Headed for surgery? Beware of caffeine withdrawal
Legendary quarterback Tom Brady says he’s never had a cup of coffee “or anything like that.” That’s just as well. In early March of this year, he had knee surgery and is rehabbing it in order to be ready for summer training camp. Seems that an unrecognized issue that impacts surgery is caffeine withdrawal, which many patients go through leading up to, during and after an operation.
A study in Food and Chemical Toxicology says that when caffeine-loving patients can’t eat or drink anything for hours before a procedure, that can trigger withdrawal symptoms such as drowsiness, difficulty concentrating and intense headaches. And those reactions can complicate treatment and even extend hospital stays. Withdrawal also can increase the risk of delirium in intubated emergency room patients.
Around 90 percent of adults use caffeine regularly — and get the remarkable health-boosting benefits that include helping prevent diabetes and lowering inflammation. But withdrawal symptoms can pop up three hours after your last dose and persist for up to nine days.
The lead author of the study summed up the researchers’ conclusions: “This is a no-brainer,” he said. “We have everything we need to supplement patients as needed and prevent these symptoms. But first we have to start paying better attention.” So let your doc know if you’re a caffeine aficionado well before you head into the operating room for any planned procedure. Ask if caffeine supplements or even a cup of joe as you wake up after surgery might be a smart move (only with the doc’s OK) so you can avoid the complications of withdrawal.
A fast(ing) way to beat diabetes — and high blood pressure
Usain Bolt holds the record for the fastest sprint at 27.78 mph. And while that might not seem so fast compared to the cheetah (75 mph), it’s fast enough to defeat all challengers.
Fast enough is just what you want when it comes to defeating diabetes and its frequent companion, high blood pressure. You want to do it fast — using semi-fasting to launch your victory run.
The challenge: Around 85 percent of folks with diabetes develop high blood pressure, increasing their risk for stroke and heart attack. Unfortunately, some antihypertensive medications make it harder to control blood glucose levels, and some anti-obesity diabetes meds raise blood pressure. Losing weight, reversing diabetes and getting off blood pressure meds is like winning a three-legged race. (Let’s see you do that, Mr. Bolt-O-Lightning!)
A solution: The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DIRECT) diet promotes weight loss by serving up low-calorie soups and shakes for 12-20 weeks and then helping people eat a healthy diet to maintain weight loss. The most recent DIRECT study published in Diabetologia found that achieving and maintaining around a 33-pound weight loss allowed 80 percent of participants to become diabetes-free without meds for at least two years. Around 28 percent were completely off their high blood pressure medication two years out.
Interested? Work with your doctor and diabetes educator or nutritionist to get long-lasting results by adopting a fast-start weight-loss diet and healthy eating plan. For help, check out DIRECT at www.directclinicaltrial.org.uk, Dr. Oz’s 60-Day Diabetes Take Charge Challenge Food Plan and the “What to Eat When Cookbook.”
Why exercise may help ease depression
Just like Selena Gomez said, “If I don’t work out … everything about me just feels a bit down,” a lot of folks rely on exercise to banish the blues.
Now neuroscientists from the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research into Mental Illness have found out how exercise does that oh-so-welcome magic trick. They discovered that, in mice, exercise stimulates the production of a molecule called lactate. It then acts as an antidepressant by helping cool excess brain oxidation and inflammation, nourishing neurons and even stimulating the growth of new nerve connections.
Other studies show exercise triggers the release of proteins called growth factors that also stimulate new nerve cell growth. This combo of benefits pushes back against the loss of neurons that’s associated with depression in people and stress in animals.
A “runners high” from the release of endorphins may create pleasing feelings, but for sustained improvement in depressive symptoms, it’s the other biochemical factors that make the biggest difference. For many folks with mild depression, the greatest benefit comes with almost daily low- to moderate-intensity exercise.
So commit to walking 10,000 steps or the equivalent daily, enjoy aerobic sports like tennis or activities like tai chi and cycling. And for chronic or severe depression, make sure to get help fast: Consult a doctor who can help with talk/group therapy and medication. You are not alone.
Bonus tip: A genetic study of 840,000 people found that going to bed one hour earlier than usual decreases your risk of major depression by 23 percent.
Tune in, turn on and drop out (of the race to the bottom)
“Our biological rhythms are the symphony of the cosmos, music embedded deep within us to which we dance, even when we can’t name the tune.” That’s how Deepak Chopra sums up the amazing power within each person’s being.
A new study in the journal Aging explains the power of biological rhythms in more specific, but just as powerful, terms: You can live younger longer by tuning in to smart lifestyle choices, turning on health-promoting genes (that’s called epigenetic changes) and dropping out of your slow slide into ill health. And we can name that tune — “The Epigenetic Waltz”!
The researchers say you can roll back your biological clock by more than three years in just eight weeks by making the following lifestyle upgrades that repair and prevent DNA damage that ages you prematurely.
1. Adopt a plant-centered diet (include turmeric). Limit intake of nutrient-dense animal proteins (we say, choose salmon). Restrict carbs and adopt an intermittent fasting pattern of 10 to 12 hours on (eating while the sun is up) and 12 to 14 hours off (the time between dinner and breakfast). Take a Lactobacillus plantarum probiotic (it helps positively alter gene expression in folks with diabetes).
2. Get a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise five days a week at 60 percent to 80 percent of your maximum perceived exertion (you be the judge).
3. Practice breathing exercises for 20 minutes, twice a day. One study found that doing that for 60 days measurably reduced DNA damage.
4. Aim for seven hours of restful sleep nightly.
How to wash your vegetables and fruit for max health and safety
When k.d. lang sang “Wash Me Clean” — “Wash, wash me clean/mend my wounded seams/cleanse my tarnished dreams” — she wasn’t talking about sprucing up her salad greens or getting ready to stir-fry some broccoli, but she could have been. Figuring out the right way to make fresh produce truly fresh can be a challenge.
You may worry about foodborne illnesses caused by bacteria, like salmonella or listeria, and viruses, such as the norovirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are around 48 million such cases in the U.S. annually. Plus, you want to get rid of pesticide residue and dirt. So you end up wondering, “Soap or no soap? Peel or no peel? Soak or no soak?”
■ One study in the Journal of Food Protection found that presoaking in water before rinsing significantly reduced bacteria in apples, tomatoes and lettuce. And levels of bacteria on the surface of lettuce after soaking in lemon or vinegar solutions weren’t significantly better than when cold tap water was used.
■ Don’t use standard soaps, commercially-produced washes (they’re not tested or regulated) or detergents, cautions the Food and Drug Administration. They can permeate porous fruit and vegetables and make you ill. Stick with clear, cool water.
■ Rinse the skin or rind you’re peeling off or cutting through. Scrub firm produce with a clean produce brush. You don’t have to wash prewashed greens.
■ To reduce pesticide residue, soak and rinse with water; peel the skin if you want. Remember, the health benefits of eating fresh produce far outweigh the risks of taking in pesticide residue.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.
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