilation of blood vessels in the brain.

But triptans only work in about 70 per cent of patients and, even when they do, can take up to 90 minutes to have an effect.

The drugs can also increase blood pressure and trigger nausea. Patients with heart disease, or who have suffered a stroke, cannot take them.

The new drug, developed by U.S. firm MAP Pharmaceuticals, is in the final stages of clinical trials and could be available within the next two years.

The drug is administered through a special inhaler device that fires tiny molecules of it into the body.

These so-called metered-dose inhalers have been used for years in asthma. They work by squirting the drug into the mouth at speeds of up to 50mph.

But many asthma sufferers fail to respond because drug particles become lodged in the back of the throat rather than penetrating the lungs.

The migraine device gets round this by propelling a slow-moving 'cloud' of Levadex particles into the airways that get drawn into the body when the patient breathes in.

Tests show the new inhaler delivers three times as much drug into the lungs as existing ones.

Findings presented at a recent meeting of the International Headache Society in California showed Levadex eased headache pain in around 30 minutes for most patients and provided relief for up to 48 hours for one in three of them.

Lee Tomkins, director of Migraine Action, said the new drug could make a big difference to patients.

'It may offer an exciting new way to deal with this debilitating condition. A new treatment which deals with symptoms quickly and has few side-effects would have a big impact.'

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Bad breath?

It could all be due to a nasty case of tonsil stones

Bad breath, or halitosis, is one of the great unmentionables, despite the fact it affects a huge number of people - as many as seven million Britons - who spend more than £150 million each year on mouthwash alone trying to get rid of it.

The problem is often linked to smoking and not brushing your teeth properly - this causes the bacteria in the mouth linked to bad breath to flourish.

But for many people, no amount of brushing or sweet-smelling products seems to make a difference. That's because their problem is triggered by a little known but surprisingly common condition - tonsil stones. We tend to associate stones with the kidneys or gall bladder, but it seems stones can also form on our tonsils, where they appear as small white spots.

Experts say tonsil stones are little understood by many doctors - indeed patients are often told there's nothing wrong with them or that what they see on their tonsils is simply the remains of last night's dinner. In fact, the problem affects thousands of people - it's particularly common in those who've suffered from tonsillitis or who have a dry mouth as a result of medication such as painkillers.

The tonsils are sacs of lymphatic tissue on either side of the throat. They are part of the body's immune system and contain lymphocytes - cells that prevent and fight infections. The tonsils are meant to function like nets, trapping incoming bacteria and virus particles passing through your throat and preventing them travelling through the body.

Their location makes them the front line of defence against infections of the throat and upper airways. However, it also means they become a potential trap for food particles. Tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths, as they are also known, are actually lumps of calcified food, mucus and bacteria, explains Anastasia Rachmanidou, a consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at University Hospital Lewisham, South-East London.

'Once bits of debris get trapped, they attract bacteria, harden and start to decay, which is why sufferers can have bad breath,' she says.

They can also suffer from a bad 'metallic' taste in the mouth. Adults are more at risk simply because they have bigger tonsils; the tonsils have a naturally pitted surface like the moon and, as we grow, these pits or crypts also get bigger, making them more likely to harbour food.

Anyone who's had tonsillitis is also at risk, as the illness can scar the tonsil. Taking certain prescription medicines, such as high blood pressure tablets, painkillers and antidepressants, can also cause the problem, as a side-effect is dry mouth - if you don't have enough saliva to wash food and bacteria away, this can trigger tonsil stones or exacerbate them.

Though many clinicians are unfamiliar with tonsil stones, the problem is widespread. French researchers found that in a sample of 515 scans, 31 people - about 6 per cent - had calcified matter in their tonsils.

Drink plenty of water to flush out hidden bacteria

A Brazilian study found tonsilloliths were present in 75 per cent of tonsillitis patients who had bad breath and in only 6 per cent with normal breath. Some experts say the numbers affected could rise. 'They are already not uncommon and it's possible we will see even more of them as we no longer take out tonsils as much as we used to,' explains Mr Gerald Brookes, a consultant at the London Clinic and the Royal National Throat, Mouth and Ear Hospital.

The difficulty, he says, is that the condition is often missed because the small white spots on the tonsils are also characteristic of a throat infection. 'It is very common for patients who see this small white bead to think this, especially if the stone gives them a little localised soreness around the throat.'

However, some won't suffer any soreness - instead, they might notice it as a maddening feeling that something is stuck at the back of their throat. Tonsil stones can cause a variety of symptoms and will not always be visible to the naked eye (if hidden in the folds of the tonsils, they might be detectable only with a CT or MRI scan).

Depending on the location or size of the tonsil stone, it may also be difficult or painful to swallow foods or liquids. And because of shared nerve networks, the patient may feel referred pain in their ear, even though the stone itself is not touching the ear. So, occasionally, someone with tonsil stones, says Mr Brookes.

Often the stones, which tend to be between two to five millimetres in size, spontaneously come off, says dentist Dr Phil Stemmer, from the Teeth For Life clinic. 'They can just get swallowed or can be spat out.' If you have particularly craggy tonsils, it is possible to smooth the nooks that trap food in the tonsils, adds Ms Rachmanidou.

Doing this requires a laser, a procedure known as laser resurfacing, to take off the top layer of tissue. In this way, the edges of the pits are flattened out, so they can no longer trap any material. Without surgery, there is very little else to prevent the problem if you have craggy tonsils. However, good oral hygiene, brushing your teeth, flossing and using a non-alcoholic mouthwash twice-a-day will help to flush the food away.

Also, it might be possible to remove tonsil stones by flushing them out with warm salt water. This can be done by emptying a nasal spray bottle and filling it with warm water and half a teaspoon of salt to spray onto the tonsils.

Or you can buy an oral irrigation device such as the Waterpik Ultra Cordless Water Jet WP450 (£34.99, available at www.chemist direct.co.uk).

'Pushing the tongue out hard and so pushing the muscles at the side of the throat may also help dislodge the stones, too,' adds Mr Brookes.

Drinking plenty of water is also important, as this keeps the saliva moving throughout the oral cavity and flushes out hidden bacteria. Even chewing on a dry cracker every day may also help rub away the tonsil stones. A more drastic option is to have the tonsils removed.

However, dentist Phil Stemmer says this is not something he would routinely recommend.

'Apart from the fact that a tonsillectomy is an operation under general anaesthetic, the tonsils are very important to prevent infection. And like any operation, there can be complications, such as bleeding.'

But it's vital to get any white spots on your tonsils checked out by your GP, insists Ms Rachmanidou.

'Though very rare, a lesion, spot or white patch can be a sign of cancer, so your GP will want to refer you to a specialist just to be sure,' she says.

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about viagra

For guys, Viagra offers peace of mind. But what do women get out of it?

The other day, I had a bit of a tantrum about Viagra. Somebody, somewhere, was sending me ads for the stuff several times a day. It probably wasn't even real Viagra, but some cheap copy. Who, I thought, would make cheap copies of Viagra and send me emails in broken English to advertise it?

'She will call you a maniac if you take half a pill,' said one of these emails. 'Say STOP to rod weakness,' said another.

I've been getting them for a while now, and it's beginning to make me uneasy. Who are these people, anyway? Are they Russian? And why are they picking on me?

I told myself to relax. Calm down, I thought, as I deleted the pesky ads. Viagra - or the drug it's based on, sildenafil - is a jolly good thing.

Haven't these little blue pills improved the life of every man on the planet? If you need them - well, Bob's your uncle. And Bob most certainly wasn't your uncle before the late Nineties. Then again, if you don't need them - well, there they are, awaiting their moment. Of course, that moment might never come. But it might!

And it's such a horrible thought. Devastating. The idea of one's entire masculinity collapsing, the whole house of cards, like one of the Twin Towers. And not just at some random time - but the exact wrong moment!

It must be like going on stage and finding you've forgotten your lines. And then what would happen? Either the audience would walk out, or they would try to console you. Aargh! I don't know which would be worse.

So Viagra is good news, then. Well, isn't it? Now every man alive can go about his business, having had an entire layer of anxiety removed. It's even better than having a smoke alarm fitted, or buying a car with airbags. For a guy, Viagra represents peace of mind.

Who knew? Nearly 6.5m viagra tablets were issued in England in 2008, costing the NHS an estimated £35m

Like anything that appeals to guys, it works in a mechanical way that's easy to understand. It knocks out an enzyme that blocks the flow of blood. What are you doing there, you stupid enzyme? Can't you see you're blocking the way? In a couple of minutes there's going to be a whole lot of blood coming along here - so scram!

Experiments have shown this drug can keep flowers fresh in a vase, and it also stops hamsters from getting jet lag. Anyway, it's great for guys. But can there be another side to the story? Apparently, 20 million men have had 'the Viagra conversation' with their doctors.

Let's say, conservatively, 10 million have got their hands on the drug. And let's say that each guy wants to have sex once a week.

This means that, every year, the world needs to meet a new male demand for sex to the tune of 520 million units. And who will meet that demand? The obvious answer is women.

But do the world's women want sex 520 million more times every year? I don't suppose they do. Five-hundred-and-twenty-million times? And remember: 520 million is a conservative estimate.

Emotional: For women, sex is not a mechanical business that can be helped with a pill

Bottom line: there must be a shortfall. There must be guys out there with new demands, who are not having those demands met.

Still, we live in a capitalist world, a world in which, as Adam Smith told us, demands are always met, because entrepreneurs will always see them as money-making opportunities.

And somebody did come up with a bright idea: why not give sildenafil to women? That way, surely, millions more pills would be sold, and lots more sex would be desired. The perfect solution?

It seems not. How many women have you heard of that take female versions of Viagra? Not 10 million - I can pretty much guarantee you that.

That's because Viagra doesn't work in the same way for women as it does for men. Sure, it knocks out the same enzyme.

Sure, it increases blood flow. It probably helps female hamsters with their jetlag, too.

But women are not like men - not when it comes to sex, anyway. For women, sex is not a mechanical business.

It's not just about getting the machinery working. It's about all those other things men tend to forget about - meaningful glances and feeling safe and proper conversation and hugging and listening.

You can fix male sexual dysfunction with a pill. But if you want to do the same thing for a woman, you normally need to come up with a relationship. And that's something you can't synthesise in a lab.

So maybe Viagra's not a good thing for women. And if it's not good for women, maybe, in the end, it's not good for any of us. And how many hamsters have you seen at airports?

Still, it's good for flowers, which is a start. In any case, I wish they'd stop sending me those emails.

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Good News For Women Who Love Coffee

Drinking Coffee Good For Women When It Comes To Stroke

Submitted by Ramona Bates MD on Feb 18th, 2009

Like many people, I love coffee, so it was nice to see this article on the "coffee consumption of women" published online before print in the February 16 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Dr Esther Lopez-Garcia and colleagues analyzed data from a prospective group of 83 076 women in the Nurses' Health Study. At the beginning of the study none of the women had any history of stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. The researchers first assessed coffee consumption in 1980 and then followed up every 2 to 4 years through 2004.

With more than 20 years of data, the researchers found that long term consumption of coffee was not linked to higher risk of stroke. Instead they found it was linked to a modest reduction of stroke risk among women. Drinking three cups of coffee a day reduced the risk by nearly 20 per cent compared to drinking less than one cup of coffee a month.

The study documented the number and types of strokes that occurred in these women during the years 1980 – 2004. A total of 2280 strokes occurred (426 were hemorrhagic, 1224 were ischemic, and 630 were undetermined).

The relative risks of stroke decreased as the amount of coffee consumed went up. The relative risk of stroke in a woman who drank less than one cup per month was noted to be 0.98 compared to a relative risk of 0.81 for a woman who drank 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day.

The noted protection held even in women with high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, and smokers. Other drinks containing caffeine such as tea and caffeinated soft drinks were not associated with stroke.

The authors concluded that long-term consumption of coffee will not increase the risk of stroke in women, but may modestly reduce that risk. Good news for those of us who love coffee.

For more information on Strokes:

National Stroke Association

Source

Coffee Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Women;

Esther Lopez-Garcia, Fernando Rodriguez-Artalejo, Kathryn M. Rexrode, Giancarlo Logroscino, Frank B. Hu, and Rob M. van Dam.; Circulation published online before print February 16, 2009. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.826164

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