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.
These bite-size bulgur and lentil balls can be part of a mezze spread – an assortment of appetizers – or they can be served as a side dish.
This dish is luxuriously creamy (though there’s no cream in it) and comforting.
Inspired by a traditional Provençal tuna dish, this version has a lot going for it as a New Year’s dish, what with all the green leaves and the fish – lots of prosperity.
This is inspired by a traditional French combination of lentils and fresh salmon.
This comforting dish contains good luck charms from all over the globe: soba (buckwheat noodles) is traditional in Japan, black-eyed peas in the American South, and spinach or other greens pretty much everywhere.
Sensitive Blood Test Rules Out Heart Attack
by Salynn Boyles
Test Measures Very Low Levels of Heart Protein, Troponin I
Dec. 27, 2011 — When someone is having chest pain or other heart symptoms, it’s not always easy to tell whether they’ve suffered a heart attack.
An electrocardiogram (ECG), one of the key tests used to confirm heart damage, isn’t always conclusive. When that happens, doctors may use a blood test that measures a muscle protein in the blood. If someone has high levels of the protein, known as troponin I, they are more likely to have suffered heart damage.
Now, an even more sensitive version of the test may be more helpful in ruling out a heart attack accurately and quickly, according to new research in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Study Finds Bacteria in Unused Paper Towels
by Brenda Goodman, MA
Recycled Paper Towels Had the Highest Bacterial Counts
Dec. 28, 2011 — Grabbing a paper towel in a public restroom may leave more on your hands than you bargained for.
Researchers say they’ve found bacteria, including some that are known to make people sick, in unused paper towels. They also found that those bacteria could be transferred to hands after washing.
The study is published in the American Journal of Infection Control. It did not find any illnesses connected to paper towel use.
Experts say the findings are probably most important for people in hospital isolation units and those with weakened immune function who need to be extra cautious about contact with germs.
Study: Music Can Ease Pain
by Denise Mann
Music May Have the Most Benefits for the Anxiety Prone, Researchers Say
Dec. 27, 2011 — Losing yourself in music really may help take the sting out of a root canal or other painful medical procedure — especially if you are feeling anxious about it.
In a new study, 143 people listened to music while they received a painful shock in their fingertip. Participants were asked to follow the melodies, and identify unusual tones in an effort to take their mind off the pain.
It seemed to do the trick. Participants’ pain decreased as they became more and more absorbed in the tunes. Those who were the most anxious reaped the most pain-relieving benefits when they became engaged in the music.
Get First Cat as Adult, Double Allergy Risk
By Daniel J. DeNoon
Cat Allergy Risk Lower in Adults Who Had Cats as Kids
Dec. 29, 2011 — Adults who get their first cat double their risk of cat allergy — especially if the cat is allowed in the bedroom.
But adults who had cats as kids are less likely to become allergic to their new feline pets, a large European study finds.
An adult’s risk of developing a new cat allergy over a nine-year period “was nearly doubled in those acquiring a cat,” report Mario Olivieri, MD, of the University of Verona, Italy, and colleagues. “Interestingly, this effect was confined to those allowing a cat in the bedroom.”
Where’s the Flu? Get Ready
by Daniel J. DeNoon
CDC Data Show Little U.S. Flu, but Google Flu Trends Shows Hot Spots
Dec. 29, 2011 — Where is this flu season we keep hearing about? Brace yourself.
Although it’s seemed pretty quiet so far, flu season may already have arrived.
Although official CDC data show little flu activity throughout the U.S., it takes about two weeks to compile that data. More timely data from Google’s Flu Trends report is showing “moderate” flu activity in the U.S. overall, with about half of states still in the “low” category. But Kentucky and Nevada have “high” flu activity. So do several cities — Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, and Washington, D.C. — although Google Flu Trends for cities is still experimental.
Smoking During Pregnancy May Damage Children’s Blood Vessels
by Rita Rubin
Yet Another Reason Not to Smoke During Pregnancy
Dec. 26, 2011 — If women didn’t already have enough reasons to quit smoking before pregnancy, here’s a big one: Smoking during pregnancy may set their child up for blood vessel damage, a new study shows.
Dutch scientists enrolled more than 250 children. When the children were 4 weeks old, their body dimensions and lung function were measured. At the same time, their parents completed questionnaires about such factors as smoking during pregnancy.
Obesity Linked to Poor Mother-Toddler Bond
by Denise Mann
Toddlers Who Have Poor Relationship With Mom May Find Refuge in Food, Researchers Say
Dec. 26, 2011 — Tots who have a poor relationship with their moms are more likely to be obese by the time they turn 15, a new study shows.
So just how does a toddler’s less-than-stellar relationship with mom affect risk for being obese as a teen?
The reasons are not fully understood, but study researchers suggest these toddlers, when coping with stress, may begin to use food as a source of comfort in place of mom at a very early age. The findings appear in the January 2012 issue of Pediatrics.
New Clues to Memory Loss
by Kathleen Doheny
Silent Strokes, Brain Shrinkage Both Linked With Memory Loss in Older Adults
Dec. 29, 2011 — Strokes so tiny they are termed ”silent” may be linked to memory loss in older adults.
Previously, experts thought that memory loss among older adults was caused by deterioration in the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in memory and other functions. Although that is still true, study researcher Adam Brickman, PhD, says his new research adds another possible cause to the list.
“What our study suggests is, even when we account for the decline in memory attributed to hippocampal shrinkage or degeneration, that strokes … play an additional role in the memory decline,” Brickman says. He is the Herbert Irving assistant professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Diet Patterns Linked With Brain Health
by Kathleen Doheny
People With Diets High in Vitamins B, C, D, E, and Omega-3s Had Less Brain Shrinkage, Higher Scores on Thinking Tests
Dec. 28, 2011 — Eating a diet rich in certain vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids and low in trans fats may be best for brain health, new research suggests.
Older people who ate this way had less of the brain shrinkage linked with Alzheimer’s disease and scored better on mental and thinking tests than those with poorer diets.
Although previous studies have suggested that a heart-healthy diet is also good for the brain, the new study took a different approach by using blood tests to determine the participant’s diet and nutrient levels.
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