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.
There are many reasons an apple a day may keep the doctor away. Among popular fruits, apples rank second (after cranberries) in antioxidant power, according to the nutritionist Jonny Bowden. They are extremely high in phenolic compounds (polyphenols), particularly quercetin, and if the apple is red, anthocyanins. These phytochemicals carry many health benefits, both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Apples have been linked to lower rates of heart disease in several studies.
Scones are easy to make and lend themselves to whole-grain flours. These are particularly moist because of the grated apples.
Serve this easy, moist and spicy quick bread with tea, pack it in a lunchbox or eat it for dessert. Use homemade or commercial applesauce with no sugar added.
This is a sweet and spicy winter soup, inspired by a classic red cabbage and apple braise. The yogurt is important here; it enriches the soup at the end. You could also use fat-free sour cream.
This one is especially nice with a little feta sprinkled on top.
This comforting kugel tastes much richer than it is, and it is certainly lighter than a traditional kugel (though it is not a low-calorie dessert).
Synthetic Windpipe Is Used to Replace Cancerous One
by Henry Fountain
Surgeons in Sweden have replaced the cancerous windpipe of a Maryland man with one made in a laboratory and seeded with the man’s cells.
The windpipe, or trachea, made from minuscule plastic fibers and covered in stem cells taken from the man’s bone marrow, was implanted in November. The patient, Christopher Lyles, 30, whose tracheal cancer had progressed to the point where it was considered inoperable, arrived home in Baltimore on Wednesday. It was the second procedure of its kind and the first for an American.
Marijuana Smoking Does Not Harm Lungs, Study Finds
by Anahad O’Connor
A large new government study has found that smoking marijuana on a regular basis, even over many years, does not impair lung function.
Marijuana, the country’s most widely used illicit drug, has become increasingly popular and less stigmatized in recent years, particularly among young adults. One government report released in December found that one out of 15 high school students now smokes marijuana nearly every day, a growth fueled in part by the spread of medicinal marijuana, which is legal in 16 states. With its use rising, questions about the drug’s long-term medical consequences have garnered more attention.
Risks: When Too Much Vitamin D Is Too Much
by Nicholas Bakalar
Too much vitamin D may be just as bad as too little, a recent study suggests.
Vitamin D supplements reduce blood levels of C-reactive protein, or CRP, an indicator of inflammation that is linked to cardiovascular disease. But supplements help only up to a point.
In a study of more than 15,000 adults ages 18 to 85, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that after blood levels exceeded 21 nanograms per milliliter – the lower end of what is usually considered normal – any additional vitamin D led to an increase in CRP.
Really? The Claim: Grief Can Cause a Heart Attack
by Anahad O’Connor
The emotional pain of losing a loved one can take a toll on the heart, at least metaphorically. But can it trigger an actual heart attack?
In a large new study, scientists have confirmed what the medical world has long suspected: The so-called broken-heart syndrome is real. The study, published on Monday in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, found that a person’s heart attack risk is 21 times higher than normal the day after a loved one dies.
Aspirin Therapy for Heart Disease, Stroke Prevention Not for Everyone
by Salynn Boyles
Benefits and Risks of Aspirin Therapy Determined on Case-by-Case Basis
Jan. 12, 2012 — Many people who have never had a heart attack or stroke take an aspirin every day to lower their risk for these events.
While some may benefit, for many others the benefits appear to be outweighed by an increased risk for potentially serious and even life-threatening bleeding, a new study shows.
Acupuncture May Be Effective for Migraines
by Sonya Collins
Experts Split on Whether to Recommend the Ancient Therapy
Jan. 12, 2012 — Acupuncture helps reduce days with migraines and may have lasting effects, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
In the study, almost 500 adults were treated with either traditional Chinese acupuncture or a sham treatment in which acupuncture needles were inserted in nonspecific points. The acupuncture treatment points were previously used to study migraine. Participants did not know which type of acupuncture treatment they were receiving during the four-week study.
FDA Panel Backs New Device for Chronic Heartburn
by Rita Rubin
LINX Would Be Used in Patients With GERD That Doesn’t Respond to Drugs
Jan. 12, 2012 — An implantable device to treat chronic, severe acid reflux disease has moved one step closer to approval. An FDA advisory committee unanimously voted that the LINX device was safe and effective for treating chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, that does not respond to medication.
The panel also unanimously voted that the benefits of LINX for those patients outweigh the risks. The FDA usually, but not always, follows its advisory committees’ guidance.
Exercise, Talk Therapy by Phone May Help Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain
by Rita Rubin
Treatments May Be Cheaper Than Medication
Jan. 12, 2012 — Exercise and/or talking with a therapist on the phone once a week may significantly reduce chronic pain, a new study shows.
About 20% to 40% of adults report experiencing chronic pain, Seth Berkowitz, MD, and Mitchell Katz, MD, of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services write in an accompanying editorial. Up to 20% of visits to a primary health care provider generate a prescription for a narcotic painkiller, or opioid, they say.
Why Is Alcohol Addictive? Study Offers Clues
by Salynn Boyles
Research Could Lead to More Focused Medications for Heavy Drinkers
Jan. 11, 2012 — We know alcohol makes many people feel good, and that it affects the brain, but new research goes a step further by tightening the focus on areas of the brain most likely affected by alcohol.
The new brain imaging research may lead to a better understanding of alcohol addiction and possibly better treatments for people who abuse alcohol and other drugs
Nicotine Replacement Treatments May Not Work Long-Term
by Kathleen Doheny
Relapse Rates Still High in Those Who Used Nicotine Replacement, Experts Say
Jan. 9, 2012 — Nicotine replacement therapies such as gums or patches may not help smokers kick the habit long-term, a new study shows.
Relapse rates of the quitters were similar during the study period, whether they used the products alone or with counseling, or they did not use them. “Nicotine replacement therapies … do not show any long-term effect on quitting even when combined with counseling,” says researcher Gregory Connolly, DMD, director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control and professor of public health at the Harvard School of Public Health. Behavioral counseling is widely recommended, with medication, to help smokers quit.
Diabetes Medications May Double as Weight Loss Drugs
by Brenda Goodman, MA
Research Review Shows Byetta and Victoza Can Help Overweight People Shed Pounds
Jan. 10, 2012 — Two drugs approved to treat type 2 diabetes may also aid weight loss in overweight people with or without diabetes, a new study shows.
The drugs Byetta and Victoza mimic gut hormones that decrease appetite.
They are typically prescribed when patients need medication to help control their blood sugar. A new research review, published in BMJ, reanalyzed data from 25 separate studies.
Bufferin, Excedrin, NoDoz, Gas-X Recalled
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Pill Mixup: Bottles May Contain Stray Pills, Prescription Painkillers
Jan. 9, 2012 — Bufferin, Excedrin, Gas-X, and NoDoz products have been recalled because they may be mixed with one another, contain broken tablets, or contain prescription painkillers.
Drugmaker Novartis is voluntarily recalling 1,645 lots of the four products. All four of the recalled products — as well as nine prescription opiate painkillers including Percocet and morphine — were made at the same plant in Lincoln, Neb. The opiate painkillers are made at the Novartis plant for Endo Pharmaceuticals.
Totally drug-resistant TB emerges in India
by Katherine Rowland
Discovery of a deadly form of TB highlights crisis of ‘mismanagement’.
Physicians in India have identified a form of incurable tuberculosis there, raising further concerns over increasing drug resistance to the disease1. Although reports call this latest form a “new entity”, researchers suggest that it is instead another development in a long-standing problem.
The discovery makes India the third country in which a completely drug-resistant form of the disease has emerged, following cases documented in Italy in 2007 and Iran in 2009.
CDC: 1 in 6 U.S. Adults Is a Binge Drinker
by Kathleen Doheny
Problem More Widespread Than Thought, Linked to Car Crashes, Violence, STDs, Death
Jan. 10, 2012 — About 1 in 6 U.S. adults binge drinks, according to a new CDC report. That’s 38 million people who overindulge.
They do so an average of about four times a month, sometimes downing eight drinks at a sitting.
“Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks on one occasion for a woman and five or more drinks for a man,” says Ursula Bauer, PhD, MPH, director of the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. She spoke at a news conference today discussing the new research
Statins May Raise Diabetes Risk in Older Women
by Salynn Boyles
Study: Middle-Aged, Older Statin Users Had More Type 2 Diabetes
Jan. 9, 2012 — Use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be associated with an increased risk of diabetes in middle-aged and older women, a new study suggests.
Experts say the evidence as a whole suggests that the risks are slight and that for most women who take statins, the benefits for preventing heart attack and stroke outweigh those risks.
Certain Antidepressants May Raise Lung Condition Risk in Newborns
by Salynn Boyles
Risk for Rare Disorder Higher in Babies Born to SSRI Antidepressant Users
Jan. 12, 2012 — Pregnant women who use certain popular antidepressants may have a twofold increased risk for delivering babies with a rare but serious lung disorder, a new study finds.
Researchers analyzed national registry data from 1.6 million births in five Nordic countries in an effort to determine if using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during pregnancy raises the risk for neonatal pulmonary hypertension, a life-threatening condition in newborns that normally occurs in one to two births in 1,000.
Low Levels of Vitamin D May Be Linked to Depression
by Denise Mann
Before Hitting the Supplements Though, Check With Your Doctor
Jan. 10, 2012 — Feeling blue? It may be time to check your vitamin D levels.
New research suggests that low levels of vitamin D and depression may go hand in hand.
The new study included about 12,600 people aged 20 to 90. Researchers measured the vitamin D in their blood and assessed symptoms of depression.
Nicotine Patch May Improve Memory in Pre-Dementia Patients
by Matt McMillen
Small Study Shows Significant Benefits in Memory
Jan. 9, 2012 — People with mild memory loss, often an early warning sign of future dementia, may get help from an unexpected source: nicotine patches.
A new study published in the journal Neurology shows that wearing a nicotine patch improved the brain performance of such adults.
Mindfulness Key to Losing Weight While Eating Out
By Jennifer Warner
Practicing Mindful Eating at Restaurants Helps Weight Loss
Jan. 10, 2012 — Focusing on the eating experience and the food in front of you may be one key to losing weight while eating out frequently at restaurants.
A new study shows that older women who practiced mindful restaurant eating lost an average of nearly 4 pounds in six weeks, even though they were only trying to maintain their weight.
Colorful Meals May Appeal to Picky Eaters
by Jennifer Warner
Adding Color, Variety to Children’s Plates May Help Them Eat Healthier, Study Finds
Jan. 12, 2012 — Is your child a picky eater? A new study may help you expand his or her palate.
Children prefer much more color and variety in food presentation, compared to adults, according to the study. For example, children preferred twice as many colors and different items on their plates.
Is There an ADHD Diet?
by Denise Mann
Not Really, but Certain Healthy Changes to Your Child’s Diet May Help
Jan. 9, 2012 — There isn’t a specific diet or magic vitamin that will curb hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and other symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but steering clear of certain unhealthy foods may make a difference, a new review shows.
Why Coffee May Reduce Diabetes Risk
by Kathleen Doheny
Chinese Researchers Zero in on Coffee Substances That May Explain the Benefit
Jan. 13, 2012 — Coffee drinking has been linked with a reduced risk of diabetes, and now Chinese researchers think they may know why.
Three compounds found in coffee seem to block the toxic accumulation of a protein linked with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
”We found three major coffee compounds can reverse this toxic process and may explain why coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes,” says researcher Kun Huang, PhD, a professor of biological pharmacy at the Huazhong University of Science & Technology.
Heart Attacks Uncommon During Marathons
by Nicholas Bakalar
About two million people participate in marathons or half marathons every year, and you might think that that kind of strenuous exercise involving so many people would lead to a lot of heart attacks. But you would be wrong.
A study published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine covered 10 years of running and almost 11 million runners, and found that only 59 people had a cardiac arrest during a race – 51 of them men.
Exercise Hormone May Fight Obesity and Diabetes
by Gretchen Reynplds
A newly discovered hormone produced in response to exercise may be turning people’s white fat brown, a groundbreaking new study suggests, and in the process lessening their susceptibility to obesity, diabetes and other health problems. The study, published on Wednesday in Nature and led by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, provides remarkable new insights into how exercise affects the body at a cellular level.
For the study, the researchers studied mouse and human muscle cells. Scientists have believed for some time that muscle cells influence biological processes elsewhere in the body, beyond the muscles themselves. In particular, they have suspected that muscle cells communicate biochemically with body fat.
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