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.
Stuffed tomatoes are ubiquitous in Greece, and this recipe can be made with bulgur or, for a gluten-free dish, rice.
This dish is based on a Turkish stuffing for vegetables, a delicate sweet-savory rice mixture seasoned with allspice, cinnamon, parsley, and dill or mint.
This recipe uses the large spherical couscous that we know as Israeli couscous.
Large dark green and yellow pattypan squash, available at farmers’ markets, are perfect for stuffing with this simple mixture of squash, corn, a little onion and a very light custard.
The filling for these irresistible stuffed eggplants are also good with peppers or squash.
To Banish Belly Fat, Keep Moving
by Kathleen Doheny
Study: Aerobic Exercise Better Than Weight Training to Reduce Unhealthy Abdominal Fat
Sept. 2, 2011 — If you want to get rid of your belly fat, vigorous aerobic exercise such as jogging or brisk walking beats weight or resistance training, a new study shows.
”If you are overweight or mildly obese and want to lose fat — belly fat, visceral fat, liver fat — vigorous aerobic training was better than resistance training,” says researcher Cris Slentz, PhD, an exercise physiologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
The study appears in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Seizure Drug May Extend Lives of Brain Cancer Patients
by Denise Mann
Study Shows Benefits of Valproic Acid for Patients With Glioblastomas
Aug. 31, 2011 — As many as half of all people with a common and potentially lethal type of brain cancer known as a glioblastoma will have a seizure at some point during their illness.
Doctors often prescribe a drug to help control these seizures. But until now little was known about which drug, if any, is the best choice.
When added to standard treatment, an older seizure drug, called valproic acid (sold with the brand names of Depakote, Depakene, and Stavzor) may extend the lives of people with this type of tumor by an average of three months, a study shows.
The study is published in Neurology.
About 1 in 4 U.S. Workers Has Insomnia
by Salynn Boyles
Workplace Sleepiness Costs $63 Billion a Year in Lost Productivity
Sept. 1, 2011 — Workers with insomnia who are too sleepy to fully function on the job cost the U.S. a whopping $63 billion in lost productivity each year, according to a nationwide survey.
Nationally, insomnia is responsible for 252 million lost days of productivity each year, even though most sleep-deprived people show up for work.
That averages out to about eight lost days of productivity annually for every sleep-deprived worker.
Chronic insomnia is most often defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep or having non-restorative sleep on most nights for at least a month.
Poor Sleep May Raise Blood Pressure
by Jennifer Warner
Study Shows Men Who Don’t Get Enough Deep Sleep May Have Higher Blood Pressure
Aug. 29, 2011 — Not getting enough deep sleep may raise your blood pressure.
A new study shows men who got the least deep sleep were 80% more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who got the most.
Researchers determined how much deep sleep the men got by measuring the speed of their brain waves. People with poor-quality sleep spend a lot of time in “slow wave” sleep.
It’s the first study to show that poor sleep quality independently raises the risk of high blood pressure, regardless of sleep duration or other sleep issues.
Anger, Stress May Provoke Heart Attacks
by Charlene Laino
Angry Heart Attack Survivors More Than Twice as Likely to Have Another Heart Attack, Study Finds
Aug. 31, 2011 (Paris) — Heart attack survivors who anger easily or who are often stressed out may be setting themselves up for another, potentially fatal heart attack, a new study suggests.
Over a 10-year period, more than half of heart attack survivors who had high scores on psychological tests designed to identify people with anger problems had a fatal or non-fatal heart attack, compared with fewer than one-fourth of people who had low scores.
Bad Germs Common on Hospital Workers’ Clothes
by Bill Hendrick
Drug-Resistant Staph, Other Bacteria Found on Doctors’, Nurses’ Clothing
Sept. 2, 2011 — The white coats, scrubs, and smocks of hospital doctors and nurses may look clean, but bad germs are hitching rides on their clothes, new research shows.
Uniforms worn by hospital personnel often are contaminated with the superbug MRSA and a variety of other bacteria, Israeli scientists report.
They swabbed white coats and uniforms worn by doctors and nurses and found potentially dangerous bacteria on more than 60% of items they examined.
Doctors’ uniforms were a little cleaner than nurses’, with 60% containing potentially dangerous bacteria, compared to 65% of what nurses wore.
Home Monitoring of Heart Device May Be Safe
Charlene Laino
Studies Show Remote Monitoring of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators May Extend Battery Life
Aug. 30, 2011 (Paris) — Home monitoring of a device that protects the heart is safe, suggest two French studies presented here at the European Society of Cardiology meeting.
Remote monitoring of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) also reduced inappropriate shocks and extended battery life, according to one of the reports.
But whether home monitoring of ICDs actually improves patients’ heart health and/or saves money are still the big questions, U.S. doctors say.
Electronic Nose Sniffs Out Heart Failure
by Charlene Laino
Device a First Step Toward a Simple Method for Diagnosing Heart Failure, Researchers Say
Aug. 30, 2011 (Paris) — German researchers say they’re a step closer to developing an electronic nose that can distinguish between people who have heart failure and those who don’t.
The device has gas sensors that detect various odorous molecules in sweat. Specially developed software divides patients into groups depending on the pattern of molecules detected.
New Drug Boosts ‘Good’ Cholesterol
by Charlene Laino
Dalcetrapib Safely Raised HDL Levels by 31%, Researchers Say
Aug. 29, 2011 (Paris) — An experimental pill that boosts levels of “good” HDL cholesterol produced encouraging results in a mid-stage study, researchers say.
In the nine-month study of about 475 patients, dalcetrapib raised HDL levels by 31% compared with placebo. It did so without increasing blood pressure or impeding blood flow through the blood vessels.
Sleeping Soon After Dinner May Raise Stroke Risk by Charlene Laino
People Who Wait an Hour or More After Eating Before Going to Bed Have a 66% Lower Stroke Risk, Researchers Say
Aug. 30, 2011 (Paris) — Once again, mom was right: Don’t eat too close to bedtime. A new study suggests that waiting at least an hour after dinner before going to sleep reduces your risk of stroke by about two-thirds.
And for every 20 minutes more that you wait, stroke risk drops another 10%, says researcher Cristina-Maria Kastorini, MSc, a nutritionist at the University of Ioannina Medical School in Greece.
[Shorter Plavix Treatment May Be Equally Effective Shorter Plavix Treatment May Be Equally Effective
Study Shows 6 Months of Blood Thinner After Stent Placement May Be Safer, as Effective as 2-Year Treatment] by Charlene Laino
Study Shows 6 Months of Blood Thinner After Stent Placement May Be Safer, as Effective as 2-Year Treatment
Aug. 30, 2011 (Paris) — Taking the blood thinner Plavix for six months after receiving a stent may be safer and just as effective as two years of treatment, a new study suggests.
The standard recommendation is typically at least 12 months of Plavix. But the study found that six months of treatment was enough to prevent rare but deadly complications, says researcher Marco Valgimigli, MD, of the University Hospital of Ferrara, in Italy.
FDA: Osteoporosis Drug Reclast Raises Kidney Failure Risk
by Matt McMillen
Agency Says Kidney Failure Is a Rare but Serious Risk of Reclast
Sept. 1, 2011 — The FDA warns that the osteoporosis drug Reclast (zoledronic acid) raises the risk of kidney failure.
The warning is targeted at patients who already suffer from kidney impairment. It’s also aimed at those who are taking potentially kidney-damaging (nephrotoxic) medications or diuretics at the same time as Reclast.
New Swine Flu in 2 U.S. Kids
by Daniel J. DeNoon
New Bug Has Gene From Pandemic Swine Flu; No Sign Yet of Human Spread
Sept. 2, 2011 — Two U.S. kids — an Indiana boy and a Pennsylvania girl — are the first human cases of a new swine flu bug.
Both kids fully recovered after suffering usual flu symptoms.
The two children had no contact with each other. Each caught the new flu in separate transmission events. The boy’s case was reported on Aug. 17; the girl’s on Aug. 24.
CDC: Vaccination Rates for Toddlers Rising
by Brenda Goodman
Survey Also Shows Slight Uptick in Children Who Received No Vaccinations Last Year
Sept. 1, 2011 — After dipping in 2009, national vaccination rates for toddlers increased slightly or held steady at high levels last year, according to a new report from the CDC.
Results of the 2010 National Immunization Survey for children aged 19-35 months are published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Circumcision Rates Are Dropping in the U.S.
by Matt McMillen
CDC Says Circumcision Is Slightly Less Common Today Than a Decade Ago
Sept. 1, 2011 — Circumcision rates in the U.S. are on the decline, according to a CDC study.
The CDC used three different measurements to estimate the number of newborn male circumcisions. Researchers found that the procedure is somewhat less common today than it was 10 years ago.
The report was written in the wake of increasing evidence that circumcision greatly reduces the risk of contracting HIV during penile-vaginal sex.
Smoking May Raise Disease Risk by Increasing Hormones
by Salynn Boyles
Study Shows Link Between Smoking and Increase in Male and Female Hormones in Women
Aug. 31, 2011 — Older women who smoke have higher levels of sex hormones than nonsmoking women, which may increase their risk for breast cancer, diabetes, and other diseases, new research finds.
Smoking is a known risk factor for a wide range of chronic diseases in women, as is having elevated levels of the female sex hormone estrogen and male sex hormones, including testosterone.
But the impact of smoking on sex hormone levels in older women has been unclear.
FDA: Breast Implant Safety Studies Will Continue
by Brenda Goodman
Officials Say They Will Work With Companies to Improve Follow-Up Rates
Aug. 31, 2011 — After two days of testimony on what the FDA should do about troubled long-term safety studies of silicone-gel breast implants, agency officials said the studies would continue.
“The current post-approval studies will continue,” said William Maisel, MD, MPH, chief scientist in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in remarks after the meeting. “The FDA is committed to seeing them completed and making sure the follow-up rates improve.”
Snuff Use During Pregnancy Is Harmful to Newborns
by Denise Mann
Study Shows Smokeless Tobacco Increases Risk That Newborns Will Have Breathing Pauses in Sleep
ug. 29, 2011 — Most moms-to-be are aware that you shouldn’t smoke during pregnancy, but some have a hard time kicking the habit. Some turn to smokeless tobacco like snuff or other nicotine-replacement products.
But these products — and the nicotine they release – are harmful for newborns, a study suggests.
The study is published in Pediatrics.
Strokes in Children and Young Adults on the Rise
by Kathleen Doneny
Researchers Say Findings Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Lifestyle Improvements
Sept. 1, 2011 — Strokes in children, teens, and young adults are increasing at an alarming rate in the U.S., according to a new study.
Mary G. George, MD, MSPH, and colleagues from the CDC looked at national hospital discharge data from 42 states. They focused on three age groups: 5-14, 15-34, and 35-44. The researchers compared the rate of stroke among these groups from 1995-1996 to 2007-2008.
MRI Shows Differences in Autistic Brain
by Salynn Boyles
Brain Imaging Could Prove Useful for Diagnosis
Sept. 2, 2011 — Stanford University researchers say they have identified key differences in the brain gray matter of children with and without autism. That could potentially prove useful in the diagnosis and treatment of the developmental disorder.
Using brain imaging, the researchers found that a specific network within the brain associated with social communication and self-regulation has a unique organization in autistic children.
Resisting Temptation May Not Get Easier With Age
by Jennifer Warner
Issues With Self-Control and Delayed Gratification May Persist From Childhood to Adulthood
Sept. 2, 2011 — Children who have a hard time passing up one cookie now with the promise of more later will probably have just as hard a time resisting temptation as adults, according to a new study.
Researchers found children who had difficulty delaying gratification as preschoolers were more likely to seek instant gratification as adults. They also showed differences in brain activity that may be linked to self-control issues.
Study: Kids Are Getting Too Many Antibiotics
by Denise Mann
Researchers Warn That Overuse of Antibiotics Can Lead to Hard-to-Treat Infections
Sept. 1, 2011 — Too many kids are still getting antibiotic prescriptions for colds, viral sore throats, and other illnesses that don’t require or respond to antibiotics, a study suggests.
The study is published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Doctors’ Groups Say Teens Shouldn’t Box
by Kathleen Doheny
New Policy Statement Warns That Youngsters Face Special Risks of Brain Injury
Aug. 29, 2011 — Teens and boxing are a bad combination, doctors say.
The risk of brain and other injuries during boxing makes the sport too risky, according to a new policy statement by U.S. and Canadian pediatrician groups.
The statement urges doctors to ”vigorously oppose boxing for any child or adolescent.”
Are Signs of Old Age Really Something More Serious?
by Denise Mann
Study: Shaky Hands, Trouble Walking May Be Signs of Tiny Brain Lesions
Aug. 31, 2011 — Shaky hands, a stooped posture, and slower walking are often written off as normal signs of aging, but they may be more than that. These symptoms may be signs of tiny blocked blood vessels in the brain.
“What we think of as normal aging may not be so normal after all,” says researcher Aron S. Buchman, MD. He is an associate professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical School in Chicago.
Anti-clotting Drug Warfarin May Be Safe for Elderly
by Charlene Laino
Studies Suggest Warfarin May Be Underused for Patients Over 80
Aug. 31, 2011 (Paris) — The anti-clotting drug warfarin is safe and beneficial for people aged 80 and over, according to a new report.
But the drug is being prescribed to fewer than half of older people with a heart condition that puts them at high risk of stroke who would benefit from warfarin, a second study suggests.
Atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition characterized by irregular heart rhythms, affects 2.6 million Americans. AF risk increases with age.
Study: New Anticlotting Drug Beats Warfarin
Eliquis More Effective at Preventing Strokes in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
Aug. 29, 2011 (Paris) — The experimental anticlotting pill Eliquis beat out the standard drug, warfarin, at preventing strokes in people with a heart condition that puts them at high risk of blood clots and stroke, researchers report.
The new drug, also known as apixaban, cut the risk of stroke by 21% compared with warfarin in people with atrial fibrillation (AF). It lowered the risk of dying by 11%.
The side effect of serious internal bleeding, the key safety concern of anticlotting medication, was reduced by 31% with Eliquis compared to warfarin.
Chocolate Good for the Heart
by Charlene Laino
Regularly Eating Chocolate Cuts Risk of Heart Disease by About One-Third
Aug. 29, 2011 (Paris) — Chocoholics have reason to celebrate today: A large new study confirms that chocolate may be good for the heart and brain.
Regularly eating chocolate could cut the risk of heart disease and stroke by about one-third, says researcher Oscar H. Franco, MD, PhD, of the University of Cambridge in the U.K.
But before you indulge, a cautionary note: Chocolate bars, cookies, and drinks are high in sugar, fat, and calories, so eating too much can lead to weight gain and, you guessed it, heart disease. “Moderation is key,” Franco tells WebMD.
Purple Potatoes Lower Blood Pressure
by Jennifer Warner
Minus the Fatty Fixings, Antioxidants in Potatoes May Lower Blood Pressure
Aug. 31, 2011 — A daily dose of purple potatoes served plain may help your heart. That is, if you steer clear of the deep fryer and fatty toppings.
A new study shows that people who ate plain purple potatoes cooked in the microwave twice a day for a month lowered their blood pressure by 3%-4% without gaining weight.
Researchers say the blood pressure-lowering effects are likely due to the high concentration of antioxidants found naturally in potatoes. Antioxidants protect your body from molecules called “free radicals” that can damage healthy cells.
But the frying process destroys the healthy substances in potatoes.
Sugary Drink Habit Is Widespread in U.S.
by Kathleen Doheny
Survey Shows Teens and Young Adults Drink the Most Sugary Drinks
Aug. 31, 2011 — Half of the U.S. population age 2 or older indulges in sugary drinks on any given day, new research finds.
“Men drink more than women, and teens and young adults drink the most,” says Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD. Ogden is an epidemiologist at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
The American Heart Association recommends drinking no more than 450 calories a week of sugar-sweetened drinks. That’s less than three 12-ounce colas. In 2010, U.S. dietary guidelines recommended limiting the intake of both foods and beverages with added sugars.
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