Clinical Trials and Medical Blog

Ok, so your one of those people who just has the worst kind of schedule known to mankind. You get up at 5am so you can get to the office by 7am to start your day. You have to go to a parent-teachers meeting at your kid’s school right after work, then you have to take your kid to soccer practice after that. You seem to have days like this almost all the time. You never seem to have much time for yourself between all of the things you have to do every day, so how can you possibly find the time to incorporate exercise into your day? Exercise takes time, and time is one luxury you just don’t have.

Well, there is a way to get some exercise into your day and that way is to simply exercise at your desk. No, that was not a typo. Here is a little routine that you can do right at your desk. It doesn’t take up much time and while it will not make you a candidate for the next fitness competition, it will give your muscles enough work to stay firm.

Complete one set of each exercise in order. Do 10 to 20 repetitions of each exercise, and follow with 1 to 2 more sets in order if time permits it.

Chair crunch:

Sit tall in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Begin to slowly round your upper back downward until you feel your abdominal muscles tighten. Hold for 3-5 seconds, and then return to the start position.

Squats:

Stand up in front of your chair. Sit back into a squat like you are sitting back down in your chair, keeping your weight on your heels and your knees behind your toes. When you are almost touching your chair with your butt, push yourself back to the standing position using your leg muscles.

Calf raises:

Stand in front of your desk and put your hands on the desk for balance. Lift yourself up onto the balls of your feet. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, and then lower yourself back down to the floor.

Desk pushup:

Stand 4 to 5 feet away from your desk and put of your hands on the edge of the desk. Relax your lower body and using just your arms, lower your chest down toward the desk and stop when your chest is about 3 to 6 inches away from it. Then push yourself back up to the starting position again using only your arms.

Seated triceps lift backs:

Sit tall in your chair. Put your arms down at your sides with your palms facing forward. With your arms strait and elbows locked, slowly bring your arms up behind you until you feel your triceps muscles tighten. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then lower your arms back to the starting position.

Seated bicep curls:

Sit tall in your chair. Start with one arm down at your side, palm facing forward in a fist. Put your other hand over your fist and push against it for resistance while bringing your fist up toward your shoulder. Once your fist is close to your shoulder, lower it back down to the starting position maintaining constant resistance with the other hand throughout the entire movement. Complete all repetitions for that set, then switch sides and repeat.

After you have completed each exercise for the amount of repetitions and sets you can do, sit down and straighten your legs. Now gently reach for your toes until you feel you can’t go any further, hold for 10 seconds (do not bounce), then return to the starting position. Next, reach your arms out to your sides as far as you can. Keeping them fully extended, bring them slowly to the front and cross them over each other as far as you can. Hold for 10 seconds, and then return them to your sides. Now, reach your arms over your head as far as you can, hold for 10 seconds, and then return them to your sides.

Taking the time to do this simple but effective exercise routine at the office will help to keep you toned and you can do it even with the worst schedule possible because it can be done during your lunch break and still leave you enough time to eat your lunch.

Enjoy your workout.

Your muscles ache from a good stretch. This is quite normal and is part of the process. Stretching has seemingly been with us and particular with athletes since the beginning of time.

A very key point to good stretching is to hold the stretch for at least seventeen seconds. This is a pearl of wisdom gleaned from a ballet teacher a few years back. She said that any stretch under 17 seconds was just not effective.

The 17 second rule is exceeded in the high intensity Bikram’s yoga where stretches are held for about 30 seconds. Don’t forget the high level of heat that is used in Bikram’s to extract that last little bit of stretch out of your muscles. An interesting twist that is not necessary to gain benefits from stretching. But, it can’t hurt, right?

So what kind of benefits can you expect from stretching? That’s an easy one. Have you ever seen the movie, Blood Sport? Did you know that Frank Dux could truly stretch his body to the extreme. The actor that played him was quite elastic as well.

Great elasticity is also something you might see in well trained Spetsnaz(Russian)agents. They often work out with Russian kettlebells too. They are for superior strength gains and the ability to withstand ballistic shocks.

Why are stretching and flexibility considered important to these people? Stretching gives one the ability to have explosive power available at one’s fingertips without the need to warm up. Of course most of us are not martial artists or agents. But, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of other benefits.

Let me give you an example. After learning to sit in the full lotus position for long periods of time, my ankles became very flexible. One day I was walking along and my left foot fell into a pothole. This mishap pushed my ankle sideways to about 90 degrees from it’s normal position.

Amazingly, this didn’t even hurt, not one bit. If my ankle hadn’t been so flexible, I may have suffered a sprained ankle. At the very least, it would have hurt for days.

Key point: stretching helps us to avoid injuries. Not only that but if you do have a muscle, tendon or ligament injury it should heal faster, theoretically speaking.

Stretching actually grows the ligaments, tendons and muscles being stretched. They really grow longer over time. Check with your physician before undertaking any type of exercise, including stretching.

Aloe Vera is a succulent, flowering, perennial plant from the Lily family. There are hundreds of species of Aloe plant but Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller to use the full title is the one known as True Aloe. It has been used for a wide variety of medicinal purposes throughout history. Modern pharmaceutical companies use extracts of Aloe Vera in many skin-based cosmetics, sited as a natural approach to cosmetics.

Aloe Vera is grown throughout the world, historically in drier tropical regions, and is used both for it’s aesthetic beauty and other purposes. It is mainly known as a treatment for the skin, applied to cuts, burns, eczema, etc. The gel contained within the plant is widely recognised as the best source of the healing properties. While modern science sometimes refutes the plant as having much medicinal value, it has been used throughout history, by ancient cultures all over the world and also by famous individuals. Nelson Mandela praises the plant and Christopher Columbus too (Aloe Health UK).

Aloe Vera contains enzymes that the body needs from foods, and a whole host of vitamins and minerals. It also contains plant steroids with analgesic, anti-inflammatory properties. In it’s raw form, parts of the plant also act as a powerful laxative. Those who support Aloe Vera believe in its use as a drink or foodstuff and not just as a source of chemicals for health products, though unfortunately the raw plant has a bitter taste and is best to be prepared with fruits.

Aloe is still hotly debated in medicinal circles. There is evidence both for and against its restorative powers. The main problem with testing the effectiveness of the plant in speeding the recovery of wounds is that one cannot wound a person beyond minor incisions for the sake of medical trial. Nevertheless the tributes of ancient people, folklore and mythology give hope to the idea of using the plant as a healing aid.

Every drug that makes it to the pharmacy shelf must leap over numerous hurdles, starting with experimentation in the lab, followed by clinical trials in humans and culminating with the scrutiny of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which must review and approve all proposed new medications for safety and effectiveness before they can be sold to consumers. The process can take upwards of 10 years, and clinical testing is the trial by fire that makes or breaks any prospective new drug.

Pharmaceutical companies also test drugs that have already been approved, to monitor long-term safety and effectiveness. Additional labeling claims or proposed new uses of drugs previously approved for commercial sale must be evaluated in subsequent clinical trials.

New medical devices and even new procedures and approaches to diagnosing or treating diseases must undergo clinical testing to prove their merit. A study might ask whether using a particular drug in addition to surgery is better than surgery alone, or whether earlier, more aggressive treatment of a condition produces a better outcome. Any question health care professionals might have about how best to diagnose and treat a medical condition may be addressed scientifically by a clinical trial.

Clinical trial results themselves must pass a test as well. Results of safety and/or efficacy must be “statistically significant”. That means a mathematical analysis of the results must show that the results obtained are highly likely to be “true” and not the result of chance.

Risks and benefits of taking part in a clinical tria

Why do people participate in clinical trials? Some people who are very ill or who are not responding to standard treatments join clinical trials in order to receive new, investigational treatment. They are hoping that this treatment, possibly a new drug, medical device or procedure, will work better for them than standard therapy. Others participate in clinical trials to contribute to medical science, while others take part for the chance to try the newest treatment that they hope will work better than the current standard.

Participation in a clinical trial brings a host of potential benefits and possible risks for the consumer. The benefits include access to new treatments otherwise unavailable as well as an opportunity to help others by contributing to medical research. Sometimes, it also means access to top medical care, although the majority of FDA approved clinical trails, are conducted in community practices. If a treatment proves effective, you, as the participant in the clinical trial, may be offered the treatment, even if you have been in the control group.

When you enroll in a clinical trial, however, you should be aware of the potential risks associated with the study. You may also be signing up for some inconveniences. The treatment may have side effects or produce adverse reactions with other medications or foods. You may receive a placebo (although they are not used in cancer trials), or you may receive the experimental treatment but not derive any benefit. If there is an existing effective therapy, weigh your options carefully in light of the fact that you may get only a placebo treatment. Another factor to keep in mind is that the design of the trial may require frequent trips to the study site, hospital stays, or difficult or uncomfortable procedures.

Clinical trials, at least late-stage trials, may not be as risky as most health care professionals and participants believe. An initial 1999 review of 25 studies found that outcomes were better overall for participants in Phase III clinical trials than in those who did not join a clinical trial. The surprising results suggest the need for a broader analysis; if confirmed, additional studies could address the reasons for the so-called “inclusion benefit.” It could be, for example, that volunteers for trials tend to be more conscientious about their health, or that the more attentive care provided in trials makes a significant difference.

Clinical trial sponsors may include government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH); pharmaceutical or medical device companies; individual physicians; or health care institutions. Trials may be conducted in a variety of locations: hospitals, universities, doctors’ offices or community clinics.

We all know that eating too much salt is not good for us, but how much do we have to reduce to make an impact? According to a new study - not very much at all!

Eighty patients with untreated mild to moderate hypertension were randomised to either start a ‘no added salt’ diet or continue with their normal diet.

24 hour holter monitoring and urinary sodium excretion measurement were carried out six weeks after the start of the diet.

Although sodium excretion dropped significantly in the ‘no salt added’ group of patients – compared to the control group - only 36% of them reached the pre-treatment goal of 24 hour sodium excretion of 100mEq/l.

But mean BP significantly dropped during the day by 12.1/6.8 and at night by 11.1/5.9mmHg.

Read the full article

Tea Tree Oil is one of the most useful products in nature. It has been used by some Aboriginal People in Australia for many centuries as one of their most useful medicines. Tea Tree oil is derived from Melaleuca Alternifloria which is a narrow-leafed paper bark tree that is native to certain parts of Australia. Some people think that it is called the Tea Tree because Captain Cook, who sailed from England in the 17th Century, used the leaves to make a tea from when they first voyaged to Australia, hence the name Tea Tree. Captain Cook found that it was good at combating scurvy a disease that many of his crew suffered from at that time due to a lack of fresh fruit and fresh vegetables.

Australia has more than 300 different kinds of Tea Tree, but only one of them is used to make the oil which is now world famous. Tea Tree Oil first came to prominence during the First World War in the early 20th century. Australian soldiers were seen to be using the oil to treat their infections. They had a great deal of success with this. During World War Two, Tea Tree Oil growers were exempt from National Service in Australia as their contribution to the war was to produce Tea Tree Oil for use by its troops.

Tea Tree oil has a number of fantastic properties making it an excellent treatment for many complaints. These are all external uses as Tea Tree oil should not be taken internally.

Tea Tree oil has been shown to be effective against Fungi, Bacteria and Viruses. It is extracted as an essential oil by steam or water distillation from the leaves and twigs of the Tea Tree. The oil is a water-white liquid or pale yellow-green. It has a fresh, spicy and slightly camphoraceous smell.

Have you been a little lightheaded lately? If you happen to set your eyes on an object and you see it spinning, then your dizziness may lead to something serious. If your wooziness is coupled with a whirling sensation, chances are you may be experiencing vertigo. Vertigo is a medical term for dizziness that can lead to a balance disorder.

Vertigo is also known as “hallucination of motion”. Individuals having this ailment begin to see blurred motions of stationary objects. It has almost the exact feeling of being in an unstoppable merry-go-round.

It may be left untreated many times, but vertigo is actually one of the most widespread medical problems among adults. In United States alone, around 40% of individuals experience the symptoms of vertigo at least once. This fact is so reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Studies show that vertigo is more common in women than in men and as a person grows older, he or she may experience more frequent attacks of vertigo.

Vertigo is usually associated inner ear infection, which is also referred to as labyrinthitis. Fluid-filled canals or labyrinths have very small hair cells that are responsible for sending impulses to the human brain. The brain then identifies the individual’s correct body orientation. Once the small organs in the labyrinths gets irritated, then these cells may send incorrect messages to your brain. When this happens, you would feel a sudden drowsiness. Since the ear is responsible for the body’s balance, once your ears are malfunctioning you may often observe yourself getting dizzy and out of balance.

Vertigo can also be caused by balance disorders and inflamed vestibular nerves. If you are physically injured in a part of your ear, chances are you would suffer from vertigo as well. It is important to take not that vertigo is not a disease in itself. It may be a symptom to a more complicated illness like tumor and stroke.

At the first signs of vertigo, immediately consult your doctor for proper advice. The common treatment for vertigo is meclizine. The symptoms of vertigo usually go away on its own but comes back after a few weeks or so. If you experience any signs of vertigo, never tell yourself that’s it’s just a simple headache and would soon go away. As passé as it may sound, prevention is always better than cure.

The extracts of Allium sativum bulb and compound preparation possess pharmacodynamic properties. The extract of garlic was found to have a significant protective action against a fat induced increase in serum cholesterol and plasma fibrinogen and in fibrinolytic activity.

Garlic is used as a carminative, aphrodisiac, expectorant, and stimulant.

Anticancer Actions:

Human population studies show that eating garlic regularly reduces the risk of esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer. This is partly due to garlic’s ability to reduce the formation of carcinogenic compounds. Animal and test tube studies also show that garlic, and its sulfur compounds, inhibit the growth of different types of cancer-especially breast and skin tumors.

Circulatory Effects:

More than 250 publications have shown that garlic supports the cardiovascular system. It may lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, inhibit platelet stickiness (aggregation), and increase fibrinolysis-which results in a slowing of blood coagulation. It is mildly antihypertensive and has antioxidant activity.

Antimicrobial Actions:

Garlic has antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal activity’ It may work against some intestinal parasites. Garlic appears to have roughly 1 % the strength of penicillin against certain types of bacteria. This means it is not a substitute for antibiotics, but it can be considered as a support against some bacterial infections. Candida albicans growth is inhibited by garlic, and garlic has shown long-term benefit for recurrent yeast infections.

High Blood Pressure:

Garlic is regarded as one of the most effective remedies to lower blood pressure. The pressure and tension are reduced because it has the power to ease the spasm of the small arteries. It also slows the pulse and modifies the heart rhythm, besides relieving the symptoms of dizziness, shortness of breath and the formation of gas within the digestive track As these days garlic capsules are available with the chemist shops, the average dosage of two to three capsules a day to be given to make a dent in the blood pressure.

Digestive System Disorders:

Garlic is one of the most beneficial foods for the digestive system. It exercises a beneficial effect on the lymph, aids in elimination of noxious waste matter in the body. It stimulates peristaltic action and the secretion of the digestive juices. Crushed cloves of garlic may be infused in water or milk and taken for all types of disorders of the digestion. It has an antiseptic effect and is an excellent remedy for infectious diseases and inflammations of the stomach and intestine. The oil of garlic is absorbed into the alimentary tract and is eliminated partly through the urine.

Garlic produces a very marked effects on the intestine. It is an excellent agent as a worm expeller. It has also a soothing effect on the various forms of diarrhoea. Problems such as colitis, dysentery and many other intestinal upsets can be successfully treated with fresh garlic or garlic capsules One garlic capsule taken three times a day is usually sufficient to correct mild cases of diarrhoea or dysentery. For more persistent cases, upto six capsules a day can be taken. Garlic has the ability to destroy harmful bacteria in the intestines without affecting the beneficial organisms which aid digestion.

Skin Disorders:

Garlic has also been used successfully for a variety of skin disorders Pimples disappear without scar when rubbed with raw garlic several times a day. Even very persistent form of acne, suffered by some adults, has also been healed with garlic. The external use of garlic helps to clear the skin of spots and pimple, and boils. The process is further helped by taking the garlic orally also, to purify the blood-steam so as to secure a long term clearance of the skin. A regular course of three garlic capsules per day should help to clear minor skin infections quickly.

Whooping Cough:

Garlic is an excellent remedy for whooping cough. Syrup of garlic Should be given in doses of five drops to a teaspoonful two or three times a day in this condition. It should be given more often if the coughing spells are frequent and violent.