Chocolate Bribe Angers Dentists, Delights Schoolchildren

A U.K. principal’s unusual plan to motivate students may have raised the wrath of the British Dental Association, but it seems to be working.

Three years ago, Andrew Sheppard grew frustrated with discipline problems at Norfolk’s Recastle Furze Primary School. He decided that the school’s 240 pupils would be rewarded for good behavior with chocolate bars.

The school hasn’t had a single suspension in the past three years. In addition, test scores have gotten higher. The rewards program has been expanded to include a Christmas dance, Easter eggs, and barbecues.

“I feel vindicated,” said Dr. Sheppard. “A 40-pence bar of chocolate is not going to make children obese or rot their teeth. It is providing them with an incentive that they value. Some people said that I should give them a carrot instead, but they are not donkeys.”

Chocolate Lovers May Be Able to Brush with Glee

Chocolate lovers take heart. You may one day be able to get the same thrill from brushing your teeth that you get from a box of chocolates.

That's because a Tulane University researcher has found a way for a natural extract of cocoa powder to protect teeth enamel. Researchers compared the effects on tooth enamel of both the cocoa extract and fluoride and say the extract may be an effective alternative to fluoride, a chemical that has been added to toothpaste for nearly a century to strengthen teeth and protect them against tooth decay.

The extract is a white crystalline powder that is similar to caffeine and works to harden enamel. So far, researchers have only used the compound in animal models. Human uses may be as much as two to four years away, according to a Tulane press release.

The lead researcher, Tulane doctoral candidate Arman Sadeghpour, said he has developed a prototype of a peppermint-flavored toothpaste containing the cocoa extract.

What's triggering your allergies?

If you have allergies, this means that your immune system is hypersensitive to specific substances or triggers, which leads to a misdirected immune response -- your symptoms of sniffling and sneezing as your body attempts to fight off the perceived invaders.

If this sounds like you, work with your healthcare professional to come up with an effective treatment plan that helps control or abort this overreaction.

One of the most important steps in controlling your nasal allergies is to reduce your exposure to the substances that cause them -- your triggers.
Figure Your Triggers
A trigger is anything that causes an allergy attack. You may have one or several different allergy triggers. You can determine your triggers based on experience, or your healthcare provider can arrange for allergy testing. Keep in mind that it may not be possible to find what's causing your symptoms.

To help your doctor determine what you might be allergic to, keep track of your symptoms in a journal. Note the time of year your attacks typically occur, the time of day your allergies are at their worst, what your symptoms are, and what activities or exposures precede your attacks. Eventually, you should see a pattern.

Common Triggers
One of the most common nasal allergy triggers is pollen -- it can cause symptoms of seasonal allergies, or so-called hay fever. Wind-pollinated trees, grasses, and weeds, such as ragweed, are the primary sources of pollen allergens. Ragweed pollen is a very common allergen, affecting 75% of allergy sufferers, but any grasses or trees that produce pollen can trigger allergic reactions.

However, if your allergies are perrenial, they may be caused by exposure to year-round substances, such as molds, dust mites, or animal dander.

Avoiding Your Triggers
Once you identify your triggers, it's important to avoid them as much as possible to control your symptoms and prevent flare-ups.

If you have seasonal allergies, your healthcare provider will probably recommend that you reduce outdoor activities on days when pollen counts are high.
If you have perennial allergies, your healthcare provider will explain how to reduce your exposure to the year-round allergen that triggers your attacks. This may involve vacuuming your house with a special vacuum, changing your bedding frequently, cleaning your house more frequently, or controlling the climate in your home with humidifiers or dehumidifiers.

Avoiding your triggers completely is not always possible, so it is likely your healthcare provider also will suggest medications to help control or prevent symptoms. Look for an upcoming issue of this series to describe self-care strategies for easing symptoms.

When Migraines Attack

Managing a migraine attack is, of course, the goal. But even if you follow all the recommendations -- exercise regularly, stick to a regular sleep schedule, eat a healthy diet, maybe even take medication to prevent migraines -- sooner or later you may find yourself caught in the grip of a migraine. When that happens, you'll want to do everything possible to treat the pain, nausea, if any, and other migraine associated symptoms.

Take Action

If you experience an aura, a warning that a migraine is on its way, use some of the following strategies right away to ward off severe symptoms. If you are like the majority of migraine sufferers who do not have warning signals like auras, put these strategies into place as soon as possible so that you can get back to your normal activities within a reasonable time frame.

• Cool down: Wrap a cold pack and hold it against the painful site for 10 minutes. Wait 20 minutes, then repeat. You can use a bag of ice or frozen vegetables or a can of soda as a source of cold.
• Drink, drink, drink: Try to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. If you are nauseated, sip some soda that has gone flat (the bubbles may irritate your stomach).
• Take a nap: Take some time to relax and drift off to sleep, if possible.
  

Lower your sensory input: Retreat to a quiet, dark room to avoid noise and bright lights.

Enjoy a massage: If someone is around who can rub your shoulders, neck, and scalp, ask. If not, give yourself a gentle head massage with a hairbrush, as long as this is not painful for you.

Stay on Track with Your Plan

Follow your doctor's recommended treatment plan for management of an acute migraine. If you don't have a plan, call your doctor and set an appointment to discuss your migraines and the best way to handle them.

If you have prescription medication to help alleviate your migraine symptoms, be sure to take it as directed to get the maximum benefit. Keep a dose on hand for when you are out as well, so that you won't have to delay proper treatment.

After a migraine attack, note in your headache dairy what steps seemed to provide relief. This information may help you and your doctor identify the best way to treat another attack.

Living an Antimigraine Lifestyle

You follow your healthcare provider's treatment plan for managing your migraines, you avoid your triggers, you take medications as directed, and you have learned all you can about your condition and your treatment options. Good job on being proactive! These steps can help reduce the number of times you experience a migraine and minimize the impact migraines have on your life.

You are on the homestretch, but do not stop now. There are a few more things you can do to help further close the door on migraine pain. Take a look at your schedule and your sleep, eating, and exercise habits. How you manage those aspects of your life can make a big difference in whether migraine pain strikes.

Ask yourself the following questions to see if your lifestyle could be setting the stage for migraine pain.

Do I maintain a steady sleep schedule? Staying up an extra hour or two past your bedtime to read a good book or catch a rerun of your favorite movie on late-night television may seem like a good idea, but you could pay for it the next day. Inconsistent sleep habits and not getting enough sleep are common migraine triggers. Make restful sleep a priority. Do I sometimes skip meals? Skipping breakfast to shave 15 minutes off your morning routine is not worth it. Missing meals is one of the most common, and avoidable, migraine triggers. Never skip a meal, and keep protein bars, apples, whole-wheat crackers, and trail mix on hand as options when your meal is delayed. Do I exercise regularly? Hopping on the elliptical trainer a few times a week, taking your favorite four-legged friend for a walk in the park on weekends, and enjoying an occasional bike ride on a scenic trail are all good prescriptions for migraine sufferers. Regular, moderate exercise may help avoid migraines. Just make sure you do not overdo it. For some people, strenuous exercise is a migraine trigger. Do I try to take on too much? Whether your day is packed with work meetings and doctor appointments or household chores and grocery shopping, take stock of how stressed you feel by your commitments. Stress can trigger migraines. If you feel tense but can not loosen up your schedule that day, take a 10- to 20-minute break. Practice deep breathing, meditation, self hypnosis, yoga or any other activity that helps you feel calm.

Other smart choices for limiting migraines include restricting caffeine and alcohol intake, not smoking, and losing weight if you are overweight. Some people also find that alternative therapies such as cognitive behavior therapy or biofeedback help reduce their symptoms. Practicing these antimigraine strategies not only might help you fend off migraines, but it also will help you feel refreshed, energized, and ready to tackle the day.

4 Foods for Better Immunity

Your immune system is responsible for helping fight off everything from the common cold to cancer. A tall order!

Send in some reinforcements so it doesn't get battle fatigue. Here are four foods your immune system loves.

Sweet, Creamy, Steamy, Crunchy . . .
Oranges, yogurt, tea, and pumpkin seeds are the order of the day when it comes to giving your immune system a treat, according to RealAge experts Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD. Here's how these four superfoods help:

Oranges are chock-full of vitamin C, an antioxidant vitamin that helps your immune system fend off disease-causing invaders. Other good C options: bell peppers, strawberries, cantaloupe, and broccoli. Or take 400 milligrams of vitamin C three times daily.

Yogurt (unpasteurized) contains Lactobacillus acidophilus -- a healthy bacterium that helps thwart fungus-related infections. Or take a 20-milligram acidophilus supplement twice daily.

Tea is full of flavonoids, powerful vitamin-like substances that reduce immune-system aging. You'll also find them in oats, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, apples, and berries.

Pumpkin seeds are great year round, not just at Halloween, because they contain zinc -- a nutrient that's been shown to help reduce the average length of the common cold.

Eating Chocolate and Smooching may reduce your chance of tooth decay

Researchers point out that eating chocolate and smooching may reduce your chances of tooth decay and gum disease.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, chocolate contains tannins(a chemical substance capable of promoting tanning) which,help prevent cavity causing bacteria from adhering to teeth and gums.
When mixed with sugar, tannins reduce the plaque that causes caries (cavities) and periodontal disease But, eating chocolate alone does not mean you do not have to
brush and floss your teeth.

So,remember when you pucker up with your sweetie that smooching stimulates salivary flow, which washes out the mouth and helps remove cavity causing food particles that accumulate aftering eating.

Ways to Handle Dental Phobia

The most common reasons that people say are associated with apprehensiveness can vary. Here are some examples with possible solutions:

1. You went to a dentist. He did a filling. It hurt. You never went back. Now you're very apprehensive. It didn't work out the last time. What should you do now?

Just because it didn't go well the last time does not mean it is going to be bad the next time. It can work out well with another dentist. On the other hand, nobody can possibly have a 100% satisfied patient pool. It is not uncommon to experience some degree of discomfort during or after an involved procedure. One unpleasant incident does not mean that the dentist is incompetent. As long as you know your priorities and the dentist is open to your input, feel free to discuss the issue. If you don't, it will keep on happening no matter how many times you switch your dentist. If you do not inform, the dentist may not even realize what is bothering you. Remember, good communication helps in resolving many problems. Talk about your concerns. You can decide whether to continue there or not based on how the dentist is responding to your concerns. You can sense if you're comfortable with the outcome.

2. You have an extreme dental phobia. What should you do? You do not go to a dentist until you really have to; i.e., when you're already in severe pain. Why should you go if it is fine?

Most likely your phobia is about the pain, and then you're admitting to the fact that you do eventually go to the dentist once the pain gets unbearable. So, when you do go to the dentist, you have the following:
a)You are experiencing pain anyway - you're already in trouble!
b)You have a cavity or some other condition that is way too involved. In most of these cases you end up losing the tooth or have an abscess requiring Root Canal Treatment.
c)You are the one who is lacking the health
d)In the end, you could not avoid seeing the dentist!

So, you would have been better off going to the dentist to begin with. You could have maintained good oral health without the agony. If you have dental phobia, try to find a dentist through a friend or family who is known to be compassionate. (Not every clinician has good people skills). You can talk about your fear the first visit. Having good communication helps. Amazingly, majority of the patients who do not come on a regular basis due to dental phobias have very good dental insurance and still not take the advantage. The money is just wasted on the premiums.

3. The sound of the drill makes you nervous. What can you do about that?

You can always bring a Walkman, iPod or any portable audio device (with a headphone). You can listen to the music while the dentist does the work. You can avoid the noise without causing any disturbance or distraction.

Causes and Triggers of Migrane Headaches

Researchers do not entirely understand what causes migraines. When migraine occurs, pain centers in the brain are activated, resulting in throbbing pain.

A number of factors may set off — or "trigger" — a migraine. Although they don't cause migraines, triggers may set the stage and make a migraine more likely.

Identifying your own triggers and avoiding them as much as possible should be a major focus in your quest to decrease the frequency of your migraines.

Do any of these triggers affect you?

•	Food and beverages: Although tempting, indulgences like red wine, aged cheeses, chocolate, and caffeinated beverages should be avoided if they trigger your headaches. Other common triggers include bananas, citrus fruits, avocados, onions, and nuts. Keep a food journal and avoid any items if symptoms repeatedly occur after eating any of these foods.
•	Lifestyle: Missing meals and skimping on sleep can sometimes set off migraines.
•	Environment: Bright lights, loud noise, strong odors, and smoke or secondhand smoke can spell trouble for some migraine sufferers. Minimize your exposure.
•	Psychological factors: Feeling stressed about work or a family situation? These and other strong emotions can be triggers for migraines. When you feel stressed, try to schedule time to relax and do the things you enjoy most.

Menstruation or Ovulation
A change in hormone levels can be a migraine trigger in women. This can happen around menstruation or ovulation and results from a drop in estrogen levels or reduced availability of estrogen in the body. If you regularly experience migraines during the same time each month, visit your doctor to determine whether hormone shifts may be the culprit.

Taking Care of You
Migraines can take both a physical and emotional toll. Identify and discuss your potential triggers with your healthcare provider. Do not be shy or embarrassed about making special accommodations for yourself when it comes to creating the type of diet, environment, and schedule that will help you avoid migraines.

The Vitamin that could add years to your life.

If there were an Olympics for antiaging nutrients, vitamin D would have a good shot at the gold medal.
Here's why: Scientists recently examined how blood levels of vitamin D affect aging on a cellular level. High intake was associated with as much as 5 fewer years of chromosome aging!

New Wonder Vitamin
D seems to be particularly relevant to a cellular yardstick of aging called a telomere. These "end caps" on your chromosomes get shorter and shorter with age, but having high blood levels of vitamin D seems to help ensure longer telomeres. That's a good thing, because when telomeres get really short and disappear, cells stop dividing and start to die. Translation: You age and become more vulnerable to disease.

More D Delights
For years, D -- a vitamin found in food but also synthesized by your skin with a bit of sun exposure -- has been a nutritionist's delight because of its impact on bone health. Now, evidence is growing that the vitamin not only helps build bone and thwart aging but also defends against multiple sclerosis , several cancers, and inflammation in the gums and . . . (whew) . . . lungs. D is definitely moving into bona fide super nutrient territory.

Better Get Yours
Milk remains an excellent source of vitamin D, with 100–125 international units (IU) per cupful. Not into milk? Here are a few other sun-free ways to get your fill of D:

• Choose fortified foods. Food manufacturers are catching on: We want more D! Check the labels of everything -- from orange juice and bread to yogurt and pudding -- to see if they're fortified.
• Eat fish. The richest source of D is salmon (360 IU of vitamin D in 3.5 ounces), but tuna and sardines canned in oil are good sources, too.
• Have an egg. D is in the yolk, and although 26 IU doesn't sound like much, it all adds up.
• Take a supplement. Just stay below 2000 IU per day from food and supplements combined.

An Herbal remedy for Allergies?

If you've got nasal allergies, you know what a godsend antihistamines, inhalers, and nasal sprays can be. This herbal remedy is winning votes now, too.

It's called butterbur. In a recent small study, butterbur tablets held their own -- helping relieve sneezing, congestion, runny noses, and itchy, watery eyes. But there are cautions . . .

Best Approach to Butterbur
Extracts of butterbur may help ease allergy symptoms by inhibiting the production of inflammatory chemicals called leukotrienes -- something some allergy medicines do as well. But only a handful of short-term studies have been done on butterbur. So if you're interested in the herb, it's important that you talk with your doctor first -- especially since butterbur contains compounds that can be toxic to the liver. (People with liver problems are obvious noncandidates.) Also, butterbur could make ragweed allergies worse because the herb shares similarities with that plant. One bonus with butterbur? It didn't cause daytime drowsiness in a recent study.

More Ways to Soothe Your Sinuses
Follow your doctor's advice regarding allergy medication. Then, add these tips and tricks for keeping allergy symptoms under control.

• Picture a peaceful, allergy-free place.
  
• Get tested so you know what to avoid.
  
• Try a little nasal irrigation.
  
• Take a hot shower to soothe nasal congestion.
  
• Check your local forecast.