Guest guest Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 " HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch Come Fly Away Wed, 15 Dec 2004 08:56:08 -0500 Come Fly Away Health Sciences Institute e-Alert December 15, 2004 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, If you're planning a trip for the holidays that will require an extended airline flight, first of all, bon voyage! And second: If you're going to be in the air for many hours, you might want to consider taking one small precaution that could help prevent considerable pain, and might even save your life. --------------------------- Tight squeeze --------------------------- In the e-Alert " Air Time " (10/9/03), I told you about deep vain thrombosis (DVT), which is a blood clot that can form in the legs or pelvis when a person is confined to a constricted space for a long period. Besides being painful, DVT can turn fatal if fragments of the clot dislodge and travel to the lungs where they can trigger a pulmonary embolism. Airline passengers who find themselves sitting for hours during a long flight are particularly susceptible to developing DVT. By some estimates, as many as 100,000 airline passengers may die from complications associated with DVT every year. One of the most important things to be aware of with DVT is that it can strike healthy people who have no previous cardiovascular problems. In fact, people who exercise regularly are at somewhat greater risk of DVT complications because they tend to have low resting pulse, which may help prompt DVT during long periods of inactivity. Others who may be at greater risk of DVT include: * Those who have previously experienced DVT. * Those with a family history of DVT . * Anyone who has experienced trauma to the legs. * Those who have recently had surgery on the legs, feet, or in the abdominal or pelvic areas. * Those who may suffer from diabetes, heart or liver disease, or certain cancers, such as colon, ovarian, stomach, liver, pancreatic, or lymphatic cancers. * Obese people. * Those over the age of 40. --------------------------- Leg work --------------------------- A recent issue of the journal Clinical Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis details a study conducted by a team of Italian researchers who examined the occurrence of DVT and the far less threatening (although often painful) superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) on a long-haul air flight. This trial also examined the effects of Pycnogenol on about half of the nearly 200 subjects. In previous e-Alerts I've told you about Pycnogenol, the natural anti-inflammatory extracted from French maritime pine bark. In the July 1998 Members Alert, we compared the effectiveness of Pycnogenol's antioxidant qualities to two of the most powerful antioxidants: glutathione and coenzyme Q10. All of the subjects in the Italian study were monitored for DVT and SVT before and after their flights, which averaged a little more than eight hours. Those in the treatment group received 200 mg of Pycnogenol two to three hours before their flight, another 200 mg six hours later, and 100 mg the following day. Researchers noted some slight vein inflammation (phlebitis), but no DVT or SVT among subjects who received Pycnogenol. In the placebo group, one subject experienced DVT, while SVT was reported in four subjects. There were no adverse side effects reported. These results run quite similar to a trial that appeared last year in the journal Angiology. In that study, a product called Flite Tabs (which contains Pycnogenol and a soy enzyme called nattokinase) was tested on about 200 subjects during long-haul flights. The legs of all subjects were measured before and after the flights, and ultrasound was used to detect blood clotting. Results showed that none of the subjects in the Flite Tabs group had evidence of blood clots, none experienced any leg swelling, and 15 percent actually showed a decrease in swelling. But in the control group, 5 subjects developed DVT, 2 had superficial thrombosis, and leg swelling increased in 12 percent of the group. --------------------------- The Wright stuff --------------------------- Writing in the Health eTips e-letter, Amanda Ross (Managing Editor of Dr. Jonathan V. Wright's Nutrition & Healing newsletter), pointed out that Dr. Wright has recommended " taking 1 tablespoon of cod-liver oil daily, along with 400 IU of vitamin E (as mixed tocopherols) " to help prevent blood clots - including those that might be triggered by DVT. It's also important to avoid dehydration. According to Dr. Wright, " Both alcohol and coffee are diuretics and tend to dehydrate the body, so your intake of these should be modest. Instead, drink plenty of water. " And if you fit into any of the high-risk groups mentioned above, consider wearing a pair of compression stockings. After a long flight, DVT warning signs to be watchful for include: muscle pain, swelling or tenderness in the legs, and discoloration in a painful area. Sometimes these symptoms don't occur until many hours after you've arrived at your destination. Airline flights that last only a couple of hours should not present a problem for most people. But if you're planning a particularly long flight, a few simple precautions can help prevent a hospital stay and even death. ************************************************************** ....and another thing Vitamin E needs a good press agent – someone who can provide spin control when this very beneficial supplement is attacked. I recently looked at – or, rather, flatly dismissed – the widely reported study that found E to be dangerous in large doses. And even though the study was clearly flawed, you can be sure that the basic message – that vitamin E is somehow dangerous – will linger in the mind of the general public. But here's another message that the public deserves to hear: Vitamin E may prevent heart attacks and deaths due to heart disease among some diabetics. A new study published in Diabetes Care last month used data collected from a 2000 trial known as Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE). This trial examined the effects of several antioxidants on cardiovascular health, and the initial results indicated that vitamin E provided no preventive benefits against heart disease. But when researchers in Israel reexamined the HOPE data for a specific subgroup, something amazing happened: Vitamin E was recast as a potential life saver. Previous research by the Israeli team had shown that certain diabetics who have a very specific " 2-2 " form of haptoglobin (a blood protein) may also have a risk of heart disease several hundred times higher than diabetics who don't have the 2-2 haptoglobin. In their HOPE data study the researchers demonstrate that this high-risk subgroup reduced their risk of heart attack by more than 40 percent and their risk of dying from heart disease by well over 50 percent when they took 400 IU of vitamin E daily. The Israeli team estimates that as many as 40 percent of diabetics are in the 2-2 haptoglobin group. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor to check this important marker in your next blood test. Meanwhile, put a solid score up on the board for the beleaguered vitamin E. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Prevention of Venous Thrombosis and Thrombophlebitis in Long-Haul Flights with Pycnogenol " Clinical Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis, Vol. 10, No. 4, October 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov " Study Supports Pycnogenol Benefits for Travellers " NutraIngredients.com, 11/23/04, nutraingredients.com " The Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetic Individuals With Different Haptoglobin Phenotypes " Diabetes Care, Vol. 27, No. 11, November 2004, care.diabetesjournals.org " Vitamin E May Help Some Diabetics " EurekAlert!, 11/19/04, eurekalert.org Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. 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