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.
Check your pantry, then check out these five delicious dishes made with a variety of grains and lentils.
With a ready supply of grains on hand, you can throw together quick, easy combination meals like this one.
Lemon risotto is a favorite of dinner guests.
Red lentils have a refreshing flavor and a sproutlike crunch.
The fluffy, pale quinoa in this gingery salad contrasts nicely with the dark, chewy wild rice.
You don’t have to make this vegetable-rich dish in a paella pan, though if you do, you’ll get a nice layer of crusty rice on the bottom. Serve it as a main dish or as a side.
Stents to unclog arteries tied to bleeding events
by Kerry Grens
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A fresh look at medical records finds a newer technique used to remove blockages in the arteries that supply blood to the brain is tied to a greater chance of bleeding within the head than an older surgical procedure.
Researchers found hemorrhaging in the brain was roughly six times as likely in patients who underwent carotid artery stenting, which inserts a tube into the artery to clear the passage, as in patients who had an endarterectomy, a surgical procedure that scrapes the plaque from the artery.
The findings conflict with previous work showing that stenting appears to be as safe as surgically removing blockages in the artery (see Reuters report of February 26, 2010).
Quicker Angioplasty Times for Heart Attack Patients
by Kathleen Doheny
Time to Treatment Has Dropped 32 Minutes in Just 5 Years, Study Finds
Aug. 22, 2011 — More than 90% of patients who have a heart attack and need an emergency treatment to open the artery now have it within the recommended 90 minutes after they get to the hospital, new research finds.
Antibiotic Overuse May Be Bad for Body’s Good Bacteria
by Brenda Goodman
Some Researchers Believe Changes in Helpful Bacteria May Be Contributing to Obesity, Asthma
Aug. 24, 2011 — Antibiotic overuse doesn’t just lead to drug-resistant superbugs, it may also permanently wipe out the body’s good bacteria.
Good bacteria in the gut help people in many ways, including helping make vitamins and boosting immunity. Some researchers think that killing them off with antibiotics may be contributing to rises in chronic health conditions such as obesity, asthma, and cancer.
Long-Term Antibiotic May Reduce COPD Problems
by Kathleen Doheny
At 1-Year Mark, Azithromycin Reduced COPD Flare-ups
Aug. 23, 2011 — A common antibiotic, taken for a year, reduced the number of flare-ups in patients with the lung disease known as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), according to new research.
”In patients with COPD at high risk for flare-ups, the addition of daily azithromycin for one year reduced the frequency of those events,” says researcher Mark Dransfield, MD, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Lung Health Center.
Report: 164 Million Obese Adults by 2030
by Salynn Boyles
Half of American Adults Will Be Obese if Trends Continue
Aug. 25, 2011 — Half of U.S. adults will be obese by 2030 if current trends continue, a new report shows.
About one in three adults in the U.S. are obese today. That figure will rise to half of American adults by 2030 if little is done to address the obesity epidemic, Columbia University researcher Claire Wang, PhD, said today at a news briefing in London.
With those numbers will likely come higher rates of chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and some types of cancer.
Botox Approved to Treat Leaky Bladder
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Urinary Incontinence From MS, Spine Injuries Helped by Injections of Botox
Aug. 24, 2011 — Botox can now be used to treat a leaky bladder due to conditions such as multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, the FDA says.
Nerve damage from these and other conditions can make it difficult for patients to retain urine. Patients often need medications to relax the bladder, as well as catheters to empty the bladder.
Common Cause of Lou Gehrig’s Disease Found
by Salynn Boyles
Disease Results From Body’s Inability Repair Nerve Cells, Researchers Say
Aug. 22, 2011 — Researchers from Northwestern University are reporting a major breakthrough in understanding of the cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the fatal disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
They say their discovery proves that different forms of ALS actually have a common cause and that this could lead to better strategies to treat the disease.
FDA: Celexa May Damage Heart at High Doses
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Fatal Changes to Heart’s Rhythm Possible From Antidepressant
Aug. 24, 2011 — The antidepressant Celexa can cause possibly fatal changes to the heart’s electrical activity, the FDA today warned.
Celexa should no longer be used at doses higher than 40 milligrams per day. The drug’s new label will remove a statement suggesting that some patients may need 60 milligrams per day. It will also warn of the drug’s risk to the heart.
Germ-Infected Mosquitoes Can’t Spread Dengue
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Release of Bacteria-Carrying Mosquitoes Could Halt Dengue Spread
Aug. 24, 2011 — By releasing 300,000 live mosquitoes, scientists say they’ve freed a remote region of Australia from the threat of dengue fever.
Before releasing them, the researchers deliberately infected the mosquitoes with a strain of a common insect bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis, that makes them incapable of spreading the dengue virus.
Gene Mutation Found in Uterine Fibroids
by Matt McMillen
Discovery May Lead to Targeted Therapies for These Common, Benign Tumors
Aug. 25, 2011 — Mutations in a single gene MED12 occur in about 70% of uterine fibroids, Finnish researchers find.
“This is a giant step toward understanding why fibroids arise — but toward design of targeted therapies it is a very early step,” study leader Lauri A. Aaltonen, MD, PhD, of the University of Helsinki, says in a news release. “Let’s hope that this journey has begun.”
New Drug Shows Promise in Ovarian Cancer
by Salynn Boyles
Olaparib Shrinks Tumors in Women With Few Treatment Options
Aug. 22, 2011 — An experimental drug that has been shown to be effective in treating ovarian cancer in patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations also appears to work in some patients without the mutations.
The drug olaparib is one of several experimental treatments that block the activity of the protein PARP, which, like BRCA, is involved in DNA repair.
Study: HPV Tests Better at Predicting Cervical Cancer Than Pap Tests
by Brenda Goodman
No Significant Gain From Combining the Tests, Study Shows
Aug. 22, 2011 — DNA tests that detect the most virulent strains of human papillomavirus, or HPV, may find more advanced precancerous cells that can lead to cervical cancer than traditional Pap smears, a new study shows.
The study, which is published in The Lancet Oncology, suggests that testing for HPV strains 16 and 18, which cause about 70% of all cervical cancer, could replace Pap tests as the primary screening tool for the disease.
Doctors misuse scans in prostate cancer: study
by Geneva Pittman
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Too many men with low- or medium-risk prostate cancer get CTs and bone scans that aren’t recommended for them, suggests a new study.
The scans are intended to tell doctors if cancer has spread beyond the prostate in men with high-risk cancer.
Doing them in other cases is a concern because CTs expose patients to small amounts of radiation — which itself is linked to future cancer risks — and the scans cost the healthcare system extra money, but have little potential benefit.
Report: Vaccines Generally Safe, Cause Few Health Problems
by Kathleen Doheny
Vaccine Safety Analysis Rules Out Links to Autism, Diabetes; Confirms Links to Some Side Effects
Aug. 25, 2011 — Nearly two decades of research on vaccine safety has found that serious side effects are rare and that vaccines do not cause autism, diabetes, asthma, or Bell’s palsy.
Although fears about vaccine safety are common, the new study from the nonprofit Institute of Medicine finds that vaccines cause few health problems.
Vaccines for Teens: Still Room for Improvement
by Denise Mann
Rates of HPV Shots Among Teens Lag Behind Other Recommended Vaccines
Aug. 25, 2011 — More teens are getting their recommended vaccines, but there is still room for improvement. The numbers are especially low for human papillomavirus (HPV) or cervical cancer vaccines among U.S. girls, the CDC reports.
Study: Obesity Prevention Should Focus on Day Care
by Brenda Goodman
Lax Regulation Means Many Kids Don’t Get Enough Healthy Foods or Exercise
Aug. 26, 2011 — Experts say the fight against childhood obesity should have a new focus: day care.
Studies show that about 82% of American children under age 6 are in child care outside the home while their parents work.
That means many meals are no longer eaten around the family table, but at day care, where parents may have little control over what toddlers are eating.
Gene Therapy Works for ‘Bubble Boy’ Disease
by Salynn Boyles
9 Years Later, 14 Out of 16 Kids With the Rare Disease Leading Normal Lives
Aug. 24, 2011 — Nine years after getting gene therapy for a rare, inherited immune system disorder often called “bubble boy disease,” 14 out of 16 children are doing well, researchers report.
The children were born with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID). They got an experimental gene therapy in the U.K.
Social Networking Tied to Teen Drug, Alcohol Use
by Denise Mann
Survey Shows Parents Underestimate How Social Networks Affect Teens’ Risk of Using Drugs or Alcohol
Aug. 23, 2011 — Teens who spend time on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social networking sites may be more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and use drugs.
That’s according to Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). CASA recently polled more than 2,000 teens online or by phone, as well as 528 parents of teens.
About 5,000 Kids Fall From Windows Each Year
Simple Prevention Measures Include Installing Locks, Keeping Furniture Away From Windows
Aug. 22, 2011 — Falls from windows injure about 5,100 children on average each year in the U.S., and most could be prevented with simple window safety measures.
A new study shows an estimated 98,415 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms from 1990 to 2008 for injuries caused by falls from windows. Injuries ranged from cuts and bruises to fatal head injuries, and young children were most at risk for serious injuries.
Brain Scans Show Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s
by Kathleen Doheny
Changes in Brain Chemistry Linked With Lower Scores on Memory, Language Tests
Aug. 24, 2011 — Specialized scans can identify changes in the brains of people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research.
In the study, researchers used a special MRI scan and a special PET scan in people in their 70s and 80s who were aging normally to help identify those who had brain changes thought to be linked with Alzheimer’s disease.
Risk for Mental Illness Varies by Gender
by Denise Mann
Women More Likely Than Men to Be Diagnosed With Depression or Anxiety
Aug. 23, 2011 — Women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety, while men are at greater risk for substance abuse and antisocial disorders, according to a new study examining gender differences in rates of mental illnesses.
The gender differences may be related to how the sexes deal with their emotions. Women are more likely to internalize their emotions and withdraw, leading to depression and anxiety. Men, however, are more likely to externalize their emotions and act out.
Chocolate doesn’t have to derail a diet: study
by Geneva Pittman
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For chocolate lovers trying to drop a few pounds, new research suggests that it’s still possible to lose weight while indulging your sweet tooth every day.
Overweight and obese women who added a bit of chocolate or other sweets on top of a healthy diet plan lost about 11 pounds over four months, on average.
Better Way to Predict Weight Loss?
by Salynn Boyles
3,500-Calorie Rule Misleading, Researchers Say
Aug. 25, 2011 — If you’ve ever been on a diet, chances are you know the 3,500-calorie rule: Since there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, you have to eat 500 fewer calories a day to lose a pound a week.
But researchers now say the formula is wrong because it fails to account for a slowing metabolism, the fact that dieters lose muscle as well as fat, and other factors that influence weight loss.
Diet for Lowering Cholesterol: Soy Beats Low-Fat
by Jennifer Warner
“Portfolio Diet” of Cholesterol-Lowering Foods More Effective Than Regular Low-Fat Diet
Aug. 23, 2011 — A diet that incorporates cholesterol-lowering foods like soy, nuts, and plant sterols may work better at lowering cholesterol levels than a traditional low-fat diet.
A new study shows that people with high cholesterol who followed the portfolio diet, which includes a combination of cholesterol-lowering foods, lowered their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by about 13% after six months on the diet. That’s compared with a 3% LDL reduction among those who followed a traditional diet low in saturated fat.
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