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.
They require double peeling, a job you might find tedious. But it goes more quickly than you’d think, especially if you have some company around to help, glasses of rosé in hand. Don’t believe those who tell you that young favas in particular don’t require double peeling; the light green skins that surround the beautiful darker bean have nothing going for them – they’re bitter and fibrous.
When the beans are really young, you can eat them uncooked as a snack. I learned this from Lulu Peyraud, the proprietress of the famous French winery Domaine Tempier. She would serve tender shelled favas as an aperitif with chilled wine, red or rosé, setting them out on plates for guests to skin and snack on before dinner.
To skin favas, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Drop the shelled fava beans into the water, and boil them for five minutes. Drain, and transfer immediately to the cold water. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then, holding several beans in one hand, slip off their skins by pinching the eye of the skin and squeezing gently. Place the shelled favas in a bowl.
A simple fava bean purée from Apulia, in Southern Italy.
Inspired by a soup made with buttermilk and peas in Patricia Wells’s wonderful new book, “Salad as a Meal.”
This luxurious risotto is a cinch to make.
A southern-Italy-inspired dish that can also be made with peas rather than fava beans.
Here’s a way to use favas, artichokes, spring onions and green garlic – all fleetingly in season at this time of year.
Cancer Deaths in U.S. Still Dropping
By Salynn Boyles
But Death Rates for Less Educated People Remain High
June 17, 2011 — The death rate from cancer is still dropping in the United States, continuing a trend that began almost two decades ago, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Close to 900,000 Americans who would have been expected to die of cancer have not, with death rates down 22% for men and almost 14% for women from 1990 and 2007, ACS officials say.
Magic Mushrooms Drug Shows Promise as Therapeutic Tool
By Brenda Goodman
Researchers Say Lower Doses Produced Lasting Benefits With Less Risk of a ‘Bad Trip’
June 16, 2011 — Psilocybin, a powerful psychoactive substance derived from magic mushrooms, can safely be used in a controlled setting to help people have positive and often life-altering experiences, a new study shows.
The study is part of a renaissance of research into the benefits of hallucinogenic drugs that were first popularized, and villainized, in the counterculture movements of 1960s.
Bariatric Surgery Helps People Who Are Less Obese
By Kathleen Doheny
People With BMI Below 35 Lost a Greater Percentage of Excess Weight, Had Diabetes Go Into Remission
June 16, 2011 — Bariatric surgery works for less obese people, new research suggests.
People with a body mass index or BMI below 35, on whom the surgery is not typically done, lost weight, says researcher John M. Morton, MD, MPH, associate professor of surgery and director of bariatric surgery and surgical quality at Stanford University.
Their type 2 diabetes also went into remission.
Little Insects, Big Allergic Reactions
by Bill Hendricks
At-Risk People Should Arm Themselves With Knowledge, Epinephrine, Allergy Groups Say
June 16, 2011 — Insect stings are little more than painful nuisances for most people. But for others, the venom from insects can cause severe allergic reactions and even death. That’s according to a joint task force of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, which has updated practice guidelinesfor diagnosing and treating stinging insect allergies.
FDA: Chantix Linked to Heart Attack in People With Heart Disease
By Denise Mann
Small Increased Risk Seen in Chantix Users With Cardiovascular Disease
June 16, 2011 — The smoking cessation drug Chantix (varenicline) may result in a small increased risk for heart attacks and other heart problems among people with cardiovascular disease, according to the FDA.
The FDA reviewed data on 700 smokers with cardiovascular disease who were treated with either Chantix or placebo. Those individuals who took Chantix were more likely to quit smoking for at least one year, but the drug did slightly increase their risk for developing heart problems including heart attacks, when compared with their counterparts who took placebo. Information on this potential risk will now be added to Chantix’s label and included in a patient medication guide
New Bladder Cancer Warning for Diabetes Drug Actos
By Jennifer Warner
FDA: Increased Risk of Bladder Cancer for Patients Taking Actos the Longest
June 16, 2011 — The FDA has issued a new warning of increased bladder cancer risk associated with use of the diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone).
The warning comes after a review of data from a five-year analysis of an ongoing study of Actos by the manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
HPV Vaccine: Early Evidence of Impact
By Salynn Boyles
Dramatic Drop in Precancerous Cervical Lesions Seen in Australian Teens
June 17, 2011 — Health officials in Australia are reporting what may prove to be the first evidence that the vaccine targeting the human papillomavirus (HPV) could prevent cervical cancer in a large population.
The incidence of lesions that lead to cervical cancer dropped dramatically among Australian teen girls after a nationwide, school-based HPV vaccination program was implemented in that country.
ER Visits for Drug-Related Suicide Attempts Up in Men
By Denise Mann
Increase Related to Use of Pain Medication, Antidepressants, Anti-anxiety and Insomnia PillsJune 17, 2011 — New data highlight a 55% increase in emergency room visits for drug-related suicide attempts among men aged 21 to 34 from 2005 to 2009.
“This study shows an increase in the number of people using prescription medications for suicide attempts,” says researcher Peter J. Delany, PhD, director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in Rockville, Md. “This is not showing an increase in suicide attempts, just an increase in emergency room visits for drug-related suicide attempts.”
Teens and Planning Ahead: It Takes Time
By Kathleen Doheny
Researchers Find Risky Choices Tied to Still-Developing Capacity to Think Things Through
June 17, 2011 — Teens and risky behavior often go together, leaving parents frustrated when their adolescents make poor choices.
Now, new research shows that by late adolescence teens usually do have the ability to think ahead and make decisions as well as do most adults. However, the teens may not use those skills before they decide to do something risky.
Only 12% of High School Students Get Enough Exercise
By Denise Mann
Nearly One-Quarter of U.S. High School Students Drink Regular Soda Every Day
June 16, 2011 — Two new reports provide a snapshot of the physical activity and beverage habits of U.S. high school students. About one in 10 high school students gets the recommended amount of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise, and nearly a quarter of students drink at least one sugary soda every day.
Recent Comments