Gum Disease Can Impact General Health

When was the last time you saw your dentist? Researchers have discovered that periodontal or gum disease is as big a risk factor for heart disease as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. Gum disease releases powerful bacteria into the bloodstream that can negatively impact your overall health. In addition to heart disease, periodontal disease has been linked to diabetes, stroke, respiratory infections, low birth weight and premature births.

Research has found that diabetes puts people at greater risk of developing periodontal disease. Many physicians refer to gum disease as "the sixth complication of diabetes." Diabetics and those with pre-diabetes should see their dentist regularly -- every 6 months. Don't ignore red or sore spots on your gums or bleeding gums when you brush your teeth. It could be an indication of periodontal disease and should be addressed promptly to protect your health.

Early Glucose Control Benefits Diabetics

Diabetics who keep a tight rein on their glucose levels after diagnosis have a lower risk of heart attack, death and other complications 10 or more years later. The beneficial effects were present even if diabetics only controlled blood sugar levels for the first decade after diagnosis. Those are the findings of a long-term British study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

Researchers hope the study will prompt rigorous treatment for people just diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the most common type and the one linked to obesity. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body fails to make sufficient insulin or becomes unable to assimilate what it does make.

It should be pointed out that there are considerable differences between the British study and a U.S. trial halted earlier this year in which a number of diabetics died after significantly lowering their blood sugar. Unlike the British study, the U.S. trial focused on long-term, high-risk diabetics.

It's Never Too Late to Get Healthy!

It's never too late to improve your health with exercise and diet, even if your past lifestyle has been less than healthy. Even after age 65, simple lifestyle changes can bring significant health benefits, says a recent study by doctors at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Eating a healthier diet and including exercise in your day can have a positive effect on many chronic diseases, including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.

"I think this is an extremely important and positive message," said study leader Dr. Richard Rivlin, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. "Many elderly people feel that it is too late for them to improve their health, but that is simply not true. When measures to combat chronic disease are started in one's 60s and 70s, there are still definite benefits. But older adults must realize that there is no quick fix. They must change their lifestyles."

Among the study's specific findings:

• Lowering high blood pressure through improved diet and exercise can prevent 20% of coronary heart disease cases in men and 30% in women.
• A low-calorie diet and regular exercise lower cancer risk by 50%.
• Weight training helps prevent osteoporosis.
• Calcium and vitamin D supplements slow bone loss and reduce risk of bone fracture.

Team Approach Benefits Diabetics

If you're diabetic, ever wonder why the doctor is always checking your feet? Foot problems -- infections, wounds that won't heal, warping bones -- are the most common reason diabetics wind up in the hospital. Each year diabetics undergo more than 80,000 amputations of toes, feet and lower legs -- many of them preventable say medical experts. A new team approach to treating diabetics is proving beneficial in decreasing the need for amputation. Good news for America's 21 million diabetics.

The team approach brings together podiatrists and vascular surgeons, specialists who rarely work side-by-side, to treat developing problems in their earliest stages. Using the team approach, diabetics can receive proper foot care immediately. "It gets them everything they need right away, without months of waiting," said podiatrist Dr. John Steinberg, a member of Georgetown University Hospital's limb-salvage team.

Diabetics are unable to property regulate blood sugar, or glucose. Over the years, high levels of glucose damage blood vessels resulting in poor circulation and other complications. Foot ulcers that refuse to heal are a common problem for diabetics. Coupled with neuropathy (loss of sensation) and poor blood flow, ulcers may become gangrenous as tissue dies. Amputation is often the only way to stop the cycle which can be very painful and debilitating. The goal of the new team approach is to aggressively treat all causes of foot problems to prevent amputation.

Is Drinking Diet Soda a Health Risk? Say It Isn't So!

Just when we thought diet news couldn't get worse, now researchers are saying that even diet sodas can be bad for our health. Is nothing sacred?

According to a new study, drinking as little as one can of soda a day -- either regular or diet -- increases the risk of metabolic syndrome by 48% Metabolic syndrome is a key predecessor of heart disease and diabetes and includes excessive abdominal fat, high blood-glucose levels, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol.

Previously only regular soda was thought to contribute to heart disease and diabetes. This is the first study to implicate diet soda. Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine who conducted the study had no idea why diet soda would pose the same risk as regular, sugared soda.

Study leader Dr. Ramachandran Vasan said it is unlikely that an ingredient in diet soda is to blame. He suggested that the consumption of sweet sodas may change dietary patterns or may be simply indicate general poor eating habits.

Naturally, the soda industry was incensed by the new findings. Susan Neely, president of the American Beverage Associations, said, "...it is scientifically implausible to suggest that diet soft drinks -- a beverage that is 99 percent water -- cause weight gain or elevated blood pressure."

Just to be safe, guess I'll start stocking up on green tea.

Small Changes Can Reduce Stress

Stress shortens your lifespan (see our June 11 blog post). In fact, prolonged stress can affect your body physically in myriad ways. Prolonged stress has been associated not only with heart problems, but also with sleeplessness, depression, rapid weight gain or loss, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, even skin rashes.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, take a few stress-reducing tips from expert Kathleen Hall, author of Body & Soul:

• Start small. It's even more stressful to try to change everything at once, instead "alter one small thing: a morning habit, a food choice. Over time these will add up."


• Be thankful. "It's hard to feel gratitude and stress at the same time. Devote 5 minutes a day to giving thanks for all the gifts in your life."


• Enjoy the ride. Whether you're commuting or driving the car pool, "use your travel time as an opportunity to practice patience and compassion If you can use calming breaths to stay related and unruffled in traffic, you can handle anything."


• Smell the roses. Focus on the beauty in the world around you. Enjoy the glory of a beautiful sunset, the antics of squirrels and birds in your backyard, a colorful garden along your commuting route, the tree tops swaying gently in the breeze. Eat your lunch around a fountain or in the garden. Focusing on small bits of beauty that touch your life each day gives you a momentary break from your problems and a little mood boost.

Pamper Your Feet: Coping with Plantar Fascitis

My sister was hobbling around for weeks. She could barely stand to put her foot on the ground to take a step. The pain in her foot and heel was excruciating. She finally went to the doctor. She had plantar fascitis.

Plantar fascitis occurs when the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot (the plantar fascia) becomes inflamed. The fascia extends along the length of the foot from the heel to the toes and supports the arch and foot structure.

Obesity, rapid weight gain, high-impact exercises like jogging and basketball, diabetes, shoes that have no arch support or thin, hard soles that don't support the feet can all contribute to plantar fascitis says Dr. Tedd Mitchell in his column Health Smart. Tight Achilles tendons can exacerbate the problem because they limit your foot's range of motion. When you stretch the tendon's past that limited range, stress is placed on the fascia, Dr. Mitchell explains.

"This phenomenon explains why the pain is worse in the morning: The foot remains in a contracted position overnight, and when it's stretched first thing the next morning, the pain strikes," says Dr.Mitchell. Often pain decreases during the day as the muscles are stretched, but can come back sharply after sitting for a long period, like watching TV or working at a desk.

While plantar fascitis usually goes away, it can take several months or several years, which is too long to cope with the level of pain most patients experience. You may need to see a podiatrist if your problem is extreme. Cortisone shots are often given to help control the pain. You may need a specially designed orthodic insert to wear inside your shoes to help support the arch.

But before you take that step, try some home remedies recommended by Dr. Mitchell.

• Stretch the plantar fascia and Achilles tendons with the exercises below.


• Ice the feet at the end of the day.


• Take over-the counter anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen.


• Wear shoes with good arch support, no hard heels or soles.

Basic Stretching and Strengthening Exercises:

• Towel stretch. Sit on the floor with your legs out in front of you, toes pointing up. Roll a towel into a tube lengthwise. Holding the ends in each hand, place the towel over the balls of your feet. Apply gentle traction so that you feel your feet and Achilles tendons getting a nice stretch. Hold for 30 seconds, relax, repeat again and again.


• Chair stretch. Sit in a chair, keeping your legs straight, lift them up off the floor and point your toes toward your body. You should feel the stretch in your Achilles tendon and heel. Hold for 30 seconds. Point your toes away from your body for 10 seconds. Repeat again and again. If it is hard to hold both legs off the ground, you can do this one leg at at time, alternating legs.


• Stair Stretch. Stand on the stairs. Holding onto the rail or wall to support yourself, balance with the balls of your at the edge of the step. Drop your heels below the level of the step. You'll feel your Achilles tendons stretch. Hold for 30 seconds. Rise up on your toes and slowly lower your heels again. Repeat again and again.

Regular foot exercises like those below can control plantar fascitis and keep future attacks from recurring. My sister had to go the full route with a podiatrist and orthodics before she could walk comfortably again. Now she does a few minutes of stretching exercises every day while she's working at her desk or watching TV and she's been pain-free for 10 years.

Heart Attack Risk Starts When You're a Baby

We've long associated adult cardiovascular disease with poor eating habits, smoking and lack of exercise. However, numerous research studies show that the precursors for heart disease begin in infancy and childhood.

One of the most well-known, long-range studies is the Bogalusa Heart Study initiated in Bogalusa, Louisiana in 1973. Since then the study has tracked the lifestyles of 16,000 children and adults. Study data have produced conclusive evidence that "risk factors for adult heart disease are established in infancy and perhaps even in the fetal period," writes Dr. John Barnard, president of the Children's Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio.

Among study findings:

• Early signs of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease can be evident in children as young as 5 to 8 years old.
• Children with a low birth weight are at greater risk for obesity, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension as adults.
• Rapid weight gain in infancy affects the body's metabolism often leading to adult cardiovascular disease.

Both physicians and parents have started to address potential cardiovascular risk factors in children. The American Heart Association and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation host a website with many resources for parents and children. (Click here to visit the site.) Heart health begins in infancy and continues throughout life.

Diabetes Pill Increases Heart Risk

New findings by the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio indicate that a widely used diabetes pill raises the risk of heart attack and possibly death. Sold as Avandia and Avandmet, the popular drug came on the market 8 years ago and is used to control blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes. More than 6 million people worldwide have taken the drug and about one million Americans are current users.

Pooling results from dozens of studies involving 28,000 people, the study indicates that people taking the drug have a 43% higher risk of heart attack than those taking other diabetes medications. The results are particularly disturbing in that two-thirds of diabetics die of heart problems.

If you are currently taking Avandia or Avandmet, talk to your doctor. The actual risk to a single patient appears to be small. You should not stop taking a medication without your doctor's knowledge and consent.