Health and Fitness News

Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness News a 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.

It’s hard for me to resist buying spinach at the farmers’ market this time of year. The bunches are plush, and the leaves and stems, pale pink at the base, are tender. I’d almost forgotten what mature spinach tastes like, since I’d gotten into the habit of buying the bagged baby spinach that you don’t have to stem; at my Iranian market they sell three-pound bags at a very good price. But fresh, locally grown bunch spinach is definitely worth revisiting, even if it does require more prep time. ~ Martha Rose Shulman

Is Tax Day Dangerous for Drivers?

by Jennifer Warner

Tax Deadline Day Linked to Greater Risk of Fatal Car Crashes

April 10, 2012 — Death and taxes may be more closely related than you think.

A new study links the income tax deadline day to a rise in fatal motor vehicle crashes.

So on tax day — this year, April 17 — make sure you buckle up, don’t speed, and don’t drive if you’re tired, distracted, or have been drinking, the researchers write in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Shift Work May Set Stage for Obesity, Diabetes

by Brenda Goodman, MA

Study Suggests Short Sleep at Odd Hours Drives Up Blood Sugar

April 11, 2012 — Short sleep on a disrupted schedule — common in shift work — significantly increases blood sugar, setting the stage for obesity and diabetes, a new study shows.

The study found that otherwise-healthy adults who were both sleep deprived and sleeping on schedules that put them at odds with their biological clocks — common problems for millions of people who work at night — made 32% less insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar, than they do when they are well rested.

Thyme’s Time as Acne Remedy May Be Coming Soon

by Denise Mann

Study Shows Thyme Fights Acne-Causing Bacteria

April 12, 2012 — The next new acne treatment may be found in the produce section of your food store.

Largely due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, the herb thyme — which is found with other herbs in the produce section of most food stores — may well earn itself a place in the skin care section of your local drug store.

Treating Sleep Apnea Without the Mask

by Anahad O’Connor

About 28 million Americans have sleep apnea, which causes repeated awakenings and pauses in breathing during the night, sometimes resulting in loud snoring and gasps for air. For decades, the standard treatment has been “continuous positive airway pressure.” A mask worn at night pushes air into the nasal passages, enabling easier breathing. C.P.A.P. reduces and in some cases completely prevents episodes of apnea. [..]

Now an alternative form of C.P.A.P. is gaining popularity: a patch that fits over the nostrils. Called Provent, the patch holds two small plugs, one for each nostril, that create just enough air pressure to keep the airways open at night. It is far less intrusive than the traditional C.P.A.P. machine. It is also more expensive, and it doesn’t work for every patient.

Incontinence Drugs: Benefits and Harms Compared

by Brenda Goodman, MA

Medications That Treat Overactive Bladder Offer Modest Benefits and Sivgnivficant Side Effects

April 9, 2012 — Drugs that treat incontinence caused by an overactive bladder offer modest benefits to some women, and they often come with significant side effects, a new review of research shows.

The government-funded review compared the benefits and side effects of several drugs: darifenacin (Enablex), fesoterodine (Toviaz), oxybutynin (Ditropan, Oxytrol), solifenacin (Vesicare), tolterodine (Detrol), and trospium (Sanctura).

Each drug is different. But they all work by relaxing the bladder muscle, reducing spasms that can cause urgency and leakage.

48% of Chicken in Small Sample Has E. Coli

by Stephanie Strom

A recent test of packaged raw chicken products bought at grocery stores across the country found that roughly half of them were contaminated with the bacteria E. coli.

E. coli, which the study said was an indicator of fecal contamination, was found in 48 percent of 120 chicken products bought in 10 major cities by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group that advocates a vegetarian diet among other things. The study results were released Wednesday.

FDA Plans to Cut Antibiotics in Food Animals

by Daniel J. DeNoon

Voluntary Plan Gives Animal Industry 3 Years to Stop Antibiotic Overuse in Food Animals

April 11, 2012 — The FDA today said it’s giving the food industry three years to voluntarily stop using antibiotics to make food animals grow faster.

Such “production use” of antibiotics is widespread. It’s a major reason why 80% of antibiotics go to animals.

But the practice is fast creating new strains of drug-resistant superbugs that threaten human health, according to the FDA, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and other public health groups.

New Warning for Some Birth Control Pills

by Denise Mann

Pills Containing Drospirenone Will Warn of Blood Clot Risk on Labels

April 10, 2012 — Birth control pills that contain the hormone drospirenone must now carry a warning that they may increase the risk for potentially fatal blood clots, according to the FDA.

Drospirenone is a synthetic version of the female sex hormone progesterone. Birth control pills containing this hormone include Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceutical’s Beyaz, Safyral, Yasmin, and Yaz brands, as well as several other brands (Gianvi, Loryna, Ocella, Syeda, and Zarah).

Dental X-rays Linked to Brain Tumors

by Salynn Boyles

Annual X-rays May Expose Patients to Unnecessary Risk

April 10, 2012 — Getting frequent dental X-rays appears to increase the risk for a commonly diagnosed brain tumor, a new study finds.

Exposure to ionizing radiation — the kind found in X-rays — is the biggest known environmental risk factor for largely non-malignant meningioma brain tumors. Routine dental X-rays are among the most common sources of radiation for most healthy people in the U.S.

The new study suggests that performing frequent X-rays may expose patients to unnecessary risk.

Is Your Nail Polish Toxic?

by Kathleen Doheny

Researchers Find Toxins in Nail Polish Labeled ‘Toxin-Free’; Industry Says Report Lacks Perspective

April 11, 2012 — If you’re a mani-pedi fan, it’s disturbing news.

Some nail polishes and other products used at salons and labeled toxin-free may have high levels of toxic chemicals, according to a new California report.

“The labeling does not always reflect the ingredients,” says scientist Valetti Lang, acting manager of the Pollution Prevention Branch of the Department of Toxic Substances Control for the California Environmental Protection Agency.

Soy Supplements Can Cool Hot Flashes: Study

by Kathleen Doheny

Analysis of 19 Studies Finds Benefit in Supplements, But Researcher Says Soy Foods Are Better Bet

April 9, 2012 — Taking soy to relieve hot flashes has received mixed reviews over the years.

Now, researchers who took another look at 19 published studies find that soy supplements may help, at least over time.

Soy has been touted as an alternative treatment to hormone replacement therapy after HRT was linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Mom’s Health While Pregnant Linked to Autism Risk

by Denise Mann

Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes During Pregnancy May Increase Autism Risk

April 9, 2012 — Women who are obese and/or have diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy may be about 60% more likely to have babies with autism, a new study suggests. While the new research points to an association between mom’s health during pregnancy and autism, it’s important to note that “we can’t really draw causal links,” says researcher Paula Krakowiak. She is a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the University of California, Davis.

Genes Pinpointed for Common Childhood Obesity

by Brenda Goodman,MA

Study Suggests Genes Play a Role in Early Life Weight Gain

April 8, 2012 — An international team of researchers says they’ve found at least two new gene markers that appear to increase the risk for common childhood obesity.

Little is known about the gene markers, which sit on chromosomes 13 and 17. But they are positioned close to and within genes that are thought to be involved in how the gut functions.

What?s more, the markers do not appear to be active in obese adults, leading researchers to conclude that they exert their influence within the first years of life.

No Seizure Risk From Measles Vaccine in Older Children

by Anahad O’Connor

A large new study has ruled out concerns that children over 4 are at greater risk of seizures after getting a common measles-containing vaccine called MMRV. The vaccine – which combines the shot for measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, with the vaccine for varicella, or chickenpox – is given to children in two steps, first as toddlers and then again between ages 4 and 6.

Can Fido and Whiskers Enrich Children’s Lives?

by Perri Klass, MD

Pediatricians are asked pet-related questions all the time. What’s the right age to care for a pet? The best way to discuss a pet’s demise? Do we get rid of the cat if one child is allergic to him? Will the dog bite the baby?

For such a tremendously widespread phenomenon as pet ownership, there has been very little research to steer by.

But now researchers are looking at a range of questions, in normal child development, in childhood obesity, in traumatized children and in autism. Dogs, you might say, are having their day.

Summer Temperature Swings May Harm Elderly

by Brenda Goodman, MA

Bigger Day-to-Day Temperature Variations May Contribute to Premature Death

April 9, 2012 — Extreme summer temperature swings may be a health threat for people ages 65 and older, a 20-year study shows.

Those kinds of big temperature swings are becoming more common, according to some climate models.

“It means we probably should be more concerned about climate change because there may be some significant health effects directly associated with the increasing variability of weather,” says researcher Joel Schwartz, PhD, a Harvard University professor of environmental epidemiology.

Antidepressants Aid Depressed Parkinson’s Patients

by Web MD Health

Two Classes of Medicine Help Depression in People With Parkinson’s Without Worsening Other Symptoms, Experts Say

April 11, 2012 — Certain antidepressant medications can help treat depression in people with Parkinson’s disease without making the symptoms of the disease worse, according to a new study.

Researchers looked at two common types of antidepressant medicines in the study. They found that both improved depression.

There has been a lingering suspicion that antidepressants may make the symptoms of Parkinson’s worse, but this study may help set aside some of those fears.

Want to Lose Weight? Skip Trendy Diets

Study: Biggest Losers Eat Less Fat and Exercise More

April 10, 2012 — Here’s what doesn’t really work well if you want to lose weight: “diet” foods, non-prescription weight loss supplements, and liquid or fad diets.

So what does work? Eat less fat, get more exercise, join a weight loss program, and ask your doctor about prescription weight loss pills.

It may seem boring, even a bit old-fashioned. But it works, says a new study in the April 10 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Weighing the Evidence on Fish Oils for Heart Health

by Anahad O’Connor

People who put their faith in fish oil supplements may want to reconsider. A new analysis of the evidence casts doubt on the widely touted notion that the pills can prevent heart attacks in people at risk for cardiovascular disease. [..]

But the new report, a large meta-analysis that pooled and then analyzed data from various clinical trials involving thousands of patients, found that taking omega-3 fatty acids did not reduce the risk of further cardiovascular problems in patients who already had heart disease. The authors sifted through about 1,000 studies to collect their data, carefully selecting only the trials that were the best quality – 14 randomized, placebo-controlled studies involving a total of 20,485 patients with a history of heart disease.

How Exercise Can Prime the Brain for Addiction

by Gretchen Reynolds

Statistically, people who exercise are much less likely than inactive people to abuse drugs or alcohol. But can exercise help curb addictions? Some research shows that exercise may stimulate reward centers in the brain, helping to ease cravings for drugs or other substances. But according to an eye-opening new study of cocaine-addicted mice, dedicated exercise may in some cases make it even harder to break an addiction.