Emed News Wednesday, March 31, 2010   Celiac Disease Symptoms and Treatment Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms. When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats. Symptoms of celiac disease Symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system or in other parts of the body. Digestive symptoms are more common in infants and young children and may include abdominal bloating and pain chronic diarrhea vomiting constipation pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool weight loss Irritability is another common symptom in children. Malabsorption of nutrients during the years when nutrition is critical to a child's normal growth and development can result in other problems such as failure to thrive in infants, delayed growth and short stature, delayed puberty, and dental enamel defects of the permanent teeth. Treating Methods The only treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. Doctors may ask a newly diagnosed person to work with a dietitian on a gluten-free diet plan. A dietitian is a health care professional who specializes in food and nutrition. Someone with celiac disease can learn from a dietitian how to read ingredient lists and identify foods that contain gluten in order to make informed decisions at the grocery store and when eating out. For most people, following this diet will stop symptoms, heal existing intestinal damage, and prevent further damage. Improvement begins within days of starting the diet. The small intestine usually heals in 3 to 6 months in children but may take several years in adults. A healed intestine means a person now has villi that can absorb nutrients from food into the bloodstream. To stay well, people with celiac disease must avoid gluten for the rest of their lives. Eating even a small amount of gluten can damage the small intestine. The damage will occur in anyone with the disease, including people without noticeable symptoms. Depending on a person's age at diagnosis, some problems will not improve, such as short stature and dental enamel defects.   posted by emedinfo @10:15 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Tuesday, March 30, 2010   10 Natural Foods Habits For Improving Appearance 1. Blood oranges, cherries and blueberries Collagen is a natural protein in your skin and muscles that provides resiliency, shape and texture. Unfortunately, collagen production decreases with age but you can fight back with dark fruit. Blood oranges, cherries and blueberries are full of antioxidants, which decrease aging and disease by lowering inflammation. Antioxidants also increase collagen production and thicken the skin, making you look younger and healthier. Antioxidants also decrease [the severity of] rosacea. Blackberries, raspberries, plums, pomegranates, cranberries, Asian dragon fruit and kiwis also contain antioxidants. 2. Shellfish, sunflower seeds and sardines These foods may not taste great together, but individually they offer a powerhouse of essential fatty acids. Fatty acids nourish the skin, help maintain skin integrity and keep skin cells performing optimally. Essential fatty acids, a component of all cell membranes in the body, regulate the flow of nutrients, waste materials, and water in and out of cells which keeps you looking young. Flax seeds, tuna, walnuts, canola oil, soybean oil and pumpkin seeds are more good sources of essential fatty acids. 3. Dandelion, turnip and mustard greens Foods that keep our livers cleansed of toxins, heavy metals and fats make our whole body function more efficiently. This makes us happier, which affects how we look. Plus, a healthy liver brightens our eyes and tightens our skin. Dense green foods such as broccoli, spinach and arugula as well as turnip, mustard and dandelion greens are recommended. Eating these slightly bitter greens has been shown to lessen your sweet tooth. Simple and refined sugars, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and refined, manufactured foods age us. Excess sugar has been linked to a process called glycation, in which sugar molecules bond to protein molecules, which has been linked to sagging, wrinkled skin. 4. Oregano, thyme and parsley If you have puffy bags under your eyes in the morning, you are almost certainly consuming much more salt than you need. Another problem is alcohol; it dehydrates you and can make your skin sag. The worst combination is alcohol and salt, which causes puffy dark circles under your eyes. For reducing your sodium intake eliminate bloating. Instead of salt, season your meals with herbs and spices such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley and garlic. 5. Crunchy vegetables Fresh raw veggies are as good for your grin as they are for your skin! Celery, carrots, string beans and cauliflower contain cellulose, which helps scrub stains from your teeth giving you a whiter, brighter smile. Both the cellulose and the fiber in these foods act as abrasives that clean and remove bacteria from teeth. Crunchy veggies are especially effective for recent discolorations. If you've just consumed blueberries, coffee, mustard, red wine or cranberry juice, follow it up with fresh cucumber slices or an apple. 6. Sea vegetables Polluted cells can't function at their optimum level. When our cells are functioning optimally, not only do we have more energy we look and feel great. Sea vegetables are one of our richest sources of minerals and phytochemicals. These veggies help detoxify, rebuild and nourish all the cells in our body. Unhealthy foods, stress and environmental pollutants cause cells to age prematurely, potentially leading to thinning hair and premature wrinkles. Sea vegetables reverse this process. For example, spirulina is a detox powerhouse. Hijiki, kelp, arame, wakame, and dulse also work wonders. 7. Meat, cheese and lentils It may take 10 pounds of milk to make a pound of cheese, but fortunately you don't need to eat that much dairy or protein to repair your cells. As you age, your hair and skin cells become damaged, making you appears older. The protein in meat, chicken, low-fat cheese, cottage cheese, and certain vegetables promotes cell growth and repair, which translates to younger-looking skin, fewer wrinkles, less hair loss and a glossy mane. To take a break from meat or dairy, try soybeans and lentils instead (they contain more protein than any other legume). 8. Egg yolks, organ meats and whole-milk products Vitamin A is especially important for skin repair, and decreased levels can lead to dry, flaky skin. A lack of vitamin A may cause your skin to heal poorly and wrinkle easily. The main sources of this vitamin are foods from animals, such as liver, eggs and whole-milk dairy products. Some plants carrots and broccoli, for example supply beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A as needed. Apricots, nectarines, plums and cantaloupe are more great sources of beta-carotene.   posted by emedinfo @10:52 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Monday, March 29, 2010   Rabies Prevention, Symptoms and Diagnosis The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. The early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to that of many other illnesses, including fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms. Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Prevention You can reduce the chances that your family is exposed to rabies. Vaccinate your pets dogs, cats, and ferrets can be infected by rabies. Report any stray animals to your local health authorities or animal-control officer. Remind kids that animals can be "strangers," too. They should never touch or feed stray cats or dogs wandering in the neighborhood or elsewhere. Symptoms and Signs The first symptoms of rabies may be very similar to those of the flu including general weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache. These symptoms may last for days. As the infection progresses, someone infected with rabies may develop any of these symptoms: irritability excessive movements or agitation confusion hallucinations aggressiveness bizarre or abnormal thoughts muscle spasms abnormal postures seizures (convulsions) weakness or paralysis (when a person cannot move some part of the body) extreme sensitivity to bright lights, sounds, or touch increased production of saliva or tears difficulty speaking In the advanced stage of the infection, as it spreads to other parts of the nervous system, these symptoms may develop: double vision problems moving facial muscles abnormal movements of the diaphragm and muscles that control breathing difficulty swallowing and increased production of saliva, causing the "foaming at the mouth" usually associated with a rabies infection Rabies Diagnosis Though the behavioral symptoms of rabies are classic, a diagnosis based solely on the symptoms can be difficult because they are similar to other diseases, conditions, and complications. The inability to swallow, for example, could be caused by an object lodged in the throat. Many factors can trigger aggressive, strange behavior and many animals are easily provoked when injured. The only way to be 100% sure that an animal is rabid is to perform a direct fluorescent antibody test (dFA) on the brain tissue, which requires that the animal be euthanized. This is the most rapid and reliable test for rabies and it has been used for more than 40 years. The dFA test is based on the principle that infected animals have rabies virus antigen (a protein) in brain tissue that reacts to antirabies antibodies (proteins produced by the immune system to fight disease and infection). The test involves inserting fluorescently labeled antirabies antibody molecules into the brain tissue, which bind to the rabies virus antigens and give off a bright glow when viewed through a special fluorescent microscope. A dFA test can also detect the presence of rabies antigens in the skin. Tests that do not require euthanasia can be used to examine serum, spinal fluid, and saliva, but none of them can rule out rabies with 100% certainty. These tests are used only in humans and animals that cannot be euthanized.   posted by emedinfo @10:56 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Sunday, March 28, 2010   Lyme Disease and Prevention Tips The arrival of spring means more time for children and adults to spend time outdoors and enjoy the warm weather, It also portends an ominous threat; the risk of contracting Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial illness caused by a bacterium called a "spirochete." The actual name of the bacterium is Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease is spread by ticks when they bite the skin permitting the bacterium to infect the body. Lyme disease can cause abnormalities in the skin, joints, heart and nervous system. Following are some prevention tips and information about what to do if you believe you may be infected: Avoid tick habitats: Whenever possible, avoid entering areas that are likely to be infested with ticks, particularly in spring and summer when nymphal ticks feed. Ticks favor a moist, shaded environment, especially areas with leaf litter and low-lying vegetation in wooded, brushy or overgrown grassy habitat. Both deer and rodent hosts must be abundant to maintain the enzootic cycle of B. burgdorferi. Sources for information on the distribution of ticks in an area include state and local health departments, park personnel, and agricultural extension services. Use personal protection measures: If you are going to be in areas that are tick infested, wear light-colored clothing so that ticks can be spotted more easily and removed before becoming attached. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and tucking pants into socks or boot tops may help keep ticks from reaching your skin. Ticks are usually located close to the ground, so wearing high rubber boots may provide additional protection. The risk of tick attachment can also be reduced by applying insect repellents containing DEET (n,n-diethyl-m toluamide) to clothes and exposed skin, and applying permethrin (which kills ticks on contact) to clothes. DEET can be used safely on children and adults but should be applied according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines to reduce the possibility of toxicity. Perform a tick check and remove attached ticks: The transmission of B. burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease) from an infected tick is unlikely to occur before 36 hours of tick attachment. For this reason, daily checks for ticks and promptly removing any attached tick that you find will help prevent infection. Embedded ticks should be removed using fine-tipped tweezers. DO NOT use petroleum jelly, a hot match, nail polish, or other products. Grasp the tick firmly and as closely to the skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick's body away from the skin. The tick's mouthparts may remain in the skin, but do not be alarmed. The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are contained in the tick's midgut. Cleanse the area with an antiseptic. Taking preventive antibiotics after a tick bite: The relative cost-effectiveness of post-exposure treatment of tick bites to avoid Lyme disease in endemic areas (areas where the disease is known to occur regularly) is dependent on the probability of B. burgdorferi infection after a tick bite. In most circumstances, treating persons who only have a tick bite is not recommended. Individuals who are bitten by a deer tick should remove the tick and seek medical attention if any signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, or babesiosis develop over the ensuing days or weeks. Strategies to reduce tick abundance: The number of ticks in endemic residential areas may be reduced by removing leaf litter, brush- and wood-piles around houses and at the edges of yards, and by clearing trees and brush to admit more sunlight and reduce the amount of suitable habitat for deer, rodents, and ticks. Tick populations have also been effectively suppressed through the application of pesticides to residential properties. Community-based interventions to reduce deer populations or to kill ticks on deer and rodents have not been extensively implemented, but may be effective in reducing the community-wide risk of Lyme disease. New approaches such as deer feeding stations equipped with pesticide applicators to kill ticks on deer, and baited devices to kill ticks on rodents, are currently under evaluation. Early diagnosis and treatment: The early diagnosis and proper antibiotic treatment of Lyme disease are important strategies to avoid the morbidity and costs of complicated and late-stage illness.   posted by emedinfo @10:29 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Friday, March 26, 2010   Tips For Preventing Hair Loss In Healthy Way Regardless of how vain a person is, losing your hair is never a good feeling. It's overwhelming to brush your hair in the morning and see strand after strand falling out. It's just as difficult when you wake up to see lots of hair left on your pillow after you've slept. It doesn't matter how old a person is. Losing your hair makes you look and feel differently. There are lots of medical avenues you can pursue if you're hoping to stop your hair loss, but they can be really expensive and aren't always effective. There are also some home remedies for hair loss prevention that can help you keep the hair you have, while encouraging new hair to grow in. Here's a quick list of some home remedies for hair loss prevention you can try now: Increase the calcium in your diet. Most people just don't get enough calcium and we all already know that it's important for keeping our bones strong and healthy. It's good for your hair too. Calcium is essential for keeping the hair follicles strong and resilient. You can either start eating more dairy products or start taking calcium supplement every day. If you're already on medications, it's a good idea to ask your doctor before starting anything new, even supplements or vitamins. Wash your hair less. Most people grow up in a household where they're told to wash their hair everyday. You don't really need to. Unless you have a profession that makes you sweat all day, everyday, you really only need to wash your hair once or twice a week. This can go a long way towards keeping the hair you have strong. When hair becomes dried out it gets brittle and can break easily. Massage your scalp. Keeping the blood flowing to your scalp can help to keep your hair healthier and stronger. You can always do this yourself, but it's also nice to trade the favor of a massage with your partner. Be careful when you're massaging around the temple area as you don't want to apply too much pressure there. Relax more. Did you know that many people lose their hair because they're so stressed? Hair can become brittle and dry because of stress so if you're under a lot, change something. Sometimes it's just important to simplify your life. Stress is really damaging to a person's body in many ways so it's always good to find an outlet that will help you reduce it. Some suggestions are to meditate, exercise more or journal your thoughts. These can all be really helpful. A big part of keeping your hair is taking better care of it. By doing these few, simple things, you can help your hair stay healthier and encourage the growth of new hair too. Before you know it, you won't feel nearly as self conscious about your hair loss.   posted by emedinfo @10:50 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Thursday, March 25, 2010   Study: Diabetes Risk in kidney Disease According to a report published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology, many Americans suffer from kidney disease and do not know it. Researchers studied nearly 8200 adults, finding that 42% of those with undiagnosed diabetes also had chronic kidney disease, while CKD was seen in 18% of those with prediabetes. Scientists provide new insight into how tumors hide from the immune system in a report published in the journal Science. Researchers found that a particular protein that is normally secreted by the lymph nodes to signal the immune system to start working is also secreted by tumors. In this way, the tumor signals to the immune system that it is a friend not foe and consequently goes undetected by the immune system. According to another report published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology, most patients awaiting a kidney donation are willing to accept one from a donor that puts them at increased risk of infection. Researchers surveyed nearly 200 potential kidney transplant patients. 59% of these patients said they would under some conditions accept a kidney from a donor even if they were at increased risk of viral infection. Diabetes is the most important risk factor for kidney disease, but the new results suggest that harmful effects on the kidneys may be occurring even before diabetes is diagnosed. "Persons at risk for diabetes and their health care providers should be aware that earlier screening for both diabetes and kidney disease may be warranted."   posted by emedinfo @10:17 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Wednesday, March 24, 2010   Painkillers Use May Reduce Risk of Breast and Ovarian Cancers It is thought the painkillers reduce levels of the female hormone oestrogen in the system which can fuel certain forms of cancer. A team from Harvard investigated 740 women and found that those who took painkillers for 15 days per month had on average, oestrogen levels 10 per cent lower, than non-users. The reduction was 12 percent to 15 percent, depending on which estrogen form was evaluated. All the women in the study had been through the menopause. The results are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The results suggest that among postmenopausal women, regular users of aspirin and other analgesics may have lower oestrogen levels than non-users. Exactly painkillers lower estrogen levels not certain, one hypothesis is that the painkillers inhibit the expression of an enzyme, aromatase that converts testosterone to a form of estrogen. The data is very strong linking lower estrogen levels to lower risk of breast cancer. Further studies were established if how much the reduced levels of oestrogen translated into a reduced risk of breast or ovarian cancer. Although the overall risks and benefits would need to be weighed, analgesics could be implemented as a chemopreventive and may decrease the risk of several cancers.   posted by emedinfo @10:52 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Tuesday, March 23, 2010   Sickle Cell Disease Risk and Health Care African American children with sickle cell disease are at high risk of intellectual disabilities, hearing and vision deficits and frequent severe headaches, federal researchers said. Children with the inherited disease are at least four times as likely as similar children without it to have fair or poor health status, twice as likely to have recently visited a mental health professional and more likely to have received special educational services, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The results are not surprising to physicians treating the problem in children, but they do document what many had suspected. Sickle cell disease, which affects about one in every 350 black children, is a genetic disorder that causes red blood cells to assume a sickle shape under stress, clogging blood vessels and producing episodes of excruciating pain, called crises. Two-thirds of patients have some type of blood vessel problem in the brain by the time they are 20, and 15% have severe strokes. The only effective medication is hydroxyurea, which reduces crises by 50% and mortality by 40%. But most adults are not treated. As a result, the median age of death for sickle cell patients is now 39, down from 42 in 1995. In the new study, epidemiologist used data from a national survey to identify 192 black children with sickle cell disease and 19,335 healthy black children. The team found that children with the disorder were seven times more likely to suffer anemia the defining condition of the disease 50% more likely to suffer hay fever, 80% more likely to have food allergies, 120% more likely to have frequent diarrhea, 150% more likely to have headaches and migraines, 160% more likely to have hearing problems, and 230% more likely to have some intellectual disability. Some of the parents who said their children had sickle cell anemia were incorrect, and that their children actually had sickle cell trait a more common, less severe condition in which the child carries only one copy of the sickle gene. Living With Sickle Cell Anemia You can't prevent sickle cell anemia because it's an inherited disease. However, you can take steps to reduce its complications. With good health care, many people who have sickle cell anemia can live productive lives. They also can have reasonably good health much of the time and live longer today than in the past. Many people who have sickle cell anemia now live into their forties or fifties, or longer. If you have sickle cell anemia, it's important to: Adopt or maintain a healthy lifestyle Take steps to prevent and control complications Learn ways to cope with pain If you have a child or teen that has sickle cell anemia, you can take steps to learn about the disease and help your child manage it.   posted by emedinfo @10:50 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Monday, March 22, 2010   Joint Pain Origin and Prevention Joint pain is very common as we get older. It is not unusual, once we hit about 50 and beyond, to complain of creaking knees and sore backs and hips. For some people, this pain begins even earlier. Sometimes it is due to overuse and feeling things more in our bodies than when we were younger, but very often the discomfort in our joints is due to a specific health condition. Joint pain may be caused by issues like osteoarthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis, osteoporosis, or even an infection. Polymyalgia rheumatic (PMR) and temporal arteritis (TA) also affect the joints. PMR affects larger joints in the body, like the shoulders and hips, while TA affects blood vessels to the head. And let's not forget fibromyalgia, a chronic health condition that causes joint pain throughout the entire body. Depression too may cause joint pain studies have found that people suffering from back, joint, and/or abdominal pain may also be dealing with depression. So if you've spent the whole weekend doing yard work and you wake up on Monday morning feeling very sore and achy in your knees and back, chances are good you overdid it and in a few Advil later, you'll be back to normal. But if you are consistently dealing with pain in your back, hips, shoulders, ankles, or other joints more days than not, it's definitely time to head to your physician. Chances are good that you will leave with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, as it's the most common reason for joint pain. However, at least one of the other explanations could be at fault and in all cases, proper medical care is essential, so don't delay in seeking medical advice. Why do we get these joint pains in the first place? There are upwards of 100 types of arthritis, and many feel it's an illness that comes from a combination of problems like genetics and diet. In the case of osteoarthritis, the pain comes from the deterioration of the cartilage in the joints. Gout, which is also a form of arthritis, causes joint pain because uric acid crystals end up in the joints, usually in the arms and legs. Over time, gout can lead to osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is caused by inflammation in the joints, typically on both sides of the body. RA is an auto-immune disorder, which means that something causes the body to attack itself; researchers believe viral or bacterial infections are to blame. Prevent And Reduce Joint Pain For example, because being overweight can play a large role in developing sore joints, staying at a healthy weight can really make a big difference. If you are heavier than you should be, losing some weight can literally take a load off your joints and reduce pain. Eating fish, which is high in omega-3, can help your joints as well. The all-important omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce joint pain and stiffness in people suffering from arthritis. Here are the five most powerful arthritis fighters, which, when taken together, provide your best protection against arthritis and other joint problems: Glucosamine rebuilds your body's natural shock absorbers Chondroitin Sulfate reduces inflammation and more Boswellin Betaine (trimethylglycine) Curcumin: a powerful anti-inflammatory   posted by emedinfo @10:26 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Sunday, March 21, 2010   Vitamin D Boosts Immunity Against Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is a type of infection. Like many other infectious diseases, TB can infect individuals with compromised immunity more easily than those with normal immunity. Certain vitamins such as vitamin D are needed for a person's immunity; maintaining a sufficient level of vitamin D may help reduce the risk of acquiring TB. No trial seems to have been carried out to demonstrate the efficacy of vitamin D in preventing TB; however, evidence has emerged that suggests that possibility. An article in the Oct 2008 issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal suggesting that the overwhelming majority of children with TB suffered by vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. The research is examined 64 children with either active or latent TB infection who attended the authors TB clinic during a 2-year period. They found that 86 percent were either vitamin D deficient, (defined as having serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D at lower than 20 nmol per liter), or insufficient, defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D at lower than 75 nmol per liter.Of 26 children with active TB, only one was vitamin D replete, which could mean that about 95 percent of children with active TB had vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. These researchers discovered that patients with active TB had lower serum vitamin D concentrations than healthy controls. Vitamin D is known to help produce antimicrobial peptides that can fight both bacteria and viruses, while also preventing infections, according to a nonprofit organization that aims to educate people about the importance of vitamin D to their health.   posted by emedinfo @10:14 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Thursday, March 18, 2010   Back Pain Prevention Tips and Treatment Therapies Most low back pain is triggered by some combination of overuse, muscle strain, and injury to the muscles, ligaments, and discs that support the spine. You can choose from a number of alternative therapies for treating your low back pain. Some are short-term "repair" treatments, and others give you the self-care tools for managing your back symptoms over a lifetime. Think through your daily activities and change those that may be causing back pain. Your list might include lifting a small child throughout the day, a long commute to work, sitting in front of a computer all day, wearing high-heeled shoes, or doing yard work or landscaping work. Comprehensive rehabilitation programs offer a variety of treatments and specialists. A comprehensive rehabilitation program is considered one of the most effective approaches for treating chronic low back pain, and may be your best bet for finding the right combination of treatments. Therapies for lower back pain Exercise therapy for back pain is considered an effective approach for treating and managing chronic low back pain. Daily activity and physical therapy exercises can be effective in relieving back pain and can lead to long-term improvement for low back pain. Also see: Fitness: Increasing core stability. Exercise to reduce pain. Cognitive-behavioral therapy may reduce both acute and chronic low back pain and disability. Back school is an educational program which gives practical information about back care, posture, body mechanics, back exercises, and preventing long-term back problems that has shown mixed results but is considered likely to be beneficial for treating chronic low back pain. Intradiscal electrothermic therapy (IDET) treats chronic low back pain related to a damaged spinal disc. Spinal cord stimulation may be used for some types of chronic pain when other treatments have failed, but there is not strong evidence that it works. Preventive Measures for Back Pain Exercise to help relieve back pain. See a physical therapist or other spine specialist for exercises specific to your condition. Studies show that doing exercises can help people with chronic low back pain return to their normal daily activities. Reduce the stress in your life. Get the support you need. Work with your doctor to come up with a chronic pain treatment plan. Ask family members or friends when you need a helping hand. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Try not to bend or twist your back as you lie down. Avoid tobacco smoke. Smoking slows tissue healing.   posted by emedinfo @9:54 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Wednesday, March 17, 2010   7 Bedtime Habits Running Your Sleep An estimated 65 percent of Americans said they encounter sleep problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little is linked with an increased risk for obesity and depression. But before you reach for a sleep aid from the nearest pharmacy, it's worth re-examining your nighttime routine. Some of your favorite evening rituals could be responsible for that tossing and turning. 1. Going from Night Owl to Early Bird Who says bedtime is just for kids? Take extra care to maintain your sleep schedule, especially on the weekends. The body responds to routine. If your bedtime is sporadic 11 p.m. some nights, 1 a.m. others your mind won't be properly prepared to snooze on the weekdays. 2. Bringing Books to Bed Reading before bed is a habit for many. Problem is, your body has likely adapted to that routine it won't go to sleep until you've logged a couple chapters. Retreat to a comfy couch or window nook instead for your literary fix. The bed should be off limits for anything other than sleep or sex. 3. Facebooking into the Wee Hours The brightness of your computer screen stimulates the brain. Plus, it's difficult for your mind to stop fretting about your digital to-do list, even after you've logged off. Avoid late-night surfing and shut down your computer. Give yourself time to wind down without any electronics. 4. Skimping on a Good Bed A good mattress will cost you anywhere from $500 to more than $3,000. Consider it money well spent. Decent mattresses do your homework! Will give you a more restful sleep. The same is true for quality bedding and pillows. Opt for a soft pillow if you're a back or stomach sleeper. Buy a firmer pillow if you sleep on your side. 5. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock The looming glare of your alarm clock can be distracting when trying to sleep. The goal is to have as dark a room as possible. Block the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cell phone alarm may also do the trick. 6. Counting Sleep When you just can't fall asleep, it's useless to stay in bed. If you've been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests doing something mundane, like balancing a checkbook, reading or watching TV. An activity that demands marginal brainpower will lull your mind. Before you know it, you'll be crawling back into bed genuinely tired. 7. Exercising Late at Night Daytime workouts will keep you invigorated for hours. That's why you don't want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Intense physical activity raises your body temperature and pumps your energy level both interrupt a calm transition into sleep.   posted by emedinfo @11:01 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Tuesday, March 16, 2010   Vitamin D for Heart Disease Prevention Extra sunshine and vitamin D supplements may help ward off heart disease in people with low vitamin D levels, two new studies suggest. The studies build on the researcher's previous work linking low levels of vitamin D to an increased risk for heart disease. Vitamin D vs. Heart Disease: Study Details The first study involved more than 9,400 patients whose blood tests revealed low vitamin D levels during a routine trip to the doctor. Their average vitamin D level was 19.3 nanograms per milliliter; levels of 30 are generally considered normal. At their next follow-up visit, about half had raised their vitamin D levels to above 30 nanograms per milliliter. Compared with patients whose vitamin D levels were still low, patients who raised their vitamin D levels were 33% less likely to have a heart attack, 20% less likely to develop heart failure, and 30% less likely to die between the two visits. In the second study, the researchers placed more than 41,000 patients into three categories based on their levels of vitamin D normal, moderate deficiency, and severe deficiency. Then they combed their medical records to see who had been diagnosed with heart disease or stroke. As expected, patients with severe deficiency were most likely to have been diagnosed with heart disease or stroke. Then the researchers put all the information into a computer algorithm to see if there is an optimal level of vitamin D when it comes to heart disease prevention.   posted by emedinfo @10:13 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Monday, March 15, 2010   Anti-HIV lectin In Banana The Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientific journal, concluded that banana lectin, a naturally occurring chemical, has the ability to stop the transmission and prevention of HIV. This novel research from the University of Michigan Medical School found BanLec, "a jacalin-related lectin isolated from the fruit of bananas, a potential component for an anti-viral microbicide that could be used to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV-1. BanLec is an effective anti-HIV lectin and is similar in potency to T-20 and maraviroc, two anti-HIV drugs currently in clinical use." Michael D. Swanson, a doctoral student in the graduate program in immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School and lead author of the study, said "the problem with some HIV drugs is that the virus can mutate and become resistant, but that's much harder to do in the presence of lectins. Lectins can bind to the sugars found on different spots of the HIV-1 envelope, and presumably it will take multiple mutations for the virus to get around them." According to University of Michigan Health System, the "authors say even modest success could save millions of lives. Other investigators have estimated that 20 percent coverage with a microbicide that is only 60 percent effective against HIV may prevent up to 2.5 million HIV infections in three years." David Marvovitz, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School, led the study and explained, "HIV is still rampant in the U.S. and the explosion in poorer countries continues to be a bad problem because of tremendous human suffering and the cost of treating it. That's particularly true in developing countries where women have little control over sexual encounters so development of a long-lasting, self-applied microbicide is very attractive."   posted by emedinfo @11:19 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Sunday, March 14, 2010   Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Treatment Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, a neurological disease characterized by loss of mental ability severe enough to interfere with normal activities of daily living, lasting at least six months, and not present from birth. AD usually occurs in old age, and is marked by a decline in cognitive functions such as remembering, reasoning, and planning. A person with AD usually has a gradual decline in mental functions, often beginning with slight memory loss, followed by losses in the ability to maintain employment, to plan and execute familiar tasks, and to reason and exercise judgment. Communication ability, mood, and personality may also be affected. Most people who have AD die within eight years of their diagnosis, although that interval may be as short as one year or as long as 20 years. AD is the fourth leading cause of death in adults after heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Common Alzheimer's Treatments Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease. However, there are medications that can help control its symptoms. In addition, treatments are also available to help manage agitation, depression or psychotic symptoms (hallucinations or delusions) which may occur as the disease progresses. Consult a physician before taking any medications. Cholinesterase Inhibitors Namenda Treatment for Anxiety, Depression and Psychosis Cholinesterase Inhibitors Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, there are four drugs, called cholinesterase inhibitors, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that are designed to regulate its symptoms and delay its course. Those suffering from Alzheimer's disease have low levels of acetylcholine, an important brain chemical involved in nerve cell communication. Cholinesterase inhibitors slow the metabolic breakdown of acetylcholine, and make more of this chemical available for communication between cells. This helps slow the progression of cognitive impairment and can be effective for some patients in the early to middle stages. The four FDA-approved cholinesterase inhibitors are: Razadyne (galantamine) Exelon (rivastigmine) Aricept (donepezil) Cognex (tacrine) Namenda Namenda (memantine) was the first drug approved by the FDA to treat the symptoms of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. It appears to protect the brain's nerve cells against excess amounts of glutamate, a messenger chemical released in large amounts by cells damaged by Alzheimer's (and some other neurological disorders). When glutamate attaches to cell surface "docking sites" called N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, this permits calcium to flow freely into the cell, which in turn may lead to cell degeneration. Namenda may prevent this destructive sequence by adjusting the activity of glutamate. Namenda is generally well tolerated; the most common side effects are dizziness, confusion, headache and constipation. Treatment for Anxiety, Depression and Psychosis An Alzheimer's disease progresses, people experience depression, agitation and psychotic symptoms (paranoid thoughts, delusions or hallucinations).These behaviors may be manifested verbally (screaming, repetitive questions, etc.) or physically (hoarding, pacing, etc.), and they can sometimes lead to aggression, hyperactivity or combativeness. The symptoms may have an underlying medical origin such as a drug interaction or physical pain, and if this is a suspected cause a physician should be consulted. Agitation or psychotic behavior may also be triggered by something different in the person's environment. Often, a change in routine, caregivers or surroundings can cause fear, anxiety or fatigue and lead to agitation. The individual may be unable to communicate, be frustrated by his or her limitations, misunderstand what is happening or simply forget how to respond appropriately. In these cases, non-medical intervention is recommended to determine the source of the problem, modify the environment and change the behavior. If non medical intervention does not work or the person becomes a danger to himself or others, a physician should be consulted to evaluate the need for medical treatments for depression, psychosis or anxiety.   posted by emedinfo @11:04 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Thursday, March 11, 2010   Flu vaccination for kids If you want to stop flu from spreading, start by vaccinating the kids. That little bit of common sense just got a big scientific boost from a study that shows unvaccinated adults can be protected against flu if enough nearby children vicinity get immunized. The idea is an old one. But the work, just published, provides the strongest evidence so far that immunizing youngsters works to the benefit of an entire community. Public health people call it "herd immunity." If enough individuals in the "herd" are immune, the rest have a much lower chance of infection. If the virus is the spark, there's just a lot less dry kindling lying around. Herd Immunity means some infections can be eradicated from the face of the planet. Smallpox is the one example of disease eradication to date which vaccinated from kids. And there's no doubt that flu outbreaks are driven by children. In a typical flu season, more than 40 percent of school age kids get the flu up to four times the rate among adults. Canadian researchers enlisted the help of four dozen Hutterite communities to see if vaccinating school kids would indirectly protect unvaccinated adults. Hutterites are Anabaptists and live in tight knit rural religious enclaves. In half the communities, 83 percent of children between 3 and 15 got flu vaccine -- and almost no adults did. In the other half, the school kids got vaccinated against hepatitis A, to serve as a control group. Both study participants and medical personnel were kept in the dark about who got which vaccine. By the end of the 2008-2009 flu seasons, adults living in communities where schoolchildren got flu vaccine had 60 percent lower flu rates than adults in control communities. This isn't the first study to suggest vaccinating school kids protects grownups against flu. Texas researchers have compared vaccinated and unvaccinated towns; but they weren't able to separate flu cases from other kinds of respiratory illness. Japan did an enormous "natural experiment" between 1977 and 1994, when a law required all school children to get flu shots. Wintertime flu deaths in the elderly virtually disappeared. But after the law was repealed, older Japanese started dying of flu again. But the Japanese experience wasn't a carefully controlled study. Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are saying everybody should get flu shots, does it matter if a study finally proves that vaccinating schoolchildren protects others? Yes, because nobody expects 100 percent of the population to get immunized, ever. So it might be smart to target school children for special efforts.   posted by emedinfo @9:21 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Wednesday, March 10, 2010   Hepatitis B Vaccine For Babies About one in five babies born to mothers with hepatitis B aren't getting treatments that have been shown to prevent the infection in newborns, a new study finds. Given within 24 hours of birth, the hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin can protect 85 percent to 95 percent of newborns from becoming infected, even if they were exposed at birth. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed medical records of 4,762 mothers and 4,786 infants. The records represented about 25 consecutive live births from 190 U.S. hospitals, each of which was surveyed about their hepatitis B prevention policies in their labor and delivery departments. Records showed that 18 women tested positive for hepatitis B at the time of admission to the hospital. While 62 percent of their newborns received the hepatitis B vaccine and immunoglobulin, nearly 14 percent left the hospital unvaccinated and nearly 20 percent did not receive immunoglobulin before discharge, according to the study. Of 320 women whose hepatitis B status was unknown, meaning they may or may not have been tested for the virus, only about 52 percent of their infants were vaccinated within 12 hours of birth. About 20 percent of these babies left the hospitals without being vaccinated. "A key message of the study is that hepatitis B virus transmission is almost entirely preventable through vaccination and prophylaxis," said study author Bayo Willis, a CDC epidemiologist. "We really need hospitals to have correct policies in place and to implement those policies so that every newborn is protected before they leave the hospital."   posted by emedinfo @9:21 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Tuesday, March 9, 2010   Donating a Kidney is Not Dangerous for Life With the chronic shortage of kidneys for transplantation, more and more people are turning to family members, friends or other living donors. In fact, the number of live donor kidney transplants in the United States has nearly doubled over the last 15 years--from about 3,000 to nearly 6,000. But the question that has always accompanied the trend is whether people who donate one of their kidneys are putting their own health at risk over the long-term. People who donate one of their kidneys are likely to live just as long as someone with two healthy kidneys, assuming they survive the initial somewhat riskier period. Dorry Segev of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and colleagues studied 80,347 people who donated a kidney around the United States between April 1, 1994 and March 21, 2009, there were 25 deaths in the first 90 days after donation surgery during the 15-year period. That translates into a risk of 3.1 per 10,000 cases, which is lower than the risk from gallbladder removal. But more importantly, the overall risk of death between the donors and a similar group of 9,364 people who did not donate a kidney was essentially identical within a year of the surgery and for the 12-year follow-up period. That indicates that people do not put themselves at increased risk of shortening their lives by agreeing to give up one of their kidneys. "Whatever happens when people donate kidneys, on average, it doesn't affect the rest of their lives and that has never been proven in a study and scope."   posted by emedinfo @9:45 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Monday, March 8, 2010   Nutritional supplements For Prostate Cancer Nutritional supplements and alternative therapies are becoming increasingly popular for both the prevention and treatment of many types of cancer. However, many patients tend to use dietary supplements without discussing them as an overall treatment plan in addition to medical therapies. In the case of some cancer treatments, certain supplements are not advised because they interfere with therapies such as radiation. In the case of prostate cancer, supplements are marketed to men who have had unpleasant side effects associated with treatment such as impotence. Researchers from William Beaumont Hospital published a study in the March issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology discouraging the practice. Other studies have found that these may have negative effects for some tumor sites after the use of chemotherapy, but the interaction with radiation therapy was not well-known, although preliminary studies indicate an interference with the treatment. The researchers found that radiosensitivity the susceptibility of the cell to respond to radiation - of the malignant cells were not affected; however two of the supplements inhibited the growth rate of the normal prostate cell lines. This can lead to complications in the normal prostate tissue. The third supplement increased cellular radiosensitivity of some normal cell lines by inhibiting DNA repair. Although doctors are concerned about men with prostate cancer who take extremely high doses of nutrition supplements and its potential for negative effects on treatment, it appears that taking a standard multivitamin may be okay to take with the physician's approval. A small study on 52 men presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology in November 2009 did not find harmful effects of normal levels of vitamin or antioxidant supplementation on radiation therapy for prostate cancer; however they also did not find a significant benefit in the treatment. Men who took a standard multivitamin had no difference in PSA response than those not taking supplements. Men taking supplements marketed specifically for prostate health may inadvertently be getting hormonal therapy. Some dietary supplements may contain phytoestrogens or synthetic hormones which may stimulate the growth of the cancer cells. "Cancer patients turn to supplements to aid in their treatments for a variety of reasons, but this study proves that what some patients believe is helping them may actually be harming them. It is very important for all patients to discuss any type of supplement they may be taking with their physician and especially important for prostate cancer patients receiving radiation therapy as this study shows that it may be negatively affecting the effectiveness of their treatments."   posted by emedinfo @9:55 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Sunday, March 7, 2010   Coffee a Day For Healthy Heart A new study has just revealed that coffee is indeed heart healthy. The study has showed that a cup of coffee a day can help with the prevention of irregular heartbeats. The final conclusion of the study showed that if a person drank four or more cups a coffee a day that they can could decrease their chances of irregular heartbeats by nearly 20 percent. The study has said that while coffee has not been proven as a preventive measure for arrythmia, the medical term for irregular heartbeat, there is no concrete evidence to show that caffeine is a catalyst for irregular heartbeat. The study was conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California. The study has drawn some criticism due to the fact that it had been always said that previous studies showed coffee triggered some kind of heart papiltation and that the main ingredient of caffeine was main cause. The study was unveiled on Friday, March 5, 2010, at the American Heart Association’s 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease, Epidiomology, and Prevention in San Francisco, California. The study involved 130,054 men and women. The study also showed that people in the study who drank one to three cups a day showed a nearly 10 percent reduced risk.   posted by emedinfo @9:22 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Thursday, March 4, 2010   Common Cold Symptoms, Treatment and How it differs from Flu The common cold is arguably the most common illness in humans. The common cold is probably the most common illness in humans and this is caused by viral infection. A lot of different types of virus can cause colds and we know that over 200 types of virus can lead to symptoms of colds. Colds are spread from person to person through tiny droplets of mucous that enter the air from the nasal passages of people who are infected. What are the symptoms of the common cold? Symptoms of the common cold include nasal stuffiness or drainage, sore or scratchy throat, sneezing, hoarseness, cough, and perhaps a fever and headache. Many people with a cold feel tired and achy. These symptoms will typically last anywhere from three to 10 days. How is the common cold spread? The common cold is usually spread by direct hand-to-hand contact with infected secretions or from contaminated surfaces. For example, if a person with a cold blows or touches their nose and then touches someone else, that person can subsequently become infected with the virus. Additionally, a cold virus can live on objects such as pens, books, telephones, computer keyboards, and coffee cups for several hours and can thus be acquired from contact with these objects. What is the difference between the common cold and influenza (the flu)? Many people confuse the common cold with influenza (the flu). Influenza is caused by the influenza virus, while the common cold generally is not. While some of the symptoms of the common cold and influenza may be similar, patients with the common cold typically have a milder illness. Patients with influenza are usually sicker and have a more abrupt onset of illness with fever, chills, headache, body aches, dry cough, and extreme weakness. Though differentiating between the common cold and influenza can be difficult, there is laboratory testing available to confirm the diagnoses of influenza.What is the treatment for the common cold? There is no cure for the common cold. Home treatment is directed at alleviating the symptoms associated with the common cold and allowing this self-limiting illness to run its course. Supportive measures for the common cold include rest and drinking plenty of fluids. Over-the-counter medications such as throat lozenges, throat sprays, cough drops, and cough syrups may also help bring relief. Decongestants such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) or antihistamines may be used for nasal symptoms. Saline sprays and a humidifier may also be beneficial. Acetaminophen (Tylenol and others) and ibuprofen (Advil and others) can help with fever, sore throat, and body aches.   posted by emedinfo @9:04 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Wednesday, March 3, 2010   Use of Computed Tomography (CT) Scan Computed tomography (CT) is highly accurate in detecting adrenal masses and should be used as the first diagnostic modality to define and localize them, investigators concluded. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration unveiled a plan Tuesday to reduce radiation exposure from three types of increasingly widespread imaging procedures: computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine studies and fluoroscopy. These three imaging techniques are the largest contributors to total radiation exposure among Americans. They use much higher radiation doses than other imaging procedures, such as standard X-rays, dental X-rays and mammography, potentially increasing the lifetime risk of cancer. Some practitioners also believe that CT is easier to perform than ultrasound because it is fewer operators dependent and requires less personnel and time than ultrasound. Computed tomographic scans are rapid volume scans that can provide multiplanar reconstruction, whereas ultrasound has always been a 2-dimensional modality. In addition to the cancer risk, accidental radiation exposure can result in injuries, such as burns, hair loss and cataracts. "The amount of radiation Americans are exposed to from medical imaging has dramatically increased over the past 20 years." "The goal of FDA's initiative is to support the benefits associated with medical imaging while minimizing the risks." While the extent of the cancer risk is a topic of debate, most experts agree that exposure to unnecessary radiation from these devices should be reduced. For example, the radiation from a CT scan of the abdomen is the equivalent of about 400 chest X-rays and a dental X-ray has about half the radiation of chest X-ray. "Early diagnosis of disease, improved treatment planning, and image-guided therapies that helps save lives every day."   posted by emedinfo @9:17 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Tuesday, March 2, 2010   What Aspirin may o to your Health? "An aspirin a day" has become a staple of conventional heart-health wisdom. But for millions, this deceptively powerful regimen could be causing irreparable harm. Are you one of the 40 million Americans who take a low-dose aspirin every day (or every other day) to prevent a heart attack or stroke? Who gave you that idea? Your spouse, a friend, or maybe a TV or magazine ad telling you that aspirin protects your heart by "keeps your blood flowing freely?" Aspirin, that familiar, inexpensive little white pill, has long been known to carry cardiovascular benefits in addition to its powers as an anti-inflammatory painkiller. Who is Aspirin for? Identifying the exact groups of patients who will gain the most benefit from aspirin in relation to the risks the drug brings a higher risk of bleeding, including in the brain, and possible gastrointestinal problems is a bit more difficult than one might think. Suggests that older folks with no clinical cardiovascular disease who were flagged as being at increased risk identified by a simple test that compares blood pressure in the ankle with that in the arm and can indicate peripheral artery disease might not gain any protection from that daily aspirin, even though PAD is a form of cardiovascular disease. Who should not use Aspirin? If it wasn't your doctor, and you're a generally healthy person who is taking aspirin because you hope it will keep a heart attack or stroke at bay, you should probably stop. Mounting evidence, reported recently in a number of leading medical journals, suggests doing so is a bad idea if you're healthy and not at significant risk for a heart attack. Furthermore, these studies now show that the potential risk of cerebral hemorrhage, serious gastrointestinal bleeding, and ulcers anywhere from your mouth to your anus outweighs any heart benefits the aspirin might provide. The study, led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, tested whether people identified by the comparative blood pressure test known as the Ankle Brachial Index as being at higher risk for cardiovascular trouble would benefit from aspirin therapy. The study subjects were people ages 50 to 75 who were identified as being at greater risk by the ABI test. Compared with those who took a placebo, subjects who took a coated, 100-mg aspirin daily did not benefit in any significant way measured by any difference in fatal or nonfatal coronary events and death from any cause. Subjects were followed for an average of eight years. Of 3,350 participants, 20 taking the panacea had a hemorrhage that required a hospital stay, compared with 34 taking the aspirin.   posted by emedinfo @9:15 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share     Monday, March 1, 2010   Child Obesity Prevention A new study has suggested that efforts to prevent childhood obesity should begin far earlier than currently thought-perhaps even before birth. To reach the conclusion, boffins tracked 1,826 women from pregnancy through their children's first five years of life. It's never too late for parents and doctors to help children who are overweight or obese to lose weight. But obesity research is pointing more and more to a pivotal time of life when the parameters for future weight appear to be established. And that time period is before conception to age 2. Most obesity prevention programs target kids age 8 and older. Scientists at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute's Department of Population Medicine, an affiliate of Harvard edical School, now say that factors that place children at higher risk for obesity begin at infancy, and in some cases, during pregnancy. Their research also suggests that risk factors such as poor feeding practices; insufficient sleep and televisions in bedrooms are more prevalent among minority children than white children. "This early life period-prenatal, infancy, to age 5-is a key period for childhood obesity prevention, especially for minority children," says Elsie Taveras, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of population medicine at Harvard Medical School, as well as the director of the One Step Ahead Program at Children's Hospital Boston. "Almost every single risk factor in that period before age 2, including in the prenatal period, was disproportionately higher among minority children." For the study, which appears online March 1 in the journal Pediatrics, researchers interviewed 1,343 white, 355 black and 128 Hispanic pregnant women at the end of the first and second trimesters, in the first few days following delivery, and when the children were 6 months and 3 years of age. The women also completed questionnaires when the children were 1, 2 and 4 years old.When compared to Caucasian women, the researchers found that minority women were more likely to be overweight when they became pregnant and Hispanic women had a higher rate of gestational diabetes, both risk factors for childhood obesity. Although the prevalence of two other risk factors-smoking and depression-during pregnancy was higher among African-American and Hispanic women, those rates dropped considerably when the researchers adjusted for socioeconomic status, suggesting that at least those two risk factors may be impacted by income and education levels. When researchers looked at other risk factors during children's first five years, they found that African-American and Hispanic infants are more likely than their Caucasian counterparts to be born small, gain excess weight after birth, begin eating solid foods before 4 months of age and sleep less. During their preschool years, the study suggests, minority children eat more fast food, drink more sugar-sweetened beverages and are more likely to have televisions in their rooms than Caucasian children.   posted by emedinfo @8:59 PM permanent link   | |    Bookmark & Share

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