LIFE EXTENSION NEWS

Shock sheet could be a lifesaver

For people who have just suffered a heart attack, "shock sheet," a device similar to an inflatable sleeping bag could prove to be a lifesaver.

Designed to be wrapped round a patient and inflated to raise upper body blood pressure within 30 seconds, the shock sheet helps squeeze blood out of the legs, which boosts blood flow to the heart and brain.

"This device buys you time. It's a cheap and simple way to save lives," New Scientist quoted its inventor, Mark Wilson, an anesthetist at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, UK, as saying.

Shock sheet, which has so far increased blood pressure only in healthy volunteers, will soon undergo clinical trials.

Keeping the blood flowing to the brain is more important than supplying the limbs, says Desmond Sheridan, a cardiologist at London's St Mary's Hospital. The device should help shift blood flow away from the lower body.

According to Wilson, the shock sheet might also help doctors treat other conditions that cause blood pressure to fall, such as septic shock (systemic bacterial infection) and anaphylactic shock which is caused by massive allergic reactions. Yahoo! News

The survey was conducted by the American Society of Microbiology, an organization that has been urging people to wash their hands after using the toilet facilities. Generally, there was no improvement since the last survey, with one exception, Toronto. This is no doubt due to health officials urging the public for months to wash more frequently to help stop the spread of SARS.

"If this study had been pre-SARS, we would not have been different than any other city, but it is nice to look so squeaky clean," said Dr. Donald Low, microbiology chief at Toronto’s Mt. Sinai Hospital.

The survey was conducted at airport restrooms this past August in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami and Toronto. The researchers pretended to brush their hair or put on makeup while watching and recording the public’s restroom habits.

Women are cleaner than men, 83% of women washed up compared to 74% of men.

For reasons no one could explain, women at the San Francisco airport had the worst record. Only 59% washed.

The dirtiest men were at Chicago’s O’Hare and New York’s Kennedy, where slightly more than 60% washed.

For effective disease intervention, the Society urges people to wash by rubbing their hands together with soap and warm running water. Adapted from FLORIDA TODAY

In the last issue, in the Life Extension section, we wrote about a TIME article, comparing all the artificial sweeteners.

The bottom line was that based on current knowledge, Splenda is safe, Nutrasweet is probably safe, and questions remain about saccharin, the principal ingredient in Sweet N Low.

Now comes a report in WIRED about Tagatose. It’s a natural sugar. It looks tastes and cooks like sugar. It’s 92% as sweet as sugar but with only 38% of the calories. Research indicates it prevents weight gain, and doesn’t cause cavities. It’s safe for diabetics and may even help combat the disease. It’s expected to hit grocery shelves by the end of the year. All natural, it’ll be marketed under different brand names. It’s already in Pepsi’s Diet Slurpee. Kellogg’s obtained a patent in 2002 for use in one of their cereals. Wrigley and Kraft have patents of their own.

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Eating one serving a day of tomato based foods such as pizza or other dishes with tomato sauce, could lower your risk of heart disease by as much as 30%. That’s the conclusion researchers at Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston came to.

They found that people who consumed seven or more tomato based foods a week had a nearly 30% reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease, compared to those who ate less than 1 ½ servings a week. Adapted from FLORIDA TODAY

Do you sometimes feel as if your brain is on "empty?" Here’s some hints on keeping it in shape.

Use it or lose it. Research indicates that as you age you can reverse a decline in thinking abilities by becoming more mentally active. Learn a new language, study a new subject, play games like chess or Scrabble, work crossword puzzles.

Keep fit. Evidence shows that people in their 70s and 80s who stay healthy can expand their brain power, and easily match the mental abilities of a 30 year old.

More muscle builders: Read more…eat foods rich in brain boosting beta-carotene, (apricots, carrots, papayas, and sweet potatoes.)…use rhymes and acronyms to help remember facts and names.

Adapted from TopHealth