Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness 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.
Root vegetables in the brassica family – like turnips, kohlrabi and rutabaga – contain many of the same antioxidants as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and kale. Kohlrabi and rutabaga also are excellent sources of potassium and good sources of vitamin C. Parsnips provide folate, calcium, potassium and fiber, while carrots offer beta carotene. All of these vegetables are high in fiber.
Root vegetables can seem daunting. I had not worked with kohlrabi until putting together these recipes, but I found it enjoyable raw as well as cooked. Remember that for many of this week’s dishes, especially those calling for turnips, kohlrabi or rutabagas, the vegetables are interchangeable.
Radiation may increase long-term heart risks
(Reuters Health) – Women treated for breast cancer with radiation therapy are more likely to die from heart disease 20 years or more down the line than women who don’t get radiation, according to a new study.
Previous studies have suggested that radiation close to the heart can increase a woman’s risk of getting heart or blood vessel-related disease in the future – but little is known about how that risk plays out over multiple decades. The results are from women who received radiation in the 1980’s and earlier, when doses of radiation were significantly higher than those used today.
Radiation “is a very important part of therapy for many women,” Dr. Ronald Witteles, who studies heart disease at Stanford University and wrote an editorial accompanying the current study, told Reuters Health.
People with HIV have high stroke risk: study
(Reuters) – People infected with the AIDS virus may be three times more likely to suffer a stroke than people not infected, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
While stroke rates in the United States fell 7.2 percent in 2006 compared to 1997, rates have spiked among people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, rising 67 percent during that same period.
Most of the increase is in strokes caused by a blood clot in the brain, a type called ischemic strokes, which is by far the most common.
“Generally speaking, strokes in patients with HIV are not common, so the rise is notable,” said Dr. Bruce Ovbiagele of the University of California, San Diego, and the VA San Diego Healthcare System, whose study appears in the journal Neurology.
Statin benefits questioned in low-risk patients
(Reuters Health) – People without heart disease should think twice before taking cholesterol-lowering statins, British researchers warn in a report out Wednesday.
While the popular drugs require a prescription in the US, they are sold over the counter in England, and one in three Brits over 40 are currently using them, according to researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Antibiotics, blood pressure drugs can be risky mix
(Reuters Health) – Older adults on blood pressure drugs known as calcium channel blockers could suffer dangerous drops in blood pressure if they are given certain antibiotics, according to a study out Monday.
Researchers found that patients on calcium channel blockers who were given the antibiotics erythromycin (brands like E-Mycin) or clarithromycin (Biaxin) were at increased risk of being hospitalized for dangerously low blood pressure.
A third antibiotic in the same class — azithromycin (Zithromax) — was not linked to the risk. And the researchers say it should be chosen over the other two antibiotics for people on calcium channel blockers.
Heavy drinking may raise abnormal heart rhythm risk
(Reuters) – People who drink regularly, especially heavy drinkers, may be more likely than teetotalers to suffer atrial fibrillation, a type of abnormal heart rhythm, according to a research review.
In an analysis of 14 studies, a team led by Satoru Kodama at the University of Tsukuba Institute of Clinical Medicine in Japan found that the heaviest drinkers were more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than people who drank little to no alcohol.
Jogging Strollers recalled for amputation risk
(Reuters) – Around 30,000 strollers in the United States and Canada are being recalled over potential amputation and laceration hazards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada said on Friday.
The Jogging Strollers imported by phil&teds USA have been reported to cause a finger-tip amputation and two lacerations during the folding and unfolding of the strollers, a joint statement said.
WHO recommends food marketing curbs for child obesity
(Reuters) – Governments must work with industry to restrict advertising of foods high in salt, sugar and dangerous fats targeted at children to tackle an epidemic of obesity and other diseases, health officials said on Friday.
The call is part of a focus on combating non-communicable diseases — cancer, diabetes, heart and lung disease — that are a growing cause of premature death in poor countries.
Non-communicable diseases will be the focus of global health policy this year, culminating in a debate of heads of state at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.
Antibodies help seriously ill H1N1 patients recover
(Reuters) – Patients who fell severely ill with the pandemic H1N1 flu responded well when treated with antibodies harvested from survivors of the disease, a study in Hong Kong has found.
The finding, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, underlines the importance of using antibodies from recovered patients to treat critically ill people who fail to respond to standard drugs, said lead author Kwok-yung Yuen, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong.
British flu deaths more than double in week to 254
(Reuters) – The number of deaths in a seasonal flu epidemic in Britain has more than doubled in the past week to 254, up from 112 last week, figures from the government’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) showed on Thursday.
Officials said that despite the rising death toll, which jumped partly because of a backlog of unconfirmed data from the recent holiday period, surveillance data suggested that flu activity across the country was now waning.
Antidepressant May Help Ease Hot Flashes
Jan. 18, 2011 — Low doses of the antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram) cooled off hot flashes better than placebo in about 200 menopausal women, according to a new study.
”We believe escitalopram provides an option for treating moderate to severe hot flashes that are disrupting people’s lives and quality of life,” says study researcher Ellen Freeman, PhD, a research professor in the department of obstetrics-gynecology and psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
Vitamin E and Fatty Acids May Ease PMS
Jan. 19, 2011 — A supplement containing vitamin E and essential fatty acids may help reduce symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), Brazilian researchers report in Reproductive Health.
Of 120 women with PMS or the more severe premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), those who took 1- or 2-gram capsules of vitamin E and a combination of gamma linolenic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and other polyunsaturated acids daily showed marked improvements in their PMS symptoms at six months, compared to women who received dummy pills.
The capsules were provided by the Brazilian supplement company Hebron Farmaceutica.
Antioxidants may improve male fertility
(Reuters Health) – Couples who struggle to conceive could find baby-making help from antioxidants such as vitamin E and zinc, hints a new review of more than 30 studies.
The researchers focused on men who were subfertile — less fertile than average but still capable of making a baby — and found that those who took antioxidants were more than four times as likely to get their partners pregnant than subfertile men who did not take the supplements.
The New Zealand team stops short of saying that antioxidants actually improve fertility, however. More research is needed to be sure.
Bladder control problems more common in ADHD
(Reuters Health) – Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more likely than their peers to have problems with bedwetting and other bladder control symptoms, a new study finds.
Turkish researchers found that among 62 children with ADHD and 124 without the disorder, kids with ADHD scored considerably higher on a questionnaire on “voiding” symptoms — problems emptying the bladder.
In particular, they tended to have more problems with bedwetting and habitually feeling an urgent need to go to the bathroom.
Some child hearing loss tied to virus in pregnancy
(Reuters Health) – Hearing loss in a child may have links to a virus that Mom got while she was pregnant, according to a new study.
In kids that had some degree of hearing loss, about 9 percent also had cytomegalovirus (CMV) at birth, says a new study in the Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
“(CMV) needs to be on the list of things we think about when we see a child with hearing loss,” said Dr. Stephanie Misono, an ear, nose and throat fellow at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and lead author on the study.
CMV is a common virus that normally causes a harmless infection, although people with weakened immune systems can get sick from it. Infections can be avoided by washing your hands regularly especially after dealing with sick people and toddlers, who sometimes carry it, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Studies show swift impact of rotavirus vaccines
(Reuters) – Countries that vaccinate babies against rotavirus, which can cause severe diarrhea and kill in days, have significantly reduced the number of children admitted to hospitals with the disease, a report showed on Thursday.
Data from the United States, Australia, Mexico and El Salvador, where rotavirus vaccines have recently become part of routine childhood immunizations, show steep and swift falls in the number of children under five becoming ill with the virus.
The studies published in a supplement to The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, also show large reductions in rotavirus disease among older, unvaccinated children, suggesting that vaccination of babies may also limit the overall amount of virus transmission, giving what is known as “herd immunity.”
Strawberries, Blueberries May Ward Off High Blood Pressure
Eating Plenty of Anthocyanin-Rich Blueberries and Strawberries Lowers High Blood Pressure Risk, Study Finds
Jan. 21, 2011 — Eating just 1 cup of strawberries or blueberries each week can reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The new findings appear in the February issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Shoveling Snow Injures Thousands Each Year
Back Injuries, Fractures, and Heart Problems Are Among the Risks From Shoveling Snow
Jan. 20, 2011 — Next time you are faced with the daunting task of shoveling snow, consider this: The task sends on average more than 11,000 adults and children to the hospital every year.
A new 17-year study published in this month’s American Journal of Emergency Medicine details the most common health hazards associated with shoveling snow. Snow shoveling can sometimes lead to bad backs, broken bones, head injuries, and even deadly heart problems.
5-a-Day ‘Not Enough’ Fruits and Vegetables
New Research Finds 8-a-Day May Be Needed to Cut the Risk of Dying From Heart Disease
Jan. 18, 2011 — We’re all urged to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, but new research finds eight servings may be needed to cut the risk of dying from heart disease.
The diet and lifestyles of more than 300,000 people across eight countries in Europe found that people who ate at least eight portions of fruits and vegetables a day had a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who ate three portions a day.
Each additional portion in fruits and vegetables was linked to a 4% lower risk of death.
One portion counted as 80 grams, such as a small banana, a medium apple, or a small carrot.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and around the world, accounting for more than one in every four deaths in the United States, according to the CDC.
1 comments
Author