Often people are surprised and they ask me – “How do you get your proteins (i.e. without eating meat)?”

My answer – “Vegetables also contain proteins.”

Now a new study published in Circulation compared the blood pressure between individuals who ate vegetable protein (specifically glutamic acid along with 4 other amino acids which are relatively higher in vegetable than animal protein) with people who ate non-vegetable protein (read animal meat).

They found a difference of about -2.7/-2.0 mm Hg in blood pressure in people eating more vegetables. Although that may sound small, individual results may be different (and maybe higher for you).

Reference: Glutamic Acid, the Main Dietary Amino Acid, and Blood Pressure (The INTERMAP Study)

This is a guest post by Richard Moyle from the Mesothelioma Cancer Center at Asbestos.com. The Mesothelioma Cancer Center is committed to providing the latest, up-to-date information to their visitors in the hopes of spreading awareness about the dangers of asbestos cancer.

Mesothelioma is the name given to a rare and extremely aggressive cancer thatís only known cause is exposure to asbestos. Asbestos was used throughout the 20th century for insulation, brake lining, flooring and piping. The most common type of mesothelioma occurs in the lining of the lungs (pleura) but has also been diagnosed in the linings of the stomach (peritoneum) and heart (pericardium).

This type of cancer is most effectively treated when diagnosed in its earliest stages. Regrettably, mesothelioma symptoms take anywhere from 25 to 50 years after initial asbestos exposure to begin to show. By the time a mesothelioma diagnosis is usually made, the cancer is already in advanced stages and treatment options are limited and less effective.

As stated before, asbestos was used extensively in a number of military and industrial applications. The majority of mesothelioma cases are a result of occupational asbestos exposure. Firefighters, military veterans, electricians and auto mechanics are among those most at-risk for developing an asbestos related illness.

Homes built before 1980 may also contain asbestos insulation. This is not a problem so long as the asbestos has not been disturbed or damaged. Asbestos is harmless if left alone. However, once the material is damaged or deteriorated, microscopic asbestos fibers are released into the air where they can then be easily inhaled or ingested. If you live in an older home, make sure you consult a professional home inspector to check the house for asbestos before making any major renovations.

(Click Image to enlarge)

Amazing response by the human body to return to normal if you quit smoking right now. On the other hand, this also shows how much harm cigarettes do to you.

Reference: HealthBolt, KevinMD

Interesting photos from Life Photo Archive:

Steven P. Jobs, the chief executive of Apple Computers, once defined creativity as “just connecting things.” Sleep assists the brain in flagging unrelated ideas and memories, forging connections among them that increase the odds that a creative idea or insight will surface.

Also a sleep deprived brain is unable to absorb, process and remember new information. This is why it is bad to stay up all night studying just before exams or preparing the night before for your major project/presentation.

Therefore, if you are sleep deprived, it is better to sleep like this…

…than this!

Here are a couple of videos on cholesterol explaining why is cholesterol important to the body, how it causes disease and what lifestyle changes are required to decrease excess cholesterol.

What does high cholesterol do? (Time 4:11 min)

Lifestyle changes for high cholesterol (Time 7:40 min)

Alan E. Guttmacher, now acting director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, agrees with Khoury. “If you read the fine print carefully, these Web sites don’t usually make false claims, but I think a lot of people will have false hopes. The information is incomplete at best and, in some cases, very likely wrong,” Guttmacher says. “The results look scientific,” he adds, but don’t be fooled.

Bottom line: If there is no indication, don’t waste money.

(Image source: Wikipedia)

And of course, there are certain conditions in which DNA testing may be worth it, especially when there are multiple family members in multiple generations afflicted by a certain disorder (e.g. BRCA1 & BRCA2 gene testing in families having multiple occurrences of breast & ovarian cancer).

When genetic testing is being contemplated, the index case (i.e. the person suffering from the disorder) should be tested first to see if he is carrying a defective gene. If the index case is positive then other family members should be tested after undergoing genetic counseling.

More people had measles infections in the first seven months of this year than during any comparable period since 1996, and public health officials blamed growing numbers of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children.

Many of these parents say they believe vaccines cause autism, even though multiple studies have found no reputable evidence to support such a claim.

Reference: New York Times, Center for Disease Control (CDC)

20 year old male college student (whom I will call Mr. X) with no known past medical history was referred to the medical clinic by his dentist for high blood pressure. During the office visit, Mr. X did not complain of any symptoms and said that he felt fine. On pressing a little further he said that at times he had headaches for which he takes over the counter painkillers.

Past medical history, family history and social history were unremarkable.

On examination his blood pressure was 180/116 in right arm and 175/110 in left arm. Heart rate was about 80. Rest of the physical exam was normal.

I tried to ask Mr. X if he was taking any drugs especially cocaine, marijuana or over the counter medications (besides painkillers – NSAIDS), but he denied.

Unable to explain the high blood pressure, I asked Mr. X to get some blood work done and asked him to come back in a week.

Next week Mr. X is back, asymptomatic with a high BP similar to the previous visit. His blood work is normal. Now I decide to start a million dollar work up to get to the root of his mysterious hypertension.

But then he tells me something interesting – cramps. He has been having mild cramps from weight lifting and exercising in the gym for about 3-4 weeks.

With a rush of adrenaline surging in me, I ask Mr. X “how many times do you work out in a week”

Mr. X – “Daily, I am trying to build some serious muscles”

Me – “I hope you are not taking steroids for body building”

Mr. X – “No, no, not at all. I know they are bad. I actually use this wonderful pre-workout supplement which I purchased from the internet. It does not have any steroids in it and works great”

Me – “And what is the supplement”

Mr X – “NO-xplode”

Case solved. Next week Mr. X’s blood pressure is 120/80.

(This is one of the many patients which I have seen and heard from colleagues, in which people get duped by fraudulent internet companies that sell FDA unapproved, non-tested diet supplements, body building supplements, herbal medicines and a whole lot of other stuff which can be extremely harmful. If you are taking any such supplement please consult your doctor).

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Endometriosis: What You Should Know

Medicine Interactions with Grapefruit: What You Should Know

Rickets: What It Is and How It’s Treated

Pressure Ulcers

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