Inhaled insulin for Alzheimers

I have recently read that inhaled insulin may be of help for patients with alzheimer’s dementia. Is this true?

Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) is a progressive disorder with no identifiable cause or effective treatment. All the drug treatments available today appear to have major side effects and the cognitive improvement is only marginal.

Now there is a study showing that intranasal insulin spray may be of benefit in patients with Alzheimer’s dementia. The researchers indicate that insulin is critical for normal brain function and alteration in its metabolism may be a contributing factor to the development of alzheimer's disease. The researchers mention that because some patients with AD have lower levels of insulin in the brain, perhaps delivering supplemental can help improve cognition.

So what does this mean for the consumer?

While these results may sound impressive they are fraught with errors. To date, there is no imaging technique that can reliably make a diagnosis of alzheimer's dementia. Moreover, there is no reliable way to measure insulin levels in the brain, asides from autopsy specimens. To claim that AD patients have low levels of insulin is false, because there is no scientific evidence for this statement.

In my opinion the study is not bona fide at all. First off all, if insulin was a cure for Alzheimer's dementia, then most type 1 diabetic patients would not never develop this disorder since they are treated with insulin for life. Clearly this is not the case. Secondly if insulin deficiency was a cause of alzheimer's dementia, only type 1 and type 2 diabetics would develop alzheimer's dementia- again this is not the case. Thirdly, administering insulin to a non diabetic patient is very risky. Hypoglycemia is a serious complication of insulin therapy and can be fatal if not recognized. If a doctor prescribes a non-diabetic patient insulin that leads to coma, you have a great malpractice case against the doctor.

To date, there is no evidence to show that diabetics (who lack insulin) have a higher prevalence of Alzheimer's dementia than non-diabetics.

Finally, any healthcare professional who prescribes insulin to non-diabetics better have good medical malpractice insurance.

Probiotics for infection

Can probiotics prevent upper respiratory tract infections

Millions of people take probiotics to treat and prevent a number of medical disorders. Probiotics have been claimed to treat a wide variety of medical ailments. Previous data also support the use of probiotics for the treatment of infectious diarrhea and  vaginal infections during pregnancy. Similar studies on elderly people have not shown a reduction in the common cold but the duration of the infection has been shortened.  More important, the risk of getting really sick was also much lower in people taking probiotics.

However, for most of the medical disorders, the evidence for probiotics in fighting disease is scant.

At the moment it is not known how long the benefits of probiotics last if the supplement is stopped.

In any case, for consumers who are prone to the common cold and do not like taking medications, probiotics are an option. These health supplements are relatively cheap, safe and come in a variety of flavors.

In my opinion the only sure way to know if these products lower the frequency of the common cold, is to try them out.

Vitamin D for COPD

Can vitamin D help prevent or reverse COPD?

The answer is NO. The postulated medical benefits of vitamin D continue unabated. Every week, there is a new study which shows that vitamin D can cure an illness. For some time researchers have been postulating that people who smoke and have exacerbations of their COPD may be vitamin D deficient. Some people with COPD have been found to have a deficiency of vitamin D but it is not known if this is due to a poor diet or a result of the COPD. Thus, vitamin D  supplementation has  been proposed to treat patients who have COPD and other related manifestations.

For the moment, vitamin D is useful for the treatment of osteoporosis in post menopausal women. Its role in the treatment of COPD is still debated. For consumers with COPD, it is important to eat a diet with adequate amounts of vitamin D and discontinue smoking. Reliance on any one supplement for good health is foolish.

Is sea salt better for health?

Is there any medical benefit from using sea salt ?

Everyday people come up with crazy ides. Now the fad is to start consuming sea salt to avoid sodium intake. It is not known how this suggestion caught on, but it is without merit. Sea salt or salt from retail stores have no difference in their sodium content. They both do the same thing- Add some flavor to food.

What most people do not know is that we get very little salt from the shaker at home. Most of the salt we consume is already added to the variety of processed foods we eat on a daily basis. Salt is everywhere. For most healthy people the total amount of sodium should be no more than 1500 mg. For those who have heart disease, it should be 1,000 mg or less. Also important to know is that even if you cut salt, the blood pressure lowering is only modest. 

However, if you have bad genes, smoke, do not exercise and eat unhealthy foods, cutting down on salt is not going to make a big difference in you life.

Losing weight with coffee

Can coffee help me lose weight?

There is no food or drink that is bad if you take in moderation and the same applies to coffee. In fact, there is clinical evidence to show that drinking one or two cups of coffee is not harmful to health. Reports seems to suggest that coffee contains antioxidants which can help reduce the risk of diabetes, Parkinson disease, gallstones, hemorrhoids, acne and so on.  

All this medical stuff about coffee is just nonsense.  As far as weight loss is concerned, coffee does no such thing unless you only drink coffee and do not at any solid food. If you like coffee, drinking one or two cups a day is not harmful. 

The only advice I have is avoid 4-6 teaspoons of sugar and flavored syrup- this just add more calories. I love my coffee with cream and sugar 3 times a day. Try it.

Oral appliance for snoring

My pharmacist recommends an oral appliance for snoring. Should I buy one?

First pharmacists are not doctors. They do not know anything about any disease, nor do they understand the pathology. They only count pills, look smart and take 1-2 hours to dispense your script-not the type of person you should be seeking medical advice from.

There are many devices and appliances sold online and in pharmacies to help people stop snoring. Even doctors have gotten in the habit of recommending surgical procedures and implants. Unfortunately, none of these devices is guaranteed to work, and may have serious complications.

If you have snoring, the best advice is to speak to a physician who specializes in the ear, nose and throat specialty. Do not rush and buy any device. There is ample literature on cyberspace where you can read the pros and cons about each appliance. The best advice if you have snoring is to change your lifestyle and reduce weight. In many people, just losing weight helps get rid of snoring.

Chin straps for snoring

I have been reading that chin straps can help snoring. Is this true?

In the last 2 decades, many people have started to sell these junk devices. There are many types of chin straps. In essence, they all consist of a strap that fits into the chin and runs over the head. The aim is to prevent the chin from dropping and induce snoring at night.

The chin strap or versions of the chin strap have been around for decades. These devices work by closing the mouth shut and forcing you to breathe through your nose. The chin straps are cheap and easy to use, but do not work in everyone. However, even they are the cheapest, you should still not buy them. If you really want to see how it works, just take any elastic bandage at home and wrap is around the chin and face- first see how it fells and then let someone determine if you snore at night. For 99.99999% of people on the face of this earth, sleeping with a chin strap is almost impossible. You will feel choked and sleep miserably. Recently the newer generation of chin straps have been advertized for $100 and above- what a scam. Selling a F..ing elastic bandage for this price!

SO final advice- even if you are the most stupid person on this earth- do not buy this crap. It is a complete waste of money. There is ZERO evidence that chin straps prevent snoring.