Category Archives: Health

Numerous studies have shown that eating fish is good for us.  The Omega-3 fatty acids found in many fish greatly reduces the risk of dying from heart disease.  A new study recently completed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine finds that fish maybe good for our brains too.

In a 15 year study lead by Dr. Cyrus Raji, 260 older individuals with an average age of 71, had their brains measured by MRI-scans.  The people who ate more baked or broiled fish had more gray matter.  Gray matter makes up the main cells of the brain, and is primarily made up of neurons.  The more gray matter in your brain, the healthier it is.

The research also found a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment among the group that ate more baked or broiled fish.  To all my fellow Wisconsinites,  eating fried fish did not increase gray matter volume or reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment.

Much more research needs to be done.  This study only showed an association between fish consumption and a healthier brain.  That being said… I know what I’m having for dinner tonight.

You can read more about this study in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Doctors at the University of Heidelberg and Saarland University Hospital, both in Germany, recently completed a study comparing the effectiveness of traditional surgery and lasers in the treatment of varicose veins.

346 patients were randomly assigned to have either high ligation and stripping (HLS) or endovenous laser treatment (EVLT).  Two years after treatment, patients were evaluated for the effectiveness of the treatment, quality of life, and adverse effects.

Both treatments were found to be safe, effective, and improved the patients quality of life, but there were differences.

Varicose veins recurred in 23.1% of the patients who had traditional surgery (HLS), versus 16.2% of the patients who had laser treatment (EVLT).  Laser treatment resulted in better blood flow, cosmetic results, and faster recovery, but these patients experienced more swelling, tightness and skin discoloration.  Blood pooling where the veins in the leg come together was higher for individuals who had laser treatment, 18% versus 1% for traditional surgery.

You can read the entire study in the September 19th edition of Archives of Dermatology.

Not all varicose veins require removal.  Most can be treated with compression stockings. Talk to your doctor.

A group of researchers at the University of Brescia in Italy has found that wearing compression socks during the day reduces the symptoms of sleep apnea at night.  Their report was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder characterized by abnormal breathing during sleep.  An apnea is a pause in breathing, and these can occur 5 to 30 times or more per hour.  Most individuals are unaware it is happening, even upon waking.  Symptoms are fatigue, impaired cognitive skills and reaction times, and behavioral changes.  The same symptoms one experiences after a bad nights sleep.

Over 85% of sleep apnea is caused by a physical blockage of the air passages.  In the Brescia study, lead by Dr. Stefania Redolfi, researchers measured the accumulation of interstitial fluid in the neck.  Swollen tissue can press on the pharynx and interrupt breathing.

In one of the tests, a group of patients wore compression stockings during the day for one week, to see if this would have any affect on fluid accumulation in the neck at night.  The test resulted in a 60% reduction in neck circumference increase, and a 36% reduction in the occurrences of apneas per hour of sleep.  Dr. Redolfi speculated that wearing compression stockings over longer periods of time may show even better results.

As a massive heat wave moves across the country, we thought now would be a good time to revisit the effects of heat and humidity on the body.

If you suffer from edema and/or lymphedema, heat and humidity are not your friends.  Dr. Madeline Chatlain’s article,  Swelling & Summer in the South, has useful tips to help you control summer swelling through diet, exercise, and compression garments.

An interesting note from the article, DEET the active ingredient in many insect repellents, can severely damage compression stockings.