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.
A few years ago, we began to hear a lot about flaxseeds. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, these seeds also are loaded with vitamin E, B vitamins and certain important minerals (manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium). . . . .
Flaxseeds are harder than sesame seeds, so it’s a good idea to grind them – coarse or fine, depending on the recipe. That way, too, all the nutrition in flaxseeds is more readily available to the body. Keep what you don’t use in the refrigerator or freezer, as the oils in flaxseeds, like those in most nuts and seeds, will oxidize if not kept cold.
Besides using them in this week’s recipes, you can add ground toasted flaxseeds to yogurt, smoothies, granola and baked goods. You can sprinkle them on salads or mix them into salad dressings, or even stir them into mustard, mayonnaise or other sandwich spreads.
This substantial smoothie is perfect following a high-energy workout.
These crisp fillets are a great way to work flaxseeds, toasted or not, into a main dish.
Use toasted flaxseeds for this nutty, not-too-sweet granola.
Inspired by a recipe from “Good to the Grain,” by Kim Boyce, and not too sweet.
When you bake raspberries in this crumble, the flavors deepen.
Use of Key Clot-Busting Stroke Drug Is Rising
By Kathleen Doheny
Study Shows More Americans Are Now Using tPA in the Hours After a Stroke
June 2, 2011 — The use of a clot-busting drug for stroke has increased in the U.S., according to a new study. However, its overall use is still low.
Known as tPA, the clot buster is approved to treat the type of stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain, known as ischemic stroke.
FDA Approves New Drug to Treat C. diff
By Bill Hendrick
Antibiotic Dificid Is Taken Orally for 10 Days as Treatment for C. diff
June 1, 2011 — The FDA has approved the use of an antibacterial drug called Dificid to treat adult patients with an infectious type of diarrhea that has become a significant problem in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Dificid (fidaxomicin) comes in tablet form and is specifically targeted at Clostridium difficile, also known as C. difficile, C. diff, and CDAD.
Vaccine May Help Treat Advanced Melanoma
By Brenda Goodman
Study Shows Experimental Vaccine May Shrink Tumors in Patients With Late-Stage Melanoma
June 1, 2011 — A vaccine that marshals the body’s own defenses to recognize and kill cancer cells may shrink tumors and delay the progression of late-stage melanoma more effectively than conventional therapy alone, a new study shows.
“It’s one of the first vaccine studies that has been positive in cancer,” says study researcher Patrick Hwu, MD, chair of the department of melanoma medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “It shows the principle that vaccines are important.”
New Doubts on XMRV as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Cause
By Brenda Goodman
Studies Suggest Contamination of Lab Samples May Have Influenced Earlier Research
June 1, 2011 — A retrovirus found in the blood samples of some patients with chronic fatigue syndrome likely appeared there as the result of contamination, rather than infection, two new studies show.
Since 2009, when a group of scientists reported finding the retrovirus called XMRV in 67% of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) compared to just 4% of people without the condition, scientists around the world have tried to duplicate the results, mostly without success.
Weight Loss May Improve Sleep Apnea
By Salynn Boyles
Study Shows Weight Loss Has Long-Term Benefits in Treating Sleep Apnea
June 1, 2011 — Weight loss is an effective long-term treatment for patients with sleep apnea who are overweight or obese, a study shows.
Obesity is a major risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea, which is a serious sleep disorder that causes people to stop breathing for short periods repeatedly — sometimes hundreds of times — during the night.
Stress May Not Raise MS Risk
By Jennifer Warner
Researchers Say Stress Does Not Raise the Risk of Developing Multiple Sclerosis
May 31, 2011 — Leading a stressful life isn’t likely to raise the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study.
Researchers say exposure to stress has long been suspected to play a role in aggravating existing MS, but it has not been previously established whether stressful life events could increase the risk of developing MS.
“This rules out stress as a major risk factor for MS,” researcher Trond Riise, PhD, of the University of Bergen, Norway, says in a news release.
Expert Panel: Cell Phones Might Cause Brain Cancer
By Daniel J. DeNoon
‘Limited Evidence’ Suggests Cell Phones ‘Possibly Carcinogenic’
May 31, 2011 — The expert panel that evaluates cancer risks today said that cell phones might possibly cause brain cancer.
The announcement comes from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Like the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society relies on IARC for evaluation of cancer risks.
New Strain of MRSA Found in Milk
By Brenda Goodman
Researchers Say There’s Little Risk of Infection to People Who Drink Milk
June 2, 2011 — Researchers have discovered a new strain of antibiotic-resistant superbug bacteria in milk. This previously undetectable strain has also caused human infections.
The bacterium, a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), appears to be relatively rare. It turns up in about 1% of MRSA cultured from humans in the U.K.
Researchers say it poses little threat to people who drink milk or eat dairy products like cheese, since pasteurization and digestion kill bacteria, including MRSA.
E. coli Outbreak May Be New Strain
By Peter Russel
Germany, U.K. Are Hit Hard as E. coli Cases Spread Across Europe and Possibly Enter U.S.
June 2, 2011 — The E. coli outbreak that has left several dead and hundreds ill across Europe — and may now have caused two U.S. travelers to become ill — is a new strain that has never been seen before, according to an official at the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to a statement yesterday from the CDC, there are no confirmed cases of this strain in U.S. travelers to Europe. But media reports citing the CDC say that the two U.S. illnesses with E. coli-like symptoms are associated with recent travel to Germany and the agency is waiting for test results to see if it is the same strain. Both travelers are expected to survive.
People Living Longer With HIV
By Bill Hendrick
Effective Drugs, Prevention Efforts, and Educational Programs Helping to Reduce Infections
une 2, 2011 — The number of people living with HIV continues to rise. That’s mainly because of highly effective drugs that allow people infected with HIV to live longer, healthier lives, the CDC says.
But another reason is that prevention efforts and educational programs have helped reduce infections, CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, says in a news release. That news release, dated June 2, 2011, marks 30 years since the first report of the illness that came to be known as AIDS was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Stress-Reduction Technique May Ease Hot Flashes
By Jennifer Warner
Study Shows Hot Flashes Are Less Bothersome After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
June 3, 2011 — Training in mindfulness-based stress reduction may help women cope with hot flashes and night sweats caused by menopause, a study shows.
The study shows women who used mindfulness-based stress reduction were less bothered by their hot flashes even though their intensity did not change.
FDA Investigates Newer Birth Control Pills
By Bill Hendrick
FDA Issues Safety Alert for Birth Control Pills Containing Hormone Drospirenone
June 2, 2011 — The FDA has issued a safety alert warning that women taking a newer type of birth control pill containing the progestin hormone drospirenone may be at higher risk for developing potentially deadly blood clots than women taking pills with an older type of progestin hormone.
Pills containing drospirenone include Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceutical’s Beyaz, Safyral, Yasmin, and Yaz brands, as well as several other brands (Gianvi, Loryna, Ocella, Syeda, and Zarah).
Prenatal Vitamins May Lower Autism Risk
By Kathleen Doheny
Study Shows Pregnant Women Who Take Prenatal Vitamins Have Lower Risk of Having a Child With Autism
June 1, 2011 — Taking prenatal vitamins may reduce the risk of having a child with autism, new research shows.
“It appears that women who reported taking prenatal vitamins starting three months prior to conception and through the first month after conception seem to have a reduced chance their child will develop autism,” says study researcher Irva Hertz-Picciotto, PhD, professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the MIND Institute and Department of Public Health, University of California, Davis.
Taking prenatal vitamins was found even more protective for mothers and children who had a high-risk genetic makeup.
The study is published online in Epidemiology.
Flu Vaccine May Reduce Premature Birth Risk
By Jenifer Warner
Pregnant Women Who Get Flu Vaccine Also Less Likely to Have Low Birth Weight Baby, Researchers Say
May 31, 2011 — Pregnant women who get a flu vaccine during flu season may be less likely to have a premature birth or deliver a baby of low birth weight.
A new study shows that women who received a flu vaccine during pregnancy and delivered during the flu season were 40% less likely to have a premature birth than were unvaccinated mothers. In addition, pregnant women who received a flu vaccine and gave birth during a period of widespread flu activity were less likely to have a baby with low birth weight.
Sleep Loss May Lower Testosterone
By Jennifer Warner
Cutting Back on Sleep Lowers Testosterone Levels in Young Men, Study Finds
June 3, 2011 — Cutting back on sleep, even for a little while, may have a dramatic effect on men’s testosterone levels.
A preliminary new study shows a week of sleep loss lowered testosterone levels by up to 15% in group of healthy young men.
Researchers say low testosterone levels can negatively affect men’s health in a variety of ways, in addition to affecting sexual behavior.
Brain Scans May Help Detect Autism
By Kathleen Doheny
Study Shows Functional MRI Images Differ Between Autistic Brain, Typical Brain
May 31, 2011 — Brain scans known as functional MRIs may someday help in diagnosing autism, according to new research.
”We know now it is possible to objectively differentiate the autistic brain from the typical brain using a functional MRI imaging technique,” says researcher Joy Hirsch, PhD, professor of neuroscience and director of the Functional MRI Research Center at Columbia University Medical Center, New York.
Study: Developmental Delay for Late Preterm Babies
By Denise Mann
Developmental Risks Are Possible for Babies Delivered at 34 to 36 Weeks of Pregnancy
May 31, 2011 — Late preterm babies born from 34 to 36 weeks of pregnancy may be at an increased risk for modest developmental and academic problems up to age 7, when compared to babies born at full term, according to a new study.
Most research on the risks associated with preterm birth looks at infants born between 23 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, but significant brain development takes place in the last four to six weeks of gestation. Interrupting these processes, coupled with the often complicated medical problems faced by premature babies, may account for an increased risk of developmental and academic problems.
Childhood ADHD Linked to Later Risk of Drug Abuse
By Denise Mann
Study Shows Kids With ADHD May Have Increased Risk for Drug and Alcohol Problems as Young Adults
June 1, 2011 — Childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk of cigarette smoking and drug and alcohol abuse problems in early adulthood, a study shows.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Vaccination Rate for Kindergartners Is Over 90%
By Salynn Boyles
But CDC Study Shows Immunization Rates in States Are Still Below U.S. Goals
June 2, 2011 — More than 90% of children entering kindergarten in the U.S. have had most recommended immunizations, although coverage rates remain below target goals for most states, the CDC says.
The newly published vaccination coverage report for the first time includes state-by-state data on vaccination exceptions granted for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons.
Diabetes Patients May Have Higher Fracture Risk
By Salynn Boyles
Study Suggests Bone Mineral Density Testing May Be Useful for Older Diabetes Patients
May 31, 2011 — Older people with type 2 diabetes may have a higher risk for fractures that those without diabetes, even though they tend to have less bone density loss as measured by bone mineral density testing.
This paradox has left many questioning whether bone mineral density testing is of any value in older people with diabetes. Now, a new study, appearing in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association, helps answer this question.
USDA Ditches Food Pyramid for a Healthy Plate
By Daniel J. DeNoon
Fruits and Veggies Make Up Half of Plate, With Side of Dairy
June 2, 2011 — A colorful four-part plate, with a side dish of dairy, has replaced the 19-year-old food pyramid as the icon of the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
The new icon, called “My Plate,” is split into four sections — red for fruits, green for vegetables, orange for grains, and purple for protein — with a separate blue section for dairy on the side.
Pediatrics Group: Energy Drinks No Good for Kids
By Denise Mann
American Academy of Pediatrics Also Says Kids Should Avoid Sports Drinks
May 31, 2011 — Children should never drink high-octane energy drinks and rarely need to drink sports drinks, according to a new position paper by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Energy drinks are particularly unhealthy for children due to the risks associated with caffeine and/or other stimulants included in the drink, the report says.
The report is published in the June issue of Pediatrics.
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