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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Even though the gratins and lasagnas require a number of elements, each one of those elements can also be made ahead: tomato sauce can be made and even frozen, vegetables blanched or roasted, grains for the gratins cooked. Then it is just a matter of assembling and baking. I baked, cooled and froze all of this week’s recipes, except for the mac and cheese, which we couldn’t resist eating on the spot.
~Martha Rose Shulman~
A crowd-pleasing dish with endless varieties.
Lasagna With Spinach and Wild Mushrooms
Mushrooms enrich this lasagna, which works well when made ahead.
Whole Grain Macaroni and Cheese
A comforting, healthy mac ‘n cheese that’s not too heavy.
A Provençal style gratin that’s dense with greens.
Winter Squash, Leek and Farro Gratin With Feta and Mint
A delicious, and simple, winter squash gratin.
Wearable Monitors May Help Spot High Blood Pressure
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Wearing device for a day gives more accurate info than single in-office reading, study says
Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) — People suspected of having high blood pressure may soon be asked to wear what’s known as an “ambulatory” blood pressure monitor for a day or so to confirm the diagnosis, according to draft recommendations issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring involves a blood pressure cuff worn constantly around the upper arm, and an attached monitoring device. The cuff automatically inflates at regular intervals, providing a more complete picture of how blood pressure fluctuates. The data is stored in the device and later downloaded, explained Margaret Piper, a senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.
Surgery for OCD: Who Will Benefit?
By Alan Mozes, HealthDay
MRI looks at a brain structure in patients who haven’t benefited from standard treatments
Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Though most patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be successfully treated with medication and therapy, between 10 percent to 20 percent have a form of the illness that doesn’t respond to standard care, experts say.
However, patients with this so-called “refractory OCD” do have hope in the form of a type of brain surgery that disables certain brain networks believed to contribute to OCD.
Experts: Give Statins to All People With Diabetes
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
New guidelines from the American Diabetes Association recommend greater statin use
Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — New guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) call for giving the cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins to all people with diabetes to help prevent heart disease.
These new standards bring the association in line with the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, which also recommend giving low- or high-dose statins to all people at risk for heart disease, including people with diabetes.
Tablets and E-Readers May Disrupt Your Sleep
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Light from these devices wakes your brain, study finds
Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) — People who receive a tablet or e-book reader for the holidays might wind up spending some sleepless nights because of their new gadget.
That’s because the light emitted by a tablet like an iPad can disrupt sleep if the device is used in the hours before bedtime, according to a new Harvard study.
People who read before bed using an iPad or similar “e-reader” device felt less sleepy and took longer to fall asleep than when they read a regular printed book, researchers found.
Scientists Produce Egg, Sperm From Stem Cells
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
British researchers say they’ve gotten embryonic stem cells to turn into precursors to reproductive cells
Dec. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they have used human embryonic stem cells to create cells that develop into eggs and sperm.
While this had already been done using rodent stem cells, this is the first time that these types of cells — called primordial germ cells — have been produced efficiently using human stem cells, according to the team at the University of Cambridge in England.
Asians Need Diabetes Screening at Lower Body Weight
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
ADA says this group tends to put on pounds around the waist, a particularly bad spot for diabetes risk
Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Obesity is a big contributor to type 2 diabetes, but Asian-Americans may need to pile on fewer excess pounds to develop the disease than other groups do, according to new guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
The ADA has now lowered the body-mass index (BMI) — a standard measurement of weight versus height — at which Asian-Americans should be screened for type 2 diabetes.
FDA Approves Combo Hepatitis C Treatment
Dec. 22, 2014 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new combination treatment for people with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, which can lead to advanced liver disease without treatment.
The drug, Viekira Pak, includes a pill containing three antiviral drugs (ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir) along with a dasabuvir pill. All but ritonavir are new.
Early Study Offers Hope for an Ebola Vaccine
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Precursor of vaccine now being tested in West Africa produced immune response in Ugandans
Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — There’s good news about the experimental Ebola vaccine that U.S. officials are preparing to test in West Africa — new research shows a precursor of that vaccine produced a safe and potent immune response in Africans.
That earlier version of the vaccine, when given to more than 100 Ugandans in 2009 and 2010, prompted the production of antibodies and white blood cells that could potentially protect a person against infection by Ebola, said study author Dr. Julie Ledgerwood, chief of the clinical trials program in the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Vaccine Research Center.
CDC Watches Lab Worker for Possible Ebola Exposure
By HealthDay staff, HealthDay
Error occurred at agency lab in Atlanta during research on the dangerous virus
Dec. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — A lab technician with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may have been exposed to the Ebola virus in an agency laboratory in Atlanta earlier this week.
And up to a dozen other lab workers are being checked for possible exposure, CDC officials said late Wednesday afternoon.
The possible exposure occurred Monday when CDC scientists doing research on Ebola mistakenly transferred a sample of the potentially lethal virus to another CDC lab in the same building, the Washington Post reported.
Vaccine for Deer Against ‘Mad Cow’-Like Illness Shows Promise
By Randy Dotinga, HealthDay
Might be useful for livestock and even people, researchers say
Dec. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) — A new vaccine created to fight an illness similar to “mad cow disease” in deer might also protect livestock and even humans from similar brain infections, researchers report.
The vaccine appears to help prevent deer from becoming infected by the incurable brain disorder known as chronic wasting disease, according to the report in the Dec. 21 online edition of the journal Vaccine. Chronic wasting disease is caused by mysterious infectious particles known as prions that go rogue.
Bone Drugs May Protect Against Endometrial Cancer
By Randy Dotinga, HealthDay
Women taking bisphosphonates had about half the risk, study reports
Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Bisphosphonates, which are drugs that treat bone loss, may lower the risk of endometrial cancer, new research suggests.
The study found that women taking the drugs had about half the risk of endometrial cancer compared to women who don’t take the drugs. Endometrial cancer — one of the most common types of cancer in women — affects the lining of the uterus.
Bisphosphonates include medications that go by brand names such as Actonel, Boniva and Fosamax.
FDA to Lift Ban on Blood Donations by Gay Men
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Agency cites data from other countries showing such donations wouldn’t compromise blood supply
Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Gay and bisexual men who have abstained from sex for one year will be allowed to donate blood in the United States, under a new federal policy that would reverse a 31-year ban on donations from men who have sex with men.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday its intention to release a new draft guidance in early 2015 that would ultimately open the door to blood donations from gay men.
Fewer U.S. Teens in Tanning Salons, Study Finds
By Alan Mozes, HealthDay
But, millions still putting their skin’s health at risk
Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Fewer U.S. teens are using indoor tanning beds and booths, although this risky behavior remains popular with more than 1.5 million high school students, a new survey reveals.
In 2013, about 20 percent of high school girls and 5 percent of high school boys had sought out some form of indoor tanning at least once in the previous year, according to the latest poll. This represented a drop from 25 percent of girls and nearly 7 percent of boys who had done so in 2009.
Diabetes May Affect Kids’ Brain Growth: Study
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
But there was no effect on thinking and memory skills, researchers say
Dec. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) — High blood sugar may slow brain growth in young children with type 1 diabetes, a new study indicates.
The research included children aged 4 to 9 years who underwent brain scans and tests to assess their mental abilities, as well as continuous monitoring of their blood sugar levels.
Compared to children without diabetes, the brains of those with the disease had slower overall and regional growth of gray and white matter. These differences were associated with higher and more variable blood sugar levels, according to the study. But, the researchers didn’t find any significant differences in the children’s thinking and memory skills (“cognition”).
Gene Mutations May Determine Severity, Type of Autism
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Finding might explain why the disorder is never identical in patients, could improve diagnosis and treatment
Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Different types of gene mutations may play a role in the severity and type of autism, new research suggests.
The findings could lead to improved diagnosis and treatments for the disorder, the researchers added.
‘First Baby Step’ Toward Anti-Aging Drug
By Dennis Thompson. HealthDay
Experimental med may help immune system fight elderly related diseases
Dec. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Researchers could be closing in on a “fountain of youth” drug that can delay the effects of aging and improve the health of older adults, a new study suggests.
Seniors received a significant boost to their immune systems when given a drug that targets a genetic signaling pathway linked to aging and immune function, researchers with the drug maker Novartis report.
Weight Training Key to Battling Belly Fat
By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay
Aerobic activity alone isn’t enough, researchers report
Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) — If you want to battle belly fat as you age, new research suggests you need to add weight training to your exercise regimen.
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that combining aerobic activities with weight, or resistance, training is key to preserving muscle and avoiding weight gain, particularly age-related belly fat.
12 Facts About Your Christmas Veggies
By Peter Russell, WebMD Health News
Dec. 23, 2014 — Scientists have compiled a list of fascinating facts about the vegetables that many of us will be heaping on our plates this Christmas.
A forensic analysis of our festive fare may be far from our minds as we baste the turkey and strain the Brussels sprouts, but experts at the University of Warwick’s School of Life Sciences in the U.K. say there is more to our commonly cooked vegetables than we might realize.
Also, those living in dread of those Brussels sprouts can take some comfort in the knowledge that there might be a good reason why they seem so unpalatable.
Here are the 12 facts of Christmas veggies to mull over in the kitchen.
Immune System May Play Role in Obesity
By Amy Norton, HealthDay
Certain cells less common in belly fat of overweight compared to thinner people: study
Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Certain immune system cells may play an important role in weight control, an early study suggests.
Scientists had known that the immune cells may help ward off obesity in mice. The new findings are the first to suggest the same is true in humans, researchers report in the Dec. 22 online edition of Nature.
The investigators found that the cells, known as ILC2s, were less common in belly fat from obese adults, versus thinner people. What’s more, in experiments with mice, they found that ILC2s seem to spur the development of “beige” fat cells, which boost the body’s calorie burning.
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