health briefs

Try Ear Acupressure for Seasonal Allergies

Allergic rhinitis—the sneezing, runny nose and red eyes commonly called hay fever— affects one in 12 American adults and 10 to 30 percent of people worldwide. The usual treatment of antihistamines, decongestants or steroids can come with unwelcome side effects, but a simple alternative approach of ear acupressure may be as effective, suggests a new Chinese study. Researchers analyzed 11 random controlled studies that included 1,094 people with allergies. Small cow soapwort seeds or stainless steel pellets corresponding to Traditional Chinese Medicine meridians were placed with adhesive on their ears for several days. The study in EvidenceBased Complementary and Alternative Medicine concluded that ear acupressure reduced allergy symptoms more effectively than an antihistamine, conventional medicine, herbs or regular acupuncture.

Daria Rudyk /Unsplash.com

Eat Walnuts to Reduce Bad Cholesterol and Heart Disease

Healthy older adults that ate about a half cup of walnuts every day for two years gained a modest reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad cholesterol”, reports a study of 636 people from San Diego’s Loma Linda University. andreea ch /Pexels.com Other risk factors for heart health—small LDL particles and intermediate-density lipoprotein—also decreased, signaling a lower chance of cardiovascular events. “Many people are worried about unwanted weight gain when they include nuts in their diet,” says study co-author Emilio Ros, M.D., Ph.D. “Our study found that the healthy fats in walnuts did not cause participants to gain weight.”

Drink More Water to Help Prevent Heart Disease

Avoid Antibiotics to Lower Colon Cancer Risk

A clear link exists between taking antibiotics for six months and developing colorectal cancer in the next five to 10 years, report researchers from Umea University, in Sweden. By comparing the records of 40,000 Swedish cancer patients to 200,000 people without cancer, they found that taking antibiotics for at least six months increased the risk of cancer by 17 percent in the ascending colon, the first part to be reached by food after the small intestine. However, no increased risk was found for cancer in the descending colon. Those taking the most antibiotics had the greatest risk, but even a single course was associated with a small, but statistically significant risk increase. “While in many cases antibiotic therapy is necessary and saves lives, in the event of less serious ailments that can be expected to heal anyway, caution should be exercised,” says Umea University researcher Sophia Harlid, Ph.D.

ana terevich/Pexels.com Staying well hydrated throughout life could reduce the risk of heart failure, according to a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology 2021 Congress. Researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health reported that people snapwire/Pexels.com that drink sufficient water every day have a reduced risk of the thickening of the heart’s left ventricle. Their conclusion was based on the analysis of 26 years’ worth of serum sodium levels in 15,792 middle-age Americans. Higher serum sodium concentration in midlife was associated with heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy 25 years later. Few people meet daily hydration recommendations (54 to 71 ounces for women and 67 to 101 ounces for men). According to the researchers, when people drink less fluid, the concentration of sodium in the blood increases, and the body attempts to conserve water by activating processes known to contribute to the development of heart failure. “The findings indicate that we need to pay attention to the amount of fluid we consume every day and take action if we find that we drink too little,” says study author Natalia Dmitrieva.