Cacao may provide a marked boost in health
In 1847 a British father-son team made the first commercially produced chocolate bar from cocoa powder paste and sugar. Two decades later in Switzerland, Daniel Peter invented milk chocolate. Now, 151 years later, the confection is being consumed for its health benefits.
This has happened in part because there’s some science supporting the health claims, which range from protecting your heart to shielding your skin from sun damage, and the chocolate industry has been pushing that message in a major way. Seems Mars alone has funded 100 studies, and all but two came to positive conclusions. Hmmm. With such prolific PR, it’s not surprising that chocolate sales in the U.S. grew from $14.2 billion in 2007 to $21 billion in 2014.
So what are the facts? According to the National Institutes of Health, Panama’s Kuna Indians consume 10 times the cocoa you might eat (ground from the bean, not all smooth and creamy) and have a dramatically lower risk of cardiovascular problems. Psst! You won’t get those benefits from a milk chocolate candy bar loaded with added sugars and syrups. Dark chocolate also contains significant levels of flavonoids that may fight high blood pressure, diabetes and even cancer. (You can get many of the same nutrients from fruit and vegetables.)
So if you do opt for chocolate, skip the cake and candies. Stick with 1 ounce a day of 70 percent cacao dark chocolate. Cacao, the powdered bean, has a good dose of nutrients and can put a healthy smile on your face.
Don’t abandon heart meds
In the 2010 movie “Little Fockers,” Jessica Alba plays a pharmaceutical sales rep who’s selling Sustengo, an erectile dysfunction drug. After Robert De Niro’s character, Jack Focker, has a heart attack, he tries the magic pill, worried, perhaps, that the heart meds he received at the hospital were making it difficult for him to sustain an erection.
Funny movie, but BS (bad science). A study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology reveals that when guys (mean age 61) with heart disease experience sexual dysfunction, they shouldn’t blame it on statins or specific antihypertensive meds they’re taking (the study looked at an angiotensin II receptor blocker and diuretic). The incidence of ED is virtually the same whether or not guys take a statin, those high blood pressure meds or a placebo.
In fact, for some, statins can improve sexual function. And Harvard researchers say blood-pressure drugs — alphablockers, ACE inhibitors, as well as angiotensin-receptor blockers — rarely cause ED. According to a 2003 study, when participants were told HBP meds had sexual side effects, 33 percent developed them. When participants were not told, only 3 percent did!
So guys, abandoning lifesaving heart medications won’t revive your love life. All you’ll end up with is a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and more-severe ED. Instead, talk with your doctor about medical treatments and increasing your physical activity; manage stress; cuddle your honey; and eliminate sat and trans fats, added sugars and syrups and highly processed foods from your diet!
Q: I’m an enthusiastic bike rider, but I can’t ride now because I have IT band syndrome. My doctor has given me a physical therapy prescription. Will that work to ease the pain and get me back on my bike? Jerome K., Kansas City, Missouri
A: Problems related to the IT (iliotibial) band are pretty common and can affect anyone who exercises regularly. This noncontractile, fibrous/fascia band stretches down the outside of your leg from your buttocks (“ilio,” or “flank”), over your knee and attaches to your tibia; its job is to stabilize your leg and knee. But it’s not a muscle, so it’s hard to get it to relax once it becomes irritated or inflamed.
Rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) are your first line of defense. It’ll take anywhere from three to six weeks to clear it up as long as you get physical therapy and do your exercises/stretches.
Talk with your physical therapist about the most helpful stretches and using a foam roller:
• Sitting on the floor, put the foam roller under your glutes (buttocks) and hamstrings (back of your legs) and roll back and forth.
• Then flip over so that you’re lying stomach-down, and roll your quadriceps muscles (front of the thighs). The goal is to roll all the areas around your IT band, not the IT band itself.
A hand-held roller that looks like a skinny, segmented rolling pin is also helpful; use it to roll around the injured site to relieve pain.
Then before you get back on the bike, go to a reputable bicycle store and have someone check your positioning. If your toe is turned in on the pedal (clipless or caged) or your seat is out of position, that can affect how your IT band crosses over your knee and can cause painful inflammation every time you ride.