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
Nutritionists will tell you that “butter is back” is not quite the right message to be sending to the public about the significance of fat in a healthy diet. We can, however, let go of our fear of frying, especially if we use monounsaturated fats like olive oil and polyunsaturated fats like grapeseed oil. Study after study has indicated that refined carbohydrates play a much more insidious role in our national health problems than fats do, and that a moderate-fat (but low-saturated fat) diet like the Mediterranean diet (about 40 percent calories from fat) is a healthy way to eat, and even more important, an enjoyable, very easy way of eating to adhere to.
When it comes to frying and deep-frying food it’s not so much the frying that is the consideration, but what you are frying. If coating vegetables in a batter that crisps up when you fry them in hot oil makes you and your kids want to eat lots of vegetables, then why not do it from time to time? Try crispy kale coated with a crunchy spiced chickpea flour batter and you will find yourself eating kale like popcorn.
~ Martha Rose Shulman ~
Irresistible, crispy kale that is a delicious alternative to kale chips.
Fried Green Beans, Scallions and Brussels Sprouts With Buttermilk-Cornmeal Coating
A fluffy and crispy coating can give tired vegetables new life.
Spiced Green Beans and Baby Broccoli Tempura
Deep-Fried Cauliflower With Crispy Dukkah Coating
A Middle Eastern specialty with a little extra kick.
Light and delicate fritters that can be made with a variety of greens and herbs
FDA Warns of Seizure, Alcohol Risks With Chantix
By Caroline Cassels, Medscape Medical News
March 10, 2015 — The FDA has changed the labeling on the quit-smoking drug Chantix to reflect concerns that it may lower your tolerance to alcohol and is linked to a rare risk of seizures.
“Until patients know how Chantix affects their ability to tolerate alcohol, they should decrease the amount of alcohol they drink. Patients who have a seizure while taking Chantix should stop the medicine and seek medical attention immediately,” the FDA warns in a news release.
The new labeling is based on information submitted by Chantix maker Pfizer and on cases in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database.
Rules Tightened on Endoscopes Tied to ‘Superbug’
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
Poorly cleaned devices implicated in infections at two Los Angeles hospitals
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued final recommendations for the cleaning and sterilization of medical devices used in invasive procedures.
The updated rules, first proposed in 2011, were released in response to last month’s reports of seven serious infections and two deaths at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, which were caused by duodenoscopes contaminated with a “superbug.” On March 4, four similar “superbug” infections were reported at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Duodenoscopes are devices used to diagnose and treat problems in the liver, pancreas and gallbladder.
Officials Warn About Blinding Syphilis Cases
WebMD News from HealthDay
March 11, 2015 — Health care providers on the West Coast need to look out for syphilis that can cause blindness, public health officials say.
More than a dozen cases of ocular syphilis — most among gay men — have been reported between Seattle and San Francisco, and two more potential cases have been reported in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Doctors and eye-care providers should be alert for symptoms of ocular syphilis, which typically occurs as a complication of primary or secondary syphilis infections, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.
Kidney Failure: Millions Die for Lack of Treatment
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Dire need for low-cost dialysis techniques that could be used worldwide, researcher says
March 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More than 2 million kidney failure patients worldwide die prematurely every year because they can’t get treatment, a new study finds.
Researchers analyzed data from 123 countries with 93 percent of the world’s population, and found there were between 5 million to almost 10 million kidney failure patients who required either dialysis or a kidney transplant in 2010.
Screening Could Cut 21K Annual Colon Cancer Deaths
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Coalition aims for 80 percent participation by 2018
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Boosting older adults’ colon cancer screening rates to 80 percent by 2018 would lead to 21,000 fewer deaths from the cancer each year in the United States by 2030, a new study suggests.
Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Yet in 2013, only 58 percent of American adults aged 50 to 75 underwent recommended screening for it, the study authors said.
The study, published March 12 in the journal Cancer, said that lack of screening is responsible for a substantial percentage of colon cancer deaths.
Raise Legal Smoking Age to 21, U.S. Expert Panel Says
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
arch 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Raising the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 would save hundreds of thousands of lives and substantially reduce the number of smokers in the United States, a new report finds.
Such a change would result in 249,000 fewer premature deaths among people born between 2000 and 2019, and 12 percent fewer smokers by 2100, according to the report released Thursday by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Such a move would save thousands of lives, lower number of smokers, Institute of Medicine finds
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Raising the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 would save hundreds of thousands of lives and substantially reduce the number of smokers in the United States, a new report finds.
Such a change would result in 249,000 fewer premature deaths among people born between 2000 and 2019, and 12 percent fewer smokers by 2100, according to the report released Thursday by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Tetanus Shot May Boost Brain Cancer Survival
By Maureen Salamon, HealthDay
One patient with glioblastoma still alive nine years later
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Adding a simple tetanus shot to another vaccine treatment for a highly lethal form of brain cancer dramatically extended some patients’ survival in a small new study.
Researchers from Duke Cancer Institute found that three of six patients with glioblastoma — a brain tumor with a very poor prognosis — lived years longer than expected after receiving a tetanus shot to enhance an immunotherapy targeting a virus in the tumor. One patient is still alive nearly nine years after the treatment.
Doctors, CDC Launch New Diabetes Prevention Effort
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
Getting the millions of Americans at risk for type 2 tested is the first step, experts say
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Reducing the number of Americans with type 2 diabetes is a new mission shared by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the leading U.S. health agency, officials said Thursday.
“Our health care system cannot sustain the growing number of people developing diabetes,” Ann Albright, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s division of diabetes translation, said during a morning news conference announcing the partnership.
Most Clinical Trial Results Not Reported on Time
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Delays in filing findings on new treatments mean patients aren’t informed, researcher says
March 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Researchers are not promptly reporting the results of clinical trials to a government website specifically created to make the findings of these studies known, new research shows.
Only about one out of 10 clinical trials met federal requirements to report their results on ClinicalTrials.gov within one year of the study’s completion, researchers found.
Relatives’ Prostate Cancer and Breast Cancer Risk
By Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay
Doctors should ask about medical history of first-degree male relatives, researchers say
March 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A family history of prostate cancer may be tied to a woman’s risk of breast cancer, a new study suggests.
Women whose father, brother or son have had prostate cancer may have a 14 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer, said Jennifer Beebe-Dimmer, a researcher at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Those women with a family history of both prostate and breast cancer were at a 78 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer, the researchers found. And the risk was greater for black women than whites.
British Scientists Spot Brain’s Pain Center
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
One region matched up with self-reported levels of pain in study using new imaging technique
March 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — British researchers say they’ve identified the area of the brain linked to pain intensity.
The University of Oxford team used a new imaging technique to observe how different levels of pain affected the brains of 17 volunteers. Activity in only one area of the brain — the dorsal posterior insula — matched the participants’ self-reported pain ratings.
This method could be used to help assess pain levels in people who have difficulty providing doctors with that information, such as those in a coma, small children or dementia patients, said the authors of the study published March 9 in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
American Health Worker With Ebola Arrives in U.S.
WebMD News from HealthDay
March 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Several other Americans may have been exposed to a U.S. health worker who was recently infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday afternoon.
The unidentified, infected worker was flown in isolation on a chartered flight to the United States earlier Friday, and was admitted for treatment at a U.S. National Institutes of Health high-level containment facility in Maryland.
Ebola Outbreak in W. Africa Disrupted Routine Care
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Many childhood vaccinations missed, putting hundreds of thousands at risk for measles, other diseases, study says
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Ebola caused major disruptions to health care systems in West Africa and has put hundreds of thousands of children at risk for measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, new research suggests.
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak that began in December 2013 and has led to more than 14,000 confirmed cases and more than 10,000 deaths. Many health care facilities in those countries have closed, and many people have stayed away from those that remained open because they’re worried about being exposed to Ebola, the researchers said.
More Support for Vaccines: HealthDay/Harris Poll
By Amy Norton, HealthDay
Measles outbreak likely driving the trend, experts say, but critics of the shots remain
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In the wake of the measles outbreak that has generated headlines for months, more Americans now say they have positive feelings toward childhood vaccinations, according to a new HealthDay/Harris Poll.
Of more than 2,000 adults surveyed, 87 percent said they thought that the vaccines routinely given to young children are safe. That’s up from 77 percent from a similar poll last July.
Bird Flu Spreads Across China: Report
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Second outbreak, with 318 human infections and 100 deaths, twice as big as first outbreak
March 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Avian flu, commonly called “bird flu,” is gaining strength in China and has the potential to emerge as a life-threatening virus for humans across the globe, a new report suggests.
In the year since avian flu first surfaced in China, it has expanded throughout that country and become a persistent infection in chickens there, the new report states.
Many Women Gain Too Much Weight While Pregnant
By Tara Haelle, HealthDay
This increases risks for baby and mother, experts say
March 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Nearly half of all pregnant women gain more weight than recommended during pregnancy, a new study finds.
“This is a concern because gaining too much weight has health consequences for both mothers and infants,” said study co-author Andrea Sharma, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Maternal and Infant Health Branch.
Some weight gain might result from misconceptions, said Dr. Karen Cooper, an obstetrician/gynecologist and director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Be Well Moms program.
Hormone Therapy May Not Help Women’s Hearts
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Review also found raised risk of stroke for some, although timing of use may be a key factor
March 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — There’s yet another study looking at the potential dangers of hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms, and this one supports the notion that the treatment may not help women’s hearts.
The research, a review of collected data on the issue, found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not protect most postmenopausal women against heart disease and may even increase their risk of stroke.
Depression in Pregnancy and Child’s Asthma Risk
By Tara Haelle, HealthDay
Older, but not newer, antidepressants showed similar increased odds for respiratory condition, study found
March 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A child may face an increased risk of asthma if the child’s mother experienced depression during her pregnancy or she took an older antidepressant to treat her condition, new research suggests.
However, more than 80 percent of the women in the study who were prescribed antidepressants were given one of a newer class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). And those medications were not linked to any increased risk for asthma in the child.
More Sex, Better Testosterone Levels?
By Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay
Contrary to popular belief, study suggests the relationship between the two works the other way
March 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Experts have long assumed that as a man’s testosterone level declines, so does his sex life. But a new study suggests the reverse may be true.
“Most people in or out of medicine assume that a lowered serum testosterone may cause reduced sexual activity. But our study questions, if not fully refutes, that assumption and suggests it is the other way around,” said Dr. David Handelsman, a researcher at the University of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia.
And skyrocketing sales of testosterone supplements are being fueled by that popular assumption, even though it might not be correct, Handelsman added.
World’s 1st Penis Transplant Done in South Africa
WebMD News from HealthDay
March 13, 2015 — The world’s first successful penis transplant has been performed by surgeons in South Africa, Bloomberg News reported Friday.
The 21-year-old recipient has made a full recovery and regained all functions in the transplanted organ. The nine-hour operation was done Dec. 11 by surgeons from Stellenbosch University and Cape Town’s Tygerberg Hospital, the university said Friday in a statement.
Can Statins Help Improve Prostate Cancer Survival?
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Finds the cholesterol-lowering drugs linked to slower progression of disease
March 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may slow down prostate cancer in men who are also taking medication to reduce their levels of male hormones, according to new research.
Taking a statin alongside androgen deprivation therapy slowed the progress of prostate cancer by about 10 months, said the study’s lead author, Dr. Lauren Christine Harshman, an assistant professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.
Autism-Linked Genes May Be Tied to Higher IQ
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Those with genes associated with the disorder scored slightly higher on thinking tests, study finds
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Genes believed to increase the risk of autism may also be linked with higher intelligence, a new study suggests.
Researchers analyzed the DNA of nearly 10,000 people in Scotland and also tested their thinking abilities. On average, those who had genes associated with autism scored slightly higher on the thinking (cognitive) tests.
Having autism-linked genes doesn’t mean that people will develop the disorder, the researchers noted.
Teens’ Heavy Pot Smoking Tied to Memory Problems
By Amy Norton, HealthDay
Daily marijuana use also linked to brain abnormalities, study finds
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Teenagers who smoke marijuana daily may have lingering memory problems and structural abnormalities in the brain, even after they stop using the drug, a small study suggests.
Researchers found that young adults who’d smoked pot heavily as teens performed worse on memory tests than their peers who’d never used the drug regularly. And on brain scans, they tended to show differences in the shape of the hippocampus — a brain structure involved in forming long-term memories.
However, the findings, reported March 12 in the journal Hippocampus, do not prove that marijuana is the culprit.
New Drug OK’d for a Deadly Pediatric Cancer
WebMD News from HealthDay
March 10, 2015 — A new drug to treat high-risk neuroblastoma has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that most often occurs in children under age 5. Patients with high-risk neuroblastoma have only a 40 to 50 percent chance of long-term survival despite aggressive treatment.
The FDA approved the drug Unituxin (dinutuximab) as part of a combined treatment regimen — including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy — for patients who had at least a partial response to a previous combined treatment program.
Overindulgent Parents, Narcissistic Children?
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay
Kids who were told they were better than others came to believe it, researchers report
March 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Kids who think too highly of themselves likely developed their narcissism because their parents put them on a pedestal and doled out unearned praise, a new study claims.
Parents who “overvalue” their children — believing they are “God’s gift to man” — tend to raise youngsters with an overblown sense of their own superiority, researchers report in the March 9 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Don’t Delay School for Summer-Born, Premature Kids
By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay
Holding children back linked to lower scores on standardized tests later
March 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Delaying the start of school for a year for children with summer birthdays or those born prematurely may lead to worse academic performance later, new British research suggests.
“Our study shows that delaying school entry has no effect on Year 1 teacher ratings of academic performance. But it is associated with poorer performance in age-standardized tests of reading, writing, mathematics and attention as the children get older,” the study’s corresponding author, Professor Dieter Wolke, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick, said in a university news release.
Cochlear Implants and Seniors’ Mood, Thinking
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Older people with severe hearing loss who received the devices had less depression, better mental skills
March 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Cochlear implants not only boost hearing in seniors with severe hearing loss, they might also enhance their emotional state and thinking abilities, a new study finds.
A cochlear implant is a small device that helps provide a sense of sound to people who are deaf or have significant hearing loss, according to the U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Brainpower Peaks in Different Ways as People Age
By Randy Dotinga, HealthDay
Emotional intelligence best in middle age, overall knowledge base highest for seniors
March 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For everyone over 40 who fears that their mind is slowly failing them, a new study suggests that older brains are better than younger brains in some ways.
While some thinking skills begin to decline as one ages, researchers found that others don’t peak until middle age or even later.
The study, which looked at almost 50,000 people, raises the prospect that people in their 40s and 50s do a better job of translating emotional signals from other people, while seniors have more overall knowledge. Young adults, meanwhile, think faster and have more short-term memory.
Stress, Depression Are Trouble for Heart Patients
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
Study finds significant risk of heart attack or death in the short term
March 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Heart disease, depression and stress can be a deadly combination, a new study finds.
Researchers looking at the effect of significant stress and deep depression on nearly 4,500 patients with heart disease called the pairing a “psychosocial perfect storm.”
Healthy Lifestyle May Guard Against Dementia
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Study found seniors who were advised on better eating, exercise scored higher on mental tests
March 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A healthy diet, physical activity and brain exercises can help slow mental decline in older people at risk for dementia, a new study suggests.
On the other hand, a high body-mass index (BMI) and poor heart health are significant risk factors for age-related dementia, the researchers said. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight.
Exercise May Boost Mobility in Old Age
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
You don’t need to run marathons, researcher says
March 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Staying physically active as you age may ward off brain damage that can limit mobility, a small study says.
Small areas of brain damage called white matter hyperintensities are seen in MRI scans of many older patients, according to scientists from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Higher levels of this damage have been linked to difficulty walking and other mobility problems, the researchers said.
Salt May Be Bad for More Than Your Blood Pressure
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Study found damage to organs and tissues, even with no sign of hypertension
March 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Even if you don’t develop high blood pressure from eating too much salt, you may still be damaging your blood vessels, heart, kidneys and brain, a new study warns.
Researchers reviewed available evidence and found that high levels of salt consumption have harmful effects on a number of organs and tissues, even in people who are “salt-resistant,” which means their salt intake does not affect their blood pressure.
Vegetarian Diet May Lower Colon Cancer Risk
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
Benefits greatest for fish eaters, researchers say
March 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A vegetarian diet might cut your risk of colorectal cancer by 20 percent, a new study finds.
For fish-eating vegetarians, the protective link was even stronger, researchers said.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Screening efforts, including colonoscopy, have helped save many lives by detecting precancerous polyps, said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Michael Orlich.
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