Welcome to the Stars Hollow Gazette‘s 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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Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
I sometimes wonder when I’ll run out of ideas for beets, as year after year around this time I’ve devoted a week’s worth of Recipes for Health to beets and their greens. But it hasn’t happened yet. Beetroots, whether roasted, steamed or raw, easily find their way into new salads, side dishes and main dishes. They are friendly with Mediterranean seasonings of all kinds: Greek, Middle Eastern, North African, Italian and Provençal. The greens are interchangeable with other mild-tasting greens like Swiss chard and spinach; one bunch of beets gives you two vegetables to work with. With the beets and their greens you get two sets of nutrients: anthocyanins and betalains, known for their antioxidant properties, from the beetroots, and vitamins K and A, as well as other phytonutrients – lutein and zeaxanthin – from the greens. Both are excellent sources of folate, and beets are a very good source of manganese, potassium and copper.
~Martha Rose Shulman~
A pungent Middle Eastern tahini sauce is all that is needed to season these simply steamed beets and their blanched greens.
Fennel, Beet and Orange Salad With Cumin Vinaigrette
This is a refreshing salad that has great staying power.
Greek Beet and Beet Greens Pie
Beets add color and substance to this classic Greek greens pie.
Wild Arugula and Beet Salad With Orange, Walnuts and Tarragon
This is a nourishing salad with sweet, peppery and pungent flavors.
Puréed Beets With Yogurt and Caraway
This is a North African twist on a Middle Eastern dish from Yotam Ottolenghi.
FDA Warns Doctors of Danger From Fake Drugs
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Health care providers ordering meds should view ‘too good to be true’ offers with suspicion, agency says
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — The number of ‘rogue’ wholesale distributors selling fake or unapproved prescription drugs is growing, so doctors need to be vigilant when purchasing medicines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday.
In a statement, the agency said the problem is so widespread that it has launched a program to educate doctors and other health care providers and administrators about proper drug purchasing procedures. The program aims to protect patients from taking potentially harmful counterfeit drugs.
Diabetes Drug May Affect Thyroid in Some Patients
By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay
Medicine tied to lower thyroid-stimulating hormone levels in those with underactive thyroid
Sept. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Metformin, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes, may raise the risk of low levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) among patients with an underactive thyroid, a new study suggests.
The researchers cautioned that low TSH levels may be associated with heart problems and broken bones, although a cause-and-effect link was not established in this study.
Obesity Isn’t Sole Cause of Type 2 Diabetes
By Serena Gordon, HealthDay
Researchers uncover new genetic mutations, other contributing factors
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Although the type 2 diabetes epidemic is commonly linked to being overweight or obese, excess weight isn’t the only factor driving the trend, new research suggests.
In just the past few months, at least three new studies have reported on other factors that may underlie a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. These factors include genetic mutations, a lesser-known hormone called amylin, as well as disturbances in the body’s natural clock.
The idea that type 2 diabetes isn’t only caused by obesity isn’t a new one.
Brain Chemical May Help Control Tourette ‘Tics’
By Amy Norton, HealthDay
Scientists say their finding may lead to new treatments for the disorder
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — A particular brain chemical may help people with Tourette syndrome suppress the disorder’s characteristic “tics,” scientists report. They hope their discovery paves the way to new therapies for the developmental neurological disorder.
Tourette syndrome causes people to habitually make involuntary movements or sounds — commonly known as tics. Researchers think Tourette arises from an imbalance in “excitatory” and “inhibitory” activities in certain brain circuits; that results in jumbled, “noisy” messages being sent to movement-related areas of the brain.
Common Painkillers Tied to Blood Clot Risk: Study
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
NSAID medicines include aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen/Aleve
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — People who use painkillers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — which include aspirin, naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) — may be at increased risk for potentially deadly blood clots, a new study suggests.
But the study only showed an association between use of the painkillers and higher clotting risk; it did not prove cause-and-effect.
Educated Are More Open to Dubious Web Health Info
By Barbara Bronson Gray, HealthDay
Also more likely to trust non-professional advice from social media, video sharing, researchers say
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Younger college graduates are more likely to trust health information from questionable sources on the Internet than older high school grads would, new research reports.
Researchers say many people have learned to rely less on health care providers and more on highly accessible content freely available through mobile phones, tablets and computers.
Can Media Multitasking Alter Your Brain?
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
The more wired you are, the less dense your gray matter, study suggests
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Multitasking with smartphones, laptop computers and other media devices could change the structure of your brain, according to a new study.
Researchers found that people who often use several forms of media simultaneously had lower gray matter density in a specific area of the brain than those who used just one device occasionally.
Scientists found the difference in gray matter density in the anterior cingulate cortex, which plays a major role in a number of thought processes and emotional control.
Drugs Not Always Best for Mild High Blood Pressure?
By Veronica Hackethal, MD, Medscape Medical News
Sept. 24, 2014 — Treating mild high blood pressure with drugs has unclear benefit and adds steep sums to national health care expenses, experts write in an article published online Sept. 14 in BMJ.
If you learn you have mild high blood pressure (also called mild hypertension), ask your doctor what healthy lifestyle changes you can make.
Why Statins Might Raise Diabetes Risk
By Peter Russell, WebMD Health News
Sept. 24, 2014 — Taking statins can lead to weight gain, raised blood sugar levels, and it can increase the chances of getting type 2 diabetes, say scientists who have been trying to explain why.
But the team of international researchers acknowledges the cholesterol-lowering medication taken by millions of people can help prevent heart attacks and strokes and should continue to be prescribed.
Can All Work and No Play Make You Diabetic?
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Blue-collar jobs of 55 hours a week or more might raise your risk, study says
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Working long hours may increase your risk for diabetes, a new study suggests. But the finding seems to depend on your job.
Researchers examined data from prior studies involving more than 222,000 men and women in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia who were followed for an average of 7.6 years.
The initial analysis revealed no difference in the risk of type 2 diabetes among people who worked more than 55 hours a week and those who worked 35 to 40 hours a week.
Varicose Vein Treatments All Work, But…
By Amy Norton, HealthDay
Study found minor differences between three therapies
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Three common treatments for painful varicose veins all ease symptoms, though there may be small differences in quality of life months later.
That’s the conclusion of a clinical trial that compared the three treatments — surgery, laser ablation therapy and injections of a chemical foam (sclerotherapy). British researchers found that among nearly 800 patients they treated, all of the therapies relieved symptoms such as pain, swelling and itchy skin to a similar degree.
Anti-Smoking Policies May Also Curtail Drinking
By Alan Mozes, HealthDay
Study: Where smoking declines, so does consumption of beer, hard liquor
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Cigarette tax hikes and smoke-free policies have not only cut tobacco use in the United States, they may have led to a noticeable drop in alcohol consumption, according to a new study.
Consumption of beer and hard liquor — but not wine — declined in states where strict anti-tobacco legislation was enacted over the past three decades, the study found.
Diabetes Rates Leveling Off in U.S.
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
After 20-year increase, cases have been tapering lately, but some groups still at risk: government report
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Overall adult diabetes rates appear to have leveled off during the past four years in the United States, in stark contrast to the two decades prior, which saw a doubling of the chronic disease, according to a new federal study.
The total number of people living with diabetes increased an average 0.6 percent annually between 2008 and 2012 while the number of new cases actually fell an average 5.4 percent, researchers for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported. That compared with an average 4.5 percent annual increase between 1990 and 2008, they said.
Cholesterol Drugs May Help After Certain Strokes
By Randy Dotinga, HealthDay
Statins appear to boost survival rates after bleeding in the brain, study reports
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — People using cholesterol-lowering drugs while in the hospital for a hemorrhagic stroke — which causes bleeding in the brain — were more than four times more likely to survive than people who weren’t taking the drugs, according to a new study.
People taking the commonly used drugs known as statins were also 2.5 times more likely to be discharged home or to a rehabilitation facility, the study reports.
Job Worries Can Raise Asthma Risk, Study Says
By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay
Findings support idea that work-related stress contributes to development of respiratory disorder
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Fear of losing your job can increase the risk for developing asthma, according to a new European study.
The study involved more than 7,000 employed adults in Germany. Between 2009 and 2011, during the economic downturn in Europe, the workers answered questions about the respiratory disorder and also on whether they thought they would lose their job within two years.
More than 100 new cases of asthma were diagnosed among the survey group, half of whom were women, during the study period.
Ebola Cases Could Reach 1.4 Million in Months, CDC Predicts
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Isolating infected patients is the best way to stem the epidemic, health officials say
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Infections from the Ebola epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone could soar to 1.4 million cases by mid-January unless the global community mounts a rapid response to the West African crisis, according to estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This projection is based on a new CDC model that assumes people are being infected with Ebola at a geometrically increasing rate, and that there are 2.5 times more cases than are being reported, the agency said in its new report.
U.S. Doctor Infected With Ebola Out of Hospital
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Treatments included experimental drug and blood transfusions from a fellow medical missionary who survived the virus
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — The third American medical missionary infected with the deadly Ebola virus while working in West Africa left a Nebraska hospital Thursday, free of the virus.
The treatments given to Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, included doses of an experimental drug and blood transfusions from a fellow U.S. medical missionary who also survived infection with the highly lethal virus.
Too Few Pregnant Women Get Whooping Cough Vaccine
By Margaret Farley Steele, HealthDay
Infants at highest risk for illness and death from the infection
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — To protect newborns from whooping cough, U.S. health officials advise all women to get vaccinated against the infection during pregnancy. But researchers report that too few do.
This Michigan-based study of women covered by Medicaid — the publicly funded insurance program for the poor — found only 14 percent got the shot while pregnant. Black, Asian and Arab women were less likely than whites to receive the vaccine, according to the report released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Larger Skirt Size May Hike Your Breast Cancer Risk
By Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay
British researchers suggest that going up a size every 10 years raised chances of disease by 33 percent
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — If you want to minimize your chances of developing breast cancer, staying the same skirt size over the years might help, a new study suggests.
“Our study has shown that an increase of one size every 10 years between 25 and postmenopausal age [over 60] is associated with an increase of breast cancer [risk] in postmenopausal women by 33 percent,” said lead researcher Dr. Usha Menon, head of the Gynecological Cancer Research Center at University College London.
Many Gay Men With HIV Not Getting Proper Treatment
By EJ Mundell, HealthDay
CDC report recommends greater effort to boost HIV testing and retain patients in care
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Even though gay and bisexual men make up the majority of Americans infected with HIV, half aren’t receiving ongoing care or getting the virus-suppressing drugs they need to stay healthy, a new report finds.
The study, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), looked at 2010 data on more than 400,000 male gay and bisexual Americans who were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Parents Using Online Ratings to Pick Pediatricians
By Alan Mozes, HealthDay
Reliability of the reviews is a concern, experts say
Sept. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Pediatricians, take note: Many American parents are aware of online physician-rating sites, and more than one-quarter have used them to choose a pediatrician for their children, according to a new national study.
The findings — based on responses from more than 1,600 parents — further suggest that negative online ratings may dissuade parents from choosing a pediatrician, even if that doctor has been recommended by a neighbor.
Breast Milk May Spread Common Virus to Preemies
By Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay
CMV dangerous for low birth weight infants, but mom can be tested before delivery to see if she carries virus
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — For babies born at very low birth weights, breast milk is more likely than a blood transfusion to lead to a potentially dangerous infection known as cytomegalovirus (CMV), a new study finds.
The researchers evaluated more than 500 very low birth weight infants — all of whom weighed 3.3 pounds or less and many who were born to mothers with a history of CMV infection, to see whether breast milk or transfusions carried the bigger risk. Infants born at very low birth weights are especially vulnerable to this viral infection, the study authors noted.
Earlier First Drink, Higher Problem Drinking Risk
By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay
How soon teen gets drunk after trying first drink also raises risk, researchers report
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Both drinking and getting drunk at an early age are key risk factors for alcohol abuse by high school students, a new study suggests.
The conclusions, based on a survey of high school students who drink, could help expand alcohol-prevention efforts aimed at teens to include those who already drink, to stop them from becoming binge drinkers, the researchers suggested.
Memory Slips in Senior Years and Dementia Risk
By Maureen Salamon, HealthDay
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Healthy elderly people who begin reporting memory lapses are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with dementia roughly a decade later, new research suggests.
Evaluating more than 500 seniors, scientists found that those with memory complaints were almost three times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (memory and thinking problems) — a potential precursor to Alzheimer’s disease — within nine years. Additionally, 80 percent had full-blown dementia within a dozen years.
Special Therapy May Help ‘Complicated Grief’
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
Standard depression treatment is less successful after a loved one dies, study finds
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — For people mired in grief after a loved one’s death, a specially designed therapy may work better than a standard treatment for depression, a new study finds.
The debilitating condition, known as complicated grief, is often mistaken for depression, but is a different problem altogether, researchers say. Sufferers from complicated grief have intense yearning and longing for the person who died that doesn’t lessen over time.
Stress Might Be Even More Unhealthy for the Obese
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Repeated exposure tied to escalation of inflammatory protein levels, but only in overweight people, study finds
Sept. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Recurring emotional stress may trigger a stronger biochemical response in overweight people, possibly increasing their risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that overweight people repeatedly placed in a stressful situation exhibited increasing amounts of interleukin-6, a protein that promotes inflammation in the body, in their saliva. Normal weight people did not exhibit this escalation in interleukin-6 levels when exposed to repeated stress.
Researchers Evaluate Blood Test for Psychosis
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Study provides insight into schizophrenia
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — A blood test may help identify people at risk for psychosis, a new study suggests.
Psychosis, which includes hallucinations or delusions, is caused by severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia, according to background information from the study.
Researchers evaluated the experimental blood test in psychiatric patients with symptoms associated with a high risk for psychosis. The blood test identified people who later developed psychosis, according to the preliminary findings recently published online in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.
Nature Walks With Others May Keep Depression at Bay
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Study found they lowered stress levels, lifted spirits after illness, job loss, divorce, death of loved one
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Taking nature walks with other people may lower your stress levels and reduce your risk of depression, a new study suggests.
The study included nearly 2,000 participants from the Walking for Health program in England, which organizes nearly 3,000 group walks each week.
The researchers found that people who’d recently gone through a stressful event such as a serious illness, job loss, marriage breakup or death of a loved one had a significant mood boost after outdoor group walks.
Family-Based Therapy for Anorexia
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Teaching parents to help their children with eating behaviors may lead to faster weight gain, researchers say
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Family-based therapies can benefit teens with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, a new study suggests.
“The take-away message for parents is that, first, there is good treatment available for their child who is struggling with anorexia,” study author Dr. Stewart Agras, professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, said in a university news release.
Ketamine: The Future of Depression Treatment?
By Matt McMillen, WebMD Health News
Sept. 23, 2014 — Every year, 13 million to 14 million Americans have major depression. Of those who seek treatment, 30% to 40% will not get better or fully recover with standard antidepressants.
That puts them at greater risk of alcohol and drug abuse, hospitalization, and suicide attempts. Now, though, a growing body of research shows there may be new hope: the anesthetic drug ketamine.
Junk Food Cravings Linked to Brain Lapse
By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay
Reduced activity in the area that controls self-restraint can boost high-calorie cravings, study shows
Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Can’t resist that fat-filled goodie? You can blame it on a brain lapse.
Giving in to cravings for high-calorie junk food is associated with a lapse in the part of the brain involved in self-restraint, Canadian researchers report in a new study.
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex helps people control their own behavior, according to the study. Previous studies have shown that increasing activity in this part of the brain can cut cravings for unhealthy foods, but the new research found that reduced activity has the opposite effect and can lead to overindulgence in junk food.
Can Diet Affect Multiple Sclerosis?
By Sue Hughes, Medscape Medical News
Sept. 25, 2014 — A new study of dietary patterns and risk for multiple sclerosis finds no relationship between eating a high-quality, healthy diet and a lower risk of getting MS.
Although the researchers looked at the diets from 185,000 women participating in other large studies, they focused on diets in adults only. It’s possible that diet in adolescence may be more important regarding risk for MS.
Soda Giants Pledge to Make Calorie Cuts
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Effort aimed at curbing U.S. obesity epidemic; health experts call it positive step to boost public health
Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — The top U.S. soda makers have agreed to help reduce Americans’ consumption of calories from sugary beverages by one-fifth during the next decade — by shrinking drink sizes and marketing healthier options.
The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo Americas Beverages, and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group all pledged to help fight the obesity crisis by steering consumers away from sugary drinks loaded with empty calories.
Drinking Alcohol More Common on Exercise Days
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Study authors say it’s not clear why physical activity and alcohol appear linked
Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — People tend to drink more alcohol on days when they’re more physically active, a new study finds.
“Monday through Wednesday people batten down the hatches and they cut back on alcohol consumption. But once that ‘social weekend’ kicks off on Thursdays, physical activity increases and so does alcohol consumption,” said study author David Conroy.
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