San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Can acupressure wristbands really help with sleep issues?
Q: I have struggled with sleeping for more than a decade. I wake up after four hours or so and often have a hard time getting back to sleep.
On my mom’s advice, I tried acupressure wristbands. For three nights in a row, I have slept soundly until my alarm rang, without waking all night! I am flabbergasted and so happy. I refer to my wristbands as Wonder Woman cuffs! I hope they continue to work their magic.
A: The acupressure point used for sleep is called the Inner Gate. You’ll find it between the two tendons on the inside of the arm, about three finger widths from where the hand and wrist meet.
Acupressure, like acupuncture, is part of traditional Chinese medicine. A recent review found that “acupoint therapies effectively improve sleep quality” for patients after surgery, when sleep is often elusive (Medical Science Monitor, Feb. 10, 2023). We hope your elasticized acupressure wristbands continue to work for you!
Q: I think I read somewhere that cocoa compounds are good for the brain, so I started taking a tablespoon a day in my coffee. I am concerned about dementia because it runs in my mother’s family. I still am doing quite well, managing my property with a horse, three dogs and two cats.
I mention all this because I am starting to notice some mental slippage in my cousin (my mother’s sister’s daughter).
Yet I am quite sure that my own memory is better than it was five years ago when I started my cocoa regimen. What’s the evidence that cocoa really could be protective?
A: The evidence on cocoa flavanols is suggestive rather than conclusive. On the other hand, a systematic review of the medical literature found “that the biomolecules contained in cocoa may offer promising tools for managing cognitive decline, if provided in adequate dosages and duration of treatment” (Antioxidants, July 12, 2022).
Like chocolate, some cocoa products may be contaminated with cadmium or lead. ConsumerLab.com recently analyzed several products. CocoaVia, the supplement highest in cocoa flavanols, also had the least contamination. (CocoaVia is an underwriter of our nationally syndicated public radio show.)
Q: Long ago, a doctor friend sent me a scientific article showing that high Lp(a) levels contribute to cardiac problems. My physician was not aware of Lp(a) or its significance. But after reviewing the article and doing some additional research, he prescribed slowrelease niacin.
I have been taking this for the last 20 years. A daily dose of 1,500 milligrams brought Lp(a) below 50, but even 1,000 milligrams seems to keep the level reasonable. A baby aspirin about half an hour before taking niacin helps keep the side effects of flushing and itchiness to tolerable levels.
A: Lipoprotein a, or Lp(a), is a recognized risk factor for heart disease. It runs in families and may be even more important than elevated cholesterol. Some cardiologists estimate that one-fifth of the population has high levels of this cholesterol-protein particle. It can also increase the chance that heart valves will calcify.
Doctors have known about Lp(a) and its link to heart disease since the 1960s (Journal of Lipid Research, March 2016). ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4766984. There are relatively few drugs that lower this risk factor, but niacin is among them.
You can learn more about testing for Lp(a) and ways to lower it in our “eGuide to Cholesterol Control and
Heart Health.” This online resource may be found under the Health eGuides tab at PeoplesPharmacy.com.