Health Tips ... from UPI

OTC SMOKING AIDS QUESTIONED

Sales of over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies are on the rise but a new study shows they may not be doing the trick for some smokers -- especially the one-third of users who only light up about 15 cigarettes a day. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego say since the nicotine patch and nicotine gum became available without a prescription six years ago many more smokers use them to quit but fewer are able to quit for good. "The big problem of course is that nicotine patches have never been a magic bullet -- they were never meant to be," co-author John Pierce, director of UCSD's Cancer Prevention and Control Program, told United Press International. NRT products can help ease the physiological dependence, he said, "but there's a psychological dependence" they are unable to treat.

RAW GARLIC AFTER SURGERY

A new study by researchers in India and published in BMC Pharmacology finds taking raw garlic after heart surgery may help prevent any further heart damage. The natural antioxidant properties of garlic can help prevent any new damage to heart caused by the release of free radicals during the restoration the flow of blood to the heart, researchers say. This is known as an ischemic-reperfusion injury. Researchers say free radicals cause oxidative stress to heart cells, reducing cardiac function and proving potentially fatal in some patients. The antioxidants in garlic can "mop up" free radicals before they do any harm, the study says.

ONE-DAY COLD SORE TREATMENT

GlaxoSmithKline's once daily medication for genital herpes has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use by cold sore sufferers. Valtrex caplets must be taken at the first sign of a cold sore to work. It is the only one-day prescription medication approved to shorten the duration of cold sores in healthy adults. Researchers have not validated the efficacy of the medication if taken after cold sore symptoms set in. Up to 40 percent of U.S. adults have had a cold sore at some point, and while most Americans have been exposed to the herpes simplex virus that causes them, researchers still do not know why some people get the blisters around their mouths and lips and others do not. Stress, a cold, fever, flu or being run-down can trigger a cold sore.

SO WHAT IS 'PILATES' ANYWAY?

The latest buzz word in exercise seems to be "Pilates." Health clubs offer it, celebs talk about it and physical therapists recommend it. The Pilates Method is a system of exercises developed more than 75 years ago by Joseph H. and Clara Pilates, who simply wanted a form of exercise that anyone could do -- regardless of physical limitations. There still are no set national standards for Pilates instructor training but the Pilates Method Alliance is working on guidelines for training programs and instructors to follow. The alliance advises caution in selecting a trainer because the method requires years of practice. Sessions typically are an hour in length, either in groups performing the exercises on floor mats or in private sessions using equipment that has tensioned springs for resistance to help isolate and develop specific muscle groups. To learn more go to pilatesmethodalliance.org/.

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(EDITORS: For more information on TOBACCO, contact Nancy Stringer at UCSD at 619-543-6163 or e-mail nstringer@ucsd.edu. For GARLIC, contact Gordon Fletcher at BioMed Central Limited at 44 (0) 20 7323 0323 or e-mail gordon@biomedcentral.com. For COLDSORE, Mary Faye Dark of GlaxoSmithKline at 212-891-0408 or gsk.com on the Internet. For Pilates, contact Marie Delcioppo of the Pilates Method Alliance at (305) 573-4946 or visit the Web site at pilatesmethodalliance.org/)