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Yoga: a useful tool for fighting cancer

Posted by Jeff adams - Monday, October 18, 2010

In current years, I have found yoga to be a source of health, inspiration and peace. I began practicing, not to get in better shape, but because my doctor told me meditation might be helpful to my health. Even though I am unable to sit still for longer than a few minutes at a time, the practice of yoga is part physical and part meditative. As a result, it provided me with the perfect grouping of healing and stress relief.

I was therefore not surprised to learn that current studies have found cancer survivors who participated in a regular program of yoga recovered more easily, both physically and emotionally than those who did not.

The American Yoga Association (AYA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing yoga education, explain that yoga practices are based upon exercise, breathing and meditation which help the body heal from physical and emotional stressors.

"Regular every day practice of all three parts of this structure of Yoga produce a clear, bright mind and a strong, capable body," the American Yoga Association stated.

In honor of breast cancer awareness week, I researched a number of studies focusing particularly on breast cancer survivors and yoga. Participants practiced restorative yoga poses on a weekly basis.

Restorative poses are gentle stretches that use blankets and pillows to prop the practitioner comfortably for a few minutes or extra. Other studies combined restorative yoga poses with gentle hatha yoga poses.

Women who participated in the yoga program routinely felt improvement in sleep, fatigue and emotional well being. Those who did not participate in yoga felt no significant improvement.

Local yoga instructor Audrey Brigliadoro would agree that yoga is extremely beneficial for anyone – especially those recovering from cancer.

However, she also stresses that low key classes are important – becoming overheated may not be beneficial, especially if you are still battling cancer, she warned.

"Yoga recharges the healing process," Brigliadoro said. "It removes stress and it just gives people a chance to go in and do inner body healing."

Brigliadoro also believes that Ujjayi breathing, a popular yogic exercise, creates vibration in the body which can help build bone density lost during chemotherapy. Gongs or singing bowls, traditionally struck at the end of a class, can also help build bone density, she said.

There are many programs and classes available for cancer patients and survivors who are interested in improving energy levels, sleep and quality of life. For example, the University of Rochester runs a program called YOCAS, "Yoga for Cancer Survivors."

For those who would rather practice at home, "Library Journal" reviewed two videos: "Gentle Yoga for Breast Cancer Survivors," And "Yoga and the Gentle Art of Healing." The review states that both videos are geared specifically to breast cancer survivors.

Yoga May Combat Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Posted by Jeff adams - Friday, October 15, 2010

Yoga that includes gentle stretches and meditation may help alleviate the symptoms of fibromyalgia, a small study finds.

Twenty-five women diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, were enrolled in a two-hour yoga class that met once a week for eight weeks. Another group of 28 women diagnosed with the condition were put on a waiting list and told to continue their normal routine for dealing with fibromyalgia.

After eight weeks, the yoga group reported improvements in both physical and psychological aspects of fibromyalgia, including decreased pain, fatigue, tenderness, anxiety and better sleep and mood.

"The women were somewhat apprehensive when we started, but once they got into the rhythm of it they found it to be very helpful," said lead study author James Carson, a clinical psychologist and pain specialist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. "They came back after the first week reporting less pain, better sleep and feeling encouraged for the first time in years. That type of change continued to build over the course of the program."

At the end of the study, about 4.5 percent in the yoga group reported being "very much better," 9.1 percent said they were "much better," 77 percent were "a little better" while 4.5 percent reported no change. In comparison, no one in the the control group reported that they were "very much better" or "much better," 19.2 percent reported being "a little better," and 38.5 percent reported "no change."

Average pain scores dropped from a 5 to a 4 on a 10-point scale, although there was no improvement in the overall "tender point" score.

The study was limited by its small sample, absence of follow-up and over-reliance on self-reported data, the researchers noted.

The study, published online Oct. 14, is in the November print issue of the journal Pain.

No cure exists for fibromyalgia, which is characterized by multiple tender points, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and memory and concentration problems. Some 11 to 15 million Americans have the debilitating condition, about 80 to 90 percent of them women, according to background information in the article.

Fibromyalgia can be very difficult to treat, with many patients reporting little relief from medications, said Dr. Bruce Solitar, a clinical associate professor of medicine in the division or rheumatology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

Yoga is probably worth trying, Solitar said. But he noted that patients in the study were in a yoga class specially tailored to their needs and said the class at a local yoga studio might be too intense.

The yoga sessions evaluated in the study included 40 minutes of gentle stretching and poses, 25 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes of breathing techniques, a 20-minute lesson on applying yoga principals to daily life and coping with fibromyalgia and 25 minutes of group discussion. Participants were also encouraged to practice at home with a DVD on most days.

Though it's unknown how much of the positive effect shown in the study is the "placebo" effect of doing something that feels empowering vs. something special about the yoga and meditation itself, that may be beside the point if people feel better, Solitar said.

Walking Can Protect Your Brain

Posted by Jeff adams - Thursday, October 14, 2010

A study of 300 volunteers over a 13 year period has found that those who walk most often could actually be defending themselves against a host of memory problems, including dementia and Alzheimer‘s.

Walking may actually protect the brain from shrinking and preserve memory in elderly people, said neurologists who were involved in the research.

The US study performed neurological tests on dementia-free people in Pittsburgh who agreed to log their walks and receive brain monitoring in 1995. The participants received more testing nine years later, and then again in 2008.

The follow-up tests showed that those who walked the most cut their risk of developing memory problems by half.

The neurologists suggest that the optimum distance for a good “neurological exercise” is about 9 miles per week. They reported in the journal Neurology that going the extra mile after that showed no discernible bonus.

The first round of scans showed that nine-mile walkers had larger brains than those who walked less.

After four years, about 40 percent of the participants -- 116 people -- had developed some dementia or cognitive impairment. The effects were 50 percent greater on those who only walked short distances or not at all.

Leader of the study, Dr Kirk Erickson, of the University of Pittsburgh, said: “Our results should encourage well-designed trials of physical exercise in older adults as a promising approach for preventing dementia and Alzheimer's disease.”

Brain size normally shrinks in late adulthood, and can lead to memory problems. “But if regular exercise in midlife could improve brain health, thinking and memory in later life, it would be one more reason to make regular exercise in people of all ages a public health imperative,” said Erickson.

Landmark clinical trial for stem cell therapy

Posted by Jeff adams - Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The world's first clinical trial for stem cell therapy began on Monday. The trial is still in its very early stages - only 10 people who have suffered recent spinal cord injuries will be enrolled - but it's still a landmark event.

The world will be watching the results of those trials at as many as seven centers around the country.

In at least one sense, the trial is already a victory. The political controversy around stem cells resulted in funding delays for scientific research, and many scientists were afraid that other countries would beat the United States to the trial stage.

Instead, a local company - Geron Corp. of Menlo Park - is running the trial, with American patients and within American borders. It's an encouraging sign, and it means there's a good chance that the industry will continue to grow here. It's also a rebuke to those who would happily block science - including the federal judge who ruled in September that federal funding for stem cell research was illegal.

The trial is also a positive breakthrough in that it shows that the promise of stem cells is indeed within our reach. We don't know yet whether the trial will be successful, but at least we know that all of the money that's been invested so far into basic research will soon have positive manifestations.

That includes the $3 billion that California voters invested in the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Though that institute isn't responsible for this trial - a spokesperson told us that the research was begun before California voters passed Prop. 71 - it's a funder of the trial team's research. We look forward to more trials, and more discoveries, very soon.

Hormone replacement increases kidney stone risk

Posted by Jeff adams - Tuesday, October 12, 2010

"It doesn't mean that women should stop taking hormone therapy based on this fact, but it does need to be taken into account when deciding to take the hormones or not," Dr. Naim M. Maalouf of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, one of the study's authors, told Reuters Health.

From 5 to 7 percent of postmenopausal women in the U.S. suffer from kidney stones, Maalouf and his colleagues note in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Kidney stones aren't just extremely painful when they are passed out of the bladder; "people who have kidney stones over time tend to have more kidney damage," Maalouf said.

Studies to date of the relationship between hormone therapy and kidney stones have had mixed results. To investigate, Maalouf and his colleagues reviewed data from the Women's Health Initiative, the largest-ever randomized controlled trial of hormone therapy for postmenopausal women.

Their analysis included 10,700 postmenopausal women who had undergone hysterectomy and were randomly assigned to take estrogen or placebo, and another 16,600 who hadn't had hysterectomies and were put on either estrogen and progestin or placebo. Women in the first group were followed for nearly six years, while the women in the second group were followed for seven years.

Women on estrogen or the estrogen-progestin combination were 21 percent more likely to develop kidney stones during the follow-up period, the researchers found. When the researchers limited their analysis to women who didn't quit taking their medication during the study period, kidney stone risk was 39 percent greater with the hormones.

Given a woman's baseline risk for developing kidney stones of 7 percent, the study's results mean that a postmenopausal woman's risk rises when taking hormone therapy to between 8.5 percent and 10 percent.

The process by which kidney stones form is "complex," the researchers note, and has both environmental and genetic roots; there are also several points in this process that could be affected by estrogen, they add.

White women are at greater risk of developing kidney stones than women from other ethnicities, Maalouf noted, while obesity has also been associated with an increased tendency to form kidney stones. Drinking plenty of fluids can help prevent kidney stones, while eating too much salt or too much protein can make them more likely to develop, he added.

Can fitness devices help one achieve his health goal?

Posted by Jeff adams - Monday, October 11, 2010

IF YOU’RE thinking of buying fitness
devices which promise to burn calories and give a toned body, read first the following information.

Slender bottom toner

The claim: The machine can tone and strengthen one’s muscles even without exercising. Just attach the electrodes to your triceps, biceps, buttocks and thighs and the electrodes will help your muscles to contract without moving the body and lifting weights.

The truth: A study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) compares the use of Slender Bottom Toner for 30 minutes, five times per week for six weeks versus three sets of 10 quadruped hip extensions with each leg for six minutes per day, five days a week in six weeks. Study shows that using the machine was as effective as doing the quadruped extension exercise, though there were no significant changes in the subjects’ weight and hip circumference.

The verdict: Will you spend P10,000 for a machine that will strengthen your buttocks or do a six-minute hip extension exercise five days a week anytime, anywhere? This type of machine is used for rehabilitation, to delay atrophy of patients suffering from neuromuscular condition. The result of the study shows one can achieve more with exercise given the same amount of time that one uses a muscle stimulator machine. If you do a 15-minute body weight resistance exercise plus 15 minutes of cardio exercise, you will improve not only your muscular strength and endurance, but burn more calories as well.

Vibration plate machines

The claim: The latest vibration machines can give you an hour of workout just by using it 15 minutes a day. The machine’s oscillating vibrations will work your muscles since it causes a rapid muscle contraction of 30-50 times per second.

The truth: A 2009 study presented at the European Congress on Obesity shows that the use of a vibration plate machine can help overweight and obese people trim significant amounts of abdominal
fat when combined with a calorie-restricted diet.

The study compared four groups for six months. One of the groups did dieting
only. The exercise group did three 60-minute exercises per week, consisting of cycling, running, swimming and strengthening exercises, plus diet.

The vibration and diet groups did an average of 11.9 minutes (30 seconds for each of the 10 exercises) on the vibrating plate machine while doing lunges, calf raises and push-ups in the first three months and progressed to 14.2 (60 seconds for each of the 22 exercises) minutes during the last three months. Results show that the machine can be an alternative for strength training workout but not for an aerobic exercise.

The verdict: This machine, called the “lazy person’s workout,” can cost you almost P75,000. Will you spend that much to say goodbye to a traditional weight training workout? Studies show that it can shorten your 45-60 minute strength training workout to 15 minutes.

There’s no harm in trying new fitness technology, as long as you don’t abandon your complete fitness routine consisting of aerobic exercises like jogging or cycling and flexibility exercise. Any type of physical activity will help you achieve your fitness goals provided you’re consistent with a healthy eating and active lifestyle. Real and lasting results will never be achieved by shortcuts.

Yoga Exercise For Computer Users: Frees Lower Back Pain

Posted by Jeff adams - Friday, October 08, 2010

Twenty percent of all those who go through surgical treatment for lower back ache may get no relief. The rest of the 80 % will have problems ranging from mild to severe. Almost all will have trouble with spinal flexion.

Yoga does not provide cures. It promises that when you faithfully train these asanas every day, gone will be the discomfort and you’ll build up a powerful and flexible backbone, restructuring posture and entire body image. When you have back problems you ought to stay conscious through the day time of the method that you stand, sit and lay down. Here are some rules:

Always sleep on a firm (not necessarily hard) mattress, using a flat pillow under your head and a heavier one below your knees. This will help the spine to reposition and modify itself.

Do not wear high heel pumps as this encourages lumbar lordosis and throws the spine out of equilibrium.

Don’t go in for break-dancing, intense aerobics, jogging, running or anything where you have to bounce or jiggle. Protected activity is the vital thing here.

With regard to low back pain, sitting down is the most painful. Sit on a firm seat, not squashy cushions, and sit on your buttock bones. Don’t loll back again on the tailbone or lower spine. Wedge a rolled towel or small cushion behind your back to make you stay upright. Sit as often as you possibly can in The actual Diamond Posture (Figure 1) so as to benefit the sciatic nerve and also to cure a convex or possibly a lateral curve of the backbone.

If the pain is acute and you can neither sit nor stand in comfort, rest in bed, take whatever anti-inflammatory or analgesic medicines your physician prescribes, and wait until the pain is more gentle before starting on these postures.

All these asanas have healing and curative qualities. They’ll act as a form of mild traction force, lightly extending the spinal muscles in safe extension postures. Durability will be slowly built up in the paraspinal muscle tissue and buttocks, belly organs will become well toned and strengthened, and stress points all along the spinal column will be stimulated. Practice each asana so much that mild ache is felt.

Using Diet and Exercise to Control Body Fat

Posted by Jeff adams - Thursday, October 07, 2010

The food we eat provides the building blocks required for cellular construction as well as all metabolic and chemical reactions which our body performs to function in good health. In the same fashion, our diet and level of physical activity directly influence our hormones that determine if fat is stored or burned as fuel. Medical researchers now understand that where fat is stored in the body can determine risk of disease and how we can alter our diet to promote natural weight loss.

Fat Placement is a Risk Factor

Until recently, medical science has viewed our white fat cells as nothing more than an inert storage facility for extra calories. Research has debunked that theory by demonstrating that our fat is a viable organ within our body which is metabolically active, secreting and reacting to chemical messengers which influence our health and weight loss abilities.

The results of a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show that the risk of metabolic disorder is heightened when fat is stored in the abdomen and significantly lowered when fat grows on the thighs or lower parts of the body.

Interestingly the study authors found that abdominal fat grows by increasing the size of existing fat cells whereas fat cells multiply in number on the thighs and lower body. Abdominal fat is more dangerous to your health because the cells are stretched beyond their normal capacity, leading to metabolic dysfunction.

Using Food Balance to Control Fat Placement
Fortunately we can control where fat is placed on the body in several ways. The food we eat has a significant impact on fat storage and metabolism as we can choose both the quantity of food eaten as well as the nutritional composition of our diet. A diet high in refined carbohydrates which quickly break down into glucose and raise blood sugar causes excessive triglycerides in the blood. These blood fats must be cleared quickly after each meal and are converted to fat for storage on the belly.

Gentle yoga classes exercise body and spirit

Posted by Jeff adams - Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Now that two Holy Family Church parishioners have found their calling, it sometimes leads them to unusual teaching positions — like tree pose. Anne Marie Evered and Sandy DeMoy alternate leading gentle yoga sessions two times a week in the home of parishioner Mariloris Oliverio. These classes are open to anyone who wants to stretch his or her health regimen.

“It’s God’s body, and if you don’t take care of your body, you can’t serve,” said DeMoy, sister of Holy Family’s pastor, Father Bob Barricks.

Performed using chairs and other props, the exercises are good for the physical well-being of everyone, but in particular folks recuperating from illness or injury, said the teachers.

Agnes Petrusich has been coming to the classes for 11 years, ever since DeMoy initiated the sessions to help her mother who was recovering from a broken pelvis. What started with DeMoy and her mother in an upstairs room of the Holy Family rectory has evolved into twice weekly classes that often fill the finished basement of Oliverio’s home.

The balance and strength Petrusich has gained from the classes helped her through her own health emergencies: a broken pelvis, and several months ago, a stroke.

Choose the best weight loss program for you, urge health experts

Posted by Jeff adams - Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Health experts promote the right weight loss program for people who want to lose pounds.

Recent studies revealed that not all weight loss programs could be helpful to everyone. The individual must know the details of the program he wants to do. He must also know which would work best for him. It is not a guarantee that if a program worked for a friend, it will work for other person too.

Good body figure is indeed a dream for many people now. Staying in shape is one of the factors that can help people gain extra confidence and boost self-esteem. Even the technology today is very much concerned about removing the unwanted fats in the body.

Nevertheless, it is important that losing weight should not be centered in body shape alone but also in fitness and physical health. The proper way to achieve weight loss is having proper diet and exercise. Taking the short way by using pills and the power of technology is sometimes effective but this will not give the same fitness that proper diet and exercise can offer.

In addition, the use of shortcut methods will only be redundant in process, remember that weight losers need to consider weight loss maintenance. Losing weight does not need to be expensive as long as the person has the determination and dedication to achieve his goal.

Heart-healthy diet doesn't have to be costly

Posted by Jeff adams - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

"Increased spending on nuts, soy and beans, and whole grains, and less spending on red and processed meats and high-fat dairy, may be the bestinvestment for dietary health," Dr. Adam M. Bernstein and colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and colleagues conclude.

The trick, according to the researchers, is to spend more on plant-based foods.

Several studies suggest that living on junk food can be cheaper than eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, the researchers note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Research from the UK, France, Spain, and the Netherlands has also found that eating a healthy diet costs more. However, there is some evidence that "healthy diets can be obtained at different levels of spending," the authors write.

To compare the relationship between food spending and diet healthfulness, the team assessed diet and spending data for 78,191 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. They rated the women's eating habits and multivitamin intake according to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), a tool they developed, with points awarded for consuming healthier items.

Those with the healthiest diets, whose average AHEI score was 59, spent about $4.60 per day on food, compared to about $3.70 per day for the women with the least healthy diets, who had an average AHEI score of 30.

For a healthy brain, work it out -- and challenge it mentally and physically

Posted by Jeff adams - Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"They all gobble?" said a 67-year-old man, grinning.

Welcome to The Brain Fitness Club. It's a window into a growing population in America: adults who are beginning to forget names, telephone numbers and how to drive home, but are aware enough to do something about it whether that's playing word-association games or bowling on a Nintendo Wii.

While there's no magic pill for dementia, or even "senior moments," scientists are converging on what makes a brain-healthy lifestyle. And it looks a lot like the Winter Park class and the dozen other brain clubs that have popped up in Central Florida.

"There's no universal prescription that will solve everyone's brain problems," said Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains, a brain-fitness think tank. "But the good news is, there is a lot we can do."

Good for your body? Good for your brain

Not too long ago, scientists believed we all start with roughly 3 trillion brain cells that, through careless decisions such as drinking alcohol and playing tackle football, we gradually kill off. Once a brain cell was lost, the brain was one man down, forever.

That's a myth, we now know.

The brain is a tangled web of cells that is constantly rewiring itself, like acrobats unlinking arms and swapping partners. The brain can grow new cells to link into its intricate network, tossing a new gymnast into the act.

Health care costs to rise 12.4 percent in Chicago

Posted by Jeff adams - Monday, September 27, 2010

Chicago workers can expect to pay 12.4 percent more in health insurance premiums and out of pocket costs next year, according to a report from Lincolnshire-based Hewitt Associates.

The average employee cost, including premiums and out-of-pocket costs such as co-pays and co-insurance, will rise to $4,520 from $4,022 last year, the company said. That includes $2,286 in premiums and $2,234 for out-of-pocket costs.

For Chicago employers, the average cost per worker will rise 8.7 percent to $9,791, including employee contributions to premiums. That’s the highest increase since a 9.7 percent rise in 2006. Nationally, costs are expected to rise 8.8 percent next year.

Among factors driving the higher costs, employers are seeing an increase in the amount of charges and frequency of catastrophic claims as slower hiring has left employers with older workforces more prone to costly medical conditions, the human resources consulting and outsourcing company said.

Hewitt also estimates that health care reform requirements that dependents be covered to age 26 and the elimination of certain lifetime and annual limits contributed 1 percent to 2 percent of the increase. Most of the positive effects of the reform law won’t be felt for a few years, according to Ken Sperling, Hewitt’s health care practice leader.

Employers are responding to rising costs with plans to continue passing more of those costs along to workers over the next three to five years. Workers may see employers shifting plan designs from fixed dollar co-payments to co-insurance models, where employees pay a percentage of the out-of-pocket costs for each health care service, Hewitt said. Workers may also see higher deductibles, out-of-pocket-limits and cost sharing for use of non-network providers, Hewitt said.

A fatter future: 3 of 4 Americans to be overweight by 2020, new report warns of health costs

Posted by Jeff adams - Friday, September 24, 2010

Citizens of the world's richest countries are getting fatter and fatter and the United States is leading the charge, an organization of leading economies said Thursday in its first ever obesity forecast.

Three out of four Americans will be overweight or obese by 2020, and disease rates and health care spending will balloon, unless governments, individuals and industry cooperate on a comprehensive strategy to combat the epidemic, the study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said.

The Paris-based organization, which brings together 33 of the world's leading economies, is better known for forecasting deficit and employment levels than for measuring waistlines. But the economic cost of excess weight — in health care, and in lives cut short and resources wasted — is a growing concern for many governments.

Milk does a body good

Posted by Jeff adams - Thursday, September 23, 2010

Got milk?
A new study from Israeli researchers found that dieters who drink a lot of milk lost more weight than people who consumed little to no calcium regardless of the rest of their diet.

Participants lost about 12 pounds at the end of the two-year study. Those who drank the least amount of milk and milk products lost about seven pounds.

More than 300 overweight middle-aged adults participated in a study that evaluated a variety of diets. Vitamin D serum levels were found to increase as participants lost weight.

Vitamin D helps to absorb calcium in the bloodstream, and can be obtained from sunlight, milk, fatty fish, and eggs.

Overweight people tend to have lower levels of Vitamin D, but researchers said this was the first study to show that vitamin increases in the body as people lose weight.

$42. 5 Million Allotted For U.S. Public Health Investments

Posted by Jeff adams - Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Atlanta, GA, United States (AHN) - At least 94 projects totaling $42.5 million have been awarded to state, tribal, local and territorial health departments around the country to improve their ability to provide public health services by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius noted the funding was made possible through the new Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act.

“These funds will help departments around the country to improve quality and effectiveness of critical health services that millions of Americans rely on every day,” Sebelius said in a statement.

The funds are a down payment on improving public health services across the nation, said Dr. Judith A. Monroe, CDC’s deputy director for state, tribal, local and territorial support.

This new 5-year program dubbed “Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure for Improved Health Outcomes” will provide departments with needed resources to make fundamental changes in their organizations and practice so that they can improve the delivery of public health services.

The plan includes expansion and training of public health staff and community leaders to conduct policy activities in key areas and facilitate improvements in system efficiency. The project also seeks to build a national network of performance improvement managers that share best practices for improving the public health system.

CDC received last July more than 140 applications from departments seeking funds through cooperative agreement following original funding announcement entitled Public Health Systems and Infrastructure Projects.

Obesity Hurts Your Wallet and Your Health

Posted by Jeff adams - Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Researchers are putting a tag on obesity. Doctors have known that medical bills are higher for the obese, but a report from George Washington University finds that's only a portion of the real-life costs.

The researchers added in factors such as employee sick days, lost productivity, even the need for extra gasoline-- and found the annual cost of being obese is $4,879 for a woman and $2,646 for a man.

That's far more than the cost of being merely overweight -- $524 for women and $434 for men.

The study's co-author Christine Ferguson says the difference found between the sexes suggests that larger women earn less than skinnier women, while wages don't differ when men pack on the pounds.

Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades.

How to stay fit and healthy?

Posted by david - Monday, August 30, 2010

What do you think is the key to good health? Good eating habits are not enough to bring in good health. It has to be complemented with a regular workout routine. But the sad fact is that most of us don’t realize this and end up making poor lifestyle choices. This leads to a handful of illness and health issues like heart diseases and diabetes. But there are instances where certain health conditions become unavoidable. However you need to make wise choices and do everything to stay fit and healthy.

• A healthy person would surely have a healthy body mass index. There are chances of getting heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers if you become obese or overweight. Hence it becomes necessary to maintain a healthy weight. At fit camps, people are taught to stay healthy with a stable BMI.

• People try to break away from doing workouts putting the blame on time constraints. But you have to overcome the sluggishness and start an exercise routine. Boot camps insist on proper exercise and as the end result weight loss follows. Apart from the weight loss beneficial factor, the cardio workouts contribute to a healthy heart and lungs functioning. The exercise routine should include 30 minutes workouts three times a week.

• Healthy habits make a man fit and fine and it is absolutely a personal choice to remain in good shape. A variety of health conditions can be attributed to smoking and alcohol abuse like lung cancer, liver cirrhosis etc. the golden rule of thumb is to quit smoking and make the alcohol intake in moderate quantities.

• There is a saying that a man is what he eats. This is true as on the whole the health of a person is determined by his eating habits. If you wish to stay fit and healthy, evaluate your eating habits and modify them. High fat foods, fried foods and fast foods are an absolute ‘no-no’. Trade in unhealthy snacks like cookies, potato chips and candy. All this should be replaced by fruits, vegetables, nuts and wheat crackers.

• It has been proved that detoxification is an excellent way to flush out the harmful toxins from the body. You can begin a detoxification program as there are many herbal detox teas are available. Furthermore, water has the immense capability to remove toxins from the body. So make it a point to drink at least eight to ten glasses of water per day.

source:http://www.prlog.org/10851321-how-to-stay-fit-and-healthy.html

Importance of Additional Tips in Weight Loss Programs

Posted by david - Thursday, August 26, 2010

The idea of losing weight differs from one individual to another. Some individuals will start to lose excess of fat by trying their own techniques and workouts, while some will achieve desired results when they have indulge themselves in weight loss programs. A person has to very well decide as with option he / she is willing to go. With the help of dietitians and physicians you can very well design your schedule and work outs.

To lose that excess fat is not an easy task if you are not clear from where you are required to start. Hence for this reason it is wise to get enrolled in weight loss program and get started with the process of losing excess of weight. To take part in such is considered to be one of the most convenient methods of losing excess of fat. As professional trainers are involved in such programs you will be thought various techniques of losing excess of fat.

One has to remember that to lose excess of fat it is not possible only through workouts. Along with workouts we are required to follow some additional tips which will help us to achieve our goal successfully.

Additional tips on which we are asked to concentrate are like:

* to have a watch on our eating habits
* to have a watch on number of hours spend for workouts
* to have a watch on dietary plans so as to confirm we are able to follow or not
* to check whether we are motivated or not throughout the process
* to have a thorough check up with the physician regularly
* to have an eye on the food and drinks that we intake
* to have a watch on number of calories gained and number of calories burnt in a single day
* to have a check on your personal habits
* to check the fat percentage
* to have a check up with dietician and to draw up a good diet plan

For the effective weight loss it is necessary for the individuals to follow the above mentioned tips. If an individual fails to follow any of the above mentioned tips then the results will not turn out to be as satisfactory as it is required to be.

A good weight loss program will teach you how to transform your eating and lifestyle habits gradually and everlastingly. To achieve the desired goals it is necessary for the individuals to make a good judgment while selecting a weight loss program. This is necessary as for the reason that today in market there are many false programs too which is operating for the sake of money. Their main motive is to fool innocent people and then to run away with their money. To get rid of such it is necessary for the individuals to conduct some research and then make a thorough comparison on various programs. Thus it will help individuals to go with the best option.

Shiju Am is a successful webmaster for Weight Loss Programs. She provides information on Boot camp, Weight Loss Programs, 8 Week Total Body Makeover, Effective weight loss and LA Boot Camp on her website.

Exercise can help prevent back pain

Posted by david - Sunday, August 15, 2010

Moderate endurance exercise can help prevent back problems. Exercising the entire body stimulates blood supply and relaxes painful muscle spasms, according to Dieter Breithecker from Germany’s Federal Institute on the Development of Posture and Exercise. Exercise also makes the body more resilient.

People workout at a fitness centre in New Delhi. Exercising the entire body stimulates blood supply and relaxes painful muscle spasms, according to a study. File Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Breithecker recommends sports such as swimming, walking, hiking, cycling or cross-country skiing. Sports that cause repetitive buckling of the spine, on the other hand, should be avoided. Those sports include horse riding, downhill skiing and fast jogging. You should also be careful when engaging in sports that involve fast, repetitive over-extension of the spine such as tennis, badminton, squash and golf.

Breithecker advises consulting with your doctor first to make sure your back is healthy enough to engage in sport. After that it is a matter of finding out whether a certain type of exercise suits you.

source:http://www.thehindu.com/health/fitness/article573870.ece

Thyroid Disease Awareness is Very Low

Posted by david - Sunday, August 08, 2010

One of the most common causes of fatigue and weight gain in women is hypothyroidism; but the awareness of thyroid diseases among women remains very low.

Hypothyroidism is usually manifested in young girls, but these days women are being diagnosed well into their 30s. Some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism include weight gain, chronic fatigue, anemia and irregular menstrual periods.

“The occurrence of Hypothyroidism is due to deficiency of iodine or problem with the functioning of the pituitary gland or a problem with the thyroid gland”, said Dr D. C. Sharma, Associate Prof. RNT Medical College Jaipur Rajasthan.

Iodine-enhanced salt is available in order to overcome the deficiency in the diet, but women do not seem to be aware of the importance of this element. As such there is an urgent need to spread awareness of thyroid disorders among women.

source:http://www.medindia.net/news/Thyroid-Disease-Awareness-is-Very-Low-72398-1.htm

Junk food diet puts children at higher risk of allergies

Posted by david - Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Scientists compared youngsters from a rural African village who had diets rich in fibre with another group living in Florence in Italy and found a dramatic difference.

The African children had less obesity-linked bacteria and a greater abundance of fatty acids which protect against inflammation causing asthma, eczema and other allergic reactions.

The diet of the children living in the small village of Boulon in Burkina Faso was similar to that of people living in the modern Western world thousands of years ago, shortly after the birth of agriculture.

It consisted mainly of cereals, beans, nuts and vegetables.

But the Italian children ate higher quantities of meat, fat and sugar.

Only those who were still breast-feeding harboured bacteria resembling the African children's - indicating diet may dominate other factors such as ethnicity, sanitation, geography or climate, say the researchers.

The trillions of microbes that inhabit the human gut are considered an essential 'organ' that helps to digest food, protect against disease-causing bugs and limit inflammation.

Paediatrician Dr Paolo Lionetti, of Florence University, and colleagues said children in industrialised countries who eat low-fibre, high-sugar 'Western' diets may reduce microbial richness - potentially contributing to a rise in allergic and inflammatory diseases in the last half-century.

They said: "Western developed countries successfully controlled infectious diseases during the second half of the last century, by improving sanitation and using antibiotics and vaccines.

"At the same time, a rise in new diseases such as allergic, autoimmune disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) both in adults and in children has been observed, and it is hypothesized that improvements in hygiene together with decreased microbial exposure in childhood are considered responsible for this increase.

"The gastrointestinal microflora plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of IBD and recent studies demonstrate obesity is associated with imbalance in the normal gut microbiota."

The researchers, whose findings are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, added: "The lessons learned from the Burkina Faso children's microbiota prove the importance of sampling and preserving microbial biodiversity from regions where the effects of globalisation on diet are less profound.

"The worldwide diversity of the microbiome from ancient communities, where gastrointestinal infections can make the difference between life and death, represents a goldmine for studies aimed at elucidating the role of gut microbiota on the subtle balance between health and disease and for the development of novel probiotics."

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7922504/Junk-food-diet-puts-children-at-higher-risk-of-allergies.html

Preventing Lead Poisoning from Municipal Water System

Posted by david - Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Today (June 15, 2010), CDC leaders addressed Congress about questions related to CDC's work in 2004 to help prevent lead poisoning from the Washington, D.C. municipal water system.

The CDC protected the public's health by working closely with the Washington, D.C. Department of Health, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Public Health Service, and other federal and local agencies to help mitigate the problem and prevent additional lead exposures. In our work we determined the health consequences of lead exposures from the contaminated water, and published our findings in the MMWR, reiterating that that there is no safe level of lead exposure, and that all lead exposures in children should be eliminated.

In our urgency to rapidly assess the situation and protect the public's health, the CDC communicated our scientific results poorly and did not convey our conclusions and recommendations clearly. One of CDC's core values is to pursue excellence in the science behind public health. Although we believe in this case that our scientific analysis and conclusions were correct, we did not place our findings into the proper perspective.

For nearly three decades, CDC has spearheaded an effective national lead poisoning prevention campaign that has reduced the prevalence of blood lead levels above 10 µg/dL in children by nearly 90 percent. This is one of our nation's greatest public health success stories.

In Washington, D.C., we have worked to strengthen the city's lead prevention program and ensure that residents are protected. Elevated blood lead levels among the city's children have fallen by half over the past five years and are now lower than the national average and similar to those in other large cities.

CDC is committed to continuing our progress toward childhood lead elimination. The agency will work with partners in the US and internationally to support blood-lead screening for children and testing of water and other sources of potential lead poisoning in homes, workplaces and communities, and implement effective lead-poisoning prevention programs. CDC supports and depends on the work of our scientists and other staff. We are motivated by a desire to protect the public's health and committed to basing our decisions on the best available science and to communicating our results clearly.

Information about CDC's activities related to lead in drinking water in the District of Columbia and prevention tips are posted at http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/leadinwater/.

High heels 'shrink calf muscle fibres'

Posted by david - Sunday, July 18, 2010

UK researchers say they have uncovered why women who often wear high heels can find it painful to wear flat shoes.

Scans of the calf muscles in a group of frequent heel wearers found muscle fibres were, on average, 13% shorter than in those who avoided high heels.

The Journal of Experimental Biology study also found high heels led to stiffer tendons in the calf.

Some time spent in flatter footwear as well as stretching exercises would help to combat the effect, experts said.

Anecdotally it has long been said that regularly wearing high heels shortens the calf muscle.

Study leader Professor Marco Narici, from Manchester Metropolitan University, said in the 1950s secretaries who wore high heels complained that they struggled to walk flat-footed when they took their shoes off.

But no-one has looked at what is actually happening in the muscle.

From a group of 80 women, the team selected 11 volunteers who had regularly worn 5cm heels for two years or more and who felt uncomfortable walking flat-footed.

An MRI scan showed that there was no difference in the size of the calf muscles in the heel wearers compared with a group of women who wore flat shoes.

But an ultrasound scan revealed that the muscle fibres were indeed shorter in the women who wore heels.
Stiff calves

When the women were asked to lie on their front on a couch, the researchers noticed that the angle of the heel in the stiletto wearers was greater due to their shortened calf.

In the final part of the study, they found that the high-heel wearers' tendons were much thicker and stiffer than in those who stuck to flat shoes.

This causes discomfort when walking on flat feet because the tendon cannot stretch sufficiently, Professor Narici said.

Yet he does not think women need to give up their high heels.

"Fashion is intended to be uncomfortable and none of the women in the study planned to give up their high heels," he said.

"We want to give practical advice and I would recommend just doing a few stretching exercises to counteract some of these changes."

He said one useful tip was for high heel wearers to stand on tip toes on a step, and using a handrail for balance to lower their heels as far as they can before raising them up again.

Sammy Margo, physiotherapist and spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said the study backed what they suspected.

"The advice we would give is not to wear heels or flat shoes all the time but to wear a variety of heel heights to get the calf muscles working through the greatest range of movement.

"But I can't say we are seeing a higher incidence of calf problems in women who wear high shoes."

Source: http://news.myjoyonline.com/health/201007/49276.asp

7 Cancer Symptoms Men Tend to Ignore

Posted by david - Tuesday, June 29, 2010

One should also listen to people close to you, such as your close friends or wife. Sometimes others notice things about us that we're unaware of or don't want to admit.

Below are some symptoms that are commonly overlooked and could be signs of cancer

1. Inexplicable Weight Loss
If you observe sharp decline in your body weight, even when there are no major changes to your diet or exercise regime, it's essential to find out why. Most of the times, unexplained weight loss
could be an early sign of colon and other digestive cancers.

2. Shortness of Breath
Often, lung cancer patients, when they look back remember noticing their inability to catch their breath. They couldn’t even walk short distances without wheezing. Chest pain shortness of breath, spitting blood can be signs of testicular cancer that spreads to the lungs.

3. Chronic Stomach Problems
Unexplained stomach aches, or feeling completely full even after a small serving of food are common early symptom of stomach cancer. Liver cancer patients have been known to frequently visit their doctors complaining of upset stomachs or stomach pains. Get an ultrasound done after consulting your doctor if you have a stomach ache that doesn’t go away.

4. Difficulty in Swallowing
Men identified with esophageal cancer, looking back remember a feeling of pressure and soreness when swallowing that just didn't go away. This is a sign of tightening of the esophagus which could mean the existence of a tumor. Sometimes it is one of the first signs of lung cancer too.

5. Frequent Infections
Catching infections easily or having fever often with body aches can indicate leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells. Here, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells which drain the body's infection-fighting capabilities. See your doctor if you show these symptoms for over an extended period of time.

6. Swelling of Facial Features
Some patients later diagnosed with lung cancer reported noticing swelling, puffiness, or redness in the face. The explanation behind this is that lung tumors obstruct the blood vessels in the chest, thus checking blood from running freely from the head and face. Don’t ignore any puffiness on your face if it doesn’t go away.

7. Persistent heartburn
If you have frequent incidents of heartburn or a constant feeling of pain in the chest after eating anything, see your doctor and get screened for esophageal cancer. When the stomach acid ascends into the esophagus, it causes heartburn and a sour taste in the throat. It can set off a condition called Barrett's esophagus, which can lead to esophageal cancer.

Going through this brief guide on cancer in men will help you to learn about the diseases at early stages.

For assessing your risk factors for certain kinds of cancer, it is very important to study your family records of cancer properly.

Let your doctor know and together you can keep these cancers at bay.

source:http://www.themedguru.com/20100421/feature/7-cancer-symptoms-men-tend-ignore-86134338.html

Cartoon characters attract kids to junk food

Posted by david - Monday, June 21, 2010

Shrek, Dora the Explorer, and other lively TV and movie stars beloved by children have been moonlighting as junk-food pitchmen in recent years. And they're good at it.

Fifty percent of children say that food from a package bedecked with a cartoon celebrity such as Shrek tastes better than the same exact food from a plain package, according to a new study.

And when given a choice, the vast mass of kids pick the food from the cartoon-adorned package as a snack, the study found.

The use of TV and movie characters on food packaging is "premeditated to access certain feelings, memories, and associations," says Dr. Thomas Robinson, M.D., a professor of child health at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. "If you associate certain products with things that are otherwise considered fun, it's going to make those products seem more desirable."

Cartoon characters tend to appear on junk food, which makes health experts even more concerned about the magnetic effect they have on kids. Although characters such as Dora and SpongeBob SquarePants have been used to market fruits and vegetables, they are most often used on chips, candy, and other unhealthy snacks. SpongeBob has even hawked Kentucky Fried Chicken.

"Parents may not set out to buy unhealthy products," says the lead author of the study, Christina Roberto, M.S., a doctoral student at Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, in New Haven, Connecticut. "But kids can be really, really persuasive. They see them and they want them, and it gets difficult to have that battle in the grocery store."

In the study, which is in print this week in the journal Pediatrics, Roberto and her colleagues presented 40 children ages 4 to 6 with paired samples of graham crackers, gummy fruit snacks, and baby carrots. Each pair of sample foods was identical down to the clear packaging, except that one of the packages had a sticker of Shrek, Dora the Explorer, or Scooby Doo on it.

Between 50 percent and 55 percent of the children said that the food with the sticker on it tasted better than the same food in the plain package. (The percentage varied with each food.) And between 73 percent and 85 percent selected the food in the character packaging as the one they'd prefer to eat as a snack.

"Marketers know that cartoon characters sell food products; that's why they use them," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. "This study really nails it down. Now we have evidence for asking--no, requiring--food marketers to stop using cartoons to market junk foods to kids."

The American Psychological Association and other organizations have likewise called for the abolition of all marketing of food products to children, a stance that Robinson says is reasonable.

"Young children, particularly under the age of 7 or 8, really don't understand the persuasive intent of marketing," he says. "That seems inherently unfair, and something we should protect children from, just like we protect them from other things we think are beyond their cognitive ability, like pornography."

new ways to deal with picky eaters

Using the power of cartoon characters for good--to market healthy foods--may be less effective than restrictions on junk-food marketing, Roberto says. The cartoon characters had the least influence on children's preferences when they were on the package of baby carrots, she notes.

"It might be that they're not used to seeing [the characters] on vegetables," Roberto says. Or it might be that kids already know that "a carrot is a carrot is a carrot," she adds, whereas they're not sure how a specific brand of graham cracker or gummy snack will taste.

Is it Baby Fat or Obesity?

Food and beverage companies in the U.S. spend more than $1.6 billion each year to attract children's attention, and 13 percent of that is spent on character licensing and similar cross-promotion efforts, according to Federal Trade Commission data cited in the study.

But the calls for reform have had some impact. The use of licensed characters on food products declined between 2006 and 2008, according to research conducted by the Rudd Center.

"It's good to see the voluntary work on this," says Roberto. "But we'd like to see more."

Schoolgirl, 12, with body of 96-year-old refuses to be beaten by aging disease by living life to the full

Posted by david - Monday, June 14, 2010

When Hayley Okines arrives home after a serious day at school she would have more reason to complain than most. The 12-year-old suffers from the quick aging disease progeria, an extremely rare condition that affects one in eight million people.

But despite suffering from arthritis, having little hunger and intriguing a cocktail of pills morning and night, the youth refuses to be beaten.

Her mother Kerry, told the Mail Online: 'I'm so proud of Hayley. No matter what life throws at her she just gets on with it. She doesn't let her arthritis stop her and runs around with her friends and she is very good at taking her medication.'

Hayley's life story is the subject of a documentary to be broadcast on Five tonight. When she last featured in the channel's 'Extraordinary People' series in 2007 she was about to take part in a pioneering medical trial in America.

Her parents from Bexhill, East Sussex, were hideously aware that the average lifespan for a child with progeria is only 13 years old and Hayley was devastated when she lost her best friend to the disease in 2006.

Hayley was well enough to attend her local secondary school and astonished her family by how well she adapted to her new surroundings.

Kerry said: 'We were worried because of the sheer size of the school and of rough and tumble because Hayley is quite fragile. But she settled in quickly and has made a couple of new friends as well. She is particularly good at science and maths.

'She also had her first sleepovers this year and the girls enjoyed chatting and playing on the Nintendo Wii and doing all the usual girly things.'

Kerry who has two other children - Louis, 8 and Ruby, 5 - is now hoping to organise a UK reunion for children with progeria, after the annual U.S event was cancelled due to a lack of funding.

Although they have managed to raise £4,000 to host the event they are still £14,000 short of their target.

'We're desperate not to cancel the event and have even looked at getting a bank loan,' Kerry said.

'We've already had families of 18 children with progeria say they would like to attend and we're hoping that a sponsor might come forward to help.

'It means so much to the children to meet others with the same condition.'

Kerry and her husband Mark will be taking Hayley back to Boston in July for another check-up and are confident Hayley will continue to deal with whatever life throws at her.

'Hayley just gets on with her life,' Kerry said.

'She is a fighter and has achieved a great deal in a short time.'

Bay Area sees increase in whooping cough cases

Posted by david - Sunday, June 06, 2010

The Bay Area is in the middle of a whooping cough outbreak, with six times as many cases so far this year as last year, and public health officials are encouraging new parents to get vaccinated and avoid large crowds to protect their infants.

The entire state is seeing large increases in whooping cough, which is the familiar name for pertussis. So far five infants - all of them under 4 months old - have died in California, and all of them caught the disease from their mother or another caregiver.

None of the deaths have been in Northern California, but the Bay Area had 173 cases of whooping cough between January and the end of May, compared with 29 cases in the same period last year, according to the state public health department. Kaiser Permanente, the largest health care provider in the Bay Area, has seen 17 times more cases of pertussis in Northern California so far this year than last year.

"We would like to see everybody get immunized against pertussis - adolescents, adults, everyone. It's especially important for those around newborn infants," said Dr. John Talarico, chief of the immunization branch for the state public health department.

Whooping cough, which gets its name from the noise children make when they gasp for breath between violent coughs, is a respiratory infection that can be deadly in babies. It is usually just an annoying illness in older children and adults, although it can turn into bronchitis or other lung infections.

Natural cycle

The recent rise in whooping cough is probably due to the cyclical nature of an infectious disease: A large group of people gets sick and experiences a short period of immunity, and five or so years later, enough people have lost their immunity that the disease is able to spread freely again.

Pertussis was once thought to be on its way toward disappearing, like many once-widespread diseases that are now prevented with vaccines. But the whooping cough vaccine doesn't provide lifelong protection.

Babies start getting vaccinated at age 2 months and are considered fully protected by the time they enter kindergarten, but children probably lose their immunization by high school. Almost all adults are susceptible to the disease - and in fact, unprotected adults are "the reservoir" of infection that can spread to vulnerable babies, said Dr. Stephen Parodi, chief of infectious disease for Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

"We traditionally thought of pertussis as a children's disease, and that's who's been vaccinated in the past," Parodi said. "By the time we're young adults, we basically don't have immunity. That puts our young children at risk for getting exposed to it."

A vaccine for adults and older children became available in 2005 - it's known as the Tdap, and combines a pertussis vaccine with the tetanus booster shot adults should get every 10 years.

California public health officials are pushing programs to vaccinate all parents who have a baby. Vaccinations typically cost $67 in San Francisco. However, a coupon offering a discounted pertussis vaccination is given to anyone who picks up a birth certificate for a new baby.

Avoid crowds

Parents with newborns also might want to avoid large crowds for at least the first few months during the whooping cough outbreak, said Kathy Harriman, an epidemiologist with the state's public health immunization branch.

"It's probably not the greatest idea to take a new infant out amongst crowds, where you can't control who's around your infant, and people like to come up and take a look," Harriman said.

Doctors also stressed that parents of newborns check in with a pediatrician if a baby shows even mild symptoms of whooping cough, which resemble cold symptoms. The disease is easily treated with antibiotics, but by the time babies develop the obvious "whooping" noise in their cough, they are often very ill already.

"Infants who are infected initially don't look really sick," Harriman said. "They don't have a fever, they might have a runny nose, their cough might not be that noticeable. With a really young infant, I would err on the side of caution."

Symptoms of whooping cough

-- Initially, symptoms are similar to the common cold, and include runny nose, sneezing, red and watery eyes, and a dry cough.

-- After a week or two, severe coughing attacks may occur. Some individuals may develop a persistent hacking cough. For others, the coughing may be serious enough that patients bring up thick phlegm, vomit, turn red or blue in the face and become extremely fatigued. This is when the high-pitched "whoop" sound that defines the disease may become apparent.

-- Parents with infants should consult their pediatrician if their baby develops even mild cold symptoms in the middle of a whooping cough outbreak.

Whooping cough outbreak

California, and the Bay Area in particular, has seen a dramatic increase in whooping cough cases this year. Here are the statistics through May 31 compared with the same period in 2009:

California: 190 cases, no deaths in 2009; 584 cases, five deaths in 2010

Bay Area: 29 cases in 2009; 173 cases in 2010 (no deaths)

San Francisco had 20 confirmed or suspected cases of pertussis in all of 2009; it had 15 cases by May 27 this year. Alameda County had 33 cases in all of 2009 and 26 cases through May of this year.

source: http://topnews.co.uk/26001-number-patients-infected-whooping-cough-comparatively-more-year, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/04/BALJ1DPMRJ.DTL

10 Types of Food That Can Make You Sick

Posted by david - Friday, May 21, 2010

The riskiest foods

Food poisoning is a horrible, even potentially life-threatening experience. But it’s hard to determine if food is safe to eat, partly because problems are relatively rare.

But knowing which foods are potentially risky can help.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has issued a list of the top 10 FDA-regulated foods linked to outbreaks since 1990. (That includes produce, seafood, egg, and dairy products, but not meat.)

Be aware of the risk, but don’t avoid these types of food. “They are everywhere and are part of a healthy diet,” says CSPI staff attorney, Sarah Klein.

Leafy greens

Yes, they’re you’re favorite go-to salad greens—lettuce, escarole, endive, spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula, and chard.

But they also caused 363 outbreaks involving 13,568 reported cases of illness since 1990. (Remember bagged spinach in 2006?)

Greens can be contaminated by manure, dirty water rinses, or unwashed hands before you even purchase them.

To avoid getting sick, wash produce and prevent cross-contamination (improper handling of meat in the kitchen can spread bacteria to other types of food, including greens) by washing hands and using separate cutting boards.

Eggs

This breakfast favorite has been linked to 352 outbreaks since 1990, most often due to Salmonella bacteria.

The bacteria can lurk inside the egg, so proper cooking is key (which kills the germs). Avoid eating any products containing raw eggs, including cookie dough.

“Our food supply is safe,” says Craig Hedberg, PhD, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis. “There is roughly one illness for every three to four thousand meals served,” he says.

Still, “raw food items like eggs may have contamination and need to be handled properly.”

Tuna

This type of fish can be contaminated by scombrotoxin, which causes flushing, headaches, and cramps.

If it is stored above 60 degrees after being caught, fresh fish can release the toxin, which cannot be destroyed by cooking (and is unrelated to mercury contamination or other problems related to tuna and other fish).

Tuna has been linked to 268 scombroid poisoning outbreaks since 1990.

“You just can’t cook out all the things wrong with food supply right now,” CSPI's Klein says.

Oysters

Before being transformed into a pricey delicacy, oysters lurk on the ocean floor doing what they do best—filter feeding.

And if the water they are filtering is contaminated, so are the oysters. (Or they can be contaminated during handling.)

If served raw or undercooked, oysters can contain germs—mostly a gut-churner called norovirus and a bacterium known as Vibrio vulnificus—that can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Potatoes

A freshly scrubbed spud that’s properly cooked is unlikely to cause illness. But watch out for potato salad.

Cross contamination—the transfer of germs from one type of food, usually meat, to another—can be the source of the problem.

Potato-related outbreaks of illness have been traced to germs like Listeria (which can live on deli counters ), Shigella, E. coli, and Salmonella.

Cheese

While restaurants are a key source of other food-related outbreaks, most people who get sick from cheese do so from products consumed at home.

Cheese can be contaminated with bacteria like Salmonella or Listeria, which can cause miscarriages.

Ice Cream

I scream, you scream. We all scream from ice cream? Ice cream has been linked to 75 outbreaks caused by bacteria like Salmonella and Staphylococcus since 1990, according to the CSPI.

The largest outbreak occurred in 1994, when a batch of pasteurized ice cream premix was transported in a Salmonella-contaminated truck, and then used to make ice cream without re-pasteurizing.

“People are making ice cream at home and using raw eggs in the household,” explains Hedberg.

Tomatoes

Although tomatoes were found “not guilty” in a 2008 outbreak that sickened thousands (the culprits were jalapeno and Serrano peppers), this summer favorite has been linked to at least 31 outbreaks.

“Lettuce or tomatoes may be contaminated, but once they enter a household, you can make sure that you don’t allow the bacteria to grow and multiply,” says Hedberg.

To do this: wash hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing fresh produce; wash fruits and vegetables under running water just before eating, cutting, or cooking, even if you plan to peel it before eating; and keep fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from other foods.

Sprouts

While sprouts are practically the poster child for healthy food, they can also be vulnerable to bacterial contamination.

The seeds used to produce the sprouts can be contaminated in the field, and water and warm growing conditions that encourage germination can also boost bacterial growth.

The FDA and CDC recommend that the elderly, young children, and those with weakened immune systems avoid eating raw sprouts.

Berries

Another common source of food poisoning is berries, including strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

A 1997 outbreak that sickened thousands of children via school lunches was traced to hepatitis A-contaminated frozen strawberries (possibly from a farm worker in Baja California, Mexico).

Other cases—linked to imported raspberries from Chile and Guatemala—have been caused by a germ called Cyclospora, which causes severe diarrhea, dehydrations, and cramps.

source: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/thumbnails/0,,20310810,00.html

Obesity campaign controversy

Posted by david - Sunday, May 16, 2010

Recommendations being considered for Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campaign has some wondering if the government is trying to control what America eats.

Iguazu Falls National Park, Argentina

Posted by david - Friday, May 07, 2010

Enormous, tropical green leaves, clear rushing water, mist sprinkling over your face and altogether one of the most picturesque nature scenes you will ever see in your life. This peaceful and beautiful place called Iguazu Falls is one of the most exquisite natural wonders of the world. Therefore, it must be on your list of places to see in South America. In addition, I felt so much more at peace in Iguazu National Park than I have during my entire stay in Argentina. The town, the people, the waterfalls, the nature and the vibe I received from everywhere and everyone were wonderful and refreshing. Even though Iguazu Fallss is a hot spot for tourists, it is still very easy to feel one with nature.

To start off, it is important to talk about iguazu falls from the Brazilian side separately from the falls from the Argentine side. I can only describe the falls from the Argentine side, as that was the only side I was allowed to go to. Without a Brazilian Visa, U.S. citizens are not allowed to cross their border. However, while asking people whether or not we were allowed to enter Brazil, we did receive several offers to have random taxis drive us across the border. While some people take advantage of these offers, I was not in the mood to take the risk. If you do get caught, you will have to pay the $100 U.S. dollar fee for the Visa. I do not know what else happens, so we decided to play it safe and stay on the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls. Fortunately, it was incredible and offers every angle imaginable of the falls.

Another factor to consider is how much time you want to stay in Iguazu. While I would recommend taking your time and enjoying its beauty, you can pretty much cover all of the falls on Argentina’s side in one day if you want. However, this means getting an early start and maybe walking at a decent pace. We didn’t get there until 10, ate a pleasant and slow lunch at La Selva Buffet, and saw everything but one individual waterfall. However, I recommend taking your time and not rushing through to see everything. In addition, the park tickets are $30 pesos a person, but you can get your second day’s tickets for half price if you turn your ticket in at the end of your first day. This is a bargain well worth taking the time to exchange your tickets for.

As for Iguazu National Park and the falls themselves, you are in for an unimaginable treat. The falls were much larger, more fantastic and more mind-blowing than I had expected. I knew the falls were gorgeous, but all descriptions heard and pictures seen do not do them justice. There is no way something so beautiful and enormous could be captured in a photo. It would be a sin to visit South America and not take a trip to the falls!

I would also recommend that you try to see all of the falls. Each lookout point had a different view, and many more hidden pools or waterfalls came into view once seen from a different spot. The Circuito Inferior can be a little crowded, but I found the paths to be less crowded when stairs were involved…just a little hint for those of you who like to hike or walk at a good pace. However, do not walk so fast that you miss a Toucan flying over your head or a monkey in a tree! Iguazu Falls is all about the scenery and the experience of being surrounded by nature’s magnificent creations. I imagine it would be impossible to not find peace and relaxation at Iguazu. Do not commit the sin of leaving South America before seeing it!

source: http://argentinastravel.com/113/iguazu-falls-argentina-my-paradise/