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First Do No Harm? Vaccines Part 2

28/5/2012

A vaccine might seem like a harmless jab in the arm aimed at protecting you from life itself. However, once its in you theirs noway you can take it back out,

Primum non nocere, the Latin phrase that means "First, do no harm", is the basis of medical ethics that all medical students are taught (not sure if they always listen though). Or to put it more simple, it may be wiser not to do something, or even to do nothing, than to risk causing more harm than good. When treating a patient one must consider if the use of an intervention carries a risk of harm but a less certain chance of benefit. Are vaccines massive risks, (more of that in part 3) worth the unproven benefit (remember research tends to show they have very little effect on protecting against the diseases they are aimed at.

Patients must be able to trust doctors with their lives and health. To justify that trust they must show respect for human life and must:

Make the care of the patient your first concern.
Protect and promote the health of patients and the public.
Provide a good standard of practice and care:
Keep professional knowledge and skills up to date.
Recognise and work within the limits of competence.
Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients' interests.
Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity:
Treat patients politely and considerately.
Respect patients' right to confidentiality.
Work in partnership with patients:
Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences.
Give patients the information they want or need in a way they can understand.
Respect patients' right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care.
Support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health.
Be honest and open and act with integrity:
Act without delay if they have good reason to believe that they or a colleague may be putting patients at risk.
Never discriminate unfairly against patients or colleagues.
Never abuse a patients' trust or the public's trust in the profession.
They should always be personally accountable for their professional practice and must always be prepared to justify their decisions and actions. (check back soon for my blog post on getting your GP to personally guarentee the safety of the vaccination they are about to administer).

If a list of every possible complication were shown to every patient and also the lack of data to back up any benefit, it is unlikely that anyone would ever take any drug.

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Liver Cancer

5/5/2012

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Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for most liver cancers and occurs more often in men than women typically in the over 50's and is usually attributed to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) which can be caused by:

Alcohol abuse
Autoimmune diseases
Hepatitis B/C virus
Chronic long-term inflammation of the liver that is long-term (chronic)
Iron overload

Symptoms to look out for include abdominal pain and/or tenderness, especially in the upper-right part quadrant, bruising, bleeding, enlarged abdomen and jaundice (yellow skin or eyes)

Metastatic cancers which starts in another organ (such as the breast or colon) and spreads to the liver are obviously different and should possibly considered differently.

Is Alcohol the main culprit in Liver Cirrhosis?

It seems pork may be even more strongly linked with cirrhosis than alcohol which is normally blamed. Research by Nanji and French showed a relationship between pork consumption and cirrhosis of the liver that can be seen above.

They found that pork can cause liver cirrhosis meaning it may also promote liver cancer due to the damaged tissue being more susceptible to cancer.

Will I ever eat pork again? Nope, the evidence is stacked up against it in terms of it impact on health.

References

National Cancer Institute. Adult primary liver cancer treatment PDQ.
Bridges FS. Relationship between dietary beef, fat, and pork and alcoholic cirrhosis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2009 Sep;6(9):2417-25. http://pmid.us/19826553.
Nanji AA, French SW. Relationship between pork consumption and cirrhosis. Lancet. 1985 Mar 23;1(8430):681-3. http://pmid.us/2858627.
Nanji AA, French SW. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Relationship to wine and pork consumption. Cancer. 1985 Dec 1;56(11):2711-2. http://pmid.us/2996 744.

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Weight Set Point

5/5/2012

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Lowering your set point is only "diet" you will need. Sadly for most it takes time and knowledge to achieve, but its how your friends "that can eat what they like and not put on weight" are living their lives. If you lose weight this way the pounds will not come back and you'll never be hungry!
Like I said, few people can achieve this kind of weight loss, not because its because its impossible but because it is not the "quick fix" that they desire. Set point tells your body what it should weigh. When you try to lose weight with a traditional crash diet, it sends your body into emergency mode. This set weight is what you should weigh for survival, and it will fight to keep you there. As far as your body is concerned, this if for your own good.

The theory states everyone's body has a genetically determined range of weight and temperature that their body will try to maintain to stay at optimal health. For example if Bob has a weight set point of 75 kg, his body will try to stay around that weight. If he eats less and exercises more, his body's metabolism will slow down. If Bob eats more and exercises less, his body's metabolism will speed up. The body will attempt to compensate for Bob's eating habits in order to stay in that range. So by eating more and ensuring you don't over exercise (bootcamp, zumba, body pump etc) then you can speed up your metabolism and eventually lower your set point.

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Sun Exposure, Vitamin D & Skin Cancer

5/5/2012

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Yet another wet and dreary Bank Holiday weekend, but summer is approaching and its almost time for those few days of the year when us Brits get overwhelmed Researchers often point the finger at sun exposure for the increased rate of skin cancers as evidence that the sun causes skin cancer. Whilst theirs no doubt that sun exposure plays a part in some types of skin cancers, we need to appreciate that while melanoma is increasing, perhaps they are a little backward in their thinking (wouldn't be the first time would it).

Years ago the majority of the population spent most of the days outdoors. Today we spend much less time outdoors and receive far less sunshine. A tan is now a sign of luxury, that we are able to go on foreign holidays and relax like the wife of a footballer. 200 years ago it would of been the sign of peasantry from the workers out in the fields yet nowadays every wannabe WAG is pray tanning themselves to get the look. Quite ironic!!

It seems that the problem isn't with sun exposure, but with the binging on sunlight. Regular daily exposure to sun tends to increase levels of Vitamin D safely. Yet our habit tends to be staying indoors all day and then overdosing (burning) when we get chance.Use the link below to see how much sunlight you should aim for each day in order to maintain healthy Vitamin D levels. Get outside regularly and use limited exposure to sun rather than covering yourself in carcenogenic suncreams in an attempt to sunbath all day.Website That Helps You Calculate How Much Vitamin D Exposure You Need Each Day.

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Morning Sickness: Part Two

3/5/2012

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Hypoglycaemia is one of many theories on the causes of morning sickness. In clinical practice hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar is more than a contributory factor, many of the women I consult with are suffering hidden hypoglycaemia even before they become pregnant. Pregnant women often suffer from hypoglycemia as a result of the placenta draining energy from the mother which has a nauseating effect due to much of the expectant mothers energy being consumed by the developing embryo.

Pregnancy takes over a woman's body and the effect can be seen all around an otherwise seemingly healthy body. Once you start growing another life inside of you all your weaknesses will show up. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), is often a symptom of inadequate energy (calorie). This could be due to simply not eating enough to support the activity going on inside of you, a lack of good quality food (i.e not enough nutrition quality despite quantity being high enough) or even quality being too good (i.e your weakened system can't digest all the natural whole foods you want to eat).

Hypoglycemia's characteristic dizziness, lightheadedness, shakiness or fatigue may be as a result of the hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy. These can also interfere with the way your body uses insulin, another hormone. When your blood sugar drops, you're likely to feel dizzy or light-headed.

Brain and other nervous tissue require glucose as a sole energy source and even in long-term fasting require significant amounts of glucose.
Red blood cells, since they do not contain mitochondria (power plants of cells), they can only obtain energy by anaerobic glycolysis (break down of sugars without the presence of oxygen).
Skeletal muscle at rest uses predominantly lipid (fat) as the energy source, but in heavy exercise also draws upon muscle glycogen and blood glucose. Because brain and red blood cells depend almost exclusively upon glucose as their source of energy, it is essential that it always be available.

As you become so lightheaded or dizzy the amount of oxygen you receive (thats why you feel dizzy and faint) and that supplied to your baby can decrease, increasing the risk to your baby. Hypoglycemia also increases your risk of developing a serious pregnancy complication called preeclampsia, or severe high blood pressure, according to a 2005 study published in the "Journal of Perinatology"

Hypoglycemia requires dietary changes, increasing the number of calories you eat and having a small meal or snack about every two hours will typically resolve your symptoms. However, I'm not a GP so I must advise you to work closely with your care provider or family doctor.

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Family Nutrition

3/5/2012

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Over the years I've often been faced with clients suffering the same roadblock in their attempts to get fit and health...family life!

With the addition of Daisy to our family it puts me in the amazing position of being able to experience the same challenges that you all went through, or are currently going through.

I've said it many times, to protect, love and nourish your child, you must first protect, love and nourish yourself. Not only does it mean you can support them as they grow, it also shows them a good example of how we should view exercise and nutrition.

Do you want your kids growing up watching your battle with food and lack of desire to engage in activity? Or do you want them to view it as "normal"?

It takes no more effort to make healthy choices than it does unhealthy ones. Over the coming months the blog will focus on some of the perceived challenges of being an adult (parenthood, working life etc), in an attempt to show you how these roadblocks can be overcome.

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Morning Sickness: Part One

1/5/2012

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The end reward for all that good food and healthy living.

Morning sickness was on my radar some months back when Mrs C was baking Daisy our daughter. Many women experience morning sickness during the first trimester, nausea, vomiting and many other unpleasant symptoms.Although its not a huge worry, the fact that morning sickness can be triggered by the sight, smell or taste of some kinds of food (possibly protecting the embryos from factors that may be harmful). Women who experience this during the first few months of pregnancy are less susceptible to having miscarriages but the struggle to keep food down is a huge concern when your growing a baby inside you. The primary cause of morning sickness is debatable but many theories exist.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone produced by the implantation of the embryo in the uterus which increases until you reache the 12th week of pregnancy. As the level of hCG increases, so does the of feeling of nausea and vomiting. In some women morning sickness is reduced or passes altogether after the 12th week, as the level of hCG also begins to decrease at this time.

Progesterone

Progesterone, another hormone that is dominant during pregnancy and is a factor when considering morning sickness. This hormone softens the muscles in the body, including the muscles of the stomach and the intestines and is believed to help prevent preterm labor, as softens the muscles of the uterus. Sadly it also softens the digestive tract, affecting its function,leading to slow elimination of bodily wastes which equals excess acids in the stomach. As progesterone rises to a high level, the pregnant woman also begins to feel nauseous.

Hypoglycemia

Another theory (my particular favourite from clinical experience) on the causes of morning sickness includes hypoglycemia or low blood sugar as a contributory factor. Pregnant women often suffer from hypoglycemia as a result of the placenta draining energy from the mother. This condition has a nauseating effect, as much of the mother-to-be energy is drained and consumed by the developing embryo. The next blog post (hopefully tomorrow depending upon if Daisy will let me sit at the Mac long enough) will go into more detail on hypoglycemia and morning sickness. Loss of body weight, dehydration, metabolic deficiencies and nutritional deficiencies are all key when it comes to Morning Sickness. Women on meagre (low calorie, even unintentional) diets that just make sure they don't eat "too much" are at risk as are those who eat a lot but nothing of any real value i.e they are malnourished due to eating junk. Nourish your body with the food it needs, especially if you intend you grow another human!!

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First Do No Harm? Vaccines Part 2

Liver Cancer

Is Alcohol the main culprit in Liver Cirrhosis?

Weight Set Point

Sun Exposure, Vitamin D & Skin Cancer

Morning Sickness: Part Two

Family Nutrition

Morning Sickness: Part One

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