HEALTH ADVICE

PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND ITS BENEFITS

From walking to practising sports, physical activity contributes to the prevention of a wide range of pathologies.

These are the benefits of doing exercise that numerous public hospitals advertise on their front doors.

Benefits of physical exercise

• It reduces the probability of suffering from cardiovascular diseases (ictuses, heart attacks, anginas, etc.) by up to 30%.

• It prevents the emergence of diabetes by up to 40%.

• It reduces the probability of suffering from depressive conditions by up to 30%.

• It decreases the emergence of breast cancer by up to 20%.

• It decreases the probability of suffering from colon cancer by 30%.

• It decreases the emergence of dementia in older people by up to 30%.

• It reduces hip fractures by up to 68%.

• It also reduces the probability of dying from any pathology by up to 30%.

Other benefits of physical exercise include making us feel good about ourselves and making us feel strong enough to tackle any type of pain that we may have.

Examples of physical exercises that we could do that would produce the benefits explained above include: running, swimming, cycling, dancing, climbing stairs or just walking at a brisk pace for a minimum of 150 minutes per week. Each exercise that we decide to do will always depend on the state of our physical fitness, the state of our health and our age, whilst also a sedimentary lifestyle as much as possible.

CONSEJOS DE SALUD

EL EJERCICIO FÍSICO Y SUS BENEFICIOS

Desde caminar hasta practicar cualquier tipo de deporte, la actividad física participa en la prevención de múltiples enfermedades.

Así son los beneficios de hacer ejercicio que muchos de los hospitales públicos en el Reino Unido anuncian en sus puertas de entrada.

El ejercicio físico:

• Disminuye hasta en un 35% la posibilidad de padecer  enfermedades cardiovasculares (Ictus, infartos, anginas de pecho, etc.)

• Previene la aparición de diabetes hasta en un 40%.

• Reduce hasta en un 30% la posibilidad de sufrir patologías de tipo depresivo.

• Disminuye la aparición de cáncer de mama hasta en un 20%.

• Baja la posibilidad de sufrir cáncer de colon en un 30%.

• Disminuye la demencia en las personas mayores hasta en un 30%.

• Reduce las fracturas de cadera hasta en un 68%.

• Y además reduce la posibilidad de morir de cualquier enfermedad hasta en un 30%.

Otros de los beneficios del ejercicio físico son el que nos hace sentirnos bien y más fuertes contra cualquier dolor.

Ejemplos de ejercicio físico que podemos realizar y del que podemos obtener los beneficios señalados anteriormente son: Correr, nadar, montar en bicicleta, bailar, subir escaleras o simplemente caminar a paso ligero al menos 150 minutos a la semana. Cada ejercicio que realicemos dependerá siempre de nuestra condición física, estado de salud y edad, evitando siempre en lo posible la vida sedentaria.

Turmeric. The Golden Spice

It is said that the softness and shine of hair from the population of India, Pakistan, Peru, Iran, etc. is due to turmeric as it used as a condiment in their meals.

Turmeric is one the biggest known antioxidants. It is a powder extracted from the root of the plant, which proceeds from South Asia and it is used as a condiment in famous Indian and Pakistani dishes such as curry, in the preparation of mustard and as colouring in a diverse range of products. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, and scientific research has shown an interest in it.

The properties of turmeric that have been studied and highlighted are that:

• It acts as an anti-inflammatory in arthritis, traumas, etc.

•  It is used for its healing properties, and due to its action on the skin it would also act in pathologies such as Eczemas, Psoriasis, Rosacea, Vitiligo, etc.

• It is an anti-carcinogenic, continuous studies conducted in Indian and Pakistani populations show that turmeric is always present in their foods, noting a lower number of incidences of cancer in these populations in comparison with others that were studied.

• Because of the increment in biliary secretion, it would aid digestion and it seems that acting in the growth of intestinal flora would activate the immune system.

• It acts as an anti-inflammatory, in addition to providing soothing relief from arthritis; it would also do so for asthma and bronchopulmonary diseases.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom, declared in April 2015, that there is scientific evidence which show that turmeric decreases levels of LDL or ‘bad cholesterol’ protecting the body from arteriosclerosis and its consequences, cardiovascular diseases, and when added to pepper, it would also protect the body against metabolic syndrome or from insulin resistance, slowing the development of diabetes, fatty liver, etc.

Studies conducted by the University of Stanford and the University of California in Los Angeles (USA) among others, have observed that populations that use turmeric, present less occurrences of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s chorea. These studies are a turning point in the advancement of the newest treatments to treat these illnesses.

Although the studies that have been conducted are geared towards discovering many more properties possessed by turmeric, using turmeric of the best quality and in the kitchen will always help to maintain good health.

Dr J. Hurtado Martínez

Medical Director of HealthSalus

Cúrcuma. El Dorado de las Especies

Dicen que la brillantez y suavidad del pelo de los habitantes de India, Pakistán, Perú, Irán etc. se debe a la cúrcuma usada como condimento en sus comidas.

La cúrcuma es uno de los mayores antioxidantes conocidos. Es un polvo extraído de la raíz de la planta procedente del Sur de Asia y usado como condimento en famosos platos Indios y Pakistaníes como el curry, en la preparación de la mostaza, y como colorante en diversos productos. El ingrediente activo de la cúrcuma es la curcumina, y las investigaciones científicas de los últimos años han puesto sus ojos en ella.

Las propiedades estudiadas y destacadas de la cúrcuma son:

• Actúa como antiinflamatorio en la artritis, traumatismos, etc.

• Es usado como cicatrizante de heridas, y por su acción sobre la piel actuaria también en patologías como Eczemas, Psoriasis, Rosácea, Vitíligo, etc.

• Como anticancerígeno, continuados estudios realizados en las poblaciones de Pakistán e India, muestran que la cúrcuma siempre está presente en su alimentación, observándose un menor número de incidencias de cáncer en estas poblaciones en comparación con otras estudiadas.

• Por el aumento en la secreción de la bilis, mejora las digestiones, y parece ser que actuando en el crecimiento de la flora intestinal activaría el sistema inmune.

•  Como antiinflamatorio además de actuar en el alivio de artritis, también lo haría sobre el asma y enfermedades broncopulmonares.

En Abril 2015, el Instituto Nacional para la Excelencia de Salud y Asistencia (NICE) en el Reino Unido, declaró que hay evidencias científicas de que la cúrcuma actúa disminuyendo el LDL o colesterol malo, protegiendo así de la arterioesclerosis y sus consecuencias, las enfermedades cardiovasculares, y que junto a la pimienta lo haría también sobre el síndrome metabólico o de resistencia a la insulina, disminuyendo el desarrollo de diabetes, hígado graso, etc.

Estudios realizados por la Universidad de Stanford y la Universidad de California en Los Ángeles (USA) entre otras, han observado que las poblaciones que usan cúrcuma, presentan una menor aparición de enfermedades degenerativas, como Alzhéimer, Parkinson y Corea de Huntington. Estos estudios están marcando un hito en los avances de nuevos tratamientos para estas enfermedades.

Aunque todos los estudios realizados van encaminados a descubrir muchas más propiedades sobre la cúrcuma, usarlo en la cocina y siempre el de buena calidad, será siempre una ayuda más en el mantenimiento de la salud.

Dra J. Hurtado Martínez

Directora Médica de HealthSalus

VERTIGO. WHEN EVERYTHING SPINS.

Vertigo is a perception of the movement, spin, and displacement of objects causing us to feel unstable, unbalanced and as though we are falling into the abyss.

TYPES OF VERTIGO

The types of vertigo are central and peripheral.

1. PERIPHERAL VERTIGO

Peripheral vertigo occurs when the inner ear or the nerve that goes through it, are affected. They are the most common and have the best prognosis and treatment.

The three most common types of peripheral vertigo are:

• BENIGH PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO

It presents itself very suddenly, can last for a few seconds and takes place when we tilt or stretch our neck when we are lying down. It is very frequent, especially in women between the ages of 40 and 50.

The dislodging of small stones of calcium called otoliths, which are present within our inner ear and contribute to maintenance of our equilibrium, is the most important cause of this type of vertigo.

SYMPTOMS

• Tilting of objects

• Feeling of falling into the abyss

• Nausea and vomiting

• Loss of stability

TREATMENT

The treatment is conservative and consists of completing a range of head movements in the consulting room of a specialist. This treatment will enable the otoliths to realign themselves again and cause the vertigo to disappear.

• MÉNIÈRE’S DISEASE

This is another type of peripheral vertigo. It is produced by an accumulation of liquid within the inner ear and can emerge at any age, however it is more frequent to appear around the age of 40.

Episodes can last from minutes to hours.

SYMPTOMS

• Tilting of objects

• Feeling of falling into the abyss

• Nausea and vomiting

• Loss of stability

• Tinnitus or ringing in the ears

• A feeling of fullness within the ear

• Loss of hearing

• It only affects one ear

TREATMENT

DIET

We have to reduce the ingestion of salt and liquids, to prevent their retention within the inner ear. The salt present within ready-made meals, cold meats, salty snack, salt cured meats and fish, etc. should be reduced.

Around 65% of patients improve after taking these dietary measures. When the diet does not improve this condition, a pharmacological treatment is applied. A surgical treatment is the best option in the most severe cases.

• VESTIBULAR NEURITIS

This is the third most frequent type of peripheral vertigo and it is produced by infections of the nerve within the inner ear, primarily caused by viruses such as herpes zoster, bacteria, toxics, etc.

SYMPTOMS

• Loss of stability

• Vomiting

• Nausea

TREATMENT

The administered treatment and its resolution will depend on the cause that originated it.

2. CENTRAL VERTIGO

Central vertigo occurs when haemorrhages, thrombus, tumours, multiple sclerosis, etc. affect the structures of the central nervous system.

SYMPTOMS

• Impaired balance

• Intense headache

• Difficulty swallowing

• Double vision

DIAGNOSIS

The diagnosis of vertigo, either peripheral or central, takes place by completing an extensive medical history, an exploration of the ear and adjacent structures and a CT and MRI.