Archive for the ‘Environmental’ Category

Each Monday I answer a question posed by one of our readers. If you have an interesting question which you think will have broad appeal please send it to dailydose@righthealth.com. This week’s question comes from Monica M:

Q: Does eating honey help keep allergy symptoms at bay?

A: I picked this question because it’s allergy season again and people are always looking for that wonder cure for their symptoms. Unfortunately, new treatments for allergic rhinitis (aka seasonal allergies, hay fever) have been few and far between. The most common therapies include avoidance of the allergen, antihistamines, nasal decongestants, and nasal steroids. If your symptoms are severe enough, an allergist may try immunotherapy. A couple of things that have been popular in the US in recent years is the neti pot and local honey. A neti pot is a container designed to irrigate your nasal cavity. Some people who use it regularly say it works better than medications. Local honey treatment refers to the idea of consuming raw, unpasturized honey that is produced by bees which live in the immediate region you live. The idea is that you are consuming honey with small amounts of intact pollens and allergens from the plants which you are likely allergic to. In this way, by exposing yourself to small amounts of allergens your body will be less likely to mount a severe immune response over time. This works, in theory. But, studies are still lacking to say that it is a definite cure. As well, keep in mind that this may work for allergies to plants, but not to molds or animals for obvious reasons. If this is something you’d like to try, there are a few cautions which you should heed. Unpasturized honey can cause allergic reactions – especially because there can be a lot of potential allergens in it. Also, honey can contain bacteria which causes botulism, especially in children. Therefore, unpasturized and/or improperly prepared and stored honey should never be given to young children. And as always, it’s a good idea to first speak with your doctor before starting any new drugs or therapies.

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A new Cochrane Systematic Review incorporating over 16 thousand subjects has found that flexible working hours can have positive impacts on a variety of health outcomes including blood pressure, sleep and mental health. European countries are looking at the study with interest due to their recent trend towards more flexible working hours. “Flexible working seems to be more beneficial for health and wellbeing where the individuals control their own work patterns, rather than where employers are in control,” said the review lead, Clare Bambra of the Wolfson Research Institute, Durham University in the UK. “Given the limited evidence base, we wouldn’t want to make any hard and fast recommendations, but these findings certainly give employers and employees something to think about.” It’s logical that flexible work hours may lessen stress and improve productivity, but does this hold true for all employees and professions? Would flexible working hours further increase the divide among socioeconomic groups if they were more readily available to higher status occupations? [via Medical News Today]

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The world of industrial design doesn’t always take into consideration the health and safety of our senior citizens. For example, did you know that annually over 2,600 US senior citizens sustain serious elevator-related injuries? In a report in the January issue of the Journal of Trauma Injury, Infection and Critical Care researchers found that three-quarters of the injured seniors were women, more than half of the injuries were due to trips and falls, and one-third were as a result of elevator doors closing on the injured party. Senior citizens are more prone to elevator injuries due to decreased vision, balance problems, and their use of walking aids, which can impede ambulation. Study author Greg Steele is also advocating the elevator industry to implement larger elevator open buttons. “Elevator open buttons should be made twice the size of the other elevator buttons so they are not hard to find by passengers who want to stop the door from closing on an approaching individual,” Steele said. “This would be very inexpensive to change because electronics don’t have to be altered, just the button. Certainly all newly installed or updated elevators should have such buttons.” [via Health Day]

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A new study announced today by the American Academy of Neurology suggests that workers exposed to the industrial chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) were five and a half times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. Researchers studied 99 pairs of twins in which only one of the twins had Parkinson’s disease. Many of those who developed Parkinson’s had a history of exposure to the chemical through various jobs including dry cleaners, machinists, mechanics or electricians. TCE is a common industrial solvent that is widely used to clean grease off of metal parts. This is the first population study that has demonstrated an association between TCE and Parkinson’s. Previously, only case reports existed. These findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010. [via Medical News Today]

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A new study out of the University of California, Berkeley suggests that chemicals called PBDEs may be making it difficult for women to conceive. PBDEs are chemicals with flame-retardant properties that are found in household items. In fact, nearly all Americans (97%) have PBDEs at detectable levels in their blood. After studying 223 pregnant women and the length of time it took them to conceive, researchers found that those with high levels of PBDEs were up to 50% less likely to get pregnant in a given month compared to women with lower levels. Currently, the majority of what we know about the effects of BPDEs are from studies with mice. Thus, more data is needed before a direct association with human fertility can be made. The study is published in this month’s Environmental Health Perspectives. [via U.S. News]

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New research appearing in next month’s Annals of Family Medicine suggests that vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the disparity seen between whites and blacks in regards to rates of heart attacks and strokes. After looking at data from over 15,000 Americans the researchers found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher death rates among all subjects. However, blacks had a 38% higher risk of death than whites – this did not change even when taking into account socioeconomic status. The researchers also found that the risk of death decreased as vitamin D levels increased. It should be noted that this is only an observational study, not a controlled trial. But, given these findings further studies are warranted especially if vitamin replacement, which is relatively easy to do, could reduce the risk of death.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a chronic inflammatory state that is associated with heart disease and cancer. Since vitamin D is produced in the skin in a process involving sunlight, dark-skinned individuals may produce less of it because their skin pigment blocks the UV light needed for vitamin D synthesis. [via Medical News Today]

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Using surface disinfectants may contribute to bacterial antibiotic resistance, according to new research in January’s issue of Microbiology. We already know that the use of consumer-grade antimicrobial hand soaps contribute to the rise of antibiotic resistance. Similarly, the study demonstrated that when non-lethal amounts of disinfectant were added to bacteria in culture, the adapted bacteria were more likely to survive compared to the non-adapted bacteria. “In principle this means that residue from incorrectly diluted disinfectants left on hospital surfaces could promote the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” said Dr. Gerard Fleming who led the study. Bacteria that can resist both surface disinfectants and antibiotics could pose a very serious health concern to not only hospitalized patients, but the general public as well. [via Science Daily]

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The current issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery reports on a study of bone mineral density in men who used cell phones for extended periods of time. It was noted that men who carried their cell phones on their hips for an average of 15 hours a day had decreased bone mineral density in their hip bone on the side where they carried their phones. The study only included young males (average age 32) so the decrease in bone density wasn’t at the same level as someone with osteoporosis. But, it is an interesting finding which will no doubt continue the ongoing debate on the safety of cell phones. [via Medline Plus]

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Here’s an interesting correlation: reduction in air pollution leads to fewer ear infections in children. A study, presented at the 2009 meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, analyzed U.S. data on 126,060 children from 1997 to 2007 and found that frequent otitis media (three or more ear infections in a 12-month period) decreased as air quality improved, as measured by the Environmental Protection Agency. The researchers noted that previous smaller studies have linked cleaner air with reductions in incidence of ear infections, but this was the first large study to look at this correlation. They also believe that continued efforts to reduce air pollution will continue to further reduce ear infection rates. [via CBS News]

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If you still have doubts about the perils of smoking, a new report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association should clarify any suspicion. After looking at 13 major studies which evaluated the number of heart attacks after smoking bans were instituted in the US, Canada and Europe, researchers found that the total number of heart attacks dropped almost immediately – 17% within one year – and nearly 36% over a three-year period. This dramatic decline in heart attack rate is not only due to less smokers having heart attacks, but passive or secondhand smokers are spared as well. “This study adds to the already strong evidence that secondhand smoke causes heart attacks, and that passing 100 percent smoke-free laws in all workplaces and public places is something we can do to protect the public,” said study author James Lightwood, assistant adjunct professor in the department of clinical pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco. [Circulation via Medical News Today]

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