Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness News weekly diary. It will publish on Saturday afternoon and be open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.
Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.
You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.
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Here’s a new concept: view the holiday party season as an opportunity to eat more vegetables and legumes. I spent a week making Mediterranean vegetable and bean purées that we spread on toasted bread and devoured for lunch and dinner every day. [..]
This week the focus is on the savory (in a couple of weeks I’ll bring you some sweeter and crunchier ideas). As always, the cuisines of the Mediterranean offer everything I am looking for – vibrant, nutrient-dense seasonal vegetables and legumes flavored with herbs, spices and aromatics. I transformed some of my favorite vegetable and legume dishes into spreads simply by blending them in a food processor. Serve these on toasted croutons or crackers, or if you need a lower-carb delivery system, spoon or pipe onto squares of red pepper, endive leaves, or cucumber rounds.
~Martha Rose Shulman~
With the help of a food processor she transformed one of her favorite Middle Eastern spinach dishes into a spread.
This simple recipe can be served on toasted bread, or as a dip with fresh vegetables.
The spices of a popular Egyptian lentil salad are delicious in a purée.
Winter Squash and Walnut Spread
The filling from a winter pie offered inspiration for a delicious spread.
A lighter, Turkish version of the classic hummus dish.
Food Allergies Linked to Pesticides
by Brenda Goodman
Dec. 3, 2012 — People exposed to higher levels of certain germ- and weed-killing chemicals may also be more likely to develop food allergies, a new study shows.
The chemicals are called dichlorophenols (DCPs). They are created by the breakdown of common pesticides, including chlorinated chemicals used to purify drinking water. They also turn up in moth balls, air fresheners, deodorizer cakes in urinals, and certain herbicides sprayed on crops.
“They’re quite common,” says researcher Elina Jerschow, MD, an allergist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y.
Endoscopy Overused in Heartburn Patients
by Rita Ruben
Dec. 4, 2012 — Acid reflux is the most common reason U.S. adults undergo a procedure where a viewing tube is put down their throat. But many people don’t need it, according to new advice from one of internal medicine’s main professional groups.
“Overuse of upper endoscopy contributes to higher health care costs without improving patient outcomes,” doctors from the American College of Physicians write in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Published studies suggest that 10% to 40% of endoscopies don’t improve patients’ health, according to the authors.
Are Primary Care Doctors a Vanishing Breed?
by Kathleen Doheny
Dec. 4, 2012 — Doctors who practice general internal medicine, known as internists, may be a vanishing breed, according to a new study.
In the new research, few medical residents in general internal medicine programs say they plan to pursue that career path. Instead, they plan to become specialists.
“What this study is showing is, only one in five graduating internal medicine residents is planning a career in general medicine or primary care,” says researcher Colin West, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and general internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Breath Test May Detect Colon Cancer
by Salynn Boyes
Dec. 5, 2012 — A breath test similar to the one used to determine when a driver has had too much to drink shows promise as a screening tool for cancer.
In a new study from Italy, researchers were able to identify patients with colorectal cancer with an accuracy of over 75% by analyzing samples of their breath.
The Secret to a Longer Life? Children
by Kathleen Doheny
Dec. 5, 2012 — Many parents might good-naturedly scoff at the notion, but a new study shows that being a parent may help you live longer.
Danish researchers compared men and women who had children with those who did not to see if the childless were more likely to die early.
They were. “Childless couples are at increased risk of dying early of all causes,” says researcher Esben Agerbo, PhD, associate professor at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark.
UV Nail Lamps Safe, Study Suggests
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Dec. 6, 2012 — Widely used UV nail lamps are highly unlikely to cause skin cancer, even if used weekly for 250 years, a new study suggests.
The finding contradicts the feeling of many dermatologists that the devices are as harmful as tanning beds. That feeling is largely based on a 2009 report of skin cancer on the hands of two women with no other obvious skin-cancer risks.
But the new study actually measured radiation from typical nail lamps. The measurements then were used to calculate nail lamps’ “carcinogenic effectiveness” by the same method used to establish the safety of medical devices.
Smoking May Make Hangovers Worse
Denise Mann
Dec. 5, 2012 — New research suggests that your hangover will be worse if you smoke when you drink.
People who smoke on a day when they have been drinking alcohol heavily are twice as likely to report hangover symptoms as those who only drank. In the study of college students, heavy drinking was defined as about five or six cans of beer in one hour.
Diabetes Drug Metformin May Fight Cancer
by Salynn Boyles
Dec. 3, 2012 — One of the oldest, cheapest, and most widely used diabetes drugs may be a promising new cancer treatment.
In new research from the Mayo Clinic, ovarian cancer patients who took the drug metformin survived longer than patients who did not take it.
The study is just one of dozens under way worldwide examining the drug — which costs just pennies a pill — as a treatment for breast, colon, prostate, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers.
“I happen to be very hopeful that metformin will prove to be a useful cancer treatment,” says American Cancer Society chief medical and scientific officer Otis Brawley, MD.
Trader Joe’s Recalls Frozen Chicken and Rice Dish
by Miranda Hitti
Listeria Risk Prompts Recall of Trader Joe’s Frozen Butter Chicken With Basmati Rice
Dec. 3, 2012 — Trader Joe’s is recalling one of its frozen chicken and rice dishes because it might be tainted with listeria, which could cause food poisoning.
No illnesses have been reported, according to Trader Joe’s.
The recall includes 12.5-ounce boxes of Trader Joe’s Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice that have the product code “2012-10-31” and the lot code “30512” on the package. Also, the USDA has published a list of stores where the chicken was sold.
Veggie Burgers Recalled Over Listeria Risk
by Miranda Hitti
Dec. 3, 2012 — Veggie Patch is recalling two of its products — “The Ultimate Meatless Burger” and “Falafel” — because of possible contamination with listeria.
No illnesses have been reported. Veggie Patch states that it discovered the issue during routine testing of its products.
Fake Marijuana Use Is a Serious Problem for Teens
by Denise Mann
Dec. 4, 2012 — Close to 11,500 people were treated in emergency rooms in 2010 for nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and other symptoms related to the use of synthetic or fake marijuana products such as “K2” or “Spice.”
Three-quarters of these people were aged 12 to 29, and 78% in this group were male. Most did not receive follow-up care after they were sent home from the ER.
The new data were released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), as part of their Drug Abuse Warning Network. There were 2.3 million ER visits involving drug misuse or abuse in 2010, and of these, 11,406 involved fake marijuana products.
Feds Sue Nap Nanny Maker Over Infant Deaths
by Jennifer Warner
Dec. 6, 2012 — Federal authorities are taking the makers of the Nap Nanny to court for failing to voluntarily recall its product.
At least five infant deaths and more than 70 complaints of children falling out of the Nap Nanny baby recliner have been reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
In an administrative complaint filed yesterday, the agency says the manufacturer isn’t doing enough to warn customers about the risks associated with the product.
CDC: Flu Season Hits Early and Could Be a Bad Year
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Dec. 3, 2012 — The U.S. flu season is here — the earliest start since the “moderately severe” season of 2003.
Just as in 2003, the nasty H3N2 flu bug is causing most cases so far.
“This could be a bad flu year,” warned CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH. “Because of that, we are particularly encouraging people not vaccinated yet to do it.”
Fortunately, this year’s flu vaccine protects against the H3N2 bug.
Existing Breast Cancer Drugs May Help More Women
by Charlene Laino
Dec. 7, 2012 (San Antonio) — Current screening tests may miss as many as 1 in 50 women with breast cancer who would benefit from treatment with highly effective breast cancer drugs.
At issue is HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that was difficult to treat until the FDA approved the drug Herceptin in 1998. Herceptin revolutionized the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, reducing the risk of recurrence and prolonging lives.
Since then, two other drugs, Tykerb and Perjeta, have been approved for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. Others are in the pipeline.
Longer Tamoxifen Use Helps Breast Cancer Survival
by Brenda Goodman, MA
Dec. 5, 2012 — Doubling the time that breast cancer patients take tamoxifen cuts the risk that the cancer will come back and further lowers the risk of dying of the disease, a new study shows.
The study is expected to change the way doctors prescribe tamoxifen, a drug that blocks the effects of estrogen on breast cells. About 80% of all breast cancers are sensitive to the hormone estrogen for growth.
The research also hints that longer courses of other kinds of hormone-reducing medications may also work better than shorter courses after breast cancer surgery, though trials testing that theory are ongoing.
Mood-Altering Medications Not Overused in Teens
by Brenda Goodman, MA
Dec. 3, 2012 — Most teens with mental illnesses don’t take medications for their conditions, a new survey finds.
The study contradicts reports of widespread and indiscriminate pill-popping in high schoolers. If anything, researchers say, many kids may not be getting enough help for real problems that are affecting their lives.
“The one thing that we heard over and over when we started this study was that parents are getting their kids prescriptions for stimulants so they can do better on the SATs,” says researcher Kathleen Merikangas, PhD, chief of the genetic epidemiology branch in the intramural research program at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md.
But researchers, who questioned teens for the study, say they found no evidence of that trend.
Social Media May Help Fight Childhood Obesity
by Salynn Boyles
Dec. 4, 2012 — Kids and teens increasingly keep in touch through social media, and all that texting, tweeting, and online networking can be a powerful tool for combating childhood obesity, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
In a newly released statement, the group calls for more research to help doctors and health policy makers incorporate social media into existing obesity prevention and management programs.
Big Changes in Psychiatry’s ‘Bible’ of Disorders
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Dec. 3, 2012 — A major revision to the diagnostic “bible” — which defines what is and what is not a mental illness — has the final approval of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
The approval means the final draft of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, will be official when it is published in May 2013.
Ten years in the making, the rewritten manual has been embroiled in controversy. One outspoken critic is Allen J. Frances, MD, chair of the task force that developed the previous edition, DSM-IV.
Healthy Diet Helps Damaged Hearts
by Jennifer Warner
Dec. 5, 2012 — It’s never too late to start reaping the benefits of a heart-healthy diet.
A new study shows older people with established heart disease who ate the most heart-healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts had a much lower risk of dying or having another heart attack or stroke than those who ate the unhealthiest diet.
Painkillers Before Exercise May Be Bad for the Gut
by Kathleen Doheny
Dec. 6, 2012 — Popping a painkiller such as ibuprofen to ward off exercise pain or anticipated pain is a common practice among athletes of many ability levels.
Some think it will also improve performance as it reduces pain.
But the practice may be hazardous, according to new research that focused on the use of the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen before and after workouts.
“We conclude that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) consumption by athletes is not harmless and should be discouraged,” writes Kim van Wijck, MD, a surgical resident at ORBIS Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
ruits, Veggies Tied to Lower Breast Cancer Risk
by Salynn Boyles
Dec. 6, 2012 — Women now have one more reason to eat their fruits and veggies.
A new study suggests that women with higher levels of carotenoids (nutrients found in fruits and vegetables) have a lower risk of breast cancer — especially cancers that are harder to treat and have a poorer prognosis.
When researchers from Harvard Medical School pooled the results of studies that measured carotenoid levels in women’s blood, they found that those with the highest levels had a lower risk of breast cancer compared to those with the lowest levels.
The association appeared to be stronger for smokers than for non-smokers and for women who were lean compared to those who were overweight.
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