Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness 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.
Spring vegetables aren’t here quiet yet – and if the weather doesn’t improve soon, they may not arrive for a while. Until then, there’s a fine alternative: Swiss chard.
This leafy green, hearty enough to withstand the cold but more delicate in flavor than kale and collards, has been finding its way into all sorts of comforting dishes in my kitchen, from pastas to soups to stir-fries. It’s the most versatile of greens, and an excellent source of calcium and potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A and beta-carotene.
LGBT Health Research Falls Far Short
By Daniel DeNoon
Little Known About Health Needs in U.S. for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People
March 31, 2011 — Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered Americans are distinct populations with unique health health needs — but what are those needs?
“We do not know exactly what these experiences and needs are,” concludes the report of a panel of medical experts convened by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The IOM was asked to propose an LGBT research agenda by the National Institutes of Health.
3-Drug Combo May Treat Hepatitis C
by Salynn Boyles
Studies Show Boceprevir or Telaprevir Help Patients When Added to Standard Treatment
March 30, 2011 — Two highly anticipated hepatitis C drugs are poised to usher in a new era in the treatment of the viral disease as early as this summer, experts say.
The Merck drug boceprevir and Vertex Pharmaceutical’s similar drug telaprevir are expected to win FDA approval within months, following phase III trials showing that both drugs boosted cure rates to around 70% when used with standard therapy.
Why Some May Avoid Type 1 Diabetes Complications
By Kathleen Doheny
Researchers Say More Than Just Blood Sugar Control May Be at Work for Some Patients
March 29, 2011 — After years of living with diabetes, complications can occur, including problems affecting the eyes, heart, kidneys, and nerves.
However, some type 1 diabetes ”veterans” seem to escape many or most of these diabetes complications, according to a new study.
Study: Treatment-Resistant Hypertension Overdiagnosed
By Denise Mann
Some Patients May Have ‘White Coat’ Hypertension Instead
March 28, 2011– Up to one-third of people who were thought to have treatment-resistant high blood pressure may actually have “white coat hypertension” — blood pressure that spikes in the doctor’s office.
The new findings appear in the journal Hypertension.
Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery May Ease Migraines
By Bill Hendrick
Severely Obese Migraine Sufferers Had Fewer Headache Days 6 Months After Weight Loss Surgery, Study Finds
March 28, 2011 — In addition to helping severely obese people lose weight, bariatric surgery may improve migraines, according to a new study.
“Obesity is thought to contribute to worsening of migraine, particularly for severely obese individuals, yet no study has examined whether weight loss can actually improve migraine headaches in these patients,” study author Dale Bond, PhD, of theMiriam Hospital says in a news release.
Procedure May Lower Hard-to-Treat Hypertension
By Denise Mann
Study Shows Experimental Therapy Using Radiofrequency May Be Useful for High Blood Pressure
March 28, 2011 — An experimental procedure that uses radiofrequency energy to lower blood pressure may help millions of people with uncontrolled hypertension, a study suggests.
The findings will be presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 36th Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago.
By Kathleen Doheny
Nicotine and Blood Sugar a Dangerous Combo
Study: Nicotine Triggers Blood Sugar Boost in Smokers With Diabetes
March 28, 2011 (Anaheim, Calif.) — Nicotine appears to be the main culprit responsible for high blood sugar levels in smokers with diabetes, according to new research presented here at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Those constantly high blood sugar levels, in turn, increase the risk of serious diabetes complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and nerve damage.
Medical Marijuana May Impair Thinking of MS Patients
By Salynn Boyles
Study Shows Cognitive Impairment May Be an Issue for Long-Term Users of Medical Marijuana
March 28, 2011 — Many multiple sclerosis (MS) patients use marijuana to ease pain and other symptoms associated with the disorder, but the practice might make one common symptom worse.
MS patients in a small study who smoked or ingested marijuana regularly for many years were twice as likely as non-users to show significant evidence of cognitive impairment when subjected to a battery of tests that measure thinking skills.
The study was published in the journal Neurology.
Recall of Generic Citalopram, Finasteride
By Daniel J. DeNoon
Labels of Generic Antidepressant, Prostate Drug Switched
March 28, 2011 — Pfizer subsidiary Greenstone LLC has recalled some of its generic citalopram antidepressant and its generic prostate drug finasteride because of a label switch.
The recall includes citalopram 10-milligram tablets in a 100-count bottle and finasteride 5-milligram tablets in a 90-count bottle. Both of the recalled medicines carry the lot number FI0510058-A on the label.
U.N. suggests pesticides, chemicals for watch list
(Reuters) – The United Nations has suggested three pesticides and three industrial chemicals be put on a trade “watch list” because they can threaten human health and the environment, the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday.
U.N. chemical experts have proposed that pesticides endosulfan and azinphos methyl and the hazardous pesticide formulation Gramoxone Super be added to the Rotterdam Convention’s Prior Informed Consent procedure, the FAO said.
Japan must distribute iodine tablets now: expert
By Muriel Boselli
PARIS (Reuters) – Japanese authorities grappling with a nuclear disaster must hand out iodine tablets now and as widely as possible to avoid a potential leap in thyroid cancers, the head of a group of independent radiation experts said.
France’s CRIIRAD group says Japan has underestimated the sensitivity of the thyroid gland to radioactivity and must lower its 100 millisieverts (mSv) threshold for administering iodine.
“Jumpers” offered big money to brave Japan’s nuclear plant
By Terril Yue Jones
TOKYO (Reuters) – It’s a job that sounds too good to be true — thousands of dollars for up to an hour of work that often requires little training.
But it also sounds too outrageous to accept, given the full job description: working in perilously radioactive environments.
Rotating shift work may affect menstrual cycle
By Emma Graham-Harrison
KABUL (Reuters) – More than a million mothers and newborn babies are dying each year from easily prevented birth complications because of a chronic shortage of midwives across much of the developing world, a new report from Save the Children said on Friday.
In the world’s least developed countries over half of mothers give birth without any trained help — compared with only one percent in Britain — and some 2 million women face one of the most frightening days in their life entirely alone.
Lung Cancer Death Rate Falls for Women
By Salynn Boyles
Study Also Shows the Overall Cancer Death Rate Continues to Decline
March 31, 2011 — Lung cancer death rates among women in the U.S. are declining for the first time in 40 years, a study shows.
The study also shows the overall cancer death rate continues a decline that began in the early 1990s.
Worry About Breast Cancer Return Is Common
By Salynn Boyles
Study Shows Many Language Barriers Contribute to Unnecessary Fear of Cancer’s Return
March 28, 2011 — The odds of survival for a woman treated for early-stage breast cancer are good, but many survivors worry about recurrence and communication difficulties appear to be a major contributor to this concern, a study shows.
Nearly half of Hispanic women in the study who spoke little English expressed a great deal of worry about their breast cancers returning, while non-Hispanic white and African-American women expressed far less concern.
No-Scalpel Treatment for Enlarged Prostate
By Brenda Goodman
Prostatic Artery Embolization May Help When Medications Don’t, Study Finds
March 29, 2011 — A minimally invasive procedure that cuts off the blood supply to an enlarged prostate may help when medications fail, and it appears to provide good symptom control without sexual dysfunction, a new study shows.
The procedure involves using a tiny catheter that is threaded through arteries near the groin to reach the vessels that supply the prostate with blood. These vessels are then blocked with particles the size of a grain of sand.
New Doubts on Value of Prostate Cancer Screening
By Salynn Boyles
Study Suggests Prostate Cancer Screening Doesn’t Lower Death Rate
March 31, 2011 — A study from Sweden raises new questions about the value of screening average-risk men for prostate cancer.
In the study, screening did not significantly reduce prostate cancer deaths over two decades of follow-up, but it did result in the detection of more cases of the cancer and more treatment.
Colic Remedies: Is TLC Better Than Herbal Tea?
By Kathleen Doheny
Study Analysis Finds Scant Evidence That Fennel Extract, Herbal Tea, Sugar Solution Work, but ‘Common Sense and TLC’ May Soothe Colicky Baby
March 28, 2011 — When babies get colic, stressed out parents often will try almost any remedy, from herbal teas to sugary solutions or infant massage, to stop the constant crying.
Now, a new analysis of these popular approaches finds little convincing evidence they work.
Cortisol Tips for a Healthy Summer Camp
by Bill Hendrick
Pediatric Group’s Revised Guidelines: Parents Should Make Sure Children Are Physically and Mentally Ready
March 28, 2011 — Parents should consider their children’s skills, interests, and overall physical and mental health before selecting a summer camp, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says in a revised policy statement.
Moms May Pass Hypertension Risk to Kids
By Kathleen Doheny
Study Shows Genetic Mutation May Send High Blood Pressure to Next Generation
March 31, 2011 — Mothers with a certain genetic mutation may pass the tendency to develop high blood pressure on to their children, according to a new study.
Researchers from the U.S., China, and Austria made the discovery after focusing on a five-generation Chinese family. Many of its members who descended from the same female ancestor had high blood pressure.
Toxins in baby food might affect hormones: study
By Adam Marcus
(Reuters Health) – Infant formula and solid baby food frequently contain fungus-derived hormones that have been shown to cause infertility in mammals, Italian researchers report.
Scientists at the University of Pisa report that as many as 28 percent of samples of milk-based baby formulas they tested were contaminated with the fungal hormones, known as mycoestrogens.
Some kids’ belly pain could be a migraine
By Leigh Krietsch Boerner
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – If your child suffers from mysterious abdominal pain, it may be a variety of migraine, according to a new study.
“There are lots of kids that have recurring unexplained abdominal pain, and when a kid is continually having these bouts of pain, sometimes there’s no obvious cause found,” said Dr. Donald Lewis from the division of pediatric neurology at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia.
Sleep Apnea, Daytime Sleepiness: Risky Combo
By Bill Hendrick
Greater Death Risk for Older People Who Have Sleep Apnea and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
April 1, 2011 — Older adults who have sleep apnea and who are excessively sleepy in the daytime may have more than twice the risk of death as people who do not have both conditions, new research suggests.
In a study of 289 adults over age 65 without depression or dementia, the risk of death was not increased for people with sleep apnea without excessive daytime sleepiness or for those who reported only excessive daytime sleepiness without having sleep apnea, the researchers say.
Cortisol May Help Reduce Some Phobias
by Jennifer Warner
Study Shows Improvement for Patients Who Are Given the Stress Hormone Cortisol
March 28, 2011 — An extra dose of the stress hormone cortisol may help reduce stress-inducing phobias like the fear of heights, a study shows.
Cortisol is a hormone released by the brain in response to stress and has long been thought to play a role in memory and learning.
Best Diet Plan: 6 Mini Meals or 3 Squares a Day?
By Denise Mann
Study Suggests 6 Small Meals per Day Won’t Help Reduce Hunger Pangs
March 31, 2011–Eating small meals frequently throughout the day may not help take the bite out of your hunger while you are dieting, according to a new study.
Many diets and dietitians promote such mini meals, but they may not be any better than three square meals a day when it comes to feeling full and satisfied, according to a new study in Obesity.
Diet Plus Exercise Improves Strength in Obese
By Denise Mann
Study Shows Diet-Exercise Combo Brings Improvement in Physical Function for Older Adults
March 30, 2011– Regular exercise plus diet may be more effective than either one alone at helping obese older adults improve physical function, a new study shows.
The combination resulted in greater improvements in strength, balance, and gait, compared with diet or exercise alone.
The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Eating Fresh Foods May Cut Exposure to BPA
By Brenda Goodman
Study: Avoiding Packaged, Canned Foods May Reduce Levels of the Chemical Bisphenol A
March 30, 2011 — Families who gave up canned foods and food and beverages prepared and packaged using plastic containers saw their levels of a hormone-disrupting chemical fall by 66%, a new study shows. All it took was three days of eating only freshly prepared, organic foods.
Most Americans Get Enough Vitamin D
By Denise Mann
Study Shows 24% of People in U.S. Are at Risk for Inadequate Blood Levels of Vitamin D
March 30, 2011– Two-thirds of Americans are getting enough vitamin D, according to a new analysis by researchers from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin” because our bodies make it when exposed to sunlight. It is found in some fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, and in cheese and eggs. It is often added to milk.
Walnut May Be Top Nut for Heart Health
by Kathleen Doheny
Walnuts Have More, Better Antioxidants Than Peanuts, Pistachios, Other Nuts, Researcher Says
March 28, 2011 (Anaheim, Calif.) — Walnuts are the No. 1 nut for heart health, says a researcher who presented his findings Sunday at the American Chemical Society annual meeting.
That’s because walnuts were found to have more antioxidants — and better-quality antioxidants — than other popular nuts tested, says Joe Vinson, PhD, a researcher at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
Vegetarians may be at lower diabetes, heart risk
By Kerry Grens
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A new study finds that a meat-free diet seems to lower a person’s likelihood of having certain risk factors for diabetes or heart disease — and therefore may lower the risk of one day developing those illnesses.
Researchers measured a suite of factors — blood sugar, blood fats, blood pressure, waist size, and body mass – that when elevated add up to “metabolic syndrome,” and found that vegetarians were lower than non-vegetarians on all counts except cholesterol.
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