Or if you are blue

A cat will do

It’s estimated that 11 million North Americans take a severe nosedive into what’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). So if you’re tired and don’t want to get out of bed, here is Rx 101 to shake off the winter blues.

Dr. June Nickolas, an English psychologist, carried out a five-year study of this disorder. Nickolas reports that those who had a “whiskers” sitting on their lap had 60 percent fewer headaches, were 21 percent less likely to catch a cold or the flu and suffered less insomnia, impatience and tension.

You might bet that it is the elderly, lonely, silver-haired lady sitting in her rocking chair that benefits the most from having a cat. But you’d lose your money. Rather, it is macho males under 40 years of age!

So if the snow is still falling, the sky dark and ominous, and you’re suffering from SAD, don’t reach for Prozac.  Get a cat.

But if you do get a dog

Leave the Dog at Home

You had better think twice the next time you want to take Fido along for a car ride. Dogs love sticking their heads out of the window and are great company. But a report from the University of Alabama found that people over 70 who always ride with an unrestrained pet in the car are twice as likely to be in a crash than those without a pet in the car.

Distraction is a major risk factor for drivers of all ages. But researchers stressed that older drivers in particular have difficulty coping with the increased cognitive and physical workload of dealing with a pet that is moving around in the car.

The Mediterranean Diet

For prolonged life

Leonardo da Vinci once remarked, “Trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle.” Trifles can make a huge difference in surgery, when building rockets, in nutrition, or in life generally. For instance, a report in the publication LifeExtension shows that a Mediterranean Diet prolongs life. As we all age, this is no trifle.

For years doctors and nutritionists have known the Mediterranean Diet is a “Five Star” one. But no one knew why this diet had such remarkable benefits. Now, researchers have discovered its success is due to polyphenols (a plant based compound). They lower the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by an amazing 60 percent! This means fewer heart attacks, strokes, hypertension and less inflammation.

The author of the report, Michael Downey, says that most people fail to obtain sufficient polyphenols in their diet. Authorities agree that people should eat 10 servings of fruit and vegetables every day to reduce CVD risk. Unfortunately, for most people, it’s impossible to consume this amount of fiber, nuts, artichokes, lentils, grapes, pomegranates, olives, fish and wine each day.

The Mediterranean Diet also affects the risk of dying. In 2016, at the European Society of Cardiology conference, a study showed that the number of those who followed the Mediterranean Diet were 37 percent less likely to die than those who ate a non-Mediterranean diet.

One researcher made the sage remark that “the Mediterranean Diet provides more protection against heart disease than most of today’s prescription drugs!” And this isn’t a trifle!

Since so many North Americans suffer from hypertension, one study is of particular importance. After a year on two types of Mediterranean Diets, subjects showed that blood pressure had declined. Equally important, researchers discovered that increased amounts of polyphenols and nitric oxide were being excreted by the kidneys.

Nitric oxide (NO) is nature’s natural arterial relaxant. As we age, less NO is produced by our bodies, causing constriction of arteries, hypertension and erectile dysfunction. Neo40, a natural remedy, is a pill that produces NO and is available in Health Food Stores (HFS).

In view of the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease another finding is significant. Those who were consistent in following the Mediterranean Diet had less age-related brain shrinkage.

Since it’s a challenge for most people to consume sufficient polyphenols, extracts such as grapeseed, pomegranate, walnut, pecan and artichoke are also available in Health Food Stores.

Numerous studies show blueberries supply the brain with increased amounts of oxygenated blood. British researchers studied the effect of blueberry concentrate on brain function for 12 weeks on a group of people with an average age of 68.

What made this experiment unique was that researchers analyzed brain function with a powerful MRI scanner while subjects were being asked questions. This revealed that blueberries produced a significant increase in brain activity.

Later, the use of blueberry concentrate on a group of children 7 to 10 years of age showed another amazing finding. They were given a battery of tests over a period of several hours. Significant improvements in memory were seen as quickly as 1.25 hours after using blueberry concentrate.

Some authorities have labelled blueberries as the number one antioxidant. This means that blueberries destroy what’s known as free radicals, the waste products of metabolism, which are associated with an aging brain, cancer, and heart disease.

So the Mediterranean Diet is a prudent way to fight these major problems as it contains a variety of fruits, vegetables, fish, grapes, nuts, fiber, and tomatoes loaded with lycopenes which may help to prevent prostate cancer. A variety of healthy polyphenol extracts are all available in Health Food Stores.

Add more blueberries to your diet. Take Neo40 and several thousand milligrams of vitamin C powder daily, which carries more oxygenated blood to the brain. Readers of Dr. W. Gifford-Jones columns have been asked to let us know if they or any of their friends or family have developed Alzheimer’s disease while taking 4000 to 6,000 mg of vitamin C daily over several years. To date, we’ve heard from no one.

It’s Tough at the Top

and Healthier?

Once upon a time the Type A executive, shouting orders, and working long hours was the stereotype believed to die young. But the British Whitehall study of civil servants, started in 1960, says this is a popular myth. Rather, those at the top of the pecking order have the least stress and healthier lives. In fact, heart attack and death from other causes is the more common fate of underlings.

In another study at the University of Chicago, rhesus macaques at the bottom of the hierarchy suffered the same fate. But why does this happen?

The study of monkeys shows high and low ranking members had different levels of glucocorticoids that regulate immune system activity and response to stress. There also appears to be an association on how social rank influences the activity of certain genes. But with any animal study it’s questionable whether these findings apply to humans.

So at the moment, the best medicine is to be smart, get a promotion and live longer and healthier.

What really counts

Friends and Family

Friends and families are valuable for a lot of reasons related to good health.  But here’s one you may not think about.  They should be there, when you really need them, where you ever find yourself in a hospital.

The publication, “Consumer Reports On Health”, conducted a survey of 1,200 people who were hospitalized. They discovered that those who had either a family member or friend with them had several advantages.

• 15 percent were more likely to say they had been treated respectfully by medical personnel.
• 13 percent believed it helped to have staffers speak to them in an easy-to-understand language.
• Having someone else with you is also helpful when there’s a nursing shortage.

Doctors usually make their hospital rounds in the morning. This is the best time to have a family member present if there are unanswered questions about the diagnosis and treatment. It also provides another ear to avoid missing important comments the doctor makes about the treatment.

Don’t dwell on all this health advice

Get to sleep

Too little sleep harms your health according to a report in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Poor sleep is linked to hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, depression and cognitive impairment. Researchers say that poor sleep increases the likelihood that people will smoke, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, become physically inactive and obese.

So get thee to thy bed, pick up a good book and relax.