Welcome to the Health and Fitness NewsWelcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness News 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.
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There is little room in my repertoire at this time of year for dishes that don’t include tomatoes, but this week I kept it pretty simple.
I tried a new recipe for roasting tomatoes. I roasted them for 2 hours at a low temperature (300 degrees), which didn’t dry them out completely but intensified everything about them. I snacked on them all week, and also put them through a food mill for sauce. They will definitely become a habit, along with the fresh tomato sandwiches I’ve been eating for lunch every day. This won’t stop until September.
An irresistible way to use the freshest tomatoes.
Tomatoes make a great base for a luxurious summer risotto.
Soft Tacos With Roasted or Grilled Tomatoes and Summer Squash
Tomatoes and summer squash make for delicious taco fillings.
Greek Chicken and Tomato Salad
A tomato-centric Greek salad that is substantial enough for lunch or a light supper.
Amazingly Sweet Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
This method of roasting won’t dry out the tomatoes completely but will intensify everything about them.
Blame the Moon for Bad Sleep?
by Nicky Broyd, WebMD Health News
Many people complain about poor sleep around the time of a full moon. Now, a study by scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland offers some of the first convincing evidence to suggest that lunar cycles and people’s sleep are connected.
The findings add to evidence that humans, despite the comforts of the modern world, still respond to the rhythms of the moon.
Scientists Closer to Cat Allergy Cure
by Peter Russell, WebMD Health News
July 26, 2013 — Scientists say they’re hopeful that a research breakthrough will lead to a cure for people who are allergic to cats.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge say they’ve figured out how a particular protein in cat dander triggers an allergic response in humans.
Tech Mishaps Behind 1 in 4 Operating Room Errors
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
Surgical equipment checklist could cut errors in half, researchers say
July 25 (HealthDay News) — About one-fourth of operating room errors are caused by technology and equipment problems, but a preoperative surgical checklist could halve the error rate, a new study says.
Researchers reviewed 28 published studies on operating room errors and found that technology/equipment issues were cited in about 15 percent of malpractice claims. An average of 2.4 errors occurred in each procedure, and technology/equipment issues accounted for 23.5 percent of these errors.
Family History of Cancer May Raise This Risk, Too
by Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter
Large European study looked at people with close relatives who’d been affected
uly 25 (HealthDay News) — A family history of cancer raises your overall risk of developing cancer, including types of cancer far removed from those suffered by your relatives, according to a new study of 23,000 people.
Doctors have long known that people have an increased risk of developing the same type of cancer as a close relative. In addition, some genetics studies have found that common gene mutations can increase the risk of different types of cancer — for example, one genetic abnormality can increase risk of both breast and ovarian cancer in women.
Bias Against Obese Graduate School Applicants?
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
Applicants of any size fared equally in phone interviews, but bias crept in at face-to-face meetings
July 24 (HealthDay News) — Add higher education to the list of things obese people might lose out on due to discrimination. A new study finds that being overweight may lower your odds of getting into graduate school.
“The success rate for people who had had no interview or a phone interview was pretty much equal,” study author Jacob Burmeister, himself a Ph.D. candidate at Bowling Green State University, said in a university news release.
Statin Use May Reduce Parkinson’s Risk, Study Says
by Maureen Salamon, HealthDay Reporter
Stopping cholesterol-lowering drug could raise odds of the disease, researchers suggest
July 24 (HealthDay News) — Millions of Americans take statins to lower their stroke and heart attack risks, but new research from Taiwan suggests the drug may offer another health benefit: cutting the odds of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Analyzing nearly 44,000 patients, scientists found that those who discontinued taking fat-soluble statins such as simvastatin (Zocor) or atorvastatin (Lipitor) were about 58 percent more likely to develop Parkinson’s than those who kept taking the drugs.
Bright Lights, Safe Cities
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
Risk of death from injuries higher in rural areas of U.S., study finds
July 23 (HealthDay News) — Americans who live in cities are less likely to die from accidental injuries than those who live in rural areas, a new study says.
The findings challenge the widely held belief that cities are more dangerous places to live than rural areas, according to the researchers.
The study authors analyzed data on all injury deaths across the United States from 1999 to 2006, but did not include deaths from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, due to their unusual nature.
Many Patients Getting Needless Heart Test, Study Contends
by Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter
Most echocardiograms don’t change patients’ care, so they’re not clinically useful, researchers say
July 22 (HealthDay News) — Many patients get heart tests called echocardiograms unnecessarily, according to researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Echocardiograms — noninvasive ultrasound tests that reveal how well the heart is functioning — are safe, but most patients who get them see no change in treatment. Therefore, they are not clinically useful, the researchers said.
FDA Warns of Sunscreen Spray’s Flammability Risk
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
Avoid open flames after application, agency advises
July 21 (HealthDay News) — Certain sunscreen sprays worn close to an open flame may pose a risk of catching fire, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.
The agency said it knows of five incidents in which people wearing sunscreen spray near sources of flame suffered significant burns that required medical treatment. The products involved in these incidents were recalled and should no longer be on store shelves.
However, many other sunscreen spray products contain flammable ingredients, commonly alcohol. The same is true for some other spray products — including insect repellants and hairsprays — and even some non-spray sunscreens, the FDA said.
TVs Toppling Onto Tots at Alarming Rate: Study
by Brenda Goodman, HealthDay Reporter
As families own more TVs, tip-overs have doubled, study finds
uly 22 (HealthDay News) — Falling television sets continue to be a source of serious injuries to young children, a new study shows.
More than 17,000 children are injured each year by TVs, an average of one of these accidents every half hour in the United States.
And injury rates are going up. Over the last 22 years, as the number of households with multiple TVs has doubled, so too have injuries caused by TVs that topple off their stands and crush a child underneath.
Cyclospora Outbreak Sickens More Than 200 People
by WebMD News from HealthDay
More than 200 people in numerous states have become ill with cyclospora infections in an outbreak that began a few weeks ago, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of the patients first became ill with the foodborne illness between mid-June and early July. Reported cases have occurred in Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin and Illinois. At least eight people have been hospitalized.
Cyclospora Infections: Are You at Risk?
by Brenda Goodman, MA, WebMD Health News
July 25, 2013 — Cyclosporiasis, a stomach bug that’s typically picked up from fresh produce, has sickened more than 285 people in 11 states, according to the CDC.
That makes it one of the largest outbreaks of cyclospora infection ever reported. “In recent years we haven’t seen a big outbreak like this,” says Monica Parise, MD, chief of the parasitic disease branch at the CDC.
Health officials are urgently trying to track down the source of the infection.
Baby Einstein ‘Musical Motion Activity Jumper’ Sets Recalled
by WebMD News from HealthDay
More than 400,000 Baby Einstein “Musical Motion Activity Jumper” sets have been recalled following dozens of injuries.
The voluntary recall was announced by Kids II after the company received more than 100 complaints, including 61 cases in which children suffered injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to face and skull fractures, according to Medical Daily, FoxNews.com reported.
Hair-Straightening Product May Be Dangerous
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
Study found too-high levels of formaldehyde in Brazilian Blowout solution
July 25 (HealthDay News) — A popular hair-straightening product can pose a health threat to hairstylists and their customers, researchers say.
The Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Hair Solution could expose people to potentially dangerous levels of the cancer-causing chemical formaldehyde, according to the study in the August issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.
Midwest Ticks Show Signs of ‘Heartland Virus’
by Randy Dotinga, HealthDay Reporter
Recently discovered disease struck two Missouri farmers
July 22 (HealthDay News) — While a type of tick-borne disease known as Heartland virus appears to be extremely rare — only two cases in humans have been reported so far — a new study finds it is lurking in ticks in northwestern Missouri.
The researchers haven’t issued anything other than the usual warnings about avoiding contact with ticks that may harbor disease. Still, “there’s another tick-borne pathogen out there to be careful of,” said study author Harry Savage, a medical entomologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
MERS Virus Less Infectious Than SARS: Study
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
But Middle East respiratory virus has high death rates among people with chronic illnesses
July 26 (HealthDay News) — Important differences between Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) suggest that MERS won’t prove as dangerous as SARS, researchers report.
MERS emerged last year in Saudi Arabia and nearly all cases of infection have been reported there, or in people who were infected with the virus there before traveling to other countries. Between Sept. 1, 2012, and June 15, 2013, there were 47 confirmed cases (46 adults, one child) of MERS infections in Saudi Arabia, according to the report published July 25 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Mammogram Recalls at Hospitals vs. Private Practices
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
Repeat tests cause anxiety and additional costs for patients
July 24 (HealthDay News) — Women who underwent mammography screening at a hospital were more likely to be called back for additional testing than those who had mammography at a private practice, a new study found.
Recalls cause anxiety and additional costs for patients and there have been efforts to keep recall rates as low as possible, the researchers said. They added that recall rates are used by the U.S. government as a quality measure for breast cancer screening, and these findings illustrate the limitations of doing so.
Many Women Worry About Sex After Heart Attack
by Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter
It’s a hidden concern that doctors need to discuss more, experts say
July 24 (HealthDay News) — After a heart attack, women often worry about the safety of having sex again, and many wish their doctors would talk about the issue more.
So finds a study involving interviews with 17 women who’d survived a heart attack in the past two years. The researchers found that while most rekindled their sex lives within a month of the attack, many also remained fearful about how sex could affect their hearts.
Single Men: Higher Risk of Cancer-Linked Oral HPV?
by Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter
But overall risk is low, and virus usually clears within a year, study found
July 23 (HealthDay News) — It’s rare for men to contract an oral HPV infection, but single men and smokers face a relatively greater risk, a new study suggests.
The study, published online recently in The Lancet, followed more than 1,600 men to chart rates of oral infection with HPV, or human papillomavirus. HPV, which can cause genital and anal warts, is the most commonly transmitted sexual infection in the United States. Some strains of the virus can eventually lead to cancer.
Mercury Exposure and Autistic Behavior: No Link?
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
The chemical is often found in fish, prompting many pregnant women to avoid the food
July 23 (HealthDay News) — Children exposed to low levels of mercury in the womb because their mothers ate large amounts of fish during pregnancy don’t appear to be at increased risk for autism, a new study suggests.
Worry that low levels of mercury might affect a child’s developing brain has long been a cause for concern, and some experts have suggested that the chemical element may be responsible for behavioral disorders such as autism.
The new findings from more than 30 years of research in the Republic of Seychelles — a group of islands in the western Indian Ocean — found no such link, the study authors said.
Common Blood Pressure Drugs May Help Slow Dementia
by Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter
Larger message: Better cardiovascular health benefits the brain, expert says
July 26 (HealthDay News) — Older adults with dementia who use certain blood pressure medications may have a slower rate of mental decline, new research suggests.
The study, reported July 25 in BMJ Open, found that dementia patients on particular ACE inhibitors showed a somewhat slower decline in memory and other mental skills than patients not on the drugs.
And dementia patients who were newly started on the drugs had, on average, a small improvement in the first six months.
Some Brain ‘Pathways’ Possibly Tied to Alzheimer’s
by Brenda Goodman, HealthDay Reporter
Findings could point to new drug targets for dementia, although any treatment is still far away
July 24 (HealthDay News) — Doctors have long known that people with genes that produce a cholesterol transporter molecule called APOE4 are at especially high risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Now they think they know why.
Researchers say they’ve discovered key molecular pathways at work inside brain cells that appear to be altered by the presence of APOE4.
Is ‘Sex Addiction’ for Real? Study Says Maybe Not
by Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
Brain scans failed to prove that highly sexed people have anything more than strong libidos
July 23 (HealthDay News) — Sex addiction has often made headlines, with celebrities blaming their romantic foibles on the condition. However, a new study questions the notion that people can truly be “addicted” to sex.
The new study from the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests that self-professed “addicts” may simply have a high sex drive.
Skipping Breakfast a Recipe for Heart Disease: Study
by Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter
Men who miss morning meal much more likely to suffer heart attack, research shows
July 22 (HealthDay News) — Men who skip breakfast have a 27 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or developing heart disease than those who start the day with something in their stomach, according to a new study.
The study confirms earlier findings that have linked eating habits to elevated risk factors for heart disease, the Harvard researchers said.
Skipping Breakfast May Not Lead to Weight Gain
by Denise Mann, HealthDay Reporter
Small study found it did not make college students eat more later in the day, contrary to popular belief
July 26 (HealthDay News) — Skipping breakfast may not sabotage your waistline after all, a small, new study suggests.
For years, people have been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that missing it would encourage them to eat more later and pack on the pounds as a result.
Now, a study of 24 normal-weight college students suggests that you may actually consume fewer calories if you skip breakfast. The findings are published in the July issue of the journal Physiology and Behavior.
Breathalyzer Device Tells When You’re Burning Fat
by Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay Reporter
Paired with smartphone, prototype device helps gauge weight-loss success, developers say
July 25 (HealthDay News) — A new, portable breathalyzer that pairs with a smartphone and Bluetooth can measure how well you’re burning body fat and help you gauge the success of your diet and exercise program, according to a new report from Japan.
At this point, the device is only a prototype. It’s pocket-sized, about 4 inches long, and weighs about 4.5 ounces. It operates on two AA batteries.
Could Red Wine Supplement Block Exercise Benefits?
by Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay Reporter
In small study, resveratrol undermined gains in blood pressure, cholesterol and aerobic fitness
July 25 (HealthDay News) — Although some antioxidants may be good, more may not be better. New research suggests that resveratrol, a natural antioxidant found in red grapes and products derived from them — such as red wine — could offset the health benefits of exercise in older men.
The study involved 27 healthy but inactive men, all nonsmokers around 65 years old. The University of Copenhagen researchers had the men engage in high-intensity exercise, which included full-body circuit training, for a total of eight weeks.
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