Parkinson's disease and Ibuprofen, erectile dysfunction, ED, Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, push-ups, cancer vaccines

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By: Mike Furci (mike@bullz-eye.com)

04/27/2005

Furci Home / Fitness Channel / Bullz-Eye Home

Mike Furci offers research, trends and other info to help with your fitness, health and nutritional needs.

…Ibuprofen may lower a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease? At an annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, findings from a study involving nearly 150,000 men and women over an 8.5-year period showed that people who used Ibuprofen were 35% less likely to develop Parkinson’s. This benefit was not seen with other anti-inflammatory drugs. This is a devastating disease that is caused by a loss of brain cells that control movement. Symptoms include shaking, rigidity and slow movement. In its final stages Parkinson’s Disease leaves the patient unable to care for themselves and requires constant one-on-one care by a nurse. (www.webmd.com 4-14-05)

…that between 15 and 30 million men experience erectile dysfunction (ED), depending on the definition used? ED can be defined as a total inability to achieve an erection, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain brief erections. The number of physician office visits made for ED nearly tripled between 1985 and 1999. Stress and anxiety are the usual causes for younger males, while physical causes like disease and drug side effects are seen in older men. The great news is that ED is treatable at any age and awareness is growing. Treatments include psychotherapy, drug therapy, vacuum devices (“it’s not my bag, baby”) and surgery. (www.medlineplus.gov)

…that a very effective fat burner has been around since 1883? Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, more commonly known as GABA, is a powerful amino acid that is classified as a neurotransmitter in the brain. It acts as a balancer of excitation and relaxation. Its ability to burn fat is actually secondary. GABA stimulates the anterior pituitary gland, leading to an increased output of Human Growth Hormone. HGH is known to have anti-aging effects and lowers body-fat levels. One study conducted by the First Medical Clinic at the University of Milan found a five-fold increase in HGH levels of 19 subjects after 90 minutes of consuming 5gms of GABA. The 18 placebo subjects in the same study showed no increase in HGH output.

…that you can change what muscles you stimulate during push-ups by changing hand and foot positions? A study conducted by scientists from the University of Athens compared standard push-ups (hands shoulder width apart, legs supported on toes) with modified push-ups (“women’s push-ups,” with legs supported on knees), hands wider than shoulder width, hands together, hands above the chest, and hands below the chest. Women’s push-ups decreased the overall load by about 15%. The wider hand position stimulated the pecs more, while the triceps were targeted more with a narrow hand position. Next time you do push-ups, decide which body parts you want to stimulate more and position your hands accordingly. (J Strength Cond Res, 19:146-151, 2005)

…that there are more than 60 companies around the world working on cancer vaccines? Vaccines are used to treat infectious diseases such as the flu, measles, mumps and rubella. Cancer vaccines are to be tailored to enhance the body’s immune system to attack the tumors. Unfortunately at present, despite years of hard work, there are no effective therapeutic cancer vaccines. (Reuters, April. 14,2005)

Questions or comments? Send them to mike@bullz-eye.com.