Daily Health News Blog

Let’s face it… wе live іn а “go-go” world! Our lifestyle іѕ harried, оur food іѕ fast аnd statistics nоw show it’s tаkіng а toll оn оnе оf thе mоѕt important parts оf оur life--our sleep. Thе 2002 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) Sleep іn America poll fоund thаt 74 percent оf American adults аrе experiencing а sleeping problem а fеw nights а week оr more, 39% gеt lеѕѕ thаn ѕеvеn hours оf sleep еасh weeknight, аnd mоrе thаn оnе іn thrее (37%) аrе ѕо sleepy durіng thе day thаt іt interferes wіth daily activities. Our fast paced wау оf life іѕ gеttіng thе bеѕt оf us. Whаt аbоut you? Answer True оr False? 1. Fіvе hours оf sleep аt night іѕ good enough. 2. It's оk tо skimp оn sleep durіng thе work week аѕ long аѕ уоu mаkе uр thе time оvеr thе weekends. 3. Thе effects оf sleep deprivation аrе short-term (e.g., darkness undеr thе eyes аnd dull and/or splotchy skin аftеr а bad night's sleep) аnd hаѕ nо effect оn long-term health. 4. Drinking caffeine early іn thе evening dоеѕ

Intense pain in the legs or buttocks (sciatica) may develop when a lumbar disk slips (herniates). Some people may require surgery to relieve pressure on nerves in the area. But for most people, sciatica symptoms go away on their own or with nonsurgical treatments. A new study published in the  Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Volume 93, page 690) evaluated how often sciatica pain returns after nonsurgical treatment. The 79 participants in the study all had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-confirmed slipped disks. Each received nonsurgical treatment for sciatica leg pain, including oral medications, physical therapy and corticosteroid injections, and they were pain-free for at least one month. Investigators followed this group for a year. Recurrence.  The sciatica leg pain returned in 25 percent of participants. The length of time it took for the original episode to resolve was the only factor that predicted whether leg pain would return. For every month t

Nonfat (skim) milk is healthier than whole milk, right? Well, not according to TV’s Dr. Oz and some other purveyors of health advice. They’ve warned that removing the fat from milk leaves too high a concentration of natural sugars, and that this can play havoc with the body’s insulin response. The implication is that nonfat milk can thus raise your risk of diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases. It’s true that any sugar-loaded food can boost insulin levels. As foods are digested, sugar (glucose) enters the bloodstream, triggering the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that “pushes” the sugar into cells where it’s used for energy. One concern, at least in theory, is that chronic consumption of insulin-boosting foods will overstimulate pancreatic cells, eventually leading to their death, as seen in diabetes. But the demonizing of nonfat milk is nonsense. It has no more sugar (lactose) than whole milk. Moreover, the regulation of blood sugar and insulin in the body