EDMONTON, Alberta (UPI) -- Seniors are being stereotyped as grouchy, inflexible to change and
mostly living in nursing homes -- all untrue, says a Canadian study.
The study, which surveyed 53 caregivers and 53
non-caregivers found that knowledge about Alzheimer's disease and aging was low, but caregivers knew more about Alzheimer's
than the non-caregivers -- 58 percent to 42 percent, respectively.
However, the survey published in Educational Gerontology
found the caregivers and the non-caregivers didn't know that much about aging -- 40 and 39 percent, respectively.
Lead
author Tiana Rust, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Alberta, found almost 40 percent of those surveyed thought 25 percent
of people over 65 were in institutions, while only 5 percent actually are.
About 60 percent of those surveyed thought
that adaptability to change among people 65 or older was either rare or present among only half of them, but most seniors
are adaptable, according to Rust.
Almost 40 percent of caregivers assume that most old people feel grouchy, when in
fact, most seniors say they are seldom angry.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Study: Spinal manipulation helps neck pain
TORONTO (UPI) -- Patients with chronic neck pain reported significant improvement following chiropractic
spinal manipulation, according to a Canadian review.
The results of the literature review confirm the common clinical
experience of doctors of chiropractic: neck manipulation, or chiropractic adjustment, is beneficial for patients with certain
forms of chronic neck pain, reported the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.
Review author Howard
Vernon of Toronto's Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and colleagues reviewed nine previously published trials and found
high-quality evidence that patients with chronic neck pain showed significant pain-level improvements following spinal manipulation.
All of the studies showed positive changes up to 12 weeks post-treatment, and no trial reported any serious adverse
effects, according to the review.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Smart prosthesis of the future created
MESA, Ariz. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers are creating a first-of-its-kind smart, next generation
of powered prosthetic devices based on lightweight energy-storing springs.
Arizona State University's Polytechnic
campus and the Military Amputee Research Program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center have teamed up to produce the device,
nicknamed SPARKy -- for Spring Ankle with Regenerative Kinetics -- which is expected to provide enhanced ankle motion and
push-off power comparable to the gait of an able-bodied individual.
"A gait cycle describes the natural motion of
walking starting with the heel strike of one foot and ending with the heel strike of the same foot," Thomas Sugar of Arizona
State University's Polytechnic said in a statement.
"The cycle can be split into two phases -- stance and swing. We
are concerned with storing energy and releasing energy -- regenerative kinetics -- in the stance phase."
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Sneaking vegetables into children's food
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Sneaking vegetables into children's food leads to a reduction in children's
calorie intake and an increase in vegetable consumption, found a U.S. study.
The researchers developed two variations
of pasta, and served the dishes to 61 children between ages 3 and 5 years. One dish had a higher calorie density, while the
second dish was 25 percent lower in calorie density by including blended broccoli and cauliflower into the pasta sauce.
When
served the lower-calorie pasta, children consumed 17 percent fewer calories and ate significantly more vegetables compared
with the higher-calorie pasta, according to the findings presented at the Experimental Biology Conference in Washington.
"The
kids could not really tell the difference and ate a consistent weight of pasta," said lead author Kathleen E. Leahy, a doctoral
candidate at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Breakfast eggs help with weight loss
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Louisiana State University researchers found that overweight and obese women
who consumed a breakfast of two eggs a day while dieting lost more weight.
Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, associate professor
in the department of infection and obesity, studied women who followed that pattern five days a week or more, for eight weeks,
as part of a low-fat diet. Conclusions:
-- They lost 65 percent more weight.
-- They had 83 percent greater
reductions in waist circumference.
-- They reported greater improvements in energy levels than their dieting counterparts
who consumed a bagel breakfast of the same calories.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of Experimental
Biology 2007 in Washington.
For generations, families have gathered around
their kitchen tables to enjoy evening meals together. In recent years, this long-held American tradition has all but fallen
by the wayside.
"The problem is that everyone is so frantically busy now," said registered dietitian Elisa Zied, M.S.,
RD, author of "Feed Your Family Right!" "Parents and their kids are overscheduled with work, after-school activities and lessons."
These days, children and their parents are eating more meals separately, outside of the kitchen and away from the
dining room table. Dinner is often a solitary, hurried affair, wolfed down in the car or at a fast food restaurant.
In
the United States, roughly 40 percent of evening meals at home are consumed in front of the television. Research shows that
the more meals kids eat while watching TV, the more likely they are to be overweight.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, nearly a third of U.S. children are currently overweight. Being overweight in childhood dramatically
increases the chances of being overweight -- and unhealthy -- in adulthood.
"The way we're eating isn't fostering
good health habits," noted Zied, mother of two children and a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
"It's setting us up for all kinds of health issues, including obesity."
A growing body of scientific evidence supports
the notion that eating together as a family provides a number of important health benefits. The results of a 2000 Harvard
study published in the Archives of Family Medicine demonstrated that family dinners were associated with good nutrition.
The
study showed that families eating meals together every day or almost every day generally consumed greater amounts of important
nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. They also consumed less dietary fat compared to families who seldom or never ate
meals together.
Other studies have confirmed that when families dine together, children and their parents tend to
eat less fast food and drink fewer sodas, while increasing their intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The benefits
of breaking bread together go far beyond good nutrition.
Family meals may actually enhance the emotional well-being
of children and teens. Gathering around the table gives kids and parents a chance to talk and listen to each other, while
they catch up on the events of the day and make plans for the future.
The results of a study published in the Archives
of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that adolescents who frequently sat down to family meals had better grades, more
satisfying relationships with their peers, and lower rates of depression. The youngsters were also less likely to drink alcohol,
smoke cigarettes, or use marijuana than kids who ate with their families less often than twice a week.
While many
parents appreciate the value of family meals, making time to sit down at the table can be challenging.
"Even if you
can come together for meals only on the weekends, it's a good place to start," said Zied. "If you can't get together in the
evenings, eating breakfast as a family a couple of times a week is an excellent alternative."
Meals don't have to
be exotic, expensive, or time consuming to be beneficial. When made with wholesome, low-fat fixings, even sandwiches, can
be nutritious and delicious.
If you're pressed for time, you can buy ready-to-eat fruits, vegetables, soups, and pasta
dishes at supermarket salad bars. While frozen entrees may not be as tasty or as nutritious as your favorite home-cooked meals,
most are far superior to burgers, fries, and other fast food selections.
Meal preparation is a little easier and a
lot more fun when you make it a family affair. Whether it's setting the table, setting an oven timer, or measuring or mixing
ingredients, even young children can pitch in and help out.
Kids who learn to fend for themselves in the kitchen tend
to be less reliant on fast food and junk food as adults. As a result, they're likely to enjoy better nutrition, and ultimately,
better health.
When kids get involved in meal preparation, they learn about more than just food. Working as a team
with their siblings and parents, they create memories that they'll cherish for a lifetime.
"Eating meals together
as a family isn't just about getting better nutrition; it's about spending more time together," said Zied. "It's an excellent
way for parents and children to stay connected on an emotional and psychological level."
In recent weeks, Americans have been bombarded
with the political flurry of presidential hopefuls. Among all the hype and media attention, one presidential candidate, John
Edwards, and his family have had the unfortunate luck of facing not just political issues but personal ones as well. Elizabeth
Edwards must now undergo a very public battle with recurrent breast cancer. Like millions of women in America, she is fighting
a very serious illness.
In 2006, more than 200,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The risk of getting breast
cancer increases with age. Approximately 65 percent of all diagnoses occur in women over the age of 55. According to statistics
from the National Cancer Institute, between 2002 and 2003 the median age of diagnosis for breast cancer was 61 years of age.
Dealing with recurrent breast cancer, like the type Edwards has, is a major challenge for patients and their families.
Sadly, no one can ever consider herself totally cured, as the tumor can return as late as 20 or 30 years after the initial
diagnosis. Breast cancer is an unpredictable illness. In most cases, if the cancer does come back, it does so in the first
two or three years after the initial diagnosis. This is called "breast cancer recurrence" and can occur at the site of the
initial tumor, in the lymph nodes that drain lymph from the breast (mainly in the underarm but sometimes in the chest), or
it can spread through the bloodstream and appear in the lungs, liver, brain or in bone.
Many factors affect the chance
of cure, including the size of the tumor at the time of diagnosis (the bigger the tumor the worse), the age at diagnosis (younger
patients have a worse prognosis), whether the tumor is sensitive to hormones, or "estrogen-responsive" (ER positive) and how
aggressive the tumor appears when examined microscopically.
These factors that affect the rate of cure also affect
treatment options. If the recurrence is in the breast alone, aggressive surgery to remove the breast and muscles around it
may be recommended -- this is called a modified radical mastectomy. Sometimes radiotherapy is the treatment of choice, and
often a combination of hormone therapy and chemotherapy is given. Hormone therapy is given if the tumor is ER positive.
A
large number of breast cancers contain a protein on the surface of the cell called HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2).
The HER2-positive breast cancers tend to be more aggressive and do not respond as well to therapy with hormones. They can,
however, be treated very effectively with a medication that targets HER2 and can reduce the size of the cancer by 50 percent
to help prevent recurrence. This medication is called herceptin. In addition to being highly effective, it has few side effects.
Often herceptin is given with other chemotherapy agents.
Each year, better and better choices are becoming available
to treat breast cancer, and rates of cure appear to be increasing. Most importantly, even if recurrence has occurred, treatment
can keep the disease "in check" for many years. Although not cured, many patients live in symbiosis with their disease, live
productive and very full lives and are able to do anything and everything they wish.
I applaud Edwards for her fortitude
and her willingness to carry on with a positive attitude and remain fully engaged in life. Dealing with the stress of a recurrence
is difficult, and families require emotional support and counseling to help deal with the disease. Every woman should seek
the best possible medical advice by true experts in the field. These days, side effects of treatment are often minimal or
transient. Continuing to have a purpose, having a positive attitude and having high self-esteem are critically important for
a woman dealing with recurrent breast cancer. Retiring from your job or from life is the worst way to deal with this disease.
Edwards is setting a wonderful example for the thousands of men and women who deal with recurrent cancer every day,
and I congratulate her and her husband for continuing forward with their hopes and dreams.
Here's a little good news for daytime snoozers:
Taking a brief siesta in the middle of the day may dramatically lower your risk of death due to heart disease. The results
of a recent study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine revealed that midday napping reduced coronary mortality by
at least a third among healthy adults.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Athens Medical School
in Greece and the Harvard School of Public Health, involved nearly 24,000 healthy Greek men and women between the ages of
20 and 86. At the beginning of the study, the participants were asked if they took a midday siesta, and if so, how often and
how long they usually slept.
Participants also gave information about their level of physical activity and their dietary
habits. Of the 793 deaths that occurred during the six-year follow up, 133 were attributed to heart disease.
After
analyzing the data, the researchers found that participants who took naps at least three times a week for an average of at
least 30 minutes were 37 percent less likely to die from heart disease than those who never napped.
Employed males
appeared to derive the greatest benefits. Working men who napped had a 64 percent lower risk of heart-related death than those
who abstained from daytime dozing.
The researchers concluded that napping may boost cardiovascular health by relieving
stress, which often contributes to heart problems. Previous research has demonstrated a strong correlation between napping
and improved heart health.
In the Mediterranean region and in several Latin American countries where siestas are popular,
the risk of dying from heart disease is typically lower than in the United States, where napping is less common. Among American
men and women, heart disease is currently the leading cause of death.
There's no doubt that most Americans could use
a little extra shut-eye. Over the past century, we've shortened our average sleep time by about two hours a night.
While
the average adult requires seven to nine hours of sleep each night for optimum health, many of us are getting just six hours
or less. All this missed slumber ultimately leads to sleep deprivation, which can cause some serious problems.
Several
studies have shown that skimping on sleep can weaken the immune system. The result is an increased susceptibility to minor
infections and major illnesses, ranging from colds and flu to cancer.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to contribute
to the development of diabetes and obesity. Lack of sufficient shut-eye not only interferes with the body's ability to regulate
blood sugar, it also lowers blood levels of leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in appetite control.
As you might
suspect, the most immediate and noticeable effects of sleep deprivation are daytime drowsiness and fatigue. If you manage
to stay awake, you're likely to suffer from impaired memory and concentration, not to mention irritability.
While
many Americans rely on a midday dose of caffeine to boost sagging energy levels, this strategy often backfires. Drinking coffee
and colas during the day can lead to insomnia and poor-quality sleep at night, worsening the problem of sleep deprivation.
Nodding off unexpectedly can cause problems, but a planned power nap is a great way to make up for lost sleep. Swedish
researchers studying the effects of napping on daytime alertness measured the performance of volunteers in three situations:
after a full night's sleep, after four hours of sleep and a short nap, and after four hours of sleep with no nap.
The
subjects who slept four hours with no nap scored the lowest on tests of alertness, while those who slept four hours and then
napped scored just as well as those who got a full night's sleep. Mood, memory, and reaction time also improved after a short
daytime doze.
The best time for a siesta is early or mid-afternoon, when energy levels naturally wane. If you want
to avoid feeling groggy and sluggish after awakening, you should limit your downtime to 30 minutes or less.
When you
nap for less than a half hour, you don't have a chance to plunge into a deep sleep. As a result, you'll snooze lightly and
wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
The next time you feel your eyelids drooping, you might want to consider
taking a short siesta. Spending just a few minutes of your day in slumber could add a few extra years to your life.
How best to lose weight and keep it off is a
national obsession. Of the many weight-loss programs available, the Atkins diet is the most controversial. On the surface,
this approach to dieting seems like nothing short of lunacy. Everything we have learned over the past 50 years is thrown out
the window.
Dr. Robert Atkins believed that the best and healthiest way to lose weight is to become a true carnivore.
Eat steak, bacon and as much fat as you want, but at all costs, avoid carbohydrates. No rolls, pasta, rice or potatoes. Even
fruit is strictly limited. And the diet does work. Pounds melt off and surprisingly, despite the high fat, total and bad or
LDL cholesterol falls, metabolism improves and risk of diabetes decreases -- truly incredible and to the skeptics (that includes
me), too good to be true.
Those who oppose the Atkins diet raise serious questions about the long-term effects of
a high-fat diet that may increase the risk of breast, colon and prostate cancers, heart attacks, strokes and even Alzheimer's
disease. The proponents of the diet argue that limiting carbohydrates significantly reduces total calorie intake, improves
the ability of insulin to function and lowers blood pressure; they suggest that the Atkins diet may, over time, prevent rather
than cause heart disease.
The antithesis of the Atkins diet is one developed by Dr. Dean Ornish, whose vegetarian
diet is rich in fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. Fat intake is kept at a minimum. In combination with lifestyle
changes, rigorous study indicates that this weight-loss program promotes a longer life and decreases risk of heart attacks
in healthy people and in those with severe coronary artery disease.
Somewhere between Ornish and Atkins is the Zone
diet, based on the principle that excess insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar, leads to increased appetite and preferential
formation of fat at the expense of muscle. To assure that insulin levels are in the ideal "zone," every meal must be balanced
and the proportion of total calories as carbohydrates, fat and protein are strictly controlled. Staying on the Zone diet and
preparing your own meals is virtually impossible. Realistically, the only way to participate in the Zone is to purchase prepared
meals -- a billion-dollar industry. Although less well studied, there is general consensus that this diet is as good as any
other.
So which diet is best? To answer this question, the National Institutes of Health funded a study that, in an
unbiased way, compared the effectiveness of the Atkins, Ornish and Zone approaches to weight loss in more than 300 overweight
premenopausal women. They also compared these diets to one felt to be ideal by most clinical nutritionists. This weight-loss
program is called LEARN (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships and Nutrition) and consists of a diet low in fat, high
in carbohydrates and based on national guidelines for nutrient intake. A key component is intensive counseling to assure adequate
exercise and stress reduction. It's a total makeover that emphasizes lifestyle changes as much as it does dieting.
The
results of this study, just published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association, are unambiguous. Weight
loss occurred most rapidly in the women on the Atkins diet. After one year those on the Atkins diet had lost the most weight,
on the average five pounds more than the other diets. Blood pressure was lower, as was the cholesterol level.
So what
can we conclude from this study? If you want to lose weight rapidly, the Atkins diet is for you and at one year you will likely
be thinner than if you were on one of the other diets. However, the study tells us nothing about the long-term effects of
a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. We do know that it is virtually impossible to stay on this diet indefinitely. Eventually
you will be eating too much fat and too much carbohydrate -- a prescription for disaster.
Quick fixes over one month
or one year are never the solution. The best diet is still the don't-diet diet. Only through total lifestyle changes will
a healthier and happier life be guaranteed. Diets don't work; they never have and never will.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (UPI) -- Couples with a strong
marriage are better equipped to handle a fussy or difficult baby, according to a study by Ohio State University.
The
study, published in the journal Infant Behavior & Development, found that a couple's relationship with each other was
key in determining how they reacted as parents when faced with a temperamental baby.
"When couples with a supportive
marital relationship have a difficult baby, they tend to rise to the challenge," study co-author Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan said
in a statement. "Couples who don't have a strong relationship with each other are more likely to undermine each other and
get into conflicts when they have to deal with a particularly challenging baby."
There have been studies examining
how mothers deal with difficult babies, but this study focused on how mothers and fathers work together as parents -- what
researchers call the "coparenting relationship."
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Children screened
for superbugs in ICU
BALTIMORE (UPI) -- Johns Hopkins Hospital physicians
are screening every child admitted to its pediatric intensive care unit for the two most common hospital superbugs.
The
more stringent admission screening methods for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and vancomycin-resistant
Enterococcus, or VRE, go well beyond standard hospital practices.
The new practice was introduced March 1 after a
Johns Hopkins study showed that more frequent screening detected many more carriers of the germs before their presence led
to infection or the germs spread to others.
The findings are being presented at the annual meeting of the Society
of Health Care Epidemiology of America in Baltimore.
Patients found to be infected or to be a carrier are placed in
isolation. Wound care is done only in designated, confined treatment spaces and hospital staff must take special precautions
between treatments, such as cleaning equipment and furniture with strong disinfectants and wearing disposable gloves, masks
and gowns.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Study: Aspirin
linked to less cancer
LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- Women who regularly use
aspirin developed fewer cancers than women who did not, according to a study by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Regular
aspirin use was associated with lower cancer incidence and cancer mortality, but non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drug use was not, according to findings presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research
in Los Angeles.
Among 22,507 cancer-free postmenopausal women who participated in the Iowa Women's Health Study and
provided information on aspirin and NSAID use, those who said they regularly used aspirin had a 16-percent reduced risk of
developing cancer more than a decade later.
In addition, they had a 13-percent reduced risk of dying from cancer over
this same time period, compared with women who did not use aspirin, according to lead author Dr. Aditya Bardia.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Public thinks
homecare aides are trained
NEW YORK (UPI) -- There are no U.S. training
requirements for professional homecare aids, but a survey found most people who hired aides believed they have some training.
The survey, conducted for The Caregiving Project for Older Americans by Harris Interactive, of adults who have used
or paid for an in-home caregiver for someone age 65 or older found 78 percent stated that in their opinion their caregiver
had formal training, 14 percent did not know if they had received training and 8 percent believed their caregiver received
no training.
Out of 1,030 adults, 8 percent of respondents reported that they have used and/or paid for the services
of a paid in-home caregiver for someone age 65 or older in the last 12 months. Among those who have used or paid for an in-home
caregiver, 44 percent were paying out-of-pocket for at least some of the costs.
"With the increase of life expectancy
-- 77.9 in the United States -- large numbers of older adults are living with increased chronic disease, frailty and dementia,"
Dr. Robert Butler, co-director of The Caregiving Project for Older Americans, said in a statement. "In-home caregivers need
special training to care for the complex issues."
MARSHFIELD, Wis. (UPI) -- The caloric content
of newspaper dessert recipes was significantly associated with obesity in large U.S. metropolitan cities, a study found.
Researchers
at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, in Marshfield, Wis., studied 64 entree and 38 dessert recipes published in major
newspapers serving cities with populations of 400,000 or more.
The study, published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal,
found no association between the entree recipes and obesity; however, the calorie-dense dessert recipes printed in major newspapers
across the country may be contributing to obesity in large cities.
"While these data cannot be interpreted as causal,
they are intriguing and suggest that newspapers may play a greater role in promoting or preventing obesity than previously
recognized," Catherine McCarty, of the Center for Human Genetics, Marshfield Clinic, said in a statement.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
'Nightowls' likely
to have troubled sleep
PALO ALTO, Calif. (UPI) -- People who prefer
to stay awake at night and sleep during the day have more troubled sleep than those with traditional sleeping habits, a U.S.
study says.
The study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine says people with insomnia who prefer to be active
at night reported more irregularities and distress in their sleeping patterns than sleepers who keep more regular hours.
Because
the day-sleepers often spend more time sleeping than those who sleep at night, the study shows the time of sleep is often
more critical than the amount of it.
"Our findings indicate further research should investigate the relationship between
(daily) rhythms and insomnia, especially with the severity of the 'night owl' group," study author Jason Ong of Stanford University
said in a statement.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Male sleep affected
by drinking
MADISON, Wis. (UPI) -- A U.S. study finds men
who drink alcohol on a regular basis are more likely to have a sleep-related breathing disorder than women with similar drinking
habits.
The study in this month's issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine looked at the drinking and sleeping
habits of 775 men and 645 women. It found for every alcoholic drink men have per day, they are 25 percent more likely to have
a harder time breathing during sleep than women who drink moderately.
Although study author Paul Peppard of the University
of Wisconsin suggested the study might not have recorded an accurate sample of women who routinely drink, he agreed with its
key findings.
Women are more resistant than men to threats against a good night's sleep after drinking, Peppard said
in a statement, and female hormones may play a role in their immunity to the disorder.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Juries more often
sympathize with doctors
COLUMBIA, Mo. (UPI) -- It's a common belief
that juries frequently side with patients in lawsuits involving medical malpractice, but a study finds that's not true.
Philip
Peters, of University of Missouri-Columbia's School of Law, found contrary to popular belief, juries sympathize more often
with doctors and less with their patients.
The findings, published in the May edition of the Michigan Law Review,
was made following an extensive review of studies examining medical malpractice cases from 1989 to 2006.
The study
found negligence matters and plaintiffs rarely win weak cases, but plaintiffs have more success in toss-up cases and have
better outcomes in cases with strong evidence of medical negligence. Juries have the ability to recognize weak cases and agree
with independent legal experts 80 percent to 90 percent of the time regarding such cases and doctors are victorious in 50
percent of the cases that independent legal experts expected plaintiffs to win.
"When the jury is in doubt after hearing
the conflicting experts, the benefit of that doubt usually goes to the defendant -- (the doctor)," Peters said in a statement.
DUBLIN, Ireland (UPI) -- A workplace smoking
ban in Ireland resulted in an 83 percent reduction in air pollution in bars, found a study of 42 Dublin pubs.
The
Research Institute for a Tobacco Free Society in Dublin
also found an 80 percent decrease in airborne carcinogens
for patrons and staff, and an improvement in the respiratory health of bar workers, according to the study published in the
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Participants were tested prior to the March 29, 2004,
Irish national smoking ban, and compared to results one-year later.
Dr. Luke Clancy, director of the Research Institute
for a Tobacco Free Society in Dublin, also found the post-ban tests demonstrated an 83 percent reduction in tiny particulate
matter in bar air.
"These results confirm that the approach of a total ban on smoking in the workplace is successful
in reducing the exposure of workers to particles," Clancy said in a statement. "We have previously shown that a reduction
of particle levels in ambient air resulted in marked health benefits in terms of respiratory and cardiovascular mortality."
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
U.S. adults know
little about Alzheimer's
NEW YORK (UPI) -- A poll finds that while more
than half of U.S. adults know someone with Alzheimer's, 90 percent say they don't know much about the disease.
More
than 5 million U.S. adults have Alzheimer's disease and someone new is added to those ranks every 72 seconds, according to
the Alzheimer's Association.
"It's this lack of understanding that has fueled complacency," said actress Kate Burton,
whose parents were stage and film actor Richard Burton and actress Sybil Williams Christopher.
"Shows like 'Grey's
Anatomy' and the character I played -- Ellis Grey -- have slowly awakened our senses to what individuals with the disease
and their families have to endure. The reality is, Alzheimer's can strike as young as age 30 and it's a slow, debilitating,
fatal disease. This new exhibit and campaign will hopefully open people's eyes to the reality of this horrible disease."
Dozens
of celebrities are lending a hand to educate the public on the facts of Alzheimer's disease and dispel the misperception that
Alzheimer's disease is just about old people losing their memory; those suffering from Alzheimer's disease will lose the ability
to form thoughts, remember simple words and ultimately communicate. Copyright
2007 by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Exhaled breaths
may be used to detect cancer
ALBANY, N.Y. (UPI) -- Exhaled breaths might
indicate whether or not a patient is at risk for lung cancer, according to researchers at the New York state department of
health.
"Early detection of lung cancer is vital, yet there is no current non-invasive means of identifying cancer
in a clinical setting," said Dr. Simon Spivack, of the New York State Wadsworth Center in Albany. "We have found that exhaled
breath contains DNA, we believe from the cells lining the lungs, which may then tell us whether that person is at risk for
cancer."
Spivack and his colleagues told the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in
Los Angeles that the large molecule DNA could also be recovered, albeit in trace amounts, in exhaled breath condensate.
Such
noninvasive tests could benefit particularly underserved populations, such as the poor, who often wait until symptoms appear
before seeing a doctor, according to Spivack. Copyright 2007
by United Press International
Printer Friendly Version | Send this story to a friend | Back to Top
Cured meats may
hurt lung function
NEW YORK (UPI) -- Cured meats eaten frequently
can lead to decreased lung function and potential chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, says a U.S. study.
The study,
published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, consisted of 7,352 individuals with an average
age of 64.5 years with 48 percent male.
Dr. Rui Jiang, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and three
associates showed that the "odds ratio" for developing COPD among individuals who consumed cured meat products 14 times or
more per month was 1.93, as compared with those who did not consume cured meats. An odds ratio greater than 1 implies that
the event is more likely to occur within that group, explains Jiang.
"Cured meats, such as bacon, sausage, luncheon
meats and cured hams, are high in nitrites, which are added to meat products as a preservative, an anti-microbial agent, and
a color fixative," Jiang said in a statement. "Nitrates generate reactive nitrogen species that may cause damage to the lungs,
producing structural changes resembling emphysema."
For years, I have consistently spread the message that it is possible
to be overweight and healthy. "Pleasantly plump" is my favorite phrase -- a catch-all description I use to illustrate that,
depending on your height and body frame, being 10 to 20 pounds overweight is simply not that bad. Slightly chubbier people
live longer and are happier, more financially successful and more philanthropic. The key to a longer and happier life lies
in focusing less on weight and more on a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, many of my patients and readers have misunderstood
this philosophy, using it to justify that extra hamburger or late-night snack. Being a couch potato who eats poorly and never
sees the doctor is a prescription for ill health, irrespective of weight.
Recently, scientists have challenged the
notion that being slightly overweight has little effect on one's health. Using sophisticated statistics that exclude other
variables affecting longevity, these researchers show that being a few pounds overweight is deleterious to your health. So,
if you exercise, eat right, have normal cholesterol, control blood pressure and don't smoke, then your weight affects longevity.
Unfortunately, this can be a little misleading. The person who fits into all the categories for healthy behavior likely maintains
an ideal weight. When compared to other factors affecting life span, weight is the least important. It is far better to be
an overweight nonsmoker who eats right, exercises, has regular medical checkups and is stress-free than someone who is thin
and sedentary with poor health habits.
Even if being somewhat overweight is unimportant, the fact that Americans are
getting progressively fatter is a serious concern. Today, the average American is overweight, and people who maintain their
"ideal size" are a minority. It is not weight that is the harbinger of poor health, but rather that most overweight Americans
do not pay attention to their health. This is causing an epidemic of diabetes, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.
To tackle this serious threat we must pay attention to every aspect of lifestyle affecting health. Moreover, there are a number
of medical conditions where weight loss is essential. The key is to know when and how to lose weight.
Individuals
who are frankly obese must lose weight, preferably under medical supervision by a team of experts who understand how to lose
weight and keep it off. Not only will they provide the ideal diet, but they will also pay attention to appropriate lifestyle
changes. For some individuals who are 100 or more pounds overweight, bariatric surgery to reduce the stomach size can prove
lifesaving.
Weight gain can also lead to diabetes. Currently, more than 25 percent of the population is at risk of
developing diabetes. Here, being overweight leads to a condition called insulin resistance, where the ability of the body
to produce insulin is inadequate to maintain a normal blood sugar. Patients may present with frank diabetes or be diagnosed
by finding an excessively high fasting blood sugar or an inability of the body to adequately clear glucose from the blood.
While not every overweight person is susceptible to developing diabetes, those who are must lose weight. Ideally,
they should work with a qualified dietitian who will develop an appropriate diet to lose weight and control blood sugar. Through
diet, some individuals can avoid the need for medications to treat diabetes, returning the blood sugar to normal and preventing
the ravages of diabetes, which include an increased risk of heart attacks and heart failure, kidney disease, damage to the
nervous system and severe damage to the lower limbs that can lead to amputation.
Appropriate dieting has also been
shown to be of value in reducing high blood pressure, relieving back, hip and knee pain caused by osteoarthritis and improving
breathing disorders caused by sleep apnea or other chronic lung disease.
There are only a few medical conditions where
dieting to cause weight loss is critically important to your health. And if you are over 70, attempting to lose weight can
cause more harm than good. Remember, it is all about adopting a healthy and happy lifestyle that has the potential to prolong
life and reduce disease risk, and perhaps leads to an appropriate and safe amount of weight loss.
You have
visited my page for: |
|
seconds! |
|