Health

I have friend who has battled oral thrush repeatedly over the years. She says it’s because she’s addicted to smooching her grandbabies. However, I wondered how much of a role that plays, as I know my friend has no intention of cutting back on kissing her grandkids.

Oral thrush (candida is the clinical term for this fungus) is a type of yeast infection, and it’s unmistakable. Candida normally occurs in our bodies, but in this case it gets out of control. It presents as white, cottage cheese-like lesions on your inner cheeks, tongue and even on the roof of  your mouth and gums. They can be painful and leave you with a cottony feeling in your mouth, along with a loss of taste. Some of the lesions may bleed if scraped, and they can even spread down your throat. It’s is a fairly common problem in breastfeeding infants (with their developing immune systems), who, not surprisingly, become irritable and fussy if they have thrush. Nursing women dealing with a candida infection would have red, painful, sensitive nipples, and sometimes feel a stabbing pain deep within the breast.

It’s easier to develop thrush if your immune system is compromised due to a bad cold or other infection, or if you’re using antibiotics or corticosteroids. That’s why if you have to use antibiotics — which kill bad bacteria — it’s a good idea to add some good bacteria (e.g. lactobacillius acidophilus) to your diet in the form of supplements or yogurt (milk or soy-based).  You are more susceptible to thrush if you have HIV, cancer, diabetes or vaginal yeast infections. Other risk factors for thrush include wearing dentures, any condition that causes dry mouth, and smoking.

Luckily, this is not usually a serious ailment. For healthy individuals, your health care provider will probably advise adding unsweetened yogurt or acidophilus supplements to your diet. This won’t destroy the candida fungus, but will help restore the balance of good and bad bacteria in your body. If this fails, then antifungal medication is the next step.

Antifungal tablets and ointments are the typical course of treatment for nursing babies and mothers. Additionally, it’s important to wash anything your child puts in his mouth, such as a pacifier, or bottle in a solution of equal parts water and white vinegar; allow them to air dry. Don’t forget to also use this solution on a breast pump if you’re using one.

Are Sudoku, crossword puzzles, and brain teaser games your guilty pleasure? Then it's time to let go of the guilt, my friends, because science is on your side—doing puzzles may help fight off dementia.  Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York followed 488 older adults, aged 75 to 85 years, to see who would, or would not develop dementia.  Participants detailed how often they engaged in six specific activities: reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing board or card games, having group discussions, and playing music. Points were given for frequency of participation, such as seven points for daily participation, four points for engaging in the activities a few times per week, and one point for weekly participation.

While no one had dementia at the start of the study, after five years 101 of the participants were showing strong signs of cognitive decline. These folks averaged seven points per week, or roughly one leisure activity each day. Eleven participants engaged in only one per week, and 10 did no activities at all.

Researchers found that every additional activity a person engaged in delayed the onset of rapid memory loss by 0.18 years. For example, compared to someone who engaged in only four leisure activities per week, participants who did 11 or more activities per week delayed dementia by 1.29 years. These results held up even after factoring in education level.

We spend so much of our days sitting—we sit at work, in the car, while watching TV in the evenings. But sitting may have health risks, even to the point of increasing the risk of death. As with so many things, moderation is key, especially when it comes to sitting and watching television. Researchers in Australia studied 8,800 adults (over age 25) for 6.5 years, and found that each hour of sitting per day raised the risk of death from heart disease by 18% and the overall mortality rate b y 11%. Study participants who watched over four hours of TV per day had an 80% greater risk of death from heart disease and a whopping 46% higher risk of dying overall.

Adults with heart disease were excluded from the study, and the results were unchanged even after researchers adjusted for factors like exercise habit, waist circumference, diet and smoking. Not surprisingly, the researchers recommended reducing time spent watching television, and being sedentary.

Don't be too smug if you don't own a television or even watch much TV. In interviews, the researchers made clear it wasn't the shows or even the actual watching of TV that shaved years off of people's lives, it was the sitting.

They contend that their results would have remained the same whether study participants were reading a book, doing needlepoint, or working at a computer. Even jogging 5 miles every morning before work wouldn't skew these results. If you spend the remainder of the day sitting, your risk rises just the same.

 

There are two main ways to effectively get your teeth whiter: a bleaching session (usually one is sufficient) at the dentist's office, or several at-home, dentist-supervised bleaching sessions. Other less effective options include over-the-counter (OTC) whitening toothpastes, strips, polishes, gels, or pens.

Consider tooth whitening if your choppers have become stained and discolored from smoking and tobacco use, years of drinking coffees and colas, or have yellowed due to aging. Tooth whitening results vary depending on the severity of the staining, age and even heredity. Some stains resist whitening, particularly stains due to trauma, exposure to tetracycline antibiotics while your adult teeth were forming, or overexposure to fluoride.

In-office bleaching sessions typically take 2 hours. The dentist will protect your gums with gauze, insert a cheek retractor to keep your mouth open, and cover your gums with a protective gel and possibly a desensitizer. The whitening agent (usually a 15 to 30 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide) is applied to your teeth, and an intense light is focused on your mouth for about 30 minutes. The peroxide solution will likely be removed and reapplied for another 30 minutes. At the end, your teeth should be 2-3 shades whiter, possibly more. They will also be fairly sensitive for the next 24 hours.

For at-home procedures, your dentist will customize a mouth tray, and send you home with mild peroxide solution. Typically, the mouth trays are worn from two to four hours or overnight for up to two weeks. Sporadic touch-up treatments are often recommended with both types of bleaching sessions.

Treatment cost vary,  but in-office teeth whitening typically costs about $650 to $700, while at-home treatments can run your approximately $400. It pays to ask your dentist if she offers discounts to established patients, or to call around – like me, you might catch a sale.

 

Cold season is upon us, and if you're looking for an alternative to over-the-counter cold medicines, then try these natural remedies. While not proven to prevent colds, these preparation can relieve some of the misery of cold and fever symptoms:

• Hit the vitamin C hard – Taking 600 – 1000 mg at the onset of symptoms may curb your cold by several days. Throw in a beta carotene supplement, too. This precursor to vitamin A helps heal infected and inflamed mucus membranes. Take both with food to avoid stomach upset.
• Load up on zinc – This infection-fighting mineral can cut a cold's duration by up to 4 days. Start by taking a zinc gluconate lozenge every 3-4 hours.
• Nasal washing – Fill a neti pot with a saline solution, or use a prepared nasal rinse spray. Spray, or pour, the solution into each nostril and let it flow out of the other. This simple move helps clear nasal passages, and curtail the cold virus.
• Hydrate – A nice warm (not hot) bath or shower will add much-needed moisture to the largest organ of your body – your skin. It will also stimulate your blood and lymph circulation, jump-starting the elimination of toxins. A humidifier is another smart move. Whether it uses cold or warm air, it makes sleeping easier. Change the water daily and clean it frequently.
• Have some tea – Add echinacea, goldenseal, slippery elm, or black elder teas to your cold care arsenal. Echinacea has antiviral benefits and boosts immunity; goldenseal has antibacterial properties; slippery elm (licorice root and marshmallow root will also work) soothes and coats the throat, reducing inflammation (try Thayers Slippery Elm lozenges); and black elder tea, while primarily antiviral may have antibacterial properties, too. Not a fan of tea? Many of these herbs can be found at health food stores as tinctures which can be mixed with water or juice.