Health and Fitness News

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.

Tomatoes aren’t the only vegetable that you can turn into a sauce or condiment. Onions and fennel cook down to a thick, sweet, jammy confit. Roasted peppers can be simmered until they’re soft and saucy, then tossed with pasta, piled onto bruschetta or spooned over fish or chicken.

Stem Cell Treatment May Relieve Angina

By Salynn Boyles

Study Shows Chest Pain From Heart Disease Can Be Treated With Stem Cell Therapy

July 7, 2011 — An experimental therapy involving stem cell injections from the patient’s own blood is showing promise in the treatment of people with chest pain that is not responsive to drugs, angioplasty, or surgery.

Colon Cancer Death Rates Vary by State

By Bill Hendrick

Study Shows Colorectal Cancer Death Rates Are Highest in the South

uly 7, 2011 — Colorectal cancer screening is reducing the number of deaths from the disease, but death rates vary widely among regions and states, according to a new report.

Colorectal cancer death rates are higher in Southern states along the Appalachian Mountain corridor and lower in the Northeast, researchers say.

Size Counts When It Comes to Sex

By Brenda Goodman

Study: Being Too Thin or Fat Is Linked to Sexual Problems in Men, but Appears to Help Women

July 7, 2011 — Being very thin or fat appears to increase the odds that a man will experience some kind of sexual difficulty, but the same may not be true for women, a new study shows.

The study, a survey of more than 5,500 adults in Denmark, finds some surprising and complicated associations between lifestyle factors and sexual health.

Obesity Rates Are Increasing in 16 States

By Denise Mann

Study Shows Colorado Has the Lowest Adult Obesity Rate and Mississippi the Highest

July 7, 2011 — Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states during the past year, and none of the 50 states showed any decline in their rates of obesity, a study shows.

The findings are from the eighth edition of the “F as in Fat” report put out by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Painkillers Linked to Heart Rhythm Disorder

By Salynn Boyles

Study Suggests NSAIDs, Cox-2 Inhibitors May Raise Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

July 6, 2011 — Widely used anti-inflammatory pain relievers may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder associated with stroke and heart failure.

In a newly published study from Denmark, use of non-selective, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Cox-2 inhibitors was associated with a significantly increased risk for atrial fibrillation.

New Clues About Why Sunburn Is So Painful

By Jennifer Warner

Researchers Put the Blame on a Protein That Triggers Pain When You’re Overexposed to the Sun

July 6, 2011 — It may come as cold comfort to those already suffering from the sting of a midsummer sunburn, but researchers have found a new clue that may help explain why sunburns are so painful.

Their study shows UVB irradiation targets a particular protein in the body called CXCL5 that plays a role in pain sensitivity. Overexposure to the sun causes the protein to be overexpressed and triggers the pain and inflammation associated with sunburn.

‘Dignity Therapy’ Gives Comfort to Dying Patients

By Denise Mann

Study Shows Therapy Is Helpful for Terminally Ill Patients and Their Families

July 6, 2011 — Dignity therapy — a short course of psychotherapy that focuses on helping patients with terminal illnesses to go over things that are most meaningful to them and document their legacy — can improve  the end-of-life experience, a study shows.

Study: Massage Helps Treat Low Back Pain

By Brenda Goodman

Researchers Say Massage Provides Pain Relief and Improves Daily Functioning

July 5, 2011 — Massage may be serious medicine, at least when it comes to treating persistent low back pain, a new study shows.

Low back pain is one of the top reasons people seek medical attention in the U.S., and it is notoriously tough to treat. Studies show very few medical therapies, from medications to injections to surgeries, reliably relieve it, and some can aggravate the problem.

Sitting for Long Time Linked to Pulmonary Embolism

By Brenda Goodman

Study Suggests Excessive Sitting May Increase the Risk for Blood Clots in the Lungs

July 5, 2011 — Maybe the couch should come with a warning label.

A flurry of recent research has shown that excessive sitting increases the odds of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, some kinds of cancer, and even premature death. Now a new study is adding another health risk to that list: pulmonary embolism (PE), or a blood clot in the lungs.

Many Non-Emergency Angioplasties May Be Unnecessary

By Salynn Boyles

Study Suggests About Half of Non-Emergency Angioplasties Are ‘Inappropriate’ or ‘Questionable’

July 5, 2011 — The vast majority of angioplasties performed in emergency situations in the U.S. are appropriate, but as many as half of those conducted in non-emergency situations may not benefit patients, a new study suggests.

Screenings Cut Colon Cancer Death Rate

By Bill Hendrick

Screenings Credited With Helping Reduce Colon Cancer Incidence, Death Rates in Recent Years

July 5, 2011 — New diagnoses of colorectal cancer as well as deaths from the disease have declined dramatically in recent years, thanks in part to greater emphasis on screening procedures, a government report says.

Precautions Cut Sudden Death Risk of Epilepsy

By Kathleen Doheny

Analysis Shows Reducing the Number of Seizures and Taking Medicine as Prescribed Can Reduce Risk

July 5, 2011 — People with epilepsy who are otherwise healthy are known to have a risk of unexplained sudden death that is more than 20 times higher than the general population. Doctors call it sudden unexpected death in epilepsy or SUDEP.

CDC: Untreatable Gonorrhea a Possibility By Salynn Boyles

Resistance to Last Gonorrhea Drug Class Is Emerging

July 7, 2011 — The CDC is warning that gonorrhea resistant to known antibiotic treatments could soon be a reality in the United States.

A report in Friday’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlights gonorrhea’s declining susceptibility to cephalosporins, which is the only remaining class of antibiotics available to treat the common sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Breastfeeding May Not Cut Risk of MS Relapse

BY Matt McMillen

Study Shows Breastfeeding Has No Role in Reducing Risk of Flare-Ups of Multiple Sclerosis

July 6, 2011 — Breastfeeding offers no protection against relapses of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows.

Women with MS are known to have higher relapse rates in the year following childbirth, and several studies have offered conflicting evidence about the role of breastfeeding in reducing the risk of such flare-ups. The new study, conducted at MS centers throughout Italy, shows that breastfeeding does not reduce the risk.

What Do Men Want? Turns Out It’s Cuddling

by Kathleen Doheny

Study Suggests Men Value Cuddling as an Important Ingredient in Relationship Happiness

n a study that refutes gender stereotypes, researchers looking at couples in long-term relationships have found that men value cuddling and caressing as important for their relationship happiness more than women do.

Penis Size Linked to Length of Fingers

By Jenifer Warner

Researchers Find Association Between Penile Length and Ratio of Length of Men’s Fingers

July 5, 2011 — The ratio between the length of the index finger and the ring finger of men’s hands is associated with penis length, a study shows.

Researchers found that men with a lower ratio, or a shorter length of the index finger compared to the ring finger, tended to have a longer penile length.

Teenage Birth Rates Are Down

By Bill Hendrick

Study Shows a Drop in Birth Rates for Teenage Girls Aged 15 to 17

July 6, 2011 — Adolescent injury deaths have dropped in recent years, and so have percentages of childhood and preterm births, according to a new federal report on the overall well-being of America’s youth.

The report, “America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2011,” says injury deaths of children ages 5 to 14 dropped from 6.1 per 100,000 in 2008 to 5.7 per 100,000 in 2009.

Is Your House Obese-Proof?

By Kathleen Doheny

Parents Can Control Obesity Risk Factors for Kids at Home, Researchers Say

July 5, 2011 — The chance of a child becoming obese depends greatly on parents’ behavior and the home environment, experts know.

Now, Australian researchers have more information on how parents can help ”obese proof” the home.

Late Talkers Not at Risk for Behavior Problems Later On

By Denise Mann

Late-Talking Children May Have Behavioral and Emotional Issues as Toddlers, but Not as Teens

July 4, 2011 — Late talkers or children with limited number of words by age 2 may have some behavioral and emotional issues as toddlers, but these issues will not follow them through their childhood and teen years. The new findings appear in the August issue of Pediatrics.

Environment Plays Bigger Role in Autism Than Thought

By Brenda Goodman

Study in Twins Finds a Shared Environment Influences the Development of Autism More Than Shared Genes

July 4, 2011 — One of the largest studies of twins shows environment may play a larger role in the development of autism than previously recognized.

Several small studies conducted over the last three decades have found that it is much more common for identical twins to be diagnosed with autism than it is for fraternal twins.

Older People Must Work Out More to Keep Muscles

By Matt McMillen

Study Shows People Over Age 60 Need to Lift Weights More Often to Maintain Muscle Mass

July 8, 2011 — The older you get, the more you may have to work to maintain your muscles, according to a new study.

Researchers report that men and women over the age of 60 have to lift weights more often than younger adults to maintain muscle mass and muscle size.

Nuts Good for Some With Diabetes

By Bill Hendrick

Study Shows Daily Serving of Nuts Improves Blood Sugar in Type 2 Diabetes

July 8, 2011 — Eating about 2 ounces of nuts daily in place of carbohydrates may be beneficial to people with type 2 diabetes by lowering bad cholesterol levels and improving blood sugar control, a new study shows.

Heart Benefits From Cutting Back on Salt?

By Kathleen Doheny

Study Shows Reducing Salt Lowers Blood Pressure; Evidence Inconclusive on Preventing Heart Disease

July 6, 2011 — Reducing salt intake in the diet produces a small decline in blood pressure, according to a new review of research. But the evidence is not conclusive on whether salt reduction has an effect on getting cardiovascular disease or dying from it, the researchers say.

Healthy Lifestyle Cuts Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death

By Denise Mann

Study Shows Heart Benefits of Following a Lifestyle That Includes Exercise and Healthy Diet

July 5, 2011 — Leading a healthy lifestyle that includes not smoking, keeping weight down, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet can dramatically reduce risk of sudden cardiac death, a study shows.

The study is published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Tactics Are Different for Weight Loss, Maintenance

By Denise Mann

Study Suggests Separate Skill Sets Are Needed to Lose Weight and Then Keep It Off

July 5, 2011 — The same tactics that help you lose weight won’t necessarily help you keep it off.

The new study, which appears in August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, suggests that successful losers need to switch gears to stay the course and maintain their weight loss.