Reset your internal clock
Does the change from daylight-saving time to standard time make you cranky? The time change, this year slated for 2 a.m. Nov. 4, can confuse the body’s circadian rhythm, leading to poor concentration, excessive sleepiness and difficulty remembering things.
These symptoms result from circadian-rhythm disorder, caused when the sudden change in time disrupts the body’s normal brain-wave activity, hormone production and temperature regulation, says Alfred Lewy, senior vice president of the psychiatry department at the Oregon Health & Science University at Portland, in the October issue of Bottom Line Health.
Here is what Lewy suggests to help you adjust to the time changes:
On the morning of Nov. 3, before you shift your clock back an hour, take 0.5 milligrams of melatonin (available at drugstores) when you wake up. On the morning of Nov. 4, take another 0.5. Avoid bright sunlight Sunday morning for at least an hour.
Next spring, when the time shifts forward, take 0.5 milligrams of melatonin the afternoons of Saturday, March 8, and Sunday, March 9. Get 30 minutes of sunlight exposure each morning, but avoid exposure the last hour of the day.
Because melatonin makes some people sleepy, avoid driving right after you take the supplement. Don’t give melatonin to children, and avoid it if you are pregnant or lactating.
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Beware of household hazards
Pipes, light bulbs and furniture all could be hazardous to your health, warns a story in the October issue of Men’s Health.
Pneumonia-inducing bacteria thrive in water and can lurk in industrial air-conditioning units and water pipes, resulting in Legionnaire’s disease. To kill the bacteria, crank up your water heater to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and run all the faucets on hot for 10 minutes every three months, says Stanley Maloy, associate director of the center for microbial sciences at San Diego State University.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs that break release mercury gas, a neurotoxin that attacks the nervous system and can lead to chronic kidney problems. Before recycling spent bulbs, put them into the original boxes or in double plastic bags.
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Breast-screening supplement
The American Cancer Society now recommends screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) along with annual mammography for women with a 20 percent or greater lifetime risk of breast cancer.
The following standards, listed in the October issue of the Harvard Women’s Health Watch, suggest which women belong in that high-risk category:
* Those with a known genetic risk determined by a positive test for mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes or other strong breast cancer risk genes or, if you haven’t been tested, a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, child) who has tested positive for these mutations.
* Those with a lifetime risk of 20 to 25 percent as calculated by tools from the National Cancer Institute and other organizations. Find the risk calculator at cancer.gov/bcrisktool.
* Those who have had radiation therapy to the chest between ages 10 and 30. Regular screening is important for survivors of Hodgkin’s disease, who have almost a 50 percent risk of developing breast cancer.
* Those with Li-Fraumenifamilial cancer syndrome or any other rare genetic disorder that increases susceptibility to breast cancer by causing mutations in genes that suppress tumor growth or cause chromosomal damage.
Assembly-required particleboard bookshelves are glued together with the toxin formaldehyde, which can irritate the eyes and skin of some people. Add a coat of varnish to trap the formaldehyde.
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Improving school lunches
If you aren’t happy with the quality of food served to children in your schools, join the movement for change by inviting other concerned parents to watch the documentary “Two Angry Moms.”
The documentary shows the many problems with school lunch programs as well as how to replace junk with real, whole food. For more information on the documentary, go to the Web site angrymoms.org.
