Male Immunization with Gardasil Not Deemed Cost Effective

Although Gardasil has been proven to protect against two strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer, as well as two additional strains that cause genital warts, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voted against its use as a routine immunization for boys and men. However, the committee did vote, almost unanimously, to allow doctors to recommend the vaccine be given to males to reduce their likelihood of acquiring genital warts.

HPV is a sexually transmitted pathogen that is believed to cause approximately 70 percent of all cervical cancers. In addition, HPV has been associated with more rare forms of cancer of the throat, genitals and anus, as well as genital warts. Studies have found Gardasil not only to be safe, but also to be nearly 100 percent effective in preventing pre-cancerous cervical lesions from the four HPV strains that it targets. In addition, findings have shown that Gardasil is far more effective in females when given before they become sexually active.

Since first being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 for use in females, the issue of whether or not to use Gardasil for males has been strongly debated. Advocates for use of Gardasil as a routine immunization among males believe that widespread use of the vaccine may reduce cervical cancer rates, since males commonly transmit HPV to females.

Although in early October the FDA approved the Gardasil vaccine for use among males aged 9 through 26, results of a study conducted in the same month revealed that immunization among males was not cost effective, as costs would outweigh the health benefit of the vaccine. Now, the results of the final vote by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has apparently put this issue to rest. The vaccine will not be approved for boys as part of the childhood immunization schedule.

The pivotal study published in the British Medical Journal made a comparison between a female-only vaccination program and a co-ed vaccination program. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health performed the analysis. According to lead researcher Jane Kim, an assistant professor of health decision science, “This study found that while vaccine coverage and efficacy are high in girls, including boys in an HPV vaccination program generally exceeds what the U.S. typically considers good value for money.”

The basis of a good value was deemed as having cost-effectiveness ratios ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per quality-adjusted life year, or the cost of the vaccine versus the number of added years someone would gain by getting the vaccine. By assuming lifelong protection among 75 percent coverage, the routine vaccination of girls who were 12 years of age was found to be a good value at less than $50,000 per quality adjusted life year. However, by adding boys of the same age, the cost-effectiveness ratio was increased to over $100,000 per quality adjusted life year.

Currently, the CDC recommends Gardasil for girls ages 11 and 12, and for women ages 13 to 26, who have not been vaccinated for the prevention cervical cancer. The disease claims 4,000 female lives annually in the United State alone.

Source & Picture: http://www.healthnews.com

Regular Coffee Consumption Can Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer

Leading up to the American Revolution in December 1773, the Boston Tea Party was the historical event that began to transform America into a coffee drinking nation. Today the U.S. is responsible for more than a third of worldwide coffee consumption at 400 million cups every day. Over the years, thousands of studies have been done examining coffee’s impact on health and, for the most part, their results are as pleasing as the aroma of that freshly brewed cup of java.

“Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful,” says Dr. Tomas DePaulis, research scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Coffee Studies. “For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good.” Coffee not only perks up energy and helps sharpen the mind, it has been shown to lessen the severity of a heart attack or stroke and protect against certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and gallstones. There’s also evidence that coffee may help stop a headache, boost mood and even prevent cavities. And a study presented this week at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research conference in Houston, Texas shows that men who drink coffee on a regular basis have an added benefit—a significantly decreased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

The study, by researchers from the Channing Laboratory at the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, was based on an analysis of information from the Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study, which included data on the coffee-drinking habits of about 50,000 men from 1986 to 2006. During that time frame, 4,975 of the men developed prostate cancer, 846 cases being life-threatening because they had spread beyond the prostate gland or were growing aggressively. The review showed a clear relationship between the amount of coffee consumed and prostate cancer risk. The men who drank the most coffee (six or more cups per day) were nearly 60 percent less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer and 19 percent less likely to develop any form of prostate cancer than men who drank no coffee.

Some of coffee’s reported benefits are a direct result of its high caffeine content. An eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains about 85 mg, which is about three and a half times more than the same serving of tea or cola or one ounce of chocolate. But the researchers say the fact that the same risk reduction was seen regardless of whether the man drank regular or decaffeinated coffee suggests it isn’t the caffeine but rather coffee’s influence on insulin and hormone levels that caused the positive effect on prostate cancer risk. “Coffee has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism, as well as sex hormone levels, all of which play a role in prostate cancer,” said lead author Dr. Kathryn M. Wilson, a research fellow in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Wilson said though more work is needed before any firm conclusion can be drawn about the relationship between coffee and prostate cancer, the results of this study are encouraging. “Very few lifestyle factors have been consistently associated with prostate cancer risk, especially with risk of aggressive disease, so it would be exciting if this association is confirmed in other studies,” Wilson said. “While it is too early to recommend increasing coffee intake based on this study alone, our results do suggest there is no reason to stop drinking coffee out of any concern about prostate cancer.”

Also presented at the conference was a study into the effects of physical activity on prostate cancer survival by another Harvard School of Public Health researcher, Stacey A. Kenfield. It showed that prostate cancer patients who participated in vigorous physical activity, such as jogging, biking, swimming or playing tennis, for an average of three or more hours per week had a 35 percent lower death rate than those who exercised less frequently or not at all. For those who walked regularly (four or more hours per week), overall mortality rates were 23 percent lower than men who walked for less than 20 minutes per week. Kenfield says that while it’s already known that physical activity reduces overall mortality, this is the first study to focus on the effect of exercise on prostate cancer survival.

Source & Picture: http://www.healthnews.com

Excess Body Fat Can Endanger People of Average Weight

Weighing in at a normal average for your height and age may not mean that you will avoid increased health risks. Although many health issues are associated with obesity, having an unhealthy percentage of body fat puts you at risk even if your scales indicate that you are not overweight.

According to a new Mayo Clinic study, even though you may look thin, you can still be carrying too much body fat. The condition, known as normal weight obesity, can lead to the same health issues caused by obesity, and as many as 30 million Americans may unknowingly be at risk. The deadly internal fat, also called visceral fat, hides beneath muscles and envelops vital organs. The fat is metabolized by the liver, and converted into blood cholesterol, which leads to an increased risk of such medical conditions as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

This new information makes it far understandable that heart disease is the number one cause of death among women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. In fact, according to Dr. Francisco Lopez Jimenez, who led the study, “Women with normal weight obesity, meaning those who have high fat and a normal weight have a two times increased risk for death or dying from heart problems or a stroke.”

During the study, The Mayo Clinic researchers assessed a total of 6,171 Americans over a period of nine years. Results revealed that although considered to be of normal weight, between 20 and 30 percent of those evaluated had a dangerously high percentage of body fat. The fact that they were found to have normal weight obesity puts them at a greater risk of the very same diseases that causes medical afflictions for those who are overweight.

A healthy percentage of body fat for women is an amount totaling less than 30 percent while for men a percentage less than 20 to 25 percent is the healthy target. A good indication of whether or not you are carrying excess body fat is to check your waistline for so-called “love handles.” In addition, you can have your body fat tested by asking your healthcare provider to do so. Another good rule of thumb is the old adage, “You are what you eat.”

What can you do? The best way to reduce your health risks is to lose the extra fat and work to build lean muscle. This can be achieved by eating a healthy diet and getting the proper amount of exercise including resistance training and cardiovascular activities. With all the diets available to choose from, having a clear knowledge of what each has to offer can be very helpful in choosing the one that will work best for you. Check out the in depth reviews of the top diets of 2010 located on our diet pages.

Source & Picture: www.healthnews.com

Simple Urine Test Effective in Detecting Kids Sleep Disorder

Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. These short stops in breathing usually lasts for 10 to 30 seconds and can happen up to 400 times every night. Men, people who are overweight or over the age of 40 are more likely to have sleep apnea, but it can affect anyone at any age, even children. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common type of apnea in children, is caused by an obstruction of the airway, such as enlarged tonsils and adenoids. This is most likely to happen during sleep because that’s when the soft tissue at the back of throat is most relaxed. Children who have OSA nearly always snore, may have difficulty breathing during sleep, and may be restless during sleep and wake up often. Symptoms of OSA tend to appear in the first few years of life, but the disorder often remains undiagnosed until many years later.

Once a doctor completes an evaluation and makes a diagnosis, most cases of OSA can be treated or managed with surgery, medications and monitoring devices. Generally, a polysomnagram or overnight sleep study is used to confirm obstructive sleep apnea. It charts the child’s brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing during sleep. It also records arm and leg movements. The study requires the child and a parent or guardian to spend the night at the sleep center. In some cases other tests, including endoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging, may be used to evaluate the child’s upper airway. But a recent discovery may lead to a much simpler way to detect whether a children has OSA—a simple urine test.

Dr. David Gozal, a professor and chairman of pediatrics at the University of Chicago, and colleagues studied 90 children who had been referred to a sleep clinic for evaluation of breathing problems during sleep and 30 non-snoring children. All the children underwent standard overnight sleep tests and were categorized either as having OSA, habitual snoring or no sleep disordered breathing. The morning after the tests, urine samples were collected and screening using a sophisticated electrophoresis technique. The researchers found that the expression of a number of proteins in children with OSA was different than in those who didn’t snore or who snored habitually. “It was rather unexpected that the urine would provide us with the ability to identify OSA,” Gozal said. “However, the field of biomarkers is one that is under marked expansion, and this certainly opens the way for possible simple diagnostic screening methods in the future.”

“We wish to validate these findings in urine samples from many children from laboratories around the country and to develop a simple, color-based test that can be done in the physician office or by the parents” Gozal said, pointing out that such a test “would alleviate the need for costly and inconvenient sleep studies in children who snore, only about 20 to 30 percent of whom actually have OSA.”

OSA affects 1 to 10 percent of children. In early childhood, OSA can slow a child’s growth rate. Cognitive and behavioral problems such as aggressive behavior and poor school performance are common in children with OSA. Untreated, OSA can also lead to high blood pressure and cardiopulmonary disease.

The finding is reported in the December 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Source & Picture: http://www.healthnews.com

Many children 'hear voices'; most aren't bothered

Nearly 1 in 10 seven- to eight-year-olds hears voices that aren't really there, according to a new study.

But most children who hear voices don't find them troubling or disruptive to their thinking, the study team found. "These voices in general have a limited impact in daily life," Agna A. Bartels-Velthuis of University Medical Center Groningen in The Netherlands wrote in an email to Reuters Health.

And parents whose children hear voices should not be overly concerned, she added. "In most cases the voices will just disappear. I would advise them to reassure their child and to watch him or her closely."

Up to 16 percent of mentally healthy children and teens may hear voices, the researchers note in the British Journal of Psychiatry. While hearing voices can signal a heightened risk of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders in later life, they add, the "great majority" of young people who have these experiences never become mentally ill.

To further investigate how common these "auditory vocal hallucinations" are and whether they are associated with developmental and behavioral factors, the researchers looked at 3,870 Groningen primary schoolers. All were asked whether they had heard "one or more voices that only you and no one else could hear" in the past year.

Nine percent of the children answered yes. Only 15 percent of these children said the voices caused them serious suffering, and 19 percent said the voices interfered with their thinking. Boys and girls were equally likely to report hearing voices, but girls were more likely to report suffering and anxiety due to the voices.

While past studies have linked complications in the womb or during early infancy with the likelihood of hearing voices, Bartels-Velthuis and her team found no such relationship. The researcher said that she and her colleagues had expected that hearing voices would be more common among urban children than among their rural peers, "but to our surprise, the contrary was the case in our sample. We have no explanation for this finding."

Although urban children were less likely to hear voices, they were more troubled by them, the researchers found. They were more likely to report hearing several voices at once, voices speaking for a longer time, and voices that interfered with their thinking.

This greater severity suggests that the urban children who heard voices might be at higher risk of going on to develop psychotic illness, the researchers say.

Bartels-Velthuis and her team are now conducting a five-year follow-up study of the children to see how the voice-hearing plays out and what effect, if any, it has on behavior.

Source: www.reutershealth.com

Childhood Skin Problems

What's That?

Wondering what that rash, welt, or bump on your child's skin is? Infection, allergies, and temperature extremes are often behind the skin conditions seen in babies and children -- and many are minor and easily treated. You can learn to recognize some of the most common conditions -- but remember: always consult a doctor for proper diagnoses and treatment.

Ringworm

Worms don't cause ringworm. Instead, this skin infection is caused by a fungus living off dead skin, hair, and nail tissue. Starting as a red, scaly patch or bump, it develops into itchy red ring(s) with raised, blistery, or scaly borders. Ringworm is passed on by skin-to-skin contact with a person or animal, and by sharing items like towels or sports gear. Most ringworm infections can be treated with antifungal creams.

Fifth Disease ('slapped cheek')

A contagious and usually mild illness that passes in a couple weeks, fifth disease starts with flu-like symptoms, followed by a face and body rash. Spread by coughing and sneezing, it’s most contagious the week before the rash appears. Treatment includes rest, fluids, and pain relievers (do not use aspirin if your child has fever), but watch for signs of more serious illness. If your child has Fifths and you are pregnant, contact your doctor.

Chickenpox

Very contagious, chickenpox spreads easily, leaving an itchy rash and red spots or blisters all over the body. It isn't usually serious in healthy children and once you've had it, you're not likely to get it again. Most kids need only home treatment, including rest and medication, to reduce itching, fever and other flu-like symptoms. A chickenpox vaccine is recommended for children, teens, and adults who haven't had chickenpox.

Impetigo

A contagious infection, impetigo causes red sores or blisters that can break open, ooze, and develop a yellow-brown crust. Sores can occur anywhere on the body but usually appear around the mouth and nose. Impetigo can be spread to others through close contact or by sharing items like towels and toys. Scratching can also spread it to other parts of the body. Antibiotic ointment usually cures it. Antibiotic pills may be needed.

Warts

Skin growths caused by contact with the contagious human papillomavirus, warts can spread from person-to-person or via contact with an object used by a person with the virus. Prevent the spread of warts by not picking them, covering them with bandages, and keeping them dry. In most cases warts are harmless, painless, and go away on their own. If they persist, treatments include freezing, surgery, lasers, and chemicals.

Heat Rash ('Prickly Heat')

The result of blocked sweat ducts, heat rash looks like small red or pink pimples. Appearing over an infant's head, neck, and shoulders, the rash is often caused when well-meaning parents dress baby too warmly, but it can happen to any infant in very hot weather. A baby should be dressed as lightly as an adult who is resting; though their feet and hands may feel cool to the touch, this is usually not a problem.

Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is an allergic reaction caused by touching a substance, such as food, soap, or the oil of plants like poison ivy, sumac, or oak. The rash usually starts within 48 hours after exposure. Minor cases may cause mild skin redness or a rash of small red bumps, while severe reactions can cause swelling, redness, and larger blisters. Contact dermatitis is usually mild and goes away when contact with the substance ends.

Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease (Coxsackie)

This common, contagious childhood illness starts with a fever, then painful mouth sores and a non-itchy rash with blisters on hands, feet, and sometimes buttocks and legs follow. It spreads through coughing, sneezing, and used diapers, so wash hands often when dealing with coxsackie. Home treatment includes ibuprofen or acetaminophen (do not give aspirin) and lots of fluids. Not serious, coxsackie usually goes away on its own in about a week.

Atopic Dermatitis

A chronic problem causing dry skin, intense itching, and a raised rash, some children outgrow atopic dermatitis, or have milder cases as they age. In severe cases, this non-contagious rash forms clear, fluid-filled blisters. What causes atopic dermatitis isn't clear, but those affected may have a personal history of allergies and asthma and a sensitive immune system.

Hives (Urticaria)

Hives occur as a rash or welts and are often itchy, or may burn or sting. They can appear anywhere on the body and may last minutes or days. Hives can signal serious problems, especially if accompanied by difficult breathing. Medications like aspirin or penicillin; foods like eggs, nuts, and shellfish; food additives; temperature extremes, and infections like strep throat can cause hives. Removing the trigger often resolves the hives.

Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever is simply strep throat with a rash. Symptoms include sore throat, fever, headache, abdominal pain, and swollen neck glands. After 1-2 days, a red rash with a sandpaper texture appears, after 7-14 days, the rash sloughs off. Scarlet fever is very contagious, but good hand washing can reduce its spread. Call your pediatrician immediately if you think your child has it, and treat with antibiotics to avoid serious complications.

Roseola Infantum (Sixth Disease)

A mild, contagious illness, roseola infantum is most common in children age 6 months to 2 years, and is rare after age 4. The symptoms are respiratory illness, followed by a high fever (which can trigger seizures) for up to eight days. Fevers abruptly end and are followed by a rash of small, pink, flat, or slightly raised bumps on the trunk, then the extremities. The fever can be managed with acetaminophen (do not use aspirin).

Source & Picture: www.children.webmd.com

Blueberry Juice May Boost Memory

Drinking Wild Blueberry Juice Improves Memory and Learning in Older People With Age-Related Memory Decline
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News

Swapping out the usual OJ for blueberry juice in the morning may give your brain a memory boost.

A new study shows that drinking a daily dose of wild blueberry juice improved the memory of older adults with age-related memory problems.

It's the first study to show a potential benefit of blueberries in improving memory in older adults at risk for dementia.

"The findings of this preliminary study suggest that moderate-term blueberry supplementation can confer neurocognitive benefit," write researcher Robert Krikorian, of the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, and colleagues in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Blueberry Benefits

Researchers say blueberries contain a wealth of phytochemicals that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, animal studies have shown that the polyphenols found in blueberries, anthocyanins, have been shown to increase signaling in brain centers associated with memory as well as improve how the brain gets rid of glucose, all of which may help slow memory decline.

In the study, researchers looked at the effects of drinking wild blueberry juice on memory decline in nine adults in their 70s who were experiencing age-related memory decline problems, such as memory lapses.

The participants drank about two and a half cups each day of blueberry juice made from commercially available frozen wild blueberries for 12 weeks. A comparison group of seven older adults drank a similar amount of placebo non-juice beverage for the same time period.

Researchers conducted memory tests, such as word association and list learning and recall tasks, at the beginning and end of the study.

The results showed that those who drank blueberry juice showed significant improvement on learning and memory tests compared to the placebo group.

Researchers say there were also trends suggesting reduced symptoms of depression and lower glucose levels among the wild blueberry juice drinkers, but further research will be needed to confirm these results.

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com

Haiti After the Earthquakes

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Senior Medical Writer

My travel kit is packed with a big bottle of cipro, and I'll be starting anti-malaria prophylaxis soon. I'm scheduled to fly to Port au Prince on Feb. 3 with Dr. Michael Grady. We may go sooner, if we can be part of the relief effort.

Like everyone who knows anyone in Haiti, I keep checking my email inbox. Too many friends and loved ones are missing.

Unlike many, the news for me has been mostly good. As good as news can be when yet another horrible disaster has struck an undeserving people.

Nearly a year ago, I made my first eye-opening trip to Haiti after being invited to serve on the board of the service organization ServeHaiti.

The clinic we built in the mountainous region called Gran Bois is not far from Port au Prince -- but only as the crow flies. Human travel, up a tortuous "road," takes at least four hours, often much more.

The earthquakes are still shaking the ground, but so far the clinic stands unharmed. Our staff that was in Gran Bois, including Dr. Leo, are unharmed. But many of our Haitian friends and colleagues were in the city.

A few minutes ago I got one of those emails I've been looking for. The title: Boule is safe. I cried.

Earlier today, one of our volunteers sent a very different message. The title: Pray for me. Two of her loved ones are dead. I wept.

Watch this space for more news and stories. Please tell us about your Haiti connections, and what you know and don't yet know.

Source & Picture: blogs.webmd.com

Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, St. Joseph Aspirin, Rolaids Recall

Containers' Moldy Odor to Blame for Recall of 60 Million Over-the-Counter Products
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Because of a sickening smell in some containers, 54 million packages of 27 different over-the-counter remedies now are being recalled.

Products include various types of child and/or adult Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, St. Joseph Aspirin, Rolaids, and Simply Sleep. This adds to the 6 million packages of Tylenol recalled late last year, bringing the total number of recalled products to 60 million.

A musty, moldy odor coming from the products has sickened at least 70 people with nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The symptoms go away by themselves and no one has been seriously injured.

The FDA says Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Health Care knew of the problem for more than a year. When the company did act in November and December 2008, it did too little too late, said Deborah M. Autor, director of the FDA's Office of Compliance.

"When something smells bad, literally or figuratively, companies must aggressively investigate and take all actions necessary to solve the problem," Autor said at a news conference. "McNeil should have acted faster."

The odor comes from a chemical, 2,4,6-tribromoanisole or TBA. TBA is produced when fungi break down a commonly used fungicide called 2,4,6-tribromophenol. The full health effects of TBA are not known.

Before being filled with product, product containers were stored on wooden pallets apparently treated with the fungicide. TBA seems to have infiltrated the product containers before they were filled.

The FDA inspected McNeil's main plant at Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, and was not happy with what it found. The FDA says McNeil began receiving complaints in May 2008, but failed to investigate fully or to warn consumers in a timely manner.

The FDA has given McNeil 15 days to respond to its seven-point warning letter. In addition to the contamination issue, the FDA says there are product-quality issues with some Motrin products.

Specific products included in the recall include:

* Children's Motrin
* Children's Tylenol
* Extra Strength Tylenol
* Regular Strength Tylenol
* Tylenol 8 Hour
* Tylenol Arthritis
* Tylenol PM
* Benadryl
* Motrin IB
* Rolaids
* Simply Sleep
* St. Joseph Aspirin

A complete list of the recalled products, including package sizes, product types, lot numbers, and UPC codes, can be seen at www.mcneilproductrecall.com.

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com

Are We as Fat as We Can Get?

U.S. Child/Adult Obesity Rates Leveling Off but Not Going Down
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Jan. 13, 2010 - U.S. obesity rates are leveling off for most kids and adults, new CDC figures suggest.

It does not mean we are getting thinner, although it may mean we're nearly as fat as we can get.

The sad numbers, according to CDC researchers Katherine M. Flegal, PhD, Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD, and colleagues:

* 12.6% of teens ages 12-19 are obese by adult standards.
* 17% of school-age kids are obese by child standards.
* 34% of adults -- 32% of women and 35.5% of men -- are obese.
* 68% of adults -- two-thirds of us -- are overweight or obese.

The good news is that the rise in obesity seems to be leveling off for children and for women. The same thing seems to be happening in men, although the leveling off has been too recent for the CDC to call it a plateau.

Bucking the trend are the very heaviest 6- to 19-year-old boys, who are getting even heavier.

That any of this seems like good news is, well, not good news.

"The results presented here indicate that the prevalence of high body-mass index in childhood has remained steady for 10 years and has not declined," the CDC researchers note. "The prevalence of obesity in the United States continues to be high, exceeding 30% in most sex and age groups."

The findings appear in two papers in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In an editorial accompanying the papers, J. Michael Gaziano, MD, MPH, a contributing editor of the journal, says we've entered a new and ominous age of public health.

Gaziano says there have been four previous eras:

* The age of pestilence and famine dominated most of human history.
* The age of receding pandemics happened in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
* The age of degenerative and man-made diseases emerged in the mid-20th century.
* The age of delayed degenerative diseases began in the 1960s as people began to quit smoking and as technological advances delayed heart deaths.

Now, he says, we're in the age of obesity and physical inactivity.

What can be done? Gaziano and the CDC say it's no longer just up to individuals. They recommend we look at our built environment -- and our food environment -- and make big changes in the things that make it easy for us to consume empty calories and hard for us to exercise.

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com

Food Recall Hits Big Chain Stores

Listeria Contamination Suspects: Peanut Butter, Salsa, Cheese, More
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Listeria contamination has led Parkers Farm Inc. to recall peanut butter, cheese, salsa, and other foods from a long list of major food retailers.

Listeria is a bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in small children and older people. The contamination was detected in Parkers products tested by health departments in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

So far, Parkers Farm says there have been no reported illnesses.

Parkers, based in Coon Rapids, Minn., sold the products at the following major food retailers:

* Costco
* Cub
* Hy-Vee
* Jewel
* Kroger
* Lunds & Byerly's
* Marsh
* Nash Finch
* Price Chopper
* Rainbow
* Safeway
* Sam's Club
* Shop Rite
* Target
* Whole Foods

The foods included in the recall all carry specific "sell by" dates a half inch from the top of the container. The foods recalled by Parkers Farm are:

* 16-ounce peanut butter in square plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid); varieties are creamy, crunchy, honey creamy, and honey crunchy with sell by dates between 11/14/2010 and 12/31/2010.
* 34-ounce peanut butter in round plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid); varieties are creamy and crunchy with sell by dates between 8/11/2010 and 9/30/2010.
* 7-ounce bagel spreads in white plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid); varieties are garden veggie, wild berry, strawberry, apple cinnamon, and honey walnut) with sell by dates between 5/13/2010 and 6/30/2010.
* 14-ounce dips and spreads in square plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid); varieties are jalapeno nacho, pimento, and salsa con queso with sell by dates between 8/11/2010 and 9/30/2010.
* 8-ounce, 12-ounce, and 16-ounce cold pack cheese in round or square plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid); varieties are sharp cheddar, bacon, onion, smoked cheddar, Swiss almond, horseradish, garlic, port wine, and Swiss and cheddar with sell by dates between 11/14/2010 and 12/31/2010.
* 16-ounce salsa in square plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid), varieties are hot, mild, garlic, black bean, and fire-roasted with sell by dates between 3/14/2010 and 4/30/2010.

Other labels affected by this recall:

* 16-ounce Happy Farms cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, and Swiss almond with sell by dates between 11/24/2010 and 12/10/2010.
* 8-ounce Kroger cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, and Swiss almond with sell by dates between 11/18/2010 through 12/15/2010.
* 8-ounce Central Markets cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, Swiss almond, and horseradish with sell by dates of 12/9/2010.
* 14-ounce Central markets salsa con queso in round plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid) with sell by dates of 8/16/2010.
* 16-ounce Central Markets salsa in round plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, Swiss almond, and horseradish with sell by dated of 3/17/2010 through 3/24/2010.
* 8-ounce Dutch Farms cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap-on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, Swiss almond, horseradish, and Swiss & cheddar with sell by dates of 11/16/2010 through 11/18/2010.

Parkers Farm says that products with different sell by dates are safe to eat.

Customers who purchased the recalled products may return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com

Running Shoes: Hazardous to Your Joints?

Study Shows Running Shoes Exert More Stress on Knees and Hips Than Running Barefoot
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News

Compared to running barefoot, running in conventional running shoes increases stress on the knee joints up to 38%, according to a new study.

''There is an increase in joint torque that may be detrimental," says D. Casey Kerrigan, MD, the lead author of the study, published in PM&R: The Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation.

Joint torque is a measure of how much a force causes the joint to rotate.

But Kerrigan is not advocating that runners take up barefoot running -- just that her findings may be a reason to redesign running shoes. Kerrigan, formerly chairwoman and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, now heads JKM Technologies and is designing a running shoe.

At least one podiatric specialist calls the study finding ''much ado about nothing."
Running Shoes Study: Details

Kerrigan's team evaluated 68 runners -- 37 women, average age 31, and 31 men, average age 36 -- who ran at least 15 miles a week. None had any history of musculoskeletal injury.

Participants ran barefoot on a treadmill and then in a running shoe: the Brooks Adrenaline.

Kerrigan's team observed how each condition, barefoot and shod, affected the joints of the hip, knee, and ankle.

Compared to running barefoot, the researchers found running in running shoes increased stress on the lower extremities. They found a 54% increase in the hip internal rotation torque and a 36% to 38% increase in knee torque. Is that increase mild, moderate, worrisome? "We don't know," Kerrigan tells WebMD. "We just know it's an increase."

She attributes the increased stress to the characteristic design of the majority of running shoes, including an elevated heel and increased material in the midsole arch.

Providing this cushioning in the heel, she suspects, counteracts the body's natural response to compensate for the torque associated with impact.

The increases found in her current study are higher than when she compared barefoot walking to walking in high heels. The high-heel shoes increased knee joint torque by 20% to 26%, she says.
Running Shoes Study: Analysis

Some torque on the knee is normal, of course. "What we are saying is, there is an increase over what would be experienced just walking around," Kerrigan says.

Her concern is that the excess stress may contribute to knee osteoarthritis, although the study did not look at a link between running shoes and injury or running shoes and the development of arthritis.

She isn't suggesting barefoot running -- a trend that's picked up steam in the past year or so -- is necessarily better than running in athletic shoes, she says.
Running Shoes Study: Other Opinions

''It's much ado about nothing," says Bruce Williams, DPM, past president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine and a spokesman for the American Podiatric Medical Association, of the study results.

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com

Frostbite Treatment and Prevention: FAQ

An expert offers tips for preventing and treating frostbite.
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Feature

When wintry weather settles in, how do you make sure that when Jack Frost nips at your nose you don’t end up with frostbite?

Plan ahead to make sure you're prepared for the winter weather, emergency medicine specialist Thomas Tallman, DO, tells WebMD.

Tallman has seen more than his share of cold-weather injuries as a staff physician at the Cleveland Clinic's Emergency Services Institute and as an on-call doctor at the football games of the Cleveland Browns.

"When you're wet or exposed to high winds, core body temperatures can drop quickly and you can get into trouble pretty fast," he says.

What is frostbite?

Frostbite is literally the freezing of body tissue (usually skin). Fingers, toes, ears, and the nose are the areas most vulnerable to frostbite.

There are three degrees of frostbite, including:

* Frostnip, which usually affects the face, ears, or fingertips. While the skin may feel numb, frostnip does not lead to permanent tissue damage.
* Superficial frostbite, in which the outer skin is affected.
* Deep frostbite, in which the skin and underlying tissue freezes. Permanent damage is possible, depending on how long and how deeply the tissue is frozen.

Frostbite is caused by either prolonged exposure to cold temperatures or shorter exposure to very cold temperatures.
What are the symptoms?

Many people with frostnip or frostbite experience numbness. A "pins and needles" sensation, severe pain, itching, and burning are all common when the affected area is warmed and blood starts flowing again.

Skin may look white, grayish-yellow, or even black with severe frostbite, and it may feel hard, waxy, and numb. Blistering is also common.
Who is at risk?

Anyone can end up with frostbite if exposed to frigid conditions for too long. Naturally, those who work outside in the cold or engage in cold-weather sports may be vulnerable if they aren't adequately prepared.

But some people are also more susceptible to extremely cold weather than others, including:

* The very young and the very old.
* Diabetes patients and people with other medical conditions associated with poor circulation.
* People with heart conditions who take beta-blockers, which decrease the flow of blood to the skin.
* Those who smoke and/or drink alcohol while exposed to cold weather.

Wearing wet clothes, not wearing enough clothes, and exposure to high winds increase vulnerability.

Even people who think they are prepared for the cold weather may not be, Tallman says. He recalls one Browns game last season which started in the rain and ended in an icy snowstorm.

"Many of the tailgaters got pretty soaked before the game and then when the temperatures dropped they got into trouble," he says.
What are the treatments for frostnip/frostbite?

Get out of the cold and get out of wet clothing as soon as possible and remove all constrictive jewelry and clothing. Then immerse the affected area in warm, but not hot, water.

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com

Radiologists: Get Mammograms Early, Often

2 Groups Call for Annual Breast Cancer Screening at Age 40 for Average-Risk Women
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Blasting new breast cancer screening advice from a Health and Human Services Department panel, radiologists say women need annual mammograms starting no later than age 40.

Recent guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) -- an outside group of experts that makes health recommendations based on the best available evidence -- call for women to start every-other-year screening at age 50 unless they are more comfortable with starting earlier.

That change from annual screening beginning at age 40 is "ill advised and dangerous," say the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging.

Claiming that the new guidelines will cause "countless unnecessary breast cancer deaths each year," the groups call for a return to annual screening at age 40 for average-risk women, and annual screening starting at age 30 (or even as early as age 25) for higher-risk women.

The USPSTF calculates that the greatest benefit of breast cancer screening is for women ages 60 to 69. Evidence on women 75 years or older does not exist. For younger women, the USPSTF calculates that to extend the life of a just one woman, 1,904 women ages 40 to 49 and 1,339 women ages 50 to 59 must be screened.

That's where the debate begins. A woman's risk of breast cancer starts rising sharply at age 40. The USPSTF calculates that breast cancer risk gets large enough by age 50 to justify the "potential harms" of screening. These harms include anxiety over false-positive results and painful, unnecessary biopsies. The radiology groups say the risk at age 40 already justifies any such harm -- and that catching cancer at an earlier stage prevents the harm of more difficult late-stage treatment.

Because women have been taught for years that breast cancer is most curable and most easily treated when caught early, the USPSTF guidelines were met with a public uproar. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius soon told women under 50 that the suggested guidelines would not become federal health policy.

Now radiologists have officially joined the uproar. Memorial Sloan-Kettering radiologist Carol H. Lee, MD, chairwoman of the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Commission, condemned the USPSTF recommendations as "unfounded."

"The USPSTF recommendations are a step backward and represent a significant harm to women's health," Lee says in a news release. "At least 40 percent of the patient years of life saved by mammographic screening are of women ages 40 to 49."

Lee and colleagues put forth the radiologists' own guidelines in a strongly worded article in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Those recommendations include:

* Regular annual screening beginning at age 40 for women at average risk of breast cancer.
* Regular annual screening beginning at age 30, but not before age 25, for women with increased risk of breast cancer due to BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations, a mother or sister with premenopausal breast cancer, or both a maternal and paternal relative with premenopausal breast cancer.
* Regular annual screening should continue for all women with a life expectancy of less than five to seven years, based on age or health conditions.

While the USPSTF has already softened the wording of its original guidelines, the panel continues to recommend mammograms every other year.

As for women under age 50, the USPSTF now suggests that the decision to start breast cancer screening "should be an individual one and take patient context into account, including the patient's values regarding specific benefits and harms."

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com

Pomegranates May Fight Breast Cancer

Phytochemicals in Pomegranates Stop Growth of Breast Cancer Tumors in Study
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News

Eating pomegranates or drinking pomegranate juice may help prevent and slow the growth of some types of breast cancer.

A new study shows a group of phytochemicals called ellagitannins found in abundance in pomegranates inhibited the growth of estrogen-responsive breast cancer in laboratory tests.

“Phytochemicals suppress estrogen production that prevents the proliferation of breast cancer cells and the growth of estrogen-responsive tumors,” researcher Shiuan Chen, PhD, director of the Division of Tumor Cell Biology and co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at City of Hope in Duarte, Calif., says in a news release.

Researchers say the ellagitannins in pomegranates work by inhibiting aromatase, which is a key enzyme used by the body to make estrogen and plays a key role in breast cancer growth.

“We were surprised by our findings,” Chen says. “We previously found other fruits, such as grapes, to be capable of the inhibition of aromatase. But phytochemicals in pomegranates and in grapes are different.”

Researchers say pomegranates have recently been hailed for their potential anti-cancer and heart healthy benefits thanks to their high antioxidant content. But they say this is the first study to look at their effects on aromatase and breast cancer growth.

In the study, published in Cancer Prevention Research, researchers examined the impact of 10 ellagitannin-derived compounds from pomegranates on aromatase activity and breast cancer cell growth in laboratory tests.

The results showed that of those 10 compounds, urolithin B most significantly inhibited breast cancer cell growth.

Experts say further studies will be needed to determine whether eating or drinking pomegranate-derived products will have the same effect in humans, but these results are promising.

“More research on the individual components and the combination of chemicals is needed to understand the potential risks and benefits of using pomegranate juice or isolated compounds for a health benefit or for cancer prevention,” Powel Brown, MD, PhD, chairman of the clinical cancer prevention department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, says in a news release. Brown was not associated with the study.

Until then, researchers say people may consider eating more pomegranates to protect against cancer in the breast and perhaps other tissues and organs.

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com

How to Design Your Own Diet

Had it with one-size-fits-all diet formulas? Learn how to design your own weight loss plan.
By Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RD
WebMD Feature

Prescribed diets plans, such as Jenny Craig, The Zone, and The South Beach Diet are wildly popular, and often quite successful, at least in the short term. But they don't adequately address personal eating styles, family and work schedules, or exercise preferences.

Do you crave a diet that caters to your unique needs, instead of a cookie-cutter formula from a book or diet guru? Here's how to personalize an eating plan that helps you shed weight and keep it off for good.

The Best Diet: The One That Works for You

If you bristle at the thought of complying with someone else's idea of how you should shed pounds, the good news is that you don't need weeks' worth of expensive prepared frozen meals or a militant eating and exercise program to drop the weight. Even a slight decrease in calories, preferably on a plan that meets nutritional needs, is all it takes.

"One diet is not necessarily any more successful than the next," says Joy Bauer, MS, RD, author of Your Inner Skinny: Four Steps to Thin Forever. "We know from research studies that almost any plan that reduces calorie intake results in weight loss, regardless of whether it's high-carbohydrate, low-carbohydrate, high in protein, or low in fat."

But here's the rub: Weight loss won't last unless you change your eating and exercise habits for good in a way that meshes with your food preferences, schedule, and lifestyle.
Dieter, Let's Get Personal

Before you begin designing your own diet plan, some self-reflection is in order.

"Knowing who you are and what you need is the most important information you can have when it comes to losing weight, eating healthy, and changing your lifestyle," says Heather K. Jones, RD, co-author of What's Your Diet Type? Use the Power of Your Personality to Discover Your Best Way to Lose Weight. "Our personality explains why some approaches to weight control work, while others fail."

Jones says dieting takes more than willpower, and that people who successfully lose weight and keep it off have simply discovered which approaches work for them and their unique personalities.
6 Key Questions to Answer

In order to design your own diet, Bauer and Jones advise asking yourself the following six questions:

• Do you prefer to eat three, five, or eight meals a day? Once you determine your desired eating schedule, divide your calories accordingly.

• How much time will you devote to food preparation? If you hate to cook, or have limited time, you'll need to simplify the preparation of healthy, fresh, and lightly processed foods.

• What type of support, and how much, do you require? Everyone needs some cheering on to succeed, especially when the initial enthusiasm for changing bad habits begins to wane. Family and friends, online weight loss communities, and diet buddies can help you when you're tempted to ditch your healthier diet and exercise program.

Source & Picture: www.webmd.com