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Today was the first
day that I noticed that daylight lasted just a little longer,
I think it was past 5 pm. I realized that we are blazing through
winter here, which is good…and not so good. Good, for
obvious reasons like I hate freezing and walking the dog;
and not so good because I do enjoy skiing and it's so difficult
to get those ski days in after the age of 25. No one wants
to go anymore. However, I will tell you ladies, for those
of you who are single, it is a great place to meet men. If
you are looking, that's where they are.
But I suppose February is more famous for
Valentines day and I hope everyone is feeling loved and appreciated.
In this months newsletter, we will honor the women we care
for with a special offer, report about a new male contraceptive,
tell you about a nice winter soak, and though I'd rather be
talking about how similar we are, I think you'd like to know
about some crucial health differences between men and women.
Finally, because it seems like the only good, inexpensive
fruit of the season, I will tell you all about oranges.
IT'S ABOUT TIME
But it doesn't look like it's coming soon enough. The Wall
St. Journal reported last month that two European drug makers
(one Dutch, one German) have launched midstage trials of a
"male pill". It's not really a pill, it's an implant
or an injection. It has been a difficult proposition in the
past because the necessary progestins and testosterone are
not effective in pill form so they need to use a patch or
an implant or a shot. The other issue is that men would rather
not take hormonal contraceptives. (no comment) The medical
issue has been that in order to make a contraceptive effective,
it needs to lower testosterone levels -- but there are problems
like mood swings, loss of libido and muscle strength when
these levels are suppressed. The perfect solution would be
to shut down testosterone production and develop a method
to maintain adequate levels in the bloodstream. The two companies
are testing two different methods that achieve this end. One
is an implant and the other is an injection given every 10-12
weeks. If they are successful, it will still be another five
years before its on the market.
EVEN IF YOU PREFER SHOWERS
Winter is a great time to take a bath. Everything slows down
(sort of) and if we honor this natural shift it is a great
way to reflect and rest and nourish and enhance. You can even
make it a ritual with candles, music, a journal, etc. A really
nice bath to promote relaxation and sleep is to use lavender,
St. John's wort and a little bit of bath oil. Lavender is
well known for its relaxing properties and St. Johns Wort
is a great muscle relaxant. You take a handful or two of the
dried flowers and herbs and soak them in boiling water the
size of a pasta pot. The resulting infusion should be on the
darker side, a minimum of twenty minutes. I take the pot and
strain the herbs out in the bathtub and then add the remaining
water. A little essential oil is great to make sure that your
skin doesn't dry out. Right before bed, there is really nothing
like it,especially if you don't need to wake up early.
WHEN I WAS STARTING
OÖNA HEALTH
Back in 2001, the Surgeon General Koop had made a statement
that one of the largest health issues over the next decade
would be gender differences. At the time, I wasn't sure why,
but now it's becoming more clear. Andrew Blackman reported
in the Wall St. Journal on January 26th outlining the different
experiences we have of some major diseases including heart
disease, diabetes, cancer and aids. The reason we know this
now and not years ago is that women were not included in medical
research trials of new drugs for the fear that women's menstrual
cycles would interfere with the results and potentially harm
their reproductive health. These restrictions were not lifted
until 1993 and it was only in 1998 that the FDA required drug
researchers to analyze data by sex. Some of the new findings
include: While men often feel a shooting pain or a numbness
in a limb while having a heart attack, it's common that women
will feel flu-like symptoms or stomach pains. More women will
die from lung cancer than any other cancer. Exposed to the
same amount of smoke, women are more likely to get lung cancer
and are giving up smoking at a slower rate than men. They
also respond better to a type of lung-cancer drug called EGF
inhibitors. Men and women do indeed have different brains.
If a man has a stroke affecting the left side of his brain
he will tend to lose verbal function, the woman is more likely
to recover speech. Even though a lot of differences are showing
how women suffer more than men, women live longer than men.
There are many theories for the reason why; like most of the
difference can be accounted for in younger years. Men are
more likely to die between the ages of 20 and 45 due to accidents,
suicide and violence. If a man reaches 70, he is likely to
live almost as long as is wife. But across all cultures the
longevity gap is fairly constant. Women have a durability
that men don't -- if we could understand we might be able
to extend the lives of men. The article appeared in The Journal
Report on Personal Health. It is a paid on-line subscription,
but maybe if you email him, he'll send you a copy Andrew.blackman@wsj.com
"ORANGE YOU GLAD…" to hear
about oranges! Oranges are divided into two groups - sweet
and sour. I believe that the only sour orange I have ever
had was a sweet one gone bad. The sweet ones in the US is
believed to have come from China and brought to America by
the Spanish and Portuguese in the 1500's.
So how much C does an orange have? Not as
much as I thought… Below is the nutritional value:
Calories: 60
Fiber 3 g
Protein 1 g
Potassium 237 mg.
Calcium 52 mg
Vitamin A 269 IU
Vitamin C 70 mg.
Folate 40 mcg.
B1 1 mg
A few other noteworthy facts:
- The orange is ranked No. 1 on nutrition
among the five popular fruits that include apples, bananas,
grapes and pears. (Kiwi gets best overall).
- Along with other fruits, oranges contain
a fiber called pectin. Pectin not only helps reduce blood
cholesterol levels but also suppresses hunger levels up
to four hours after eating.
- The orange is quite a super food, containing
a large array of disease-figting nutrients. The Vitamin
C, flavoniods, folate and the mineral zinc in particular
can bolster the immune system and help fight off the negative
effects of stress etc. that keeps us from getting the flu.
- The flavoniods in oranges also act
as a antioxidant and may protect against heart disease.
That's it for this month! As always,
check out our website for lots more information at www.oonahealth.com.
In Good Health,
The Oöna Team
Questions or comments? Write valerie@oonahealth.com
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