LEO Tanudtanud Medical blog

Philippine Philhealth Contact address & telephone, membership

2011-04-17T21:17:00.001-07:00

Philhealth is the Government medical insurance plan. The premiums are P100 per month for a family of 4 with reimbursments up to P150,000 per family per year. It only pays 25% of the costs, but 25% is better than nada.

Among the Benefits
Inpatient coverage:
PhilHealth provides subsidy for room and board, drugs and medicines,
laboratories, operating room and professional fees for confinements of not
less than 24 hours. Please refer to the table of rate ceilings/maximum
allowances for inpatient coverage.
Outpatient coverage:
Day surgeries, dialysis and cancer treatment procedures such as
chemotheraphy and radiotheraphy in accredited hospitals and free-standing
clinics.
Dialysis (except those undergoing emergency dialysis service during
confinement)
Chemotherapy
Cataract Extraction
Radiotherapy
Selected surgical procedures

Who Can be a member of PhilHealth Philippines?
Self-employed individuals - those who work for him/herself and is therefore both the employer and employee, including but not limited to the following:
Self-earning professionals like doctors and lawyers
Business partners and single proprietors / proprietresses
Actors, actresses, directors, scriptwriters and news reporters who are not under an employer-employee relationship
Professional athletes, coaches, trainers and jockeys
Farmers and fisherfolks
Workers in the informal sector such as ambulant vendors, watch-your-car boys, hospitality girls, tricycle drivers, etc.
Separated from employment - those who were previously formally employed (with employer-employee relationship) and are separated from employment.
Employees of international organizations and foreign governments based in the Philippines without agreement with PhilHealth for the coverage of their Filipino employees in the program. Also foreigners married to Filipinos and their children.
All other individuals not covered under the previous categories mentioned, including but are not limited to the following:
Parents who are not qualified as legal dependents, indigents or retireess/pensioners
Overseas contract workers
All working employess in the Philippines
So that includes just about everyone hehe

Be a Member! You will use the new membership form, and you need to bring your birth certificate, your marriage certificate (so you can include your spouse as your dependent), and birth certificates (so your children or parents over 60 will be enrolled as your dependents). Bring original and xerox copies. Registrant will be issued his/her PhilHealth Identification Number or PIN and the Member Data Record or MDR and shall be asked to pay the required premiums to the PhilHealth Cashier or at any of PhilHealth's accredited collecting banks

Contact Philhealth Contact Location Address and Philhealth Phone number
Head Office Citystate Centre, 709 Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City 1603, Philippines
Call Center: 441-7442 info@philhealth.gov.ph

Contact PhilHealth here click location desired click link below

Manila Area North Capital Region
Central Capital Region
South Capital Region

North Luzon Area
PhilHealth Regional Office I - Dagupan
PhilHealth Regional Office II - Tuguegarao City
PhilHealth Regional Office III - San Fernando City
PhilHealth Regional Office CAR - Baguio

South Luzon Area
PhilHealth Regional Office IV-A - Lucena City
PhilHealth Regional Office IV-B - Batangas City
PhilHealth Regional Office V - Legaspi City

Visayas Area
PhilHealth Regional Office VI - Iloilo City
PhilHealth Regional Office VII - Cebu City
PhilHealth Regional Office VIII - Tacloban City

Mindanao
PhilHealth Regional Office IX - Zamboanga City
PhilHealth Regional Office X - Cagayan De Oro City
PhilHealth Regional Office XI - Davao City
PhilHealth Regional Office XII - Koronadal City
PhilHealth Regional Office CARAGA - Butuan City
PhilHealth Regional Office ARMM - Marawi City

Signs and symptoms & Prevention of Japanese Radiation poisoning

2011-03-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines—Radioactivity, or radioactive decay, is the spontaneous emission of energy from unstable atoms. These atoms emit radiation, which travels in the form of waves or high-speed particles.

Radiation poisoning, radiation sickness or a creeping dose, is a form of damage to organ tissue caused by excessive exposure to ionizing radiation. The term is generally used to refer to acute problems caused by a large dosage of radiation in a short period, though this also has occurred with long term exposure. The clinical name for radiation sickness is acute radiation syndrome (ARS) as described by the CDC

Everyone is exposed to low levels of radiation on a daily basis, as radiation occurs naturally in sunlight and sound waves. Man-made radiation is used in X-rays, nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants and cancer treatment.

The amount and duration of radiation exposure affects the severity or type of health effect. Any living tissue in the human body can be damaged by radiation in a certain manner, but the body can also repair its own cells and leave no residual damage.

But sometimes, if the exposure is too long or the radiation too high, the damage becomes too severe or widespread to be repaired.
For example, exposure to small amounts of UV radiation is beneficial for people and essential in the production of vitamin D and in the treatment of several diseases, such as jaundice.

Signs and symptoms
But prolonged exposure to UV radiation may result in skin cancer and cataracts.

Other long-term health effects of damaging radiation exposure are mutations that affect fetuses or unborn children (smaller head or brain size, poorly formed eyes, abnormally slow growth, and mental retardation) and genetic effects that are passed from parent to child.

Exposure to a lot of radiation during a short period, such as from a radiation emergency, can cause burns or radiation sickness. Symptoms of radiation sickness include nausea, weakness, hair loss, skin burns, and reduced organ function.

Large enough exposure can cause premature aging or even death.

Prevention

The best prevention for radiation sickness is to minimize the dose suffered by the human, or to reduce the dose rate. What you can can do to avoid radiation poisoning is to stay inside when fallout is expected, shower and change your clothes when you come in from outdoors and listen for announcements by officials in case the situation changes.

Principles of radiation protection
Time: Reducing the time of an exposure reduces the effective dose proportionally. An example of reducing radiation doses by reducing the time of exposures might be improving operator training to reduce the time they take to handle a source.

Distance: Increasing distance reduces dose due to the inverse square law. Distance can be as simple as handling a source with forceps rather than fingers.

Shielding: The term 'biological shield' refers to a mass of absorbing material placed around a reactor, or other radioactive source, to reduce the radiation to a level safe for humans

Q: Is soap and water really enough to get radiation off you? A: Any person with contamination on their clothing or body should remove their clothes and shower. Soap and water can go a long way toward minimizing absorption through the skin and keeping local contamination from spreading.

Q: Iodine tablets are selling out in America; should we be stocking up? Are there any other steps we should take

A: There is absolutely no need to panic and right now and there are no special steps that experts are recommending. After a nuclear event, local public health or emergency management officials will tell the public if they should be taking potassium iodide or if other protective actions are needed. Remember, iodine prophylaxis is not one size fits all. If you have a seafood or shellfish allergy, a thyroid condition or certain skin disorders, you should not take potassium iodide before consulting with your doctor.

Governments world-wide are now stockpiling potassium iodide (KI). The CDC recommends using iodine to prevent injury form radioactive iodine fallout.

Sources: "Radioactivity and Radiation" (US Environmental Science Division), "Radiation Exposure" (US National Library of Medicine), US Environmental Protection Agency

Related links (click the link to read the article)

No potassium iodide tablets available in PH

Radiation from Japan may reach PH: UP scientist

DOH says we have limited ways to avoid radiation

Health Consequences from Radiation Exposure

NY Dept. of Health offers radiation FAQ

How to Prepare for and Survive a Disaster

Radiation poisoning
Radiation protection
What are the symptoms of radiation sickness?
Radiation sickness
Why You Don't Need Potassium Iodide for Radiation Poisoning
How to Avoid EMF Radiation
Potassium Iodide (KI)
What Are Radiation Pills?
Scientists Project Path of Japan's Radiation Plume

10 myths of heart disease

2011-03-11T23:51:00.000-08:00

Imagine hearing news of a catastrophe causing the deaths of 2,200 Americans every day — an average of one every 39 seconds.    A plague? Nuclear fallout?

It's heart disease, which includes diseases of the heart and circulatory system. The No. 1 killer stalking the world, cardiovascular diseases cause more deaths than all forms of cancer combined.

1 It's a disease of the elderly. WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
2 It doesn't affect children.    WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
3 It doesn't affect those who are fit and strong.    WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
4 I'd feel sick if I had high cholesterol or high blood pressure.    WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
5 Heart attack symptoms are the same in men and women.   WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
6 Heart disease is genetic. WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
7 Extra weight is just more to love.   WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
8. Women are more likely to die of breast cancer than heart disease. WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
9 Diabetes is not a heart threat, as long as my blood sugar level is under control. WRONG ......read why at link at end of article
10 If I were at risk for heart disease, my doctor would order tests. WRONG ......read why at link at end of article

With diet, exercise and greater awareness of risks, most heart disease is preventable, Sacco says. But too often, "people treat their cars better than their bodies," he says, "bringing them in for checkups, oil changes and other preventive maintenance."
Hearts deserve at least that much care.

Read complete detail of why these 10 myths of heart disease are wrong here at this link click here

Related articles to click

Heart disease Mayo clinic
CDC Heart Disease
Heart Disease Web MD

Why eggs are back on the menu & Exercise cuts risk of bowel cancel

2011-03-05T16:56:00.001-08:00

Click these links to read complete article

Study suggests being short may protect your from cancer, diabetes

Concierge Medical Care With a Smaller Price Tag

Exercise cuts risk of developing bowel cancer polyps

Why eggs are back on the menu

Low in calories and packed with nutrients, they should be part of a balanced diet

655 pass Philippine physician board exam

2011-02-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines—A total of 655 out of 1,230 passed the Physician Licensure Examination, the Professional Regulation Commission announced Friday.
See complete list of successful examinees
655 pass physician board exam

FEU graduate tops medical board exam

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20110225-322218/FEU-graduate-tops-medical-board-exam

Home remedies can do the trick & Go Generic! Store brands can save you money.

2011-02-20T17:23:00.001-08:00

To read these complete articles please click the headline below

After Stroke Scans, Patients Face Serious Health Risks

Mayo Clinic guide: Home remedies can do the trick

Go Generic! Store brands can save you money.

Bringing nursing care to homes, good idea for Philippines

Medical Treatment, Out of Reach in USA

Hospitals Shift Smoking Bans to Smoker Ban

10 ways to reduce your cancer risk in the Philippines

2011-02-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

Cancer is now one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines. And the most common types of cancer in our country, arranged by sex, according to the 2005 estimates of the Philippine Cancer Society, are as follows:
• Men: 1) lung, 2) liver, 3) colon/rectum, 4) prostate, 5) stomach, 6) leukemia, 7) nasopharynx, 8) oral cavity, 9) non-Hodgkin Lymphoma; and 10) larynx.
• Women: 1) breast, 2) cervix uteri, 3) lung, 4) colon/rectum, 5) ovary, 6) thyroid, 7) liver, 8) leukemia, 9) corpus uteri, and 10) stomach.

Even though a number of factors can increase your risk of getting or dying of cancer, many of them can be controlled by the choices you make every day. Evidence suggests that two-thirds of annual cancer deaths are related to diet, weight, exercise, and tobacco exposure. In today’s column, we’ll look at the role that many lifestyle behaviors can play in raising or lowering your risk of canEdit Articlecer development.
You may have heard conflicting news reports about what can or can’t help you in terms of cancer prevention. This can make it difficult to know what to believe. Although not every new discovery may pan out, there are some prevention methods that can make a real difference. Here are 10 of them:
1. Don’t smoke.
2. Eat fruits and vegetables.
3. Limit fat in your diet.
4. Maintain a healthy weight.
5. Be physically active.
6. Curb alcohol consumption.
7. Limit exposure to radiation.
8. Protect against infections.
9. Consider chemoprevention.
10. Get recommended screening exams.
For full article details click this link http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=632458

Additional resources: American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -Cancer Prevention and Control (www.cdc.gov/cancer)

and National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov).

31 Simple Ways to Prevent Cancer
http://www.rd.com/health/31-simple-ways-to-prevent-cancer/

10 Ways to Reduce Your Cancer Risk
http://blog.preventcancer.org/healthy-eating/10-ways-to-reduce-your-cancer-risk/

10 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Getting Cancer
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-ways-to-reduce-your-risk-of-getting-cancer/

World Study Finds No Progress in Safety at Hospitals & CPR headlines

2011-02-04T17:33:00.001-08:00

click these links below to read the complete articles

Study Finds No Progress in Safety at Hospitals

Start Chest Compressions Immediately, Don't Worry About Breaths in Performing CPR

Report on global cardiac risks: World gets fatter, but blood pressure goes down

Healthy adults getting unneeded heart screenings

Added reference to read on above link

http://www.consumerreports.org/health/conditions-and-treatments/heart-health/heart-test.htm

High blood pressure, obesity linked to memory loss

Dietary Guidelines Call for More Exercise, Less Food from US Government

2011-02-03T00:04:00.000-08:00

Stay away from the television at mealtime and skip the hamburgers in favor of seafood and vegetables, says the U.S. They call on Americans to switch to fat-free or low-fat milk and choose a variety of proteins, including beans, peas and soy products.

The USDA also got more specific in telling Americans what kind of protein they should eat. Whereas fish used to be lumped together in a catch-all category for lean meat and beans, the agency is now saying seafood is an important part of the diet.

The agency suggests that people prepare and serve smaller portions at home, and eat a small, healthy snack before heading out to parties to keep from gorging. Americans should also drink more water instead of soda or other drinks with a heavy load of calories and little other nutritional benefit.

New Guidelines
Enjoy your food, but eat less.
Avoid oversized portions.
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers.
Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Source: USDA

Food Figures
Average amount of salt Americans consume each day: 3,400 milligrams (Recommended amount: 1,500 milligrams per day for high-risk groups, 2,300 for others.)
Percentage of sodium in diet that comes from pizza: 6%
On average, percentage of total calories that comes from added sugars: 16%
Percentage of added sugar in diet that comes from soda and other sugary drinks: 36%
Average annual consumption, per person, of seafood in the U.S. (including shellfish): 11 pounds
Average annual consumption, per person, of beef in the U.S.: 65 pounds (of which 33 pounds are hamburger) Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture; American Meat Institute (beef consumption)

Other reference materials can be found at these links

www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/

www.dietaryguidelines.gov/

www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-PolicyDocument.htm

WHEN TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM (ER)

2010-08-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

WHEN TO GO TO ER

Wondering whether an illness or injury warrants a trip to the emergency room is a common quandary. With severe, life-threatening conditions, call 911. Here are some other symptoms experts say require an ER visit:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Chest or upper abdominal pain or pressure lasting two minutes or more
• Severe persistent abdominal pain
• Loss of consciousness, or sudden dizziness and weakness
• Sudden changes in vision or difficulty speaking
• Confusion or changes in mental status
• Severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea
• Severe sprain or suspected broken bone, usually involving more pain and swelling than a minor sprain, which doesn't merit emergency care.
• To avoid unnecessary tests and procedures once you get to the ER ask lots of questions:
• Is this the best test or treatment?
• What are its costs, benefits, and risks?
• Are there alternative tests that are cheaper or less risky?
• Why do I need this test now, and what would happen if I don't get it now?
Source: The American College of Emergency Physicians Foundation and other sources

What every patient should ask (and tell) the doctor

2010-08-25T21:03:00.001-07:00

CLICK THE HEADLINE BELOW TO READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

What every patient should ask (and tell) the doctor

Great useful Online Medical sites

2010-08-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

From sitejabber.com

webmd.com This site helped me figure out how to relieve some really bad cold and flu symptoms. It is a good way to take care of yourself w/o having to speak to a real professional. Good site. RELIABLE.

mayoclinic.com Point your browser here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/symptom-checker/DS00671 - for "Symptom Checker" page. The Mayo Clinic has for a long time established itself as one of the most trusted names, and facilities, for medial care.

medgle.com Symptom Search - Very easy to use and filters diagnoses based on age and gender.

omnimedicalsearch.com

Very diverse medical Search Engine for none professionals and professionals. It has been useful for me. It comes time in life, we start searching for health and diseases information.

worldhealth.net

I subscribed to the email newsletter from this site and have read it almost every single time. I feel after reading for a few months I have a much better understanding of how to live a healthier life and would recommend this newsletter to anyone who...

drugs.com The top source of prescription drug information, it features an unique and authoritative pill identification wizard which will help you identify anything you find accidentally dropped on the floor, or hidden in, say, your teenager's bedroom. That al...

cdc.gov    The CDC website is the main site I have always used as a physician to get the latest news on outbreaks of diseases. In particular with the spread of the H1N1 flu, this site has a wealth of information. They have a page dedicated to the H1N1 status h...

drugtopics.modernmedicine.com One of my main resources to get the latest news on the pharmaceutical industry and drug related topics. They have the latest developments by both big pharma and biotech companies.

medlineplus.gov   Very diverse and well organized site on health related topics with links to libraries, medical database, articles in many languages.

erck.com When I was in medical school, the Merck Manual was one of the books we often used to look up various diseases as they had a pocket sized version that fit in our coat pockets. Now, the entire home edition of the famed Merck Manual is available online...

nccam.nih.gov The National Center for complimentary and alternative medicine offers this FREE pdf on the real facts about herbs and supplements. I would recommend if anyone takes supplements that they download this pdf http://nccam.nih.gov/health/NIH_Herbs_at_...

obgyn.net One of the best websites out there focusing on women's healthcare. The site has forums as well as articles written by physicians. They also have a comprehensive section of the site for physician and industry professionals, which is nice because it k...

revolutionhealth.com   The internet is a dangerous place when looking for health care you can trust - This site is about general healthcare, but it really does a great job of education people how to take care of their medical problems. It is more like integrative medicine...

searchmedica.com    Often times patients want to know where they can find a medical search engine rather than relying on google to find them medical information written by professionals. Searchmedica.com is a nice search engine and while it is designed for professional..

webmd.com   This site helped me figure out how to relieve some really bad cold and flu symptoms. It is a good way to take care of yourself w/o having to speak to a real professional. Good site. RELIABLE.
for more reviews of medical sites go here http://www.sitejabber.com/websites/health

What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D & The Miracle of Vitamin D: Sound Science, or Hype?

2010-07-30T18:35:00.001-07:00

Vitamin D promises to be the most talked-about and written-about supplement
of the decade. While studies continue to refine optimal blood levels and
recommended dietary amounts, the fact remains that a huge part of the
population - from robust newborns to the frail elderly, and many others in
between - are deficient in this essential nutrient. CLICK HERE to Continue reading the
complete article here Published: July 26, 2010 NY Times

More reference links here, click to read
Vitamin D

The Miracle of Vitamin D: Sound Science, or Hype?

Vitamin D Deficiency Affects Billion Plus – Are You One Of Them?

5 Must-Have Medical Tests

2010-06-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

1. Cholesterol/Lipid Profile Screen
When you go to the doctor to get blood tests, they check for HDL, LDL and total cholesterol. HDL (High Density Lipoproteins) are healthy cholesterol that should be at high levels in the body—55 or greater for women and 45 or greater for men. On the other hand, LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins) are bad and should be kept at levels under 100. Added together, the HDL and LDL levels equal one's total cholesterol, which generally should be low.

2. Blood Pressure/Obesity Screen
High blood pressure is one of the most important, and yet preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It’s often called "the silent killer" and can harm a person’s body for years before actual symptoms develop, which is why it’s even more important to get your blood pressure tested.

3. Fasting Blood Sugar Screening for Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the most common health problems in the country. Many experts agree that a fasting blood sugar level above 100 mg/dl is abnormal, between 100 and 125 mg/dl is a warning sign that you may develop diabetes, and levels above 125 mg/dl are highly suggestive of diabetes.

4. Cardiovascular Screening with Exercise Stress Test
According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 785,000 Americans had a new heart attack in 2009 and about 470,000 will have a recurrent one. Even more powerful is that every minute an American will die from a coronary problem such as a heart attack, which is why it is important to get a cardiovascular screening with a stress test. If you have two or more cardiovascular risk factors such as a family history of heart disease, then get the screening done before vigorous exercise.

5. Colon Cancer Screening with Colonoscopy and FOBT (Fecal Occult Blood Testing)
Colorectal cancer becomes more common as you age, so doctors usually screen people for colorectal cancer when they turn 50 and older. Screening should begin earlier if you have risk factors that make you more likely to get colorectal cancer at a young age such as a family history of colon cancer.

Stroke study finds neck stents safe, effective & Five foods that love your heart

2010-05-30T22:19:00.001-07:00

Read the articles below by clicking on the headlines

Five foods that love your heart

Want to lose weight? Eat good carbs

97 medicines to be sold at 50% off starting March 31—DoH

Stroke study finds neck stents safe, effective

Price of hypertension, pneumonia cures slashed

Arroyo eyes new round of price cuts on medicines–DoH

The safest and most effective Generic painkillers

2010-01-29T14:43:00.001-08:00

Ache? Pain? Sprain? Which pill works best for what ails you? With more than 75 percent of us taking over-the-counter painkillers at least once a month (per a Self.com poll), it's key to know the safest and most effective choice.

Acetaminophen (found in Tylenol)
Best for:
Fever
Mild to moderate musculoskeletal pain
Mild to moderate back pain
Mild to moderate headache

Pain-signal reducer
How it functions isn't well understood, but acetaminophen may block COX-3, a protein that helps send out the body's pain signals. It's not as potent as some other OTC painkillers such as naproxen and ibuprofen, so it's typically effective only for low-intensity aches. If you've had alcohol in the past 24 hours (or plan to), hit the brakes: Too much acetaminophen and alcohol can damage the liver. An advisory committee to the FDA has proposed lowering the maximum daily dose from 4 grams (which may be too much for some people); watch these pages for the new limit. If you feel weak or "off" after use, see a doc, stat.

Aspirin (found in Bayer and Anacin)
Best for:
Mild toothache
Moderately sore muscles
Mild to moderate back pain
Mild to moderate headache

Blood declutterer
Aspirin eases pain and inflammation by slowing the production of prostaglandins, molecules that activate pain receptors. The active ingredient, acetylsalicylic acid, also makes blood platelets less sticky, which is why people at risk for heart attack take aspirin to help prevent clots. In many people, acetylsalicylic acid reaches toxicity faster than do ibuprofen and naproxen (the maximum daily dose is 4 grams), so regular use has a higher risk for side effects such as gastric irritation. Thus aspirin is useful for mild to moderate, but not severe or chronic, pain. If you just had or are about to have surgery, steer clear.
See our tips: 10 secrets to staying pain-free!

Ibuprofen (found in Advil) and naproxen (found in Aleve)
Best for:
Acute muscle injury
Arthritis
Joint pain
Lower-back pain
Moderate to severe headache
Moderate to severe menstrual cramps

Anti-inflammatories
Like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen inhibit prostaglandin production to stop inflammation and pain. But they can also disrupt H2, a gut histamine, stimulating the overproduction of gastric acid and leading to stomach upset and even bleeding, warns Rollin M. Gallagher, M.D., of Philadelphia, past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. If you have a history of stomach problems (like ulcers), these might not be for you. Call your doc if you have stomach pain, vomiting or black stools or if you cough blood after taking one. The max daily dose for ibuprofen is 1,200 milligrams; for naproxen, 600 mg.

The most important rule
Listen to your body! An OTC pill that works well for one person may not help another, so trial and error can be your best pal. One caveat for pregnant ladies: Ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen can cause heart problems in the fetus, so consult your M.D. before you take any pill.

Tags: pills, pain killers, pain, medicine

New 3-D images technology gives 3-D views of arteries

2010-01-27T14:45:00.001-08:00

Thursday, 28 January 2010 Manila Times Cardiologists could soon have 3-D images of patients' coronary arteries at their fingertips and better treat heart disease thanks to a new software unveiled by researchers on Tuesday. The technology, which has just been tested for the first time on people, remains in the early stages of testing, according to a feasibility study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, an American Heart Association journal.

"This is very exciting technology that holds great promise," study investigator John Carroll, a professor of medicine and director of interventional cardiology in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Colorado in Aurora, said in a statement.

The study allows doctors to assess more accurately and rapidly the length, branching pattern and angles of heart arteries, as well as any blockages.

Cardiologists currently use two-dimensional X-ray images shot from different angles to visualize arteries inside the body.

They also inject contrast dye into a thin tube -- a catheter -- inserted into a patient's leg artery and threaded up to the heart to produce shadow images during a cardiac catheterization procedure.

Although it uses existing X-ray systems, the new software could reduce the need for several of the images, thus reducing patients' exposure to radiation and contrast dye while also decreasing the time doctors need to analyze the images, the study's authors explained.

The researchers compared standard 2-D images to automatically generated 3-D computer images of the coronary artery systems of 23 patients.

"This is the first in-human use," Carroll explained. "The next step is to test it in multiple centers around the world. In addition, we'll formally test it to see the impact on clinical care."

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the United States. It is responsible for 17 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Philips Healthcare funded the study.

Top 20 Most Popular Health Websites | January 2010

2010-01-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

1 | WebMD.com

Healthcare, the electronic future may be near

2009-12-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

From yourdoctorinfo blog: Electronic prescription systems that can automate order entry, preparation, delivery and check patient records for drug allergies and interactions have the potential to save lives by eliminating most prescribing and transcription errors. These systems allow providers with handheld devices to match bar-coded medication with bar-coded patient and physician IDs, establishing an accurate and fully documented “medication information supply chain.”

An automated supply tracking and inventory control solution using wireless handheld scanners and enterprise database software.

An automated, remote patient monitoring and charting solution that links Bluetooth*- enabled medical devices and monitoring equipment with department and care center systems by way of an integrated wireless LAN relay device located in each patient room. Management systems can’t solve these problems unless their services and data are readily accessible at every point where providers and patients interact.

A wireless LAN-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system that lets nurses and physicians communicate easily using tiny, wearable voice-activated “badges.” Continue reading here http://www.yourdoctorinfo.com/unwiring-the-healthcare-industry/

How to Get Water Out of Your Ear

2009-12-21T02:01:00.000-08:00

Intro: There are many situations when swimming, taking a bath, or even taking a shower, where water can get in your ears. Not only does water in your ear annoy you but it can also be bad for you. Follow these steps to getwater out of your ear.

Step 1: Shake the water out. Try to set a pillow on the bed and gently hit your ear and head against the pillow until the water comes out. Be careful not to hit your head hard or you will hurt your neck or give yourself a headache. It does hurt your neck sometimes so be careful.

Step 2: If hitting your head against the pillow doesn't work, try lying down with your ear on the pillow for a little while. The water may come out.
Step 3: Next, try using a dropper to add a little more water to ear and then immediately trying step 1 to get the water out.
Step 4: To get water out of your ear, antiseptic eardrops may do the trick but this will cost you a little bit of money. Put the drops in and then try
step 1 and step 2.
Step 5: Help the water evaporate by putting two small drops of rubbing alcohol into your ear.
Step 6: If you can not get the water out, you should go to the doctor. The doctor will be able to safely get the water out of your ear.
Tips: Be patient. Sometimes it takes 30 - 60 minutes for you to successful get the water out of your ear.

Warnings: See a doctor if your ear is in pain and you cannot get the water out.

Don't hurt yourself by slamming your head against a pillow.

Read more here
http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Water-from-Ears
http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/how-to-get-water-out-of-your-ears/article76207.html
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/6783

Tags: ear, ears, get water out of your ear, getting water our of your ear, getting water out of ears, how do i get water out of my ear, how do you get water out of your ear, how to get water out of ears,
how to get water out of your ear, removing water from your ears

Medical imaging Imaging technology

2009-12-17T13:51:00.001-08:00

Medical imaging is the technique and process used to create images of the human body (or parts and function thereof) for clinical purposes (medical procedures seeking to reveal, diagnose or examine disease) or medical science (including the study of normal anatomy and physiology).

2 Imaging technology
2.1 Electron microscopy
2.2 Radiographic
2.3 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
2.4 Nuclear medicine
2.5 Photoacoustic imaging
2.6 Breast Thermography
2.7 Tomography
2.8 Ultrasound

video-The history of medical imaging, excellent overview
http://medicareer.com.au/board/index.html?id=nursing&no=25

New MITA report says innovations in imaging technologies lead to reductions of 20-75 percent in radiation dose for many imaging procedures… Read press release. Read full report.

American Cancer Society recommends MRI for high-risk breast cancer… More...

New Consumer Guides explain role of imaging in stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and breast cancer…

How to Stop a Nosebleed

2009-12-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

Intro: Many people suffer from frequent nose bleeds. It can be annoying and down right embarrassing especially when out in public. Follow these steps to stop a nosebleed.

Step 1: To stop a nosebleed, get a couple tissues and blow your nose as hard as you can. You will need a couple tissues or paper towels so you don’t get anything on your hands.

Step 2: When stopping a nosebleed, you should plug the nostril which isn’t bleeding with your finger and then blow air out the other nostril as hard as you can.

Step 3: You should see a dark clot in the tissue or paper towel. This should signal that the nosebleed is pretty much over.

Step 4: Using this method should help stop the nosebleed quickly and prevent future nosebleeds.

Step 5: Some other tips to stop a nosebleed are pinching your nose while applying a cold compress.

Step 6: To prevent a nosebleed, you can apply a small about of vaseline to the inside of your nose.

Tips: This not only helps you stop a nosebleed short term but long term also.

If your child continues to pick his/her nose, you should keep their fingernails short to prevent future nosebleeds.

After a nosebleed, relax for awhile, to ensure you don't give yourself another nosebleed.

Nosebleeds occur most often in the fall and winter so try apply some vaseline to the inside of your nose every morning.

Warnings: If your nosebleed won’t stop bleeding or you continue to get them frequently then see a doctor.

When stopping a nosebleed, you should avoid wedging a cotton ball up your nose.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2045_stop-nosebleed.html

http://firstaid.about.com/od/bleedingcontrol/ht/06_epistaxis.htm

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/basics/132.html

http://stop-nosebleeds.org/

Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfspqozKMbM

Youtube video http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-stop-a-nosebleed

Tags: blow your nose, how do you stop a nose bleed, how to stop a nosebleed, natural remedies, nose
prevent a nosebleed, stop a nose bleed, stop a nosebleed, stop a nosebleed naturally

What are plastic surgery risks?

2009-12-09T00:12:00.000-08:00

Click the headline to read the whole article as more and more people want plastic surgury

What are plastic surgery risks?

Me? A Doctor?

2009-12-08T23:43:00.001-08:00

From the blog scribesexpress: That’s one thing people don’t understand. Striving to be a doctor, like any other high-end profession, requires money. Lots and lots of it. It’s actually been turned into a business—universities here and there offer medical studies and demand shocking payments in return for a diploma and certificates. Aside from the money constraints, taking up medicine will eat up a lot of your time. People just don’t realize that medical students spend most of their young adult lives in the classroom, the clinic, the hospital, and in outreach programs. They spend countless hours in clinical duties. Sure, these duties may be in shifting schedules, but they can incur double or even triple shifts. Take cousin Raymund. After taking up B.S. Biology as a pre-medical course, he went on to study general medicine. It took him six years of studies and duties to finish the program. Afterwards, he had to review for the medical licensing examinations. If I’m not mistaken, licensing examinations for medical practitioners take five days! Whew! During all that time, you never saw kuya Raymund, right? He was always busy. Is that what you want to do? And don’t forget—it’s a highly technical area of study! Would you like to spend your 20 something years memorizing human diseases and pathology? All those essential drugs, their indications, contraindications, pharmacokinetics, side effects, adverse effects, dosages, and frequencies? How about their generic names & local and international brand names?

Uhm, no.

Continue reading here
http://scribesexpress.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/me-a-doctor/

What’s Worth Paying For When Buying Vitamins

2009-12-04T15:21:00.001-08:00

December 4, 2009 NY Times WHEN I stock up on ibuprofen (my painkiller of choice), I typically buy a 500-count bottle of a store brand like Kirkland or Rite Aid. After all, ibuprofen is ibuprofen. Each pill costs me about 3 cents — or only one-third the cost of 9-cent Advil.

A Vitamin Shoppe location in Manhattan. ConsumerLab.com found products sold by vitamin chains tended to be more reliable than drugstore brands.

Yet, when it comes to vitamins — which I take only when I feel run down — I turn to name brands like Centrum or Nature Made. My thinking has been: Why mess around with quality when it comes to the essential ABCs?
But now that I’ve done some research, I might soon change my vitamin-buying ways. Read on to find out why http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/health/05patient.html?_r=1&hpw

20 Medical Advances to Be Thankful For

2009-11-30T00:04:00.000-08:00

From the Wall Street Journal,

Life expectancy in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 77.9 years in 2007

Death rates dropped significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S.,

The death rate from coronary heart disease dropped 34% from 1995 to 2005

The death rate from cancer, the second-biggest killer, dropped 16% from 1990 to 2006

Nearly 40% of U.S. adults have never had a permanent tooth extracted

Continue reading here for the full 20 medical advances and the details behind the advances here
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703819904574553930012357104.html

Don't give your kidneys to heaven, we need them here

2009-11-29T23:54:00.000-08:00

From the Philippine Star It might seem to border on the macabre — this subject of harvesting the organs of the dead so that these may be transplanted and prolong the lives of needy patients. But with a growing population requiring transplants, deceased organ donation is the most feasible alternative to address the problem of lack of organs for transplantation.

Consider these figures: The Philippine Renal Disease Registry said that in 2007, 10,000 to 12,000 individuals developed end-stage renal disease. Of these, half or 5,000 required kidney transplants. However, less than 10 percent (or less than 500) were able to undergo transplant surgery because of insufficient organ supply. With 95.5 percent of the kidneys transplanted coming from living donors in the Philippines, only 15 deceased donor organs are transplanted each year. This means that otherwise usable kidneys are buried and in effect, wasted. Continue reading by clicking the title below

Don't give your kidneys to heaven, we need them here

10 surprising facts about cholesterol

2009-11-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

When examining labels, look at fat content as well as cholesterol numbers.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Signs of high cholesterol can show up on your skin as reddish-yellowish bumps
Low cholesterol can be bad too
A food low is cholesterol can still raise your cholesterol level depending on the fat content
Cholesterol numbers are improving, in part thanks to better diets, drugs

(from Health.com) -- Like most people, you probably think of cholesterol -- if you think of it at all -- and picture fatty foods and heart trouble.

Yes, elevated blood cholesterol is bad news, and 34 million Americans have levels that can increase their risk of all sorts of health problems, including a heart attack.

But if you think you've heard everything you need to know about this waxy fat, there may be a few surprises in store.

For one, cholesterol can be so high that it shows up in fatty deposits in the skin. On the other end of the spectrum, cholesterol can even be too low.

High cholesterol inevitable for some

If you have sky-high cholesterol, it may be partly genetic. But for some families, it's inevitable that LDL, or bad cholesterol, will be in the unhealthy zone. The disease, known as familial hypercholesterolemia, affects about 1 in 500 people and can cause total cholesterol levels from 300 mg/dL to 600 mg/dL, as well as heart attacks early in life.

Some people with familial hypercholesterolemia inherit two defective genes (one from each parent), a much rarer condition that affects 1 in 1 million people; they can have total cholesterol over 1000 mg/dL. Such high cholesterol can cause early death, often before age 20.

Health.com: 7 causes of high cholesterol

Clogged arteries look like butter

Even if you can't see xanthomas on the skin, high cholesterol can still build up in the body.

LDL slowly builds up in artery walls, causing a thick plaque that can narrow arteries, restrict blood flow, and lead to blood clots.

Arteries thicken, become more rigid, and start to take on the yellow color of cholesterol. If you were able to take a look at the inside of cholesterol-clogged arteries, they would look as if they were lined with a thick layer of frozen butter!

You can see high cholesterol

Normally, you only know you have high cholesterol levels if a doctor tells you so. But it is possible for high cholesterol to be as plain as the nose on your face, showing up on the skin as reddish-yellowish bumps known as xanthomas.

The patches vary in size and can be found all over the body, including on the joints, hands, and eyelids (though not all eyelid xanthomas are caused by high cholesterol). They tend to occur in older people and in those with diabetes or other health problems.

Xanthomas are also more likely to be seen in people with familial hypercholesterolemia, who can even have them in infancy.

Health.com: Myths about your cholesterol number

Cholesterol can be too low

Everyone knows that high cholesterol is bad, but very low cholesterol can be unhealthy too.

Experts recommend that you keep your total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL, which is about the average for adults. However, below a certain level -- generally 160 mg/dL -- low cholesterol is associated with health risks, including cancer. Do the health problems cause low cholesterol, or vice versa? Are they even unrelated? It's not clear.

Research shows that some pregnant women with low total cholesterol are more likely to give birth prematurely. Low total cholesterol and LDL levels have even been linked to anxiety and depression.

Our cholesterol is dropping

Finally some good news! While you may assume that cholesterol levels have blossomed along with the obesity epidemic, cholesterol has in fact dropped.

For example, 33 percent of people ages 20 to 74 had high cholesterol (defined as above 240 mg/dL) in the early 1960s, and the average was 222 mg/dL; in 2003 to 2006, about 16 percent of people in that age group had high cholesterol and the average was 200 mg/dL.

Elevated cholesterol, which was unrecognized as a serious health problem 50 years ago, is dropping mainly because of more awareness of its dangers, which has resulted in healthier diets, more cholesterol screening, and the widespread use of statin medications.

Health.com: Are you cholesterol smart? Take our quiz

Exercise boosts good cholesterol

Doctors generally recommend exercise as a lifestyle change that can help lower cholesterol naturally.

But a recent study in the Journal of Lipid Research suggests that exercise may affect cholesterol differently, depending on the patient's race and gender.

Among the study participants, who were followed over nine years, physical activity equivalent to an extra hour of mild exercise or half hour of moderate exercise per week was associated with an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol, in each of the groups the researchers studied.

But LDL, the bad cholesterol, dropped only in women, and total cholesterol dropped only in African-American women.

Cholesterol-free food can still raise cholesterol

Watch out for cholesterol-free food. Cholesterol is made by the liver of animals, and it will only be found in animal-based foods, such as meat, milk, and eggs. Certain products can honestly state that they have little or no cholesterol -- however, that doesn't mean they are good for your cholesterol levels.

Many fried foods and commercial baked goods contain cholesterol-raising trans fats, most commonly in the form of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans fats, along with saturated fats, are the main culprits of high cholesterol from food, but they won't be listed as cholesterol on packaging.

Read ingredient lists and nutrition labels carefully, looking at fat content as well as the cholesterol content, before deeming a purchase a healthy choice.

Health.com: 5 heart-healthy recipes

High cholesterol may cause erectile dysfunction

Sure, it's bad for your heart. But high cholesterol can cause a host of other health problems.

A 2005 Swedish study found that men with total cholesterol of about 270 mg/dL and above were 4.5 times more likely to develop testicular cancer than men with cholesterol levels of 220 or below (though the authors cautioned that the link between the two conditions was probably complicated by other factors).

What's more, high cholesterol has been linked to a greater risk of erectile dysfunction, kidney failure, and even Alzheimer's disease.

And a 2009 study found that diets high in dietary cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of developing liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. Continue reading here http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/24/moh.healthmag.cholesterol.surprises/index.html

Read more about cholesterol at these links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol

http://www.pdnhf.org/detail.asp?dt=topics&arch=yes&fr=s&id=181

20 Health Advances to Be Thankful For

2009-11-24T13:28:00.001-08:00

Life Is Getting Measurably Better for Many People Here and Abroad
News about health often focuses on the negative: scary new flu viruses,
incurable diseases, dashed hopes for miracle drugs. Maybe that's because we
have such high expectations that doctors and scientists can fix anything.

But amid all that bad news-not to mention the acrimony over health-care
reform-it's easy to overlook how much progress has been made in recent
years. Here are 20 health-care advances to give thanks for:

Nearly 62% of U.S. adults said they were in excellent or very good health,
along with 82% of their children, according to families sampled by the
federal government for the National Health Interview Survey, which was
conducted in 2007 and released this year. Continue reading here
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703819904574553930012357104.html

Panel says mammogram should start at age 50

2009-11-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

Panel says mammogram should start at age 50

NEW YORK — In a recommendation sure to generate confusion, most women don't need a mammogram in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50, a government task force said Monday. It marked a major reversal from the American Cancer Society's position Read the complete article here http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/864209.html

A mammogram is a special type of X-ray of the breasts. Mammograms can show tumors long before they are big enough for you or your health care provider to feel. Mammograms are recommended every year or two for women older than 40. They are also recommended for younger women who have symptoms of breast cancer or who have a high risk of the disease.

Mammograms are quick and easy. You stand in front of an X-ray machine. The person who takes the X-rays places your breast between two plastic plates. The plates press your breast and make it flat. This may be uncomfortable, but it helps get a clear picture. You will have an X-ray of each breast. A mammogram takes only a few seconds and it can help save your life.

Mammography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammography

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=mammo

http://www.medicinenet.com/mammogram/article.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mammography.html

A Breathing Technique Offers Help for People With Asthma

2009-11-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

I don’t often write about alternative remedies for serious medical conditions. Most have little more than anecdotal support, and few have been found effective in well-designed clinical trials. Such trials randomly assign patients to one of two or more treatments and, wherever possible, assess the results without telling either the patients or evaluators who received which treatment.

Now, however, in describing an alternative treatment for asthma that does not yet have top clinical ratings in this country (although it is taught in Russian medical schools and covered by insurance in Australia), I am going beyond my usually stringent research criteria for three reasons:

¶The treatment, a breathing technique discovered half a century ago, is harmless if practiced as directed with a well-trained therapist.
¶It has the potential to improve the health and quality of life of many people with asthma, while saving health care dollars.
¶I’ve seen it work miraculously well for a friend who had little choice but to stop using the steroid medications that were keeping him alive.

My friend, David Wiebe, 58, of Woodstock, N.Y., is a well-known maker of violins and cellos, with a 48-year history of severe asthma that was treated with bronchodilators and steroids for two decades. Ten years ago, Mr. Wiebe noticed gradually worsening vision problems, eventually diagnosed as a form of macular degeneration caused by the steroids. Two leading retina specialists told him to stop using the drugs if he wanted to preserve his sight.

He did, and endured several terrifying trips to the emergency room when asthma attacks raged out of control and forced him to resume steroids temporarily to stay alive.
Nothing else he tried seemed to work. “After having a really poor couple of years with significantly reduced quality of life and performance at work,” he told me, “I was ready to give up my eyesight and go back on steroids just so I could breathe better.”

Treatment From the ’50s
Then, last spring, someone told him about the Buteyko method, a shallow-breathing technique developed in 1952 by a Russian doctor, Konstantin Buteyko. Mr. Wiebe watched a video demonstration on YouTube and mimicked the instructions shown.

“I could actually feel my airways relax and open,” he recalled. “This was impressive. Two of the participants on the video were basically incapacitated by their asthma and on disability leave from their jobs. They each admitted that keeping up with the exercises was difficult but said they had been able to cut back on their medications by about 75 percent and their quality of life was gradually returning.”

A further search uncovered the Buteyko Center USA in his hometown, newly established as the official North American representative of the Buteyko Clinic in Moscow.

“When I came to the center, I was without hope,” Mr. Wiebe said. “I was using my rescue inhaler 20 or more times in a 24-hour period. If I was exposed to any kind of irritant or allergen, I could easily get a reaction that jeopardized my existence and forced me to go back on steroids to save my life. I was a mess.”
But three months later, after a series of lessons and refresher sessions in shallow breathing, he said, “I am using less than one puff of the inhaler each day — no drugs, just breathing exercises.”

Mr. Wiebe doesn’t claim to be cured, though he believes this could eventually happen if he remains diligent about the exercises. But he said: “My quality of life has improved beyond my expectations. It’s very exciting and amazing. More people should know about this.”

Ordinarily, during an asthma attack, people panic and breathe quickly and as deeply as they can, blowing off more and more carbon dioxide. Breathing rate is controlled not by the amount of oxygen in the blood but by the amount of carbon dioxide, the gas that regulates the acid-base level of the blood.
Dr. Buteyko concluded that hyperventilation — breathing too fast and too deeply — could be the underlying cause of asthma, making it worse by lowering the level of carbon dioxide in the blood so much that the airways constrict to conserve it.

This technique may seem counterintuitive: when short of breath or overly stressed, instead of taking a deep breath, the Buteyko method instructs people to breathe shallowly and slowly through the nose, breaking the vicious cycle of rapid, gasping breaths, airway constriction and increased wheezing.

The shallow breathing aspect intrigued me because I had discovered its benefits during my daily lap swims. I noticed that swimmers who had to stop to catch their breath after a few lengths of the pool were taking deep breaths every other stroke, whereas I take in small puffs of air after several strokes and can go indefinitely without becoming winded.

The Buteyko practitioners in Woodstock, Sasha and Thomas Yakovlev-Fredricksen, were trained in Moscow by Dr. Andrey Novozhilov, a Buteyko disciple. Their treatment involves two courses of five sessions each: one in breathing technique and the other in lifestyle management. The breathing exercises gradually enable clients to lengthen the time between breaths. Mr. Wiebe, for example, can now take a breath after more than 10 seconds instead of just 2 while at rest.

Responses May Vary
His board-certified pulmonologist, Dr. Marie C. Lingat, told me: “Based on objective data, his breathing has improved since April even without steroids. The goal now is to make sure he maintains the improvement. The Buteyko method works for him, but that doesn’t mean everyone who has asthma would respond in the same way.”
In an interview, Mrs. Yakovlev-Fredricksen said: “People don’t realize that too much air can be harmful to health. Almost every asthmatic breathes through his mouth and takes deep, forceful inhalations that trigger a bronchospasm,” the hallmark of asthma.

“We teach them to inhale through the nose, even when they speak and when they sleep, so they don’t lose too much carbon dioxide,” she added.

At the Woodstock center, clients are also taught how to deal with stress and how to exercise without hyperventilating and to avoid foods that in some people can provoke an asthma attack.

The practitioners emphasize that Buteyko clients are never told to stop their medications, though in controlled clinical trials in Australia and elsewhere, most have been able to reduce their dependence on drugs significantly. The various trials, including a British study of 384 patients, have found that, on average, those who are diligent about practicing Buteyko breathing can expect a 90 percent reduction in the use of rescue inhalers and a 50 percent reduction in the need for steroids within three to six months.

The British Thoracic Society has given the technique a “B” rating, meaning that positive results of the trials are likely to have come from the Buteyko method and not some other factor. Now, perhaps, it is time for the pharmaceutically supported American medical community to explore this nondrug technique as well.

Read the complete original article here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health/03brod.html?em=&pagewanted=print

Medical Apps for the iPhone

2009-11-09T14:45:00.001-08:00

My assignment was to speak for 18 minutes (the standard talk length) about medical apps for the Apple iPhone. Sounds easy, right? Only one problem: there are about 7,000 medical apps.

After a lot of time reading "best medical apps" stories online, asking Twitter users for their suggestions and reading online reviews, I finally boiled the list down to about 50 promising apps. I tried them out and further winnowed the list to a bunch that I ultimately demo'ed in my talk. Eventually, the video of the talk will be posted at ted.com/talks, but in the meantime, here's what I covered.

(I haven't really given them full-blown testing, so read the online reviews before you spend good money on them. Except for the free ones—you've got nothing to lose!)

FOR PATIENTS:
* JetLag RX. You input your travel destination, your usual bedtime and so on. The app recommends a schedule for eating, sleeping and exposure to light in order to land in the new time zone with a minimum of jet lag, based on modern jet-lag research. (Not yet available in the iTunes app store; $10)
* Uhear. Clever, self-administered test for hearing loss. (Free)
* SoundAMP. Turns the iPhone into a hearing aid. Amplifies and processes voices to make them clearer. Even has a 30-second replay button that can save you from having to say "What?" so often. ($9.99)
* ProLoQuo2Go. I read about this one in The Times. It's a speech synthesizer for patients who have trouble speaking; you tap big fat icons to put sentences together. You can also save common phrases into a special Quick Set. For an app, the price is shockingly high. But its competition is an $8,000 PC-based system that's decidedly not mobile. ($190)

* Period Tracker, Period Tracker Companion. The title says it all. This little app helps women predict the onset of each month's period, and wirelessly syncs with the man's app (Companion) so that he can know exactly when "to be a little extra nice and special." (Lite version, free; Companion, $1)

* Lose It! This beautifully designed weight-loss app has an astounding number of followers, if the outpouring of enthusiasm on Twitter is any indication. You tap to record everything you eat. It's actually kind of fun, because the program contains every food item you can imagine, including brand-name packaged food and restaurant-chain menus. For each one, the app lists the complete nutritional information.

You also indicate what exercise you get each day, using a similarly complete list of activities. Finally, you tap in your weight each day. Probably because the app focuses you so well on staying true to your goals, its fans say it truly works. (Free)

* Eyeglasses. As an over-40-year-old, I've become addicted to this app. It simply turns the iPhone 3GS into a magnifying glass. Hold it in front of some tiny type—on a menu, a receipt, a ticket, a medicine bottle—and Eyeglasses, after a moment of autofocusing, shows you a magnified version of it on the screen. Keeping your hand steady is tough, and the 6X and 8X images sort of fall apart—but the 2X and 4X views have saved me more than once. ($3)

* Retina. It's for color-blind people like me. You hold it in front of something—clothes in your closet, for example—and it tells you by name what color you're seeing. I love this one more for the concept than the execution; it says black is "too dark" and white is "too bright," for example, and it really needs more differentiation between various *degrees* of red or whatever. Tinted room light (of the sort that requires white-balance adjustments on a camera) can flummox it. But as an early example of an "augmented reality" app, it's very exciting. (Free)

FOR DOCTORS:

* OsiriX. An amazing viewer of medical images (X-rays, scans of all sort). Drag with one finger to adjust brightness or contrast. Zoom in, rotate. Special modes let you measure some element (tumor, fracture, etc.) with either a circle or a line that you draw with two fingers. Syncs with a special image server at the hospital. ($20)
* Anatomy Lab. A virtual cadaver. Drag up or down with two fingers to peel away (or restore) another thin layer of the photo, down to the organs and beyond. Or choose from a list of body parts and jump directly, revealing that exposed part. Grisly and amazing. ($10)
* Epocrates. Another Twitter favorite. Like an electronic version of the huge Physicians' Desk Reference book. Tap in two or more medications, and it warns you of cross side effects. Tap in the description of a pill (hexagonal, yellow, inscription), and it tells you what the medicine is, and all about it. This much, plus a medical calculator (body mass, etc.) is free; paid versions offer even more instant information for the physician. (Free)
* AirStrip OB. Lets an obstetrician monitor a patient's status, right down to the baby's heartbeat, from elsewhere in the hospital (or the town). Requires that the AirStrip fetal software suite be installed at the hospital. A good hint at the kind of remote monitoring that may be possible. (Free)

Read the full original article here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/technology/personaltech/05pogue-email.html?_r=1&em=&pagewanted=print

Watch the Walk and Prevent a Fall

2009-11-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

FALLS are so harmful to the elderly and so costly to society that if falling were a disease, it would be deemed an epidemic.

.Enlarge This Image

Julie Keefe for The New York Times

Philip and Dorothy Martin are participating in research intended to help prevent falls.

More than one-third of people ages 65 or older fall each year. About one fall in 10 results in a serious injury, like a hip fracture. Roughly 20 percent of older people who suffer a hip fracture die within a year.

The estimated economic cost of falls ranges widely, up to $75 billion a year in the United States, if fall-related home care and assisted-living costs are added to medical expenses.

For years, a small group of geriatric experts has studied falls and suggested preventive programs. Most of the work has relied on visits to doctors and self-reported surveys of volunteers.

But now, researchers are beginning to apply the digital tools of low-cost wireless sensors in carpets, clothing and rooms to monitor an older person’s walking and activity. The continuous measurement and greater precision afforded by simple computing devices, researchers say, promise to deliver new insights on risk factors and tailored prevention measures.

For an older person, a fall is often a byproduct of some other health problem: cardiovascular weakness, changes in medication, the beginnings of dementia, gradual muscle degeneration. Motion analysis aided by inexpensive sensors and computing, researchers say, may well become a new “vital sign,” like ablood pressure reading, that can yield all sorts of clues about health.

“For the last 100 years, clinical research and medical practice have been based on appointments, examinations and asking patients questions — tiny biopsies of time in a person’s life,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kaye, a professor of neurology and biomedical engineering at the Oregon Health and Science University. “But technology now gives us the ability to get behavioral activity data all the time for a much more fine-grained, real-world picture of what is happening with a person’s health.”
The National Institute on Aging is intrigued, and sponsoring some initial research. Richard M. Suzman, the institute’s director of behavioral and social research, said studies of older people’s activity patterns, including early detection of risks, would “increasingly use sensors to deliver this higher fidelity of data.”

“It’s extremely promising,” he added.
Fall prevention also promises to be part of an emerging — and potentially large — worldwide industry of helping older people live independently in their homes longer. The European Union, for example, has committed 1 billion euros, or nearly $1.5 billion, to study and finance technologies and services for the aged. Big corporations, including Intel and General Electric, are investing in the field.
“The independent-living industry could have a huge payoff in innovation, jobs and competitiveness,” said Eric Dishman, an Intel research fellow and director of strategy for the company’s digital health group.

In clinical settings, wearable sensors and wireless sensors embedded in carpets are used to measure precisely a person’s walking speed, stride length, step width and body sway — all variables in assessing the risk of falling.

In Ireland, a research group, Technology Research for Independent Living, recently completed a two-year study of 600 people, ages 60 to 94. The subjects came in for detailed walking assessments, using the sensor technology. The exact measurements, said Dr. Chie Wei Fan, a medical gerontologist at Trinity College Dublin, help in devising more customized exercise programs for specific muscles or changes in medication to eliminate dizziness.

The technology-aided “targeted interventions,” Dr. Fan said, reduced falls by 30 percent in the study group, compared with a similarly aged sampling of the population. But she thinks it should be possible to reach 50 or 60 percent.
“We’re still catching the fallers too late,” Dr. Fan said.
Earlier detection is the goal of an at-home sensor and data study being conducted by the Oregon Center for Aging and Technology, whose sponsors include the Oregon Health and Science University and Intel.

The initial five-year study, begun in 2006 and financed by the National Institute on Aging, involves 230 volunteers, whose mean age is 84. In each home, wireless sensors are placed in rooms and hallways linked to a personal computer connected to the Internet, allowing a person’s activity to be monitored steadily. The cost of the sensors is $200 or less.

Activity patterns from the data, said Dr. Kaye, director of the aging and technology center, can help identify ways to prevent falls. The motion sensors may show that a person with congestive heart failure, for example, is getting up from bed often at night to go to the bathroom. If the heart problem is under control, Dr. Kaye said, it may well be a good idea to reduce the dose of the person’s diuretic, trading a little bit of ankle swelling for a good night’s sleep — and far less risk of falling.

Dorothy Martin, 81, and her husband Philip, 83, joined the study two years ago. They live in a two-bedroom apartment in a retirement community in Lake Oswego, Ore., and as part of the study they fill out weekly self-assessments of their activities and health. Once a year, they undergo detailed, in-person physical and cognitive evaluations. They say the sensor monitoring is unobtrusive because the sensors track only motion, not what they are doing.

Both of the Martins are in good health. Still, they have watched friends grow increasingly frail over the years.

“We did this to participate in research that would be helpful to other people, and possibly to us,” Mr. Martin said. Read the complete orginal article here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/business/08unboxed.html?hpw=&pagewanted=print

Surgery at a Spa? Buyer Beware.

2009-11-06T13:53:00.001-08:00

THERE is little to suggest that the TriBeCa MedSpa in Manhattan is a medical facility, at least in the traditional sense. In the waiting area, called the Tranquillity Room, a waterfall cascades down one wall. A client may have a pedicure or facial before entering a softly lighted space where a plastic surgeon performs laser Fraxel treatment or some other minimally invasive procedure that would cost twice as much in a harried doctor’s office.

TriBeCa MedSpa is one of 1,800 medical spas in the United States, hybrid facilities that offer treatments like laser hair removal and liposuction alongside massages and other traditional spa fare. In recent years, the business has become a growth industry: from July 2007 to December 2008, the number of medical spas increased 85 percent, according to the International Spa Association, far outpacing the growth of day, destination and resort spas.

The kinds of procedures performed in medical spas has also increased. At the Park Avenue Medical Spa in Armonk, N.Y., for instance, clients who have undergone chemosurgery for skin cancer, which may leave the skin pitted, can receive reconstructive surgery, a treatment that falls outside the strictly aesthetic category and may point in the direction the industry is evolving.
“It certainly seems like the wave of the future,” said Dr. Gerald Ginsberg, a cosmetic surgeon and medical director of the TriBeCa MedSpa, who noted that, increasingly, patients are becoming “customers” searching for the best deal in what he calls “today’s medical emporia.” All the more reason, in his mind, that it is important to enforce regulations “to ensure we’re offering the best care for the best price.”

In fact, despite the many well-regarded facilities like TriBeCa MedSpa, the rapidly growing industry is coming under increased scrutiny. Proposed legislation to tighten controls over the credentials of those who can own a medical spa; what procedures can be performed in such places; and how much training someone must have to perform particular procedures is making its way through several state medical boards, including those in Massachusetts, New York, Utah and Florida, where the death last month of a patient, Rohie Kah-Orukotan, is generating renewed concern.

On Sept. 25, Mrs. Kah-Orukotan, a 37-year-old nurse, entered the Weston MedSpa in Weston, Fla., for a minimally invasive liposuction procedure to remove fat from her abdomen and thighs. During the treatment, she suffered seizures and never regained consciousness.

Michael Freedland, the family’s lawyer, said she was given Lidocaine and propofol, a drug that induces sedation and is believed to have contributed to the death of Michael Jackson.
The case, which is still under investigation, raises several issues that concern experts around the country. First, should the treatment — which may actually have been, by the state’s classification, a more advanced, or Level II, liposuction procedure — have been performed at Weston MedSpa, which is licensed as an electrolysis facility, not a medical facility?

“We believe Mrs. Kah-Orukotan received more than a minimally invasive Level I liposuction procedure in a setting that was inappropriate,” Mr. Freedland said. In fact, a new rule before the state’s board of medicine would not allow any surgical procedure that requires sedation to occur outside of a registered Level II surgery facility.

And then there is the question of the experience of the doctor who performed the procedure on Mrs. Kah-Orukotan. Dr. Omar Brito Marin, a medical doctor with a specialty in occupational medicine, learned liposuction in a three-day intensive course, according to his lawyer, Brian Bieber, who said he believes no malpractice was committed in the case.

For some industry observers, the issue of training and experience is the cause for perhaps the greatest concern. Dr. Darrick Antell, a plastic surgeon in Manhattan, noted that all too frequently someone who starts out performing one procedure migrates to another with only minimal experience. “Someone may start out doing laser hair removal, and next thing you know they’re doing treatments for cellulite,” said Dr. Antell, who said that personnel in medical spas are pushing the boundaries of what is allowed.

Wendy Lewis, an aesthetic surgery consultant and author of “Plastic Makes Perfect,” said: “The incident in Florida is nothing short of tragic, and I feel for that woman’s children and family. But I say, buyer beware.”

Such sentiment applies to another popular medical spa procedure: laser hair removal. For years, complaints of second- and even third-degree burns from laser hair removal procedures have been reported. Yet in places like New York State, it is still not considered a medical procedure, despite vigorous protests from many in the medical community.

“In New York, legally, even a barber could do it, not that he would,” said Dr. David Goldberg, a cosmetic dermatologist in New Jersey, New York and Florida, as well as a law professor at Fordham University and a legal counsel to the Medical Spa Society.

In Massachusetts a medical spa task force has been set up to advise the state legislature on how best to regulate the facilities. “We are trying to set some standards here, yet make it flexible enough to accommodate rapid changes in the industry,” said Russell Aims, chief of staff of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine.

“We don’t want to say to the consumer, ‘Don’t go get these procedures done,’ or to a physician that he or she can’t profit from this potentially lucrative business, but I think it’s around the time I saw a place offering walk-in Botox shots at a mall that I became concerned,” Mr. Aims said.

“To me it’s a lot like the mortgage industry,” said Dr. Ranella Hirsch, a dermatologist in Cambridge, Mass., and an advocate for more stringent regulations of medical spas. “While it may allow more accessibility to treatments and procedures, it’s also brought a much higher level of permanent injury,” she said. Dr. Hirsch added that she thinks a system of federal regulations of medical spas would be more cohesive than the current state-by-state model but believes that is unlikely to happen, since medical and other professional boards, like nursing, electrology and aestheticians boards, are regulated and licensed by individual states.

“What is likelier to happen (and currently under way) is that national organizations like the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, which represents member dermatologists nationwide, provide guidelines for legislative guidance state by state,” she said in an e-mail message.

Despite all the safety and regulatory controversies concerning medical spas, there are thousands of satisfied medical spa customers. Among them is Gail Fox of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., who went to the Anushka Cosmedical Center Spa and Salon in West Palm Beach, for facial fillers that were administered by a nurse practitioner and found the experience “a pleasure.” “The service was on sale so the price was right. That’s what drew me in. The pace was slower than at my dermatologist’s office. All my questions were answered, and I didn’t feel pressured,” Ms. Fox said.

“These places can offer a wonderful opportunity for a consumer to reduce stress and get treatment for the whole body,” said Lynne McNees, president of the International Spa Association. But, she added, “just because someone is in a white coat, it doesn’t mean he or she is a qualified to perform a procedure on you.”

Both Ms. McNees and Hannelore Leavy, executive director of the International Medical Spa Association, emphasized the efforts their associations are making to educate the medical spa consumer. For instance, Ms. Leavy’s organization has a section on its Web site that pertains to current legislation affecting medical spas.

“If someone is cutting you open or injecting something into you it’s not a spa service, it’s a medical one,” Ms. McNees said. “You’re going to need to know who is performing that procedure, know their credentials and accreditations and really do your homework,” she said. “I tell everyone, ‘If you don’t know, don’t go.’ ” Read the complete original article here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/fashion/05skin.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

Older Bypass Method Is Best, a Study Shows

2009-11-06T03:37:00.000-08:00

For decades, bypass surgery, in which surgeons improve blood flow to the heart by sewing new blood vessels to get around blocked ones, was done the same way. The heart was stopped while blood was pumped through a heart-lung machine to do the heart’s work.But doctors increasingly worried that the machine, the “pump,” might sometimes lead to strokes or memory problems or personality changes.

Early in a coronary artery bypass surgery during vein harvesting from the legs (left of image) and the establishment of bypass (placement of the aortic cannula) (bottom of image). The perfusionist and heart-lung machine (HLM) are on the upper right. The patient's head (not seen) is at the bottom.

Some privately called patients with those difficulties “pumpheads.”And so, in the last seven years, many surgeons began offering and patients increasingly demanded an alternative: off-pump surgery in which the machine was not used and doctors operated on a still-beating heart.Now, a large and rigorous study finds the old way is best.In the study, published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, 2,203 patients were randomly assigned to have their bypass surgery on pump or off. Because the study was sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the patients were mostly men.A year later, those who had had off-pump surgery had poorer outcomes. Fewer bypasses stayed open and patients were more likely to have needed a repeat operation or to have had a heart attack or to have died. They were no less likely to have had strokes or difficulty thinking.“This is a big one,” said Dr. Eric Peterson, a Duke cardiologist who wrote an editorial accompanying the paper.

“It’s a good study and the fact that it did not find superiority was key,” he added.Dr. Peterson added that he, like many cardiologists, expected off-pump procedures to be superior.Dr. Michael Lauer, director of cardiovascular sciences at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, said he anticipated and hoped that the new study would dampen enthusiasm for off-pump surgery.“Bypass surgery is one of the most common operations in the world,” Dr. Lauer said. “As many as 20 percent of bypasses in the U.S. are being done off pump. This affects a lot of people.”Dr. Frederick L. Grover, the principal investigator for the study and a heart surgeon at the University of Colorado at Denver and the Denver V.A., said his group was analyzing the costs of the two types of operations. He said if there was a difference, it was slight.Patients who had their surgery off pump had fewer blood transfusions but spent slightly longer in the operating room.

There were no significant differences between the two groups of patients in the time they spent in intensive care after their surgery or how long they spent on a ventilator or how long they spent in the hospital.Some surgeons who made off-pump surgery their specialty said they were not going to change. The results do not apply to them, they say, because they have extraordinary expertise.But others less invested in the technique said they would be doing less off-pump surgery. And that includes Dr. Grover.About 20 percent of the 225,000 to 250,000 people who have bypass surgery each year have it off pump.Off-pump surgery began to take off around 2002 when instrument makers began selling devices making the surgery seem feasible and animal studies indicated that heart-lung machines had the potential to cause problems.When they use a heart-lung machine, doctors clamp blood vessels closed, draining the heart of blood. They inject a near-freezing fluid into the heart.

They redirect blood through tubes that can create tiny bubbles or small fragments of debris that might get into the brain.At first, it was not easy to do heart surgery without the pump. How, for example, do you hold part of a beating heart still while you work on it? Some surgeons improvised, using modified kitchen spoons and forks to hold the heart steady. And how do you sew blood vessels onto the back of the heart? Surgeons had to lift the heart to get to the back and then blood pressure would drop.Instrument makers soon provided special tools that made it easier to steady specific parts of the heart while surgeons worked.

Some, like Dr. Aubrey C. Galloway, who is chairman of the department of cardiothoracic surgery at New York University Langone Medical Center, said he felt compelled to learn off-pump surgery and to do it primarily in high-risk patients.“There was a lot of market pressure and momentum behind this off-pump stuff,”

Dr. Galloway said. “A lot of surgeons were pressured to do it in everyone. Patients were coming in and saying, ‘I’m worried about cognitive dysfunction.’ ”Now, he said, “the idea that people should go somewhere to get off-pump surgery is pretty much killed by this publication.”But Dr. Nirav Patel, a heart surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, said he does off-pump surgery in 95 percent of his patients and he is not going to change.He said that even with the new equipment, off-pump surgery was difficult and that it had taken 100 cases before he got really good at it.

He estimated that he had now done more than 1,400 off-pump operations and questioned whether the surgeons in the study had the necessary expertise.“I am an off-pump surgeon,” Dr. Patel said. “I am a big proponent of it.”

It may be, Dr. Lauer said, that surgeons like Dr. Patel are so expert at the procedure that their results are different from those reported in the study.But, he adds, “from a policy point of view, what we really care about is how well will the procedure work in the hands of a typical surgeon.” The study involved typical patients and typical surgeons. Very few surgeons, Dr. Lauer said, “have achieved exceedingly high levels of expertise.”And, he added, the study shows that for all the reasoning about why off pump is generally better, “just because something makes sense doesn’t necessarily make it so.”This article "Older Bypass Method Is Best, a Study Shows" originally appeared at The New York Times. Read the complete article here http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/diseases/articles/older_bypass_method_is_best_a_study_shows.html

Read more here

What is a heart bypass operation?
http://health.howstuffworks.com/question120.htm

Bypass Surgery, Coronary Artery
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4484

Coronary artery bypass surgery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery

Heart bypass surgery
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002946.htm

Is too much sleep making you tired?

2009-11-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Instead of feeling better, sometimes people feel worse after long hours asleep
Grogginess after waking is known as sleep drunkenness
People often sleep more to make up for poor quality, light sleep

Instead of feeling crisp and refreshed, Jesse Wu wakes up sluggish after 12 hours of sleep.

"If I sleep the right amount, I feel really good," said the 25-year-old who lives in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. "If I sleep too long, I feel groggy throughout the whole day."

Like Wu, some feel exhausted after long hours of rest.

"Many people will tell you, they sleep a little worse when they sleep a long time on weekends," said Dr. Daniel Kripke, co-director of Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in La Jolla, California."Too much long sleep on weekends does not seem to make people feel better." But he acknowledged that the reasons haven't been determined.

For years, doctors have warned about the dangers of not getting enough shuteye -- traffic accidents, weight gain, decreased productivity and immune protection, but the effects of oversleeping are not well-understood. There isn't medical evidence to recommend that people who sleep long hours should change their habits, Kripke said.

Daylight saving time ends this Sunday, giving sleepers a bonus hour of sleep.

Wu savors his sleep. "I really enjoy it," he said. In the morning, he needs five alarms -- each with a different sound -- that he smacks as he lumbers out of bed.

Like many professionals, Wu sleeps little on the weekdays (about five hours) and makes up for it on weekends, spending eight to 12 hours blissfully hibernating. Sometimes, after a long stretch, he wakes up too tired to function.

"After I've gotten so much sleep, the first situation is I fall asleep at 10 p.m., even though I've gotten 12 hours of sleep, because I feel so groggy," said Wu, who works as a membership coordinator for a professional association.

This is known as sleep drunkenness, when a person hovers between sleep and wakefulness, said Dr. Lisa Shives, medical director at Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Illinois. In one case, a patient who had sleep drunkenness came to the emergency room because his wife thought he had a stroke.

"They'll wake up and be in this weird state of sleep drunkenness," Shives said. "If it's really severe, you're not going to be in any state to make decisions. If it's just regular [case], a lot of us feel 'blah,' and most of us have to carry on and get going on a shower and cups of coffee."

Oversleeping once in a while doesn't present serious health risks, experts say.

But if you habitually sleep excessively, it could be the result of an underlying health problem. And it could be cutting into your life span.

"There's been at least two epidemiological studies to show that if people get less than five hours, or more than 10 hours of sleep, it increases their mortality," said Michael Breus, the clinical director of the sleep division at Southwest Spine and Sports in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A 2007 Finnish study found that the mortality risks increased by about 20 percent for people who slept more than eight hours. That same year, a British study found that people who slept five hours or less and those who slept more than eight hours also faced increased risks. Another study showed that people who routinely slept more than eight hours a night had a greater chance of stroke than others with less sleep.

Scientists say sleep and longevity are somehow associated, but there might be confounding factors.
"We don't know if it's the long sleep. It could be something else causing illness and the long sleep," said Kripke, who has researched the topic for 35 years.

Here are possible factors for habitually excessive sleep, known as hypersomnia:

• Problem: Poor-quality sleep
A person could sleep the recommended amount, but still feel tired because he or she got poor quality sleep.
"Oftentimes, we only think of sleep in terms of minutes -- but that's really the quantity of sleep. In fact, there's a quality of sleep," said Breus, author of the book "Beauty Sleep."
The average sleep cycle takes 90 minutes to complete. It starts from stage 1, the lightest sleep, and progresses to deeper levels through stage 4. Then, it continues to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep when the person dreams.
"When you have poor quality sleep, you spend a lot of time in stage 1 sleep," said Shives, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "You will tend to want to sleep longer to make up for the quality and increasing quantity."

• Problem: Other medical conditions
"If you find you're sleeping a lot -- like more than nine hours on a regular basis, you need to talk to your physician, because that probably means you got poor quality sleep and that could be sleep apnea, narcolepsy or restless legs form of sleep disorder," said Breus.
Sleep apnea is a major cause of problems, when breathing stops during sleep.
"If you have sleep apnea and you stop breathing through the night, you might feel really tired in the morning even though you've gotten eight hours. Those eight hours were horrible, light, crappy sleep," Breus said.
Another possibility is periodic limb movement disorder, which causes a person to jerk and twitch during sleep, causing disruptions. Depression has also been associated with excessive sleep.

• Problems: Genetics
Some people naturally thrive on little sleep. And then, there are others who flourish after nine hours.
"It's only when you go less than six and a half hours of sleep, we call you a short sleeper; more than 9.5 hours, we call you a long sleeper," Shives said. "We think there's something genetic."
A study published this year in the journal Science identified a mutated gene in a mother-daughter pair that allowed them to function on six hours of sleep. The research conducted by University of California, San Francisco scientists is believed to be the first to discover a gene, hDEC2 involved in regulating sleep length. This finding could someday lead to a better understanding of why some people require more sleep.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/30/oversleeping.health.effects/index.html

10 ways to take control of your health

2009-10-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

If you're ready to take control of your health, start by washing your hands for 15 to 20 seconds, about as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. Doing this simple act, while avoiding certain behaviors _ smoking, excessive drinking and eating too much _ can dramatically improve your health, said internist William Meller, who specializes in evolutionary medicine in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Prevention goes well beyond the mammograms, prostate screenings or blood tests that we can get at the doctor's office. It's the little steps you take that can keep you healthy.

"Ideally, prevention should also emphasize healthy lifestyles, a practice that isn't only health-conscious, but (is) inexpensive," said James Pivarnik, president of the American College of Sports Medicine. Here are 10 easy ways to get started.

Take a walk. Humans are designed to be on the move, Meller said. "Walking triggers all of our bodily systems: digestion, stress relief, thinking and preparation for sleep."

It's easy, simple, free and confers the benefits of exercise without the
risk of damage from more energetic pursuits, Meller said. Walk every day _
barefoot is fine _ and get a pedometer to track your steps, shooting for a
minimum of 10,000. Stay committed by setting walking dates with a friend.

_Keep a food journal. Writing down everything you eat can double your weight loss, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost," said lead author Jack Hollis, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research.

Scribble down your dietary transgressions on a note pad, use an online food journal or send yourself text messages.

"It's the process of reflecting on what you eat that helps us become aware of our habits, and hopefully change our behavior," said Dr. Keith Bachman, a member of The Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute's Weight
Management Initiative.

_Stop drinking soda. Soda and other caloric, sugar-sweetened beverages have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

But there's also evidence that drinking diet soda leads to weight gain. Researchers suspect that tricking the brain _ getting sweetness without the calories _ makes you crave more sugar than ever. Your best bet is to stop drinking calories altogether, said obesity specialist Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, founder of Ottawa's Bariatric Medical Institute, a multidisciplinary weight-management center.

His most confused patients seem to be doing everything right but may have two glasses of milk, one glass of juice and one glass of wine a day.

"That's roughly 40 pounds of liquid calories per year," he wrote on his blog, Weighty Matters. Freedhoff's advice: Don't rely on beverages for nourishment.

"A well-balanced diet replete with fruits, vegetables and proteins should satisfy all of one's nutritional needs," he said. "Liquid calories are not satiating and in studies tend only to add calories to a meal."

_Strengthen your muscles. If you want to keep your muscles from weakening as you age, start strength training. It's "the only style of exercise that maintains and increases lean muscle tissue and burns between 22 and 36 calories per day," said personal trainer Jim Karas.

He suggests starting with push-ups for the upper body and lunges and squats for the lower body. "Move slowly, and think about the muscles you are engaging. One slow set of 10 is all you need, but make sure to fail," which means you can't perform another repetition.

_Chill out. Stressed-out people are more vulnerable to colds and other viruses, they take longer to recover from illness, and they gain more weight than their relaxed counterparts, research has shown.

We also know that "the inability to feel in control of stress, rather than the stressful event itself, is the most damaging to immunity," wrote Joan Borysenko in "Mending the Body, Mending the Mind."

Another stress expert, Debbie Mandel, likes to lift weights when her stress levels creep up. "Then I'm ready to reframe negatives into positives to turn stress into strength," said Mandel, the author of "Addicted to Stress." In addition to exercise, deep-breathing techniques, meditation, tai chi and yoga are proven stress relievers.

_Eat out less. We often use restaurants in the same way our parents used supermarkets, one of the main reasons for the dramatic global rise in chronic diseases such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, Freedhoff said.

"Nutrition and calories aren't intuitive," he said. "When restaurant salads can have more calories and fat than a Big Mac, you know you're putting your health at risk. You'll save more than your money by eating meals in. You
might even save your life."

_Be a social butterfly. Human beings are social creatures, if only because we need to reproduce. But research has shown that joining a club or sports team, belonging to a church group or keeping in contact with friends creates
a sense of social identity that can help significantly reduce your risk of having a stroke, dementia and even the common cold.

"We do not outgrow our need for others," according to the MacArthur Foundation Study of Aging in America. "Loneliness breeds both illness and early death."

_Get some sleep. Sleeping well is the single most overlooked factor critical to good health, especially during the flu season, said sleep specialist Dr. Rubin Naiman, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona's Center
for Integrative Medicine. But because focusing on doing all the right things before bed can make it harder to sleep, Naiman suggests lightening things up, perhaps by watching comedy on television before bed.

"Too often sleep is approached with an anxious mind and heavy heart," he said. "Laughter is good medicine _ and good sleep medicine. I recommend it over sleeping pills."

_Eat whole foods. Whole foods _ fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs and whole grains _ are unprocessed and unrefined and typically don't have added sugar, salt or fat. They often have a low glycemic index, which means they don't raise blood sugar and insulin levels as quickly as processed foods.

Choose a baked potato instead of French fries, eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread, or start the day with oatmeal, rather than a sugary breakfast cereal. "I eat as many fresh veggies and fruits as possible and
stay away from anything in a bag, a box or a can," said Yvonne Conte of Syracuse, N.Y., the author of a guidebook to living a happier and healthier life. "When I started this, I lost 22 pounds. And it has stayed off. Best
thing I ever did."

_Find your passion. Do things that bring meaning to your days, said Patricia Boyle, a neuropsychologist in the Alzheimer's Disease Center at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, whose research has shown that having a higher purpose can reduce the risk of death among older adults.

"Purpose is cognitively stimulating, and this is very much along the lines of the adage 'Use it or lose it,' which certainly has merit," said Dr. Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian study.
Read the complete original article here http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/healthyliving/articles/_ways_to_take_control_of_your_health.html

LIPITOR HEART MEDICINE NOW AVAILABLE IN PHILIPPINES AS GENERIC ATORVASTATIN, AVAMAX SAVE MONEY

2009-10-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Pfizer sues Unilab over Lipitor drug

Pfizer sells the anti-hypertensive drug under the trade name Lipitor, and its generic name is atorvastatin calcium. Pascual said the patent of Lipitor in the Philippines will expire in 2012.

Unilab recently released its generic version of the medicine under the brand Avamax.

Pascual said Pfizer has also filed a similar case against the manufacturer of Ator tablets, also an Atorvastatin, which were released in the local market even before Avamax.

She said latest data before the implementation of the MRDP shows that Unilab is the leading pharmaceutical company with a 16.3-percent share of the domestic market, while Pfizer comes in second with a 9.6-percent share. http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/business/4530-pfizer-sues-unilab-over-lipitor-drug

READ MORE ABOUT http://www.lipitor.com/content/index.aspx

READ MORE ABOUT ATORVASTATIN GENERIC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atorvastatin

Atorvastatin (INN) (Lipitor, Pfizer), is a member of the drug class known as statins, used for lowering blood cholesterol. It also stabilizes plaque and prevents strokes through anti-inflammatory and other mechanisms.

Read blogs on drugstores and prices of generic medicines and reduced prices regular drugs

Read about Generic Drugstores in the Philippines (has contact details and addresses) including regular drugstores like Mercury, Roses and Watsons. http://philippinestuff.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/generic-drugstores-in-the-philippines/

Also check many drug prices in the Philippines here http://drugprices.wordpress.com/

U.S. Department of Defense Picks New QuikClot Combat Gauze as First-Line Hemostatic Treatment for All Military Services

2009-10-23T06:06:00.001-07:00

Z-Medica Corporation (Z-Medica), a medical products company focused on innovative blood clotting nano-technologies, announced that the United States Department of Defense has selected the company's newest hemostatic product, QuikClot Combat Gauze brand, for all military services as the first-line hemostatic treatment for life-threatening hemorrhage that is not amenable to tourniquet placement.

Bleeding is the number one cause of death for soldiers injured in battle and QuikClot products offer the most effective solution to severe blood loss outside the operating room setting. They have been proven in battlefield use and, with more than one million units deployed, are the leading hemostatic agents in the field.

The Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) made the decision to recommend QuikClot Combat Gauze after reviewing test reports on a number of hemostatic products. QuikClot Combat Gauze was the only one of these products tested by both the Naval Medical Research Center and the U.S. Army Institute for Surgical Research. In addition to test efficacy, the committee sited a number of other factors in according QuikClot Combat Gauze the number one position:

Preference for the gauze delivery format, which is familiar to combat medical personnel.

Ability of QuikClot Combat Gauze to be shaped to any wound and to reach bleeding vessels in penetrating wounds.

Ease of removal once hemostasis has been achieved.

"Z-Medica's approach to product innovation has always been to listen to the voice of our customer and to focus our research & development efforts on delivering life-saving products that meet their needs," said Z-Medica CEO Raymond J. Huey. "With QuikClot Combat Gauze we have provided a product that is virtually 100% effective in a very intuitive format that can be applied quickly and simply by anyone."

QuikClot Combat Gauze combines surgical gauze with a proprietary inorganic material that stops arterial and venous bleeding in seconds -- even more rapidly in this format than earlier Z-Medica products. Based on a different mineral than zeolite-based QuikClot products, it generates no heat. It shares the benefit of being inert and non-allergenic. QuikClot Combat Gauze comes in rolls four yards long by three inches wide.

In addition to the military testing, the new product was tested in pre-clinical trials at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of Massachusetts Medical School and at various field facilities. It has 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. The United States Department of Defense has awarded Z-Medica a $3.2 million grant for large-scale testing of the product on penetrating wounds. These multi-center clinical trials will take place during 2008.

Earlier QuikClot products are in use by all branches of the U.S. Military, by first responders and security agencies across the U.S. and in 36 countries worldwide, with more than a million units in distribution. Z-Medica recently launched its first products for consumers.

Founded in April 2002, Z-Medica Corporation is a medical products company focused on innovative blood clotting technologies -- hemostatic solutions that save lives. QuikClot was developed in cooperation with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command and university hospitals. It represents the first and most effective solution to severe blood loss outside the operating room setting. Z-Medica serves several global vertical markets, including military, first responder, homeland and private security. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Grants & Training added 'hemostatic agent' to its 2006 Authorized Equipment List (AEL), qualifying QuikClot for purchase using grant dollars, subject to each State's administrative agency's approval. And, in 2007, the National Tactical Officers Association gave the company and its new products their coveted official seal of "NTOA member tested and approved". In addition to QuikClot Combat Gauze, the company is fully engaged in accelerating the development and distribution of QuikClot brand hemostatic agent, QuikClot ACS+, QuikClot 1st Response, QuikClot Sport, QuikClot Sport Silver (antimicrobial) and related products.

Z-Medica headquarters is located at 4 Fairfield Blvd., Wallingford, Connecticut 06492. For more information, please call (203) 294.0000 or visit http://www.z-medica.com.

Treating Dementia, but Overlooking Its Physical Toll

2009-10-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

Dementia is often viewed as a disease of the mind, an illness that erases treasured memories but leaves the body intact.

But dementia is a physical illness, too — a progressive, terminal disease that shuts down the body as it attacks the brain. Although the early stages can last for years, the life expectancy of a patient with advanced dementia is similar to that of a patient with advanced cancer.

Also called: Senility

Dementia is a word for a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain. It is not a specific disease. People with dementia may not be able to think well enough to do normal activities, such as getting dressed or eating. They may lose their ability to solve problems or control their emotions. Their personalities may change. They may become agitated or see things that are not there.

Memory loss is a common symptom of dementia. However, memory loss by itself does not mean you have dementia. People with dementia have serious problems with two or more brain functions, such as memory and language.

The lack of understanding about the physical toll of dementia means that many patients near the end of life are subjected to aggressive treatments that would never be considered with another terminal illness. People with advanced dementia are often given dialysis and put on ventilators; they may even get preventive care that cannot possibly help them, like colonoscopies and drugs for osteoporosis or high cholesterol.

“You can go to an intensive-care unit in most places,” said Dr. Greg A. Sachs, chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, “and you’ll find people with dementia getting very aggressive treatment.”

The continued focus on treatment to prolong life often means that pain relief is inadequate, and symptoms like confusion and anxiety are worsened. A new study suggests that family members would be far less likely to subject their loved ones to such treatment if they had a better understanding of dementia as progressive, debilitating illness that ultimately shuts down the body after years of mental deterioration.

Dementia causes many problems for the person who has it and for the person's family. Many of the problems are caused by memory loss. Some common signs of dementia are listed below. Not everyone who has dementia will have all of these signs.

Recent memory loss. All of us forget things for a while and then remember them later. People with dementia often forget things, but they never remember them. They might ask you the same question over and over, each time forgetting that you've already given them the answer. They won't even remember that they already asked the question.

Difficulty performing familiar tasks. People who have dementia might cook a meal but forget to serve it. They might even forget that they cooked it.

Problems with language. People who have dementia may forget simple words or use the wrong words. This makes it hard to understand what they want.

Time and place disorientation. People who have dementia may get lost on their own street. They may forget how they got to a certain place and how to get back home.

Poor judgment. Even a person who doesn't have dementia might get distracted. But people who have dementia can forget simple things, like forgetting to put on a coat before going out in cold weather.

Problems with abstract thinking. Anybody might have trouble balancing a checkbook, but people who have dementia may forget what the numbers are and what has to be done with them.

Misplacing things. People who have dementia may put things in the wrong places. They might put an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl. Then they can't find these things later.

Changes in mood. Everyone is moody at times, but people with dementia may have fast mood swings, going from calm to tears to anger in a few minutes.

Personality changes. People who have dementia may have drastic changes in personality. They might become irritable, suspicious or fearful.

Loss of initiative. People who have dementia may become passive. They might not want to go places or see other people.

Harvard researchers recently followed 323 residents of 22 nursing homes. All had end-stage dementia, meaning that they no longer recognized family members, could speak fewer than six words and were incontinent and bedbound. During the 18-month study period, more than half of the patients died.

During the last three months of life, 41 percent of the patients received at least one “burdensome” treatment, like transport to the emergency room, hospitalization, feeding tubes or intravenous treatments. Advanced dementia patients are particularly prone to infections because of incontinence, risk of bedsores, a depressed immune response and inability to report symptoms.

When the investigators looked more deeply into the reasons for treatment decisions, they discovered stark differences based on what family members knew about dementia. When they understood its progressive and terminal nature, only 27 percent of the patients received aggressive care. For family members who did not understand the disease, the figure was 73 percent.

“When family members understood the clinical course of dementia and the poor prognosis, the patients were far less likely to undergo these distressing interventions,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Susan L. Mitchell, senior scientist at the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston. “Dementia is a terminal illness and needs to be recognized as such so these patients receive better palliative care.”

The study also found that pain control was often inadequate. One in four subjects were clearly suffering from pain, but that number may understate the problem, because the patients were unable to talk about their pain.
Dr. Sachs, at Indiana, notes that care for patients with dementia has changed very little in the past 30 years. As a teenager, he watched his grandmother decline from Alzheimer’s disease. During her final months, she was repeatedly treated for infections and put in restraints or sedated to control agitation.

“Seeing my grandmother in that state was so distressing that my mother eventually stopped taking the grandchildren to visit,” Dr. Sachs wrote last week in an editorial in The New England Journal of Medicine. “My grandmother had little in the way of comfort or company toward the end. In my medical training, I learned how my grandmother’s final months were typical for people dying from dementia.”

A 2005 report from the Alzheimer’s Association showed troubling trends in care at the end of life. In a sweeping review of the medical literature, the investigators found that 71 percent of nursing home residents with advanced dementia died within six months of admission, yet only 11 percent were referred to hospice care, which focuses on comfort rather than active treatment.

Simply transferring a dementia patient from the nursing home to a hospital can lead to confusion, falls or a decline in eating — which in turn, often leads to further aggressive treatment.

Geriatricians say a large part of the problem is that the patients are unable to make their wishes known. In the absence of a living will, family members often struggle with guilt and are afraid to stop aggressive treatment because they do not want to be seen as abandoning a loved one in mental decline.

Dr. Sachs says doctors need to spend more time explaining the prognosis for advanced dementia, making it clear that palliative care does not mean less care.

“We’re not talking about aggressive care versus no care,” he said. “Palliative care is aggressive and attentive and focused on symptom management and support of the patient and family. It’s not any less excellent care.”
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/diseases/articles/well_treating_dementia_but_overlooking_its_physical_toll.html

Here are some additional links to read more

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dementia.html

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/seniors/mental-health/662.html

LEPTOSPIROSIS 101

2009-10-16T16:14:00.001-07:00

Leptospirosis deaths soar to 89
The death toll from leptospirosis reached 89 as cases of the flood-borne disease in Metro Manila and flooded provinces rose tenfold in the past three days, the Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday.

LEPTOSPIROSIS 101

Leptospirosis

• a bacterial infection caused by a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called leptospira
• occurs through direct contact with the urine of infected animals or by contact with a urine-contaminated environment such as surface water, floodwater, soil, and plants
• affects both humans and animals
• leptospira have been found in rats, insectivores, dogs, cats, cattle, pigs and horses
• bacteria enter through broken skins, through eyes, nose or mouth exposed to contaminated water although less frequently through animal bites, handling infected animal tissues or swallowing contaminated food or water
• an occupational hazard for people who work outdoors or with animals, such as rice and sugar-cane field workers, farmers, sewer workers, veterinarians, dairy workers and military personnel
• a recreational hazard to those who swim or wade in contaminated waters. In endemic areas the number of leptospirosis cases may peak during the rainy season and even may reach epidemic proportions in case of flooding.

SYMPTOMS

Incubation period for the bacteria lasts 7 to 12 days. During this period, the following symptoms may be felt (although sometimes it can also be asymptomatic):

• high fever
• severe headache
• chills
• muscle pain
• vomiting
• jaundice
• redness in the eyes
• abdominal pain
• hemorrhages in skin and mucous membranes (including pulmonary bleeding)
• diarrhea
• rash

However, if these aren't treated, they may develop into kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, and respiratory distress.

PREVENTION

• reduce the rat population with the destruction of their habitats -- maintain a clean home
• avoid immersion in natural waters such as rivers, lakes and canals
• avoid immersion in floods
• use protective footwear or clothing when immersion to natural waters or floods is inevitable
• provide clean drinking water

Source: GMA News Research, DO, WHO

Getting Guys to Wash Their Hands

2009-10-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

We all know that one of the simplest, best ways to stay healthy is to wash our hands a lot, especially these days during the swine flu pandemic. Some new research out Thursday offers clues to what gets people to actually do it. And guess what? Shame appears to be the best motivation. And, for guys, appealing to the gross-out factor doesn't hurt.

A team of researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine conducted an experiment in which nearly 200,000 people were monitored using electronic sensors installed in service station bathrooms along highways in Britain.

Only about a third of the men washed their hands with soap after using the bathrooms, compared to about 64 percent of the women, the researchers reported in the American Journal of Public Health.

A variety of messages, such as "Water doesn't kill germs, soap does" and "Don't be a dirty soap dodger" were flashed on LED screens at the entrances of the bathrooms to determine how best to motivate people to wash their hands. Most of the messages helped increase hand washing, but "Is the person next to you washing with soap?" turned out to be the best of all, illustrating that people respond the most when they think someone is watching them.

Women tended to respond best to any kind of reminder, while men tended to respond best to messages that invoked disgust, such as "soap it off or eat it later," the researchers found.

The findings were released to coincide with "Global Handwashing Day," which is aimed at improving handwashing around the world to help fight the swine flu pandemic and reduce the spread of germs that cause diarrhea and other diseases. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/10/getting_guys_to_wash_their_han.html?hpid=sec-health

My question: why is it customary for males to wash their hands after urination? I never do, which shocks and disgusts some of my guy friends. I bathe daily and wear fresh underpants, so how does my penis get dirty? It's not like I dig a ditch with it. However, my hands might get dirty from daily activities. Is it not more sensible then to wash my hands before touching my clean penis? Is posturination hand washing a throwback to the bad old days, when sex was "dirty" and so, by extension, were sex organs? I'm serious about this. Please advise.

— Tom Sharpley, Los Angeles

Dear Tom:

Good (if elderly) joke. Common (but stupid) attitude. Rank (but important) topic. Some facts: The purpose of washing is not to get pee off your hands. No amount of washing will make you clean. You have to do it anyway.

I've said this before: your boxer-shorts region--from belly button to mid-thigh--is crawling with germs known as coliform bacteria. These bacteria originated in your intestine, and some of them are deadly. Remember punji stakes? They were sharpened sticks that the Vietcong concealed point up along trails and daubed with excrement. If you stepped on one you had a good chance of contracting a fatal infection. Similarly, an otherwise not-so-serious gunshot or knife injury could kill you if it perforated the intestine and allowed coliform bacteria to spread around your abdomen.

But you know this (or at least you ought to). What you may not know is that washing will not make the coliform bacteria go away. They're holed up in the pores of your skin and nothing short of sandblasting--certainly not your morning shower--is going to get them out. Showering merely gets rid of the ones that have strayed onto the surface. The bacteria won't do much harm if they stay put, but when you urinate your fingers come in contact with Mister P. long enough for the coliform bacteria in your pores to hop aboard. Your fingers subsequently touch lots of other infectible items. If you don't wash your hands with soap and water (soap gets rid of the skin oil that the bacteria stick to) . . . hello, Typhoid Mary.

It now dawns on you: jeez, if merely touching my privates is enough to transmit bacteria, it doesn't matter if I pee or not! Just so. Urine itself is actually fairly sterile. Cecil has read reports of it being used during wartime in poor countries as--I'm not making this up--a sort of battlefield Bactine. (U.S. doctors generally blanch at this.) The lesson to draw from this, however, is not that you can go forth dripping (yuck), but rather that just because you didn't pee on your fingers doesn't mean you can skip washing up. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1043/why-are-men-supposed-to-wash-their-hands-after-urination

Stent Aims to Help Stop Erectile Dysfunction

2009-10-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Will Implanted Device Work Where Pills Failed?

People may be used to getting spam e-mails offering discounts on Cialis, Levitra or Viagra, but if a new clinical trial is successful, men with erectile dysfunction may someday be flooded with e-mails for another option: a stent.

Medtronic has begun testing a new pelvic stent it hopes will be able to treat erectile dysfunction.
(Courtesy Medtronic)

Medtronic has begun testing on a new pelvic stent for men who have not been helped by drugs. Investigators will begin with 50 patients at 10 different medical centers.

"This is a common problem. Men many times do not have satisfactory results from first-line medical therapies," said Dr. Krishna Rocha-Singh, director of the Prairie Vascular Institute in Springfield, Ill., who installed the first of the stents in a patient last week.

Singh said erectile dysfunction can also be a sign of larger problems, with potential blockages of major blood vessels.

"Erectile dysfunction could be a symptom of a vascular source," he said, noting that it could be an early sign of what could lead to heart attacks or strokes. "The patients we're treating in our practice [with erectile dysfunction] had the same problem elsewhere in other parts of the body."
By opening up blood flow, Singh explained, stenting might solve some of those problems. However, he pointed out, it remains to be seen which patients would be helped by the stent, a question he hopes the clinical trial will answer.

Other doctors in the field said the device may prove beneficial, but only to a small subset of men.

Best for Younger Men?

Dr. Jerome Richie, the chief of urology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said, "I would foresee this stent as an application for younger individuals who have had traumatic injuries that decrease arterial inflow. Other than that selected group, I do not foresee widespread applicability."

Dr. Ajay Nehra, a professor of urology at the Mayo Clinic, agreed that young men whose erectile dysfunction stemmed from traumatic injury would be the most likely to be helped, and said they may prefer a stenting operation to a pill, since an erection would not feel as medically induced later on.

"Men would ideally like to have natural, spontaneous erection, and that's why the medical device is trying to look at alternative options than pills, per se," said Nehra.

Will There Be Demand?
For many men with erectile dysfunction, the available pills do not help. For that reason, a number of doctors thought the stent could become a commercial success.

"Current ED meds (Viagra, etc.) work in only about half of patients, so if this were effective, it could have substantial impact," said Dr. Martin Sanda, director of the prostate cancer center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

And while a stent may be thought of as invasive, doctors did not think that would be an obstacle if the stent proved to be successful.

"Regarding the potential splash it could make, take a look at the splash Viagra made. If [women are] willing to have surgery for breast implants etc., and men are willing to get penile implants, I would think the potential for this could be huge, if it works and has minimal side effects," said Dr. Lee E. Ponsky, chief of the division of urologic oncology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

"For men [in whom] pills or vacuum devices do not work, this method of drug delivery may be better accepted than the current suppositories or direct injection into the penis. It will be an interesting trial to follow," said Dr. Martha K. Terris, chief of urology at the Augusta VA Medical Center in Georgia.
Other doctors agreed that demand would not be a problem if the trial were successful.

"All men with erectile dysfunction will want to know if they are candidates for the stent," said Dr. Ira Sharlip, a clinical professor of urology at the University of California at San Francisco, and immediate past president of the International Society for Sexual Medicine.

At the same time, he said, "[It] remains to be seen if it works and for whom." Read the complete original article here

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MensHealthNews/medtronic-hopes-pelvic-stent-cure-erectile-dysfunction/story?id=8830521

An update on breast cancer and contraceptive pills

2009-10-14T04:49:00.001-07:00

The risk of breast cancer among women who take oral contraceptive pills (OCP) has been studied for a long time. The results of the studies are still controversial—some point to an increase while others to no effect.

Estrogen and breast cancer

It is known fact that the breast tissue is affected by hormones, specifically by estrogen. A very practical way to understand this is when your breasts enlarge just before menstruation and during pregnancy. In both occasions, your hormones are at higher levels than the usual.

The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study caused the great turnaround in the use of hormone replacement for menopausal women because it showed that the use of a combination estrogen and progestin replacement in these women caused an increase in the risk of breast cancer. However, the result among reproductive age group (read: those still menstruating) who take OCP (also a combination of estrogen and progestin) is not as clear cut as in these menopausal women.

The conflicting results

• OCP increases breast cancer. A Scandinavian study reported in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (Vol.11: 1375-1381) was a prospective study where women who used OCP were followed up from 1991 to1999 and the number of those who developed breast cancer was compared to those who did not. The results showed that breast cancer risk was increased by 60 per cent for women who were still taking the pill while those who stopped for a year or more only had a 20 per cent risk.

• OCP did not increase breast cancer. However, another study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) called Women's Contraceptive and Reproductive Experience (Women's CARE) done between 1994 and 1998 showed there was no increased risk of breast cancer in current or former users of birth control pills.

Other factors which cause breast cancer in OCP takers

• Family history. In a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the result showed a higher risk (up to 11 times) among OCP takers with a strong family history of breast cancer. However, it should be noted that more than half of breast cancer cases occur in those with no family history of the disease.

• Genetics. A study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Vol. 94, No. 23: 1773-1779) looked at the link between OCP and breast cancer in women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. A mutation is a random change in the genetic material. There are two types of mutations in this breast cancer gene called BRCA1 and BRCA2. The study reported that OCP increased breast cancer risk for women with mutations in BRCA1 but not in those with mutations in BRCA2. Among those with no mutations, there seem to be a very low risk.

• Age. There is a study which showed an increased risk of breast cancer in women 45 years and older who were still taking the pill. The probable cause in these women could be that the older OCP preparations had a significantly higher dose of estrogen. In addition, breast cancer is a disease of older women, with more than half in their 60s.

• Length of use. There seem to be an increase risk among those who have taken OCP for long periods of time but the exact length was not specified. Some research have found that if you have stopped taking OCP for at least 10 years, your breast cancer risk returned to the same level as those who have never taken the pills.

Should I take contraceptive pills?

Yes, you can still take the pill, but with caution to those who have a strong family history of breast cancer, found to have mutations in BRCA1 gene and aged 40 or more.

However, the final decision on whether you should take the pill will rely on your own reasons for taking it. OCP by itself will not cause breast cancer, but MAY increase the RISK of developing it. This article is for informational purposes only for a more thorough discussion with your health provider. read the original complete article here http://www.herword.com/healthdesk/main.php?id=ocp

Strengthening bones through regular milk drinking

2009-10-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

JUST DAYS after a multinational company restarted its milk campaign for school children, another firm is pushing its milk brand aimed mainly at women.

Unlike men, women are more prone to osteoporosis, a condition that results from low bone density that can result in painful fractures.

To get their message across, Anlene recently held a press conference where guests first underwent a bone density test before they were led to their seats. The test that took less than 10 minutes involved slipping off one’s footwear and placing one’s sole on a contraption that measures bone health with almost 100% accuracy. (Full disclosure: I was in the low risk group meaning there was very little chance of my developing osteoporosis.)

Osteoporosis, however, is not an overnight affliction. In fact, it doesn’t happen over a year. It builds up slowly, without any symptoms, over years of neglecting bone health before finally cracking.

To prevent this, women (and men) are advised to eat a healthy diet rich in essential bone nutrients; exercise daily and take part in weight bearing exercises; limit or avoid altogether smoking, alcohol and caffeine intake; have regular bone checks; and consult a doctor.

Milk, especially one like Anlene that contains Nano-Calcium, is likewise recommended. Nano-Calcium is more than a hundred times smaller than normal calcium allowing for better absorption.

The National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference on Osteoporosis recommends 750 mg of calcium a day for women below 50, and 800 mg for pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women. One glass of Anlene has the calcium equivalent of two glasses of regular milk.

Healthy options

Making healthier choices when it comes to one’s diet and exercising daily are not exactly groundbreaking ideas if one wants to lead a long and healthy life.

As Dr. Leilani Mercado-Asis, president of the Osteoporosis Society of the Philippines Foundation Inc. (OSPFI) said, prevention is the best cure.

"By drinking milk and acquiring these healthy habits, you can strengthen your bones over time, and rely on that strength when the time comes," Ms. Asis said.

The doctor added that milk drinkers should include Vitamin D whether in capsule form or by going under the sun for a few minutes daily.

"Vitamin D allows bones to receive the calcium," Ms. Asis said.

The event was also the venue for the introduction of Anlene’s newest celebrity endorser, former beauty queen Charlene Gonzalez who appears in the commercial that began airing recently on local TV.

"You really have to take care of yourself," Ms. Gonzalez said.

"For the women, if they are happy with their current state, why not experience that for the rest of their life? Get that Anlene habit," she added. — Click this link to read original complete articlehttp://www.bworldonline.com/Weekender100909/main.php?id=health2

More Filipinos buying generic drugs – DOH Visit your Generic Drugstore today

2009-09-29T19:57:00.001-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Six out of 10 Filipinos are opting for generic medicines over more expensive branded counterparts paving the way for healthy competition in the local pharmaceutical industry, according to Health secretary Francisco Duque III. Duque said more Filipinos are buying generic-branded medicines that are up to 80 percent cheaper.

Generic drugs are always less expensive, it cost about thirty percent to eighty percent less than the brand name drug. Generic drugs mean more cost-savings to the consumers. Its use can save patients and even insurance companies thousands of dollars without compromising the quality of health care. According to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies. Even more billions are saved when hospitals use generics.

“It’s amazing that many of our countrymen do not know that what they are really using are generic drugs. For example, the generic medicine paracetamol can be bought as Biogesic, Tempra, Calpol or as generic—only the brands and price differ but they have the same quality,” said Duque.

“If more doctors prescribe generic medicines and more people use them, these will further drive down medicine prices and make medicine more accessible especially for the poor,” Duque added.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20090925-226879/More-Filipinos-buying-generic-drugs--DOH

Read more on my GENERIC DRUGSTORES IN THE PHILIPPINES

http://philippinestuff.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/generic-drugstores-in-the-philippines/

How to solve 9 sleep problems

2009-09-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Most of us have experienced those maddening midnight moments when, no matter how tired we are, we either can't fall asleep, can't stay asleep or our sleep is of such poor quality it feels as if we were awake. For anyone who has tossed and turned at night, here's some expert advice for solving nine sleep problems.

Good sleep habits don't solve sleep problems, but they do create a foundation for improved sleep, experts say.

The night waker
Her challenge: After a stressful breakup two years ago, Meredith Crowell, 40, a single real estate property manager and yoga instructor from Boulder, Colorado, would wake up in the middle of the night filled with sadness and anxiety. But even after she felt better emotionally, the sleep troubles continued. Although she typically falls asleep easily around 10:30 p.m., she is wide awake three or four hours later. She falls back into a fitful sleep, then gets up around 6 a.m. to begin her day. "I never wake feeling well rested, because it feels like I don't get more than about four hours of truly deep sleep," she says. To no avail, Meredith has tried myriad remedies -- warm baths, hot milk, a glass of wine before bed, no food before bed, relaxation techniques, and prescription and homeopathic medicines. She took a prescription medication, but that didn't give her more than four hours of sleep. She even tried taking the medication when she woke in the middle of the night, but that left her too groggy in the morning.

Expert advice: "The good news is that Meredith's insomnia seems to have a clear precipitant -- the breakup," says sleep-medicine specialist David Neubauer, M.D., a sleep-medicine specialist and an associate director of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center, in Baltimore, Maryland. Neubauer calls her situation "conditioned arousal," which, he says, is common. "Her sleep problems may have been initially caused by an external trigger, but over time the sleep problems become self-propagating. Eventually she became conditioned to become anxious about her sleep." Some things that might help:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy is often used in cases like this, and the experts agree that it could help Meredith. "CBT aims to stop the behaviors that are perpetuating the insomnia," says Susie Esthera, M.D., a specialist in sleep-disorder medicine at Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Typically, a therapist will work with a patient for four to eight weeks -- in sessions that last from 30 minutes to two hours -- to assess, diagnose, and treat the underlying problem, such as relationship worries. The therapist will teach the patient things like progressive-relaxation techniques and point out actions that are getting in the way of deep sleep, such as rehashing conversations that occurred earlier in the day. (To find a therapist, go to the website of the National Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists)

• Acupuncture. "Acupuncture may help reduce her anxiety and induce deeper sleep," says Rubin Naiman, Ph.D., the director of sleep programs at the Miraval Resort, in Tucson.
• Avoiding wine. "There is a notion that alcohol will help you sleep," says Neubauer. "And while it often does help you fall asleep quicker, your sleep will be more disrupted."

• Accepting some awakenings. The experts stress that nighttime awakenings are perfectly normal -- much more normal, in fact, than the elusive solid eight hours people think they should be getting. Most people will roll over and go back to sleep, but those with insomnia become conditioned to feel anxious when they awake during the night. "You need to accept that you will arouse some, so reassure yourself in the middle of the night that nothing catastrophic will happen if you are awake for a while," says Esther. To that end, she suggests keeping the glaring electric clock off the bedside table. "Clock watching will only increase your anxiety about being awake," Esther says.

Enforcing bedtimes improves kids' health
Antidepressants, not sleep drugs, often prescribed for insomnia

The early bird
Her challenge: Brooke Brown, 38, is a married prekindergarten teacher with three children from Wellesley, Massachusetts. Given her round-the-clock proximity to small children (her own are ages 4, 7, and 9), Brooke is understandably exhausted by the end of the day. So much so that she often falls sound asleep as early as 7 p.m. But she is routinely awakened around 2 a.m. -- by a child, her husband snoring, or a need to use the bathroom -- and never manages to fall back asleep. She lies in bed with her brain in high gear, eventually giving up on sleep and getting out of bed at 5 a.m. to get a jump on her day.

Expert advice: "She is spending too much time in bed," says sleep-disorders specialist Susie Esther. Brooke should establish a standard waking time (and stick to it seven days a week), then work backward to figure out what her bedtime should be. So if she wants to get up at 5 a.m., she should plan to be asleep by about 10 p.m. -- not 7 p.m. "She should gradually adjust her bedtime so that she is able to stay awake later, and that will help her body adapt to the new schedule," says Esther. To quell Brooke's middle-of-the-night worrying, Esther suggests that, instead of lying in bed, she get up and do something relaxing, like having a cup of decaffeinated herbal tea. "Staying in bed and trying to sleep will just wake you up more," says Esther. "Sleep isn't something you can 'try' to do."

The chronic insomniac
Her challenge: Kristy Lewis, 29, a married homemaker and photographer from Hampton, Virginia, can't remember a time when she didn't have trouble sleeping. "I thought it was normal to take an hour or longer to fall asleep, but in 2004 my doctor diagnosed me with insomnia," she says. She also wakes several times during the night and remains awake for anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. She also suffers from restless legs syndrome and frequently talks in her sleep. Sleep medications help to some degree but leave her feeling drowsy the next day. She has also tried practicing yoga, doing vigorous exercise earlier in the day, avoiding caffeine, and reading or writing in a journal before bed.

Expert advice: "I would first want to investigate her restless legs problem," says sleep-medicine specialist David Neubauer. Restless legs syndrome, which has recently been taken more seriously by doctors, can sometimes be caused by anemia. If blood tests show that Kristy has anemia, iron supplementation could help. If anemia is not the cause, she could ask her doctor about medications like Mirapex and Requip, which are often prescribed for restless legs syndrome. Otherwise, Kristy might consider:

• Pay even more attention to her evening routine and her sleep environment. "Good sleep habits don't necessarily solve sleep problems, but they do create a foundation for improved sleep," says Neubauer. Good habits include things such as keeping the bedroom cool and dark, using a fan or a white-noise machine to create a blanket of sound, and using the bed exclusively as a place for sleeping -- and not for watching television, for example.
• Making an appointment at a sleep clinic, which can be a smart step for people with a long history of sleep issues. Most often this involves office visits (which will not necessarily be overnight observations), during which the patient will undergo a physical examination and work with a doctor to assess and diagnose the cause of the sleep problems. (For more information or to locate a sleep specialist near you, go to the Web site of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine)

The hormone sufferer
Her challenge: Patty Magovern, 53, a married human-resources director from Wall, New Jersey, never had trouble sleeping -- that is, until menopause hit last year. "My whole life, I would fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and sleep through the night," she says, "but those days are long gone." Now, no matter what time she goes to bed, she has difficulty falling asleep and, like clockwork, awakens at 1 a.m. For the rest of the night, she tosses and turns before finally getting up at 6:30 a.m. Taking over-the-counter or prescription medications helps but leaves her feeling logy in the morning rather than refreshed. She doesn't want to take hormone-replacement therapy to treat her menopause symptoms, including the hot flashes that sometimes disrupt her sleep, because she worries about the risks.

Expert advice: There is some evidence that hormonal changes can have an effect on sleep. If hot flashes are a big issue, sleep-medicine specialist David Neubauer, points to recent studies that have shown that sleeping in a cooler-than-normal room can help prevent them. More advice:
• Use caution regarding over-the-counter sleep medications, since they contain some type of antihistamine, which can stay in the body for a long time. "It takes about 18 hours for your body to clear out 50 percent of the active drug. For most of your waking hours, it will still be in your system, making you drowsy," says psychologist Rubin Naiman.

• Patty might also benefit from taking 0.3 milligram of an over-the-counter melatonin supplement about 20 minutes before bedtime since the production of melatonin (a naturally produced hormone that helps regulate circadian rhythms) drops off as we age.
• Go for a checkup. "Around the time a woman reaches menopause, other risk factors may emerge, such as sleep apnea," Neubauer says. Patty should consider that new medications she may be on could also be disrupting her sleep.

The worrier
Her challenge: Alexandra Acker, 29, a single executive director of a nonprofit organization from Washington, D.C., has suffered from sleep issues on and off since high school, but they became worse when she moved to Washington, D.C., and took a new job. "My sleep problems are definitely stress-related," she says. While she has no trouble falling asleep, she wakes up many times throughout the night and can't turn her brain off sufficiently to get back to sleep. She lies in bed thinking about work, making mental to-do lists, and even listening to random songs that play in her head. Making matters worse, there's traffic noise outside the windows of her studio apartment. RealSimple.com: Everyday health dilemmas solved

Expert advice: "She seems to have a predisposition for insomnia, and for people like her, whenever there are additional pressures, like a new job, the insomnia bubbles to the surface," says Gary Richardson, M.D., a senior research scientist and a staff physician at the Sleep Disorders Center at the Henry Ford Hospital, in Detroit, Michigan. Since Alexandra is probably not going to change her job or leave D.C., she needs to find ways to handle her stress better so that it doesn't wake her up at night. "We expect the brain to turn off when we sleep, but it doesn't do that, and there's some evidence that in insomniacs, the areas of the brain that control stress stay active at night," says Richardson. So rather than lying awake listening to song lyrics and making lists in her head, Alexandra might:

• Distract her brain by trying a relaxation technique, like focusing on her breathing.
• Working on keeping her sleep environment quieter, such as using an air conditioner or a fan, as well as blackout shades to block street light.
• Try wearing earplugs.

The night owl
Her challenge: Nicole Williams, 42, a married homemaker and freelance camerawoman from Los Angeles, has always been nocturnal, but the situation has gotten worse since the birth of her child, four years ago. She grows more alert late at night, then stays up until about 3 a.m., watching TV, reading, clearing out e-mail, and organizing things for her family. Her daughter wakes her up at 7:30 a.m., and Nicole says she then feels "dangerously drowsy, irritated, and exhausted all day long." She almost never naps and normally uses the time when her daughter is at school to work or get other things done. Both prescription and over-the-counter sleep medications have worked, but Nicole worries about being groggy in the morning and doesn't want to become reliant on them. She has also tried aromatherapy, warm drinks before bed, and meditation.

Expert advice: To start slowing down and readying herself for an earlier bedtime, psychologist Rubin Naiman suggests blocking blue light. "The blue end of the light spectrum -- emitted by ordinary lightbulbs, televisions, and computer screens -- suppresses melatonin," says Naiman. Nicole might consider buying special lightbulbs as well as blue-blocker filters (available at lowbluelights.com) for her TV and computer screen (if she insists on checking her e-mail) and reducing the amount of light in general. "Being exposed to too much light at night is the environmental equivalent of caffeine," says Naiman. So at least two hours before bed, dim the lights. In addition, Nicole needs to find time earlier in the day for catching up on e-mail and organizing.

The overstimulated sleeper
Her challenge: Lauren Razzore, 31, a single professor of animation and Web design and freelance designer from Queens, New York, often stays up until midnight or 2 a.m., reading or catching up on work. When she realizes how late it is, she jumps into bed but then is too wound up to fall asleep for another hour or so. This tendency is now exacerbated by an erratic schedule. Lauren usually teaches four classes a week. On two days, it's an early morning class that requires her to rise at 6 a.m. The other days she has afternoon classes, which allows her to sleep as late as she wants. When she does sleep, it's not always very restorative. She has vivid dreams that she is teaching, and sometimes she wakes up talking aloud. "I'm exhausted in the morning because I feel like I've been working all night," she says. RealSimple.com: 10 things you should be doing to boost your immunity
Expert advice: "We can't always design a sleep schedule that fits with our work schedule, and that can especially be a problem for someone with genetic night-owl tendencies," says physician and sleep researcher Gary Richardson. He suggests that Lauren might benefit from careful napping to help balance out her sleep schedule, especially on days when she has to get up to teach an early class. He recommends lying down and relaxing and getting up after one hour, regardless of whether she actually dozes. "Napping can interfere with nighttime rest if you sleep too much," he cautions. And rather than racing to bed in a panic when she realizes how late it is, Lauren needs to set a regular bedtime and develop a relaxing evening ritual, which, ideally, she should begin at least half an hour before getting into bed. This could include things like a warm bath and some reading, with the lights as low as possible.

The downtime seeker
Her challenge: Regina Clark, 39, a married assistant professor of journalism from Somerset, New Jersey, stays up until midnight or later to have downtime, even though she knows it's at the expense of getting a good night's sleep. (She often needs to be up at 5 a.m.) When she does lie down, her mind doesn't stop working, especially now that she is up for tenure at her teaching job and pregnant with twins. When she finally falls asleep, it's a very light sleep. She's awakened easily and often by things like her dog's barking or her husband's snoring. She normally manages to get about five hours of sleep but feels she needs a solid seven or eight hours to be fully functional. "I tend to be foggy or hazy during the day, unable to focus clearly or remember things properly, and I know it's related to not getting enough sleep," Regina says.

Expert advice: Regina should take 30 minutes or so earlier in the day to do the things that are keeping her up (like checking e-mail and writing lists). Also:

• She should ask her husband to have his snoring checked to make sure it's not a symptom of a more serious problem -- and she might try wearing earplugs to block out the noise.
• In addition, she can keep the dog out of the bedroom and maybe have her husband agree to get up with their 2-year-old baby for a few weeks while she focuses on improving her sleep pattern.
• Regina should practice "letting go," says psychologist Rubin Naiman. He encourages her to work on managing stress by exercising more and, if possible, delegating more at work so she doesn't feel so overwhelmed. "We're such an active, 'doing' culture, and then we get into bed and try to 'do' sleep," Naiman says. "You can't just 'go' to sleep, but you can learn to let go of waking."

Her challenge: Elizabeth Marks, 29, a married graduate student from Chicago, struggles with an innate tendency is to stay up till midnight, then hit snooze so many times in the morning. "The clock has been known to give up," she says. Even when she feels exhausted all day, she becomes more alert at night. When she does get into bed, it takes her up to an hour to fall asleep. Elizabeth has tried going to bed earlier so she'll have less trouble getting up in the morning, but then she just lies awake. She doesn't drink caffeine, and she reads when she gets into bed, does yoga three times a week, and uses an aromatherapy-oil diffuser in her bedroom.

Expert advice: While avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and the evening is a wise move, physician and sleep researcher Gary Richardson says that having some first thing in the morning can be helpful for people like Elizabeth, who have trouble waking up.

• Modulating her exposure to light could reset her internal clock gradually, according to Richardson. "Too much light at night will push her clock even later," he says, so the key is to keep the lights dim the closer she gets to bedtime. Elizabeth should also maximize her light exposure first thing in the morning. If she can go outside in bright sunlight for some exercise, that would provide a double whammy of wakefulness.

• Taking a melatonin supplement (0.3 milligram before bed) might help Elizabeth if light manipulation isn't enough, Richardson suggests. It may help pull her internal clock to an earlier hour so she can get the sleep she needs http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/25/nine.sleep.problems/index.html

Read other articles on sleep problems
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/sleep.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_disorder

http://helpguide.org/life/sleep_disorders.htm

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/problems/sleepproblems.aspx

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sleepdisorders.html

Helping older people Not fall down

2009-09-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Every year, about a third of Americans 65 and older fall, and about a third of those who lose their footing require medical treatment, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 1.8 million older adults are treated annually in emergency departments for injuries from falls, 433,000 are admitted to hospitals and 16,000 die because of their injuries, the agency reports.

"The good news is that we can reduce the risk of falling. It doesn't have to be an inevitable part of growing old," said Lynn Beattie, vice president of injury prevention at the National Council on Aging.

Aside from promoting longer lives and greater independence, the new efforts to prevent falls may help control health care costs as the oldest boomers qualify for Medicare in about a year, she said.

More than $19 billion is spent annually on treating seniors who fall. Without better prevention, that cost is projected to escalate to $43.8 billion a year by 2020, and Medicare will pay for most of it.

At the University of Texas at Arlington, researchers are putting older adults through a battery of tests to determine their risk of falling and to teach them to maintain their balance.

In one exercise, the seniors climb into a booth where the floor rocks, the walls shake and a video screen flashes words and colors to distract them. A harness protects them from slipping.

Patricia Elder, a 63-year-old Grand Prairie resident who worries about tripping because of her poor eyesight, held her ground by shifting her weight when she took the test.

"It reminded me of going through a carnival funhouse as a child," she said. "I guess this old gal still has it in her."

Christopher Ray, an assistant professor of kinesiology, said he hoped the research project will lead to programs and products to help older adults become more sure-footed.

"When seniors regain their strength and balance, they also regain their confidence," he said. "As long as people fear falling, they limit their activities, and that only makes them more vulnerable to accidents."

Dallas-based AT&T Inc. and eight LLC of New York are working on a high-tech monitoring system that will signal caregivers when it detects someone is at risk of falling.

The system will use a shoe insole with built-in sensors that track changes in the wearer's gait, said Bob Miller, executive director of AT&T's communications technology research department.

"If, for example, someone becomes dizzy because of a bad reaction to medication, we should be able to detect the unsteady walk and alert caregivers in time to head off trouble," he said.

Texas Tech University will begin testing the monitoring system at a geriatric care center in Lubbock in about a month, Miller said. He expects the technology to be on the market within two years.

Lower tech

Low-tech approaches are also reducing older adults' risk of tumbling, Beattie said. Many home health care agencies are creating services tailored to fall victims.

Gentiva Health Services, a national home health care company, aggressively markets its "Safe Strides" program.

"Our typical patient has already fallen but doesn't want to move into an assisted-living facility or nursing home," said Keith Gray, rehabilitation director for Gentiva's branch in Bedford, Texas.

A therapist evaluates each patient and designs an in-home exercise program to improve balance, he said. The home is also checked for hazards, and medications are reviewed for possible side effects.

Medicare covers the cost of the four- or five-week program if a doctor orders it, Gray said.

Older adults can significantly lower their risk of falling if they make better use of "old technology" such as walkers and canes, said Candy Wade, who teaches "Matter of Balance" classes to Dallas area seniors.

Seniors sometimes borrow walkers or canes from friends, Wade said, which can be dangerous because a walking aid needs to be fitted to each person.

Tom Polston, who owns Specialty Medical Sales in Lewisville, Texas, said he and his employees routinely measure customers for walkers and canes and give a short course on how to use the aids.

"This isn't a one-size-fits-all business," he said.

The industry that's done the most to prevent falls is the one with the most to gain -- long-term care providers such as nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and senior independent-living communities.

Because it cares for the frailest seniors, a nursing home with 100 beds averages from 100 to 200 falls a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. About 1,800 residents die each year from falls.

At Christian Care Centers in Mesquite, Texas, staff members are trained to guard against falls and frequently rely on lifts to help nursing home patients out of chairs and onto their feet.

The community's "Senior Body Balance" class -- with its mix of Pilates, tai chi and yoga exercises -- also helps put residents on surer footing, said Martha Fiddes, assistant vice president of therapy and wellness services.

"I've had fall-prone seniors who haven't had a single accident since taking the course," she said.

Experts see interest in fall-related products and programs headed no way but up.

The people most vulnerable to falling and injuring themselves -- those 85 and older -- also make up the fastest-growing age group in this country, said Beattie of the National Council on Aging.

"Preventing falls has to become a booming enterprise," she said. "Otherwise, we won't have enough surgeons to treat all the hip fractures." The original article can be found here

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/yourhome/articles/firms_researchers_aim_to_keep_seniors_steadier_on_their_feet.htmlhtml

Medications

To reduce your risks of falls, follow these tips:

Review your medication with your doctor every 6 months.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the side effects of your medication.
Tell your doctor if your medication makes you dizzy or lightheaded.
Never take someone else's medication.
Talk to your doctor if insomnia persists.

Using A Cane

Make sure your cane is the correct height for you.
Standing with your arms at you sides, turn the cane upside down and put the handle on the floor. The tip of the cane should be at the level of your wrist.
Aluminum canes can be easily adjusted on the shaft.
For wooden canes, remove the rubber tip. Mark the cane at wrist level and deduct ½ inch. Cut the cane and replace the rubber tip.

More reading about dangers to seniors and falling accidents, click these links

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fall-Prevention-For-Seniors&id=1548595

http://www.medigapdirect.org/senior-health-blog/bid/16972/Seniors-At-Risk-of-Falling-Down

http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/health/living/injury_prevention/senior_safety/fallprevention_en.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS147066+10-Jun-2009+PRN20090610

Bone up on bone health

2009-09-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

You can prevent osteoporosis by avoiding certain risk factors

Osteoporosis (“porous bones”) is a silent condition in which bones become less dense and more likely to fracture. It’s a major health threat for an estimated 10 million Americans with the disease and 34 million Americans with low bone mass.

Often called a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences, bone density decreases partly because hormone levels (such as estrogen and testosterone) decrease as people age. Estrogen, the main female hormone, helps prevent bone from being broken down and therefore helps to keep it dense and strong. Testosterone, the main male hormone, stimulates bone formation.

Older women are affected by the decrease in hormone levels more dramatically than older men. At menopause, the decrease in bone density speeds up dramatically as estrogen levels nosedive. During the first few years after menopause, bone density may decrease by as much as 5 percent each year. After that, it decreases by up to to 2 percent each year.

Also, on average, women usually have lower bone density than men to begin with. Thus, women are more likely than men to develop osteoporosis.

As men age, testosterone levels decrease slowly. Men produce small amounts of estrogen. Men with low testosterone or low estrogen levels are more likely to develop osteoporosis.

The bones in the wrist, hip and spine are most often affected by osteoporosis. Close to one out of five hip fracture patients ends up in a nursing home and only one out of two regain their independence.

Common risk factors for developing osteoporosis include:

• Having a small frame. Thin people tend to have less dense bones than heavier people. Part of the reason is that body weight puts stress on bone, stimulating it to form more bone. Also, thin women may have less body fat and lower estrogen levels than heavier women.

• Family history of osteoporosis. If you have close relatives with osteoporosis, you’re more likely to develop it. The risk of developing osteoporosis is even higher when a relative has had a fracture as a result of osteoporosis.

• Menopausal or post-menopausal. During and after menopause, declining estrogen slows bone construction and causes less absorption of calcium by the kidneys and intestines. Each year during menopause, about 3 percent of bone is lost from the spine and 1 percent from arms, hips, and other sites. Bone loss slows down to about 1 percent per year 4 years after menopause.

• Certain medications. Long-term use of corticosteriods to treat asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s Disease and other inflammatory conditions can contribute to lower bone mass. Anticonvulsants, thyroid medications, immunosuppressants given after organ transplant, chemotherapy, aromatase inhibitors, diuretics and blood thinners such as heparin can contribute to bone loss.

• Low-calcium diet. Those who do not consume enough calcium or who have vitamin D deficiency throughout their lifetime are more likely to develop osteoporosis. A negative balance of only 50-100 mg of calcium per day over a long period of time is sufficient to produce osteoporosis.

• Lack of exercise. Bone is formed in response to weight-bearing activity. Those who are less physically active throughout life are more likely to develop osteoporosis.

• Smoking. Cigarette smoking increases risk because it interferes with the re-formation of bone.

Bones are not static. They are always being broken down and rebuilt. This process depends on a delicate balance of nutrients. Bone loss is unavoidable but it can be slowed down with calcium intake and exercise. Perhaps even more important than the amount of calcium ingested is the amount excreted as a result of calcium drainers in our diet.

Major calcium drainers include:

• Caffeine: Caffeine is a powerful diuretic, causing the kidneys to increase calcium excretion. The more regular coffee you drink, the more calcium is excreted in your urine. The loss amounts to about five milligrams of calcium for every six ounces of coffee or two cans of cola.

• Soft drinks: Carbonated soft drinks (sometimes nicknamed “osteoporosis in a can”) can promote osteoporosis. The carbonation irritates the stomach by moving calcium — a natural antacid—from the blood into the stomach. The blood, now low on calcium, replenishes its supply from the bones to protect muscular and brain function (both of which heavily depend on calcium). In addition, phosphoric acid in some soft drinks interferes with calcium absorption.

• Excess Protein: Protein promotes urinary calcium excretion. This means that the more protein you eat, the more you will lose calcium via your urine. Protein does not appear to affect people with sufficient intake of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.

• Sodium: Every 500 mg of sodium causes post-menopausal women to lose an extra 10 mg of calcium. Sodium sources include salt, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), MSG (monosodium glutamate) and soy sauce.

• Alcohol: Alcohol interferes with the absorption of both calcium and vitamin D, and increases parathyroid hormone levels, which in turn reduces the body’s calcium reserves.

• Stress and depression: Higher cortisol levels, often found in depressed patients, may contribute to bone loss. Cortisol is a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids destroy osteoblasts (bone-building cells).

Your age determines your daily calcium needs:

9-18 years: 1,300 mg

19-50 years: 1,000 mg

Over 50 years: 1,200 mg

Bone is not solely dependent on calcium, however. The best program consists of a cocktail with many minerals and nutrients — for example, magnesium, vitamin D and boron can work together to maintain a strong skeleton. Vitamin D is freely available from sunlight during the warmer months, but fish, milk and some soy beverages provide the vitamin all year round.

The latest nutritional research points to three other important team players — strontium, vitamin K and collagen. Be sure to include mineral-rich foods in your diet daily, including raw nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens, yogurt, broccoli and seaweed (a source of over 60 minerals).

With age, bone loss is inevitable. It is important to note the impact we may have in influencing the health of our bones and the onset and pace of osteoporosis, namely in our choice of minerals, nutrients, medicine, diet and physical activity.

Be Prepared for an EMERGENCY Room Visit

2009-09-22T00:28:00.000-07:00

You hope an accident or illness won’t send you to the emergency room. But being prepared for such an event can help you get good, timely care when the need arises.

Unfortunately, hospital emergency rooms are severely overcrowded. In America for example in 2006, emergency rooms cared for 120 million patients, according to data from my agency, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). And—because the nation’s health care system still relies on largely paper-based medical records—chances are, if you land in the emergency room, the doctors won’t have information about your medical history.

Emergency staff won’t know what medicines you take or what medical problems you have unless you are able to tell them. Even if you are alert, you’re likely to forget important information about your health, such as medicine allergies or your blood type.

Being prepared for a trip to the emergency room—whether because of an accident or illness—increases your chances of getting safe, high-quality health care. It might even save you money, depending on your health plan’s policy for emergency room visits. Know what your health plan policy is. Some health plans require you to get authorization for emergency care if it isn’t a life-threatening emergency.

That’s why it’s important to have updated, thorough information handy. Keeping your information either on paper or in an electronic form, like on your cellphone, may help you receive better, safer care in a medical emergency.

There are several ways you can prepare this information before you ever need it. Keep essential information typed or written in your wallet. Emergency doctors recommend that people with cellphones add “ICE” entries into their cellphone address books. ICE stands for “In Case of Emergency.” Medical providers can use it to notify your emergency contacts and to obtain needed medical information if you arrive unconscious or unable to answer questions.

Here is a basic list of information that you should have available in case you ever need to go to the emergency room:
• Medical conditions or illnesses you have, such as heart disease or diabetes, and any surgeries or treatments you’ve recently received.

• Medicines you take, including prescription, over-the-counter and herbal medications, along with dosage information. Some drug interactions can be deadly, so it is essential for emergency room staff to know which medicines you take and in what amounts. If you have time, bring your medicines in a bag, or keep in your wallet an updated list of all your medicines and dosages. AHRQ’s model pill card can be created on a computer.

• Allergies or known reactions you have to medicines, foods or latex (a material in many medical supplies, including some types of gloves and adhesive tape).

• Names and contact information of your primary care doctor and any specialists, such as a cardiologist, treating you.
• Contact information of family members or close friends who may know your medical history in case you are not able to communicate it.

• Other important information to have handy includes personal identification—such as a driver’s license, insurance information and an advance directive, if you have one. Advance directives are legal documents that state your wishes about health care, including end-of-life care.

Increasingly, people are creating and maintaining electronic personal health records (PHRs). These can be very useful if they’re portable and easy to access. There are several PHR options available for you to choose from. Some of them allow you to keep a copy or summary of your health history, medicines and allergies in one safe place that you control. Check to see if the PHR you prefer allows you to keep the summary. It can be kept on a secure website, or stored on your computer or another electronic device, or on paper.

Regardless of how you keep your vital medical information, it is important to keep it updated. It is also important that your family members know where this information is in case you are unable to do so in an emergency. And when you leave the emergency room, make sure you understand the instructions given to you by the hospital when they let you go home, called discharge instructions. These can include directions for follow-up visits or changes in medication.
FROM http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/healthyliving/articles/finding_your_way_how_to_make_an_emergency_department_visit_a_safe_one_.html?cmp=NLC-WBLTR-CTRL-91809-F2

Myth Buster: Does Antibacterial Soap Prevent More Illness Than Regular Soap?

2009-09-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

Myth: Antibacterial soap is healthier than regular soap.

Facts: Washing with regular soap and water “is totally as effective” as using antibacterial soap, says Stuart Levy, a Tufts University scientist who is president of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics and author of the The Antibiotic Paradox.

Many of us may use antibacterial hand or dish soap to prevent disease transmission. The catch is that many of the illnesses we are trying to avoid—like colds and flus—are viruses, which antibacterial agents don’t kill. And when we wash with antibacterial soap, the active chemical ingredients—triclosan for most liquids, triclocarban for bars—aren’t in contact with the bacteria we’re trying to avoid (such as E. coli or staphylococcus) in sufficient quantities and for enough time to kill the germs.

Instead, trace residue of these ingredients remains on your skin, the sink or cutting boards in amounts too tiny to kill, but large enough for the bacteria to react to and possibly begin developing a resistance to the soap. “Unless you use a huge amount of the chemicals, the organism is going to survive,” Levy says.

While the soap industry maintains that antibacterial soaps play an important role in curbing disease, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both say that, given the current evidence, antibacterial soap offers no benefit over soap and water. And if soap and water aren’t available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are options. Alcohol destroys bacteria, as do vinegar, lemon juice and bleach—good to remember when disinfecting household items.

Washing thoroughly is the most important factor when trying to stop germs. “You just want to get them off your hands,” Levy says. This article is from the original here

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/healthyliving/articles/myth_buster_does_antibacterial_soap_prevent_more_illness_than_regular_soap_.html?cmp=NLC-WBLTR-CTRL-91809-F5

Treat mini-strokes as an emergency

2009-09-18T01:25:00.000-07:00

Transient ischemic attack needs a new name. Its current nickname, mini-stroke, doesn’t fill the bill, either. Both suggest something small and passing, a fleeting problem you can put off until you have the time to do something about it.

What’s needed is something that conveys urgency and harm, because a transient ischemic attack (TIA) is often followed by a full-blown stroke. Getting evaluated and treated right away—within minutes of having a TIA, if possible — can lower the chances of having a stroke.

At the outset, there’s little difference between a TIA and the most common kind of stroke, an ischemic stroke. They look the same, feel the same, and are caused by the same thing — a blood clot or bit of cholesterol-filled plaque that is blocking blood flow in an artery that nourishes part of the brain.

The big thing that separates a TIA from a stroke is how long it lasts. A TIA is over quickly, often fading away within hours, if not minutes, while a stroke lasts longer than 24 hours. The blockage can cause any of the following:

• Numbness or weakness in your face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.

• Inability to move your fingers, a hand, arm, or leg.

• Sudden confusion.

• Difficulty speaking or understanding what someone is saying.

• Trouble seeing with one or both eyes or hearing with one or both ears.

• Dizziness, trouble walking, or loss of balance or coordination.

• Rapid and severe headache.

In the case of a TIA, the blockage is small enough or fragile enough that the body’s self-repair systems can reopen the artery, which stops the symptoms. Larger or sturdier blockages lead to strokes.

If you are having, or have just had, a transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke), get to the hospital or call your doctor right away.

Preventing the worst

The American Heart Association and National Stroke Association offer these recommendations for preventing stroke after a transient ischemic attack:

• Rapid evaluation, preferably within 12 hours of the onset of symptoms.

• Access to same-day diagnostic imaging.

• Aggressive attention to blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and other conditions.

• Control of risk factors such as smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.

• Use of aspirin, aspirin plus extended-release dipyridamole (Aggrenox), or clopidogrel (Plavix) to prevent the formation of further blood clots.

• Surgery (carotid endarterectomy) or endovascular therapy (angioplasty with or without a stent) to open a narrowed or blocked carotid artery.

Changing habits

Although it will be impossible to prevent all post-TIA strokes, we can do a lot better. But that will take work on three fronts:

• Recognition. Knowing the signs and symptoms of a TIA is the first step toward making it a truly transient problem.

• Response. If you think you or someone you are with is having a TIA or stroke, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. If it’s a stroke, getting to the hospital within 60 minutes makes you eligible to receive a clot-busting drug that can greatly reduce the damage caused by a stroke. If it’s a TIA, prompt evaluation can help prevent a stroke.

• Reorganization. So far, only a few hospitals have set up dedicated stroke centers that are able to rapidly evaluate people having TIAs and strokes. There is a movement under way to create more such centers, but it won’t happen quickly.

In the meantime, if you think you are having a TIA, or just had one, treat it like the emergency it is and get help right away. Read original article at original location here http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/796149.html

Read more articles on mini strokes here
http://stroke.about.com/od/whatisatia/a/TIAs.htm

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/transient_ischemic_attack_mini-stroke/article_em.htm

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-most-common-mini-stroke-symptoms.htm

http://www.healthy-heart-guide.com/symptoms-of-a-mini-stroke.html

Do I have to fast before my blood tests?

2009-09-16T22:57:00.001-07:00

Do I have to fast before my blood tests?

You do not have to fast unless your doctor has ordered a fasting glucose, fasting lipid panel, fasting metobolic panel, fasting cholesterol, HDL or tryglyceride.

Fasting Dos and Don'ts

Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water. Take any medication that your doctor prescribed to you except for corticosteroids, estrogen or androgens, oral contraceptives, some diuretics, anti-psychotic medications including haloperidol, some antibiotics and niacin.

Do not smoke, drink any other liquid than water or exercise during your fast. Even chewing gum is off limits. Any of these elements can adversely affect your test results.

How to Fast Before a Blood Cholesterol Test

It's almost always necessary to fast before a blood cholesterol test. If you're scheduled for a blood cholesterol test, you'll want to make sure you're fasting properly. Both your doctor and the lab where you'll have your blood work drawn are 2 good resources to help you determine how to fast before a blood cholesterol test.

How long should I fast?
If your doctor did not tell you how long to fast, you should not eat or drink anything for approximately 12 hours prior to the test. Fasting means you should not eat or drink any liquids except for water.

Fast for eight hours before a glucose tests. The test is typically conducted in the morning while your body is still in a resting place for a more accurate reading.

You must fast at least 12 hours before taking a cholesterol blood test to get an accurate reading on triglycerides. The American Heart Association warns against quick cholesterol tests you find in malls and health fairs because fasting is imperative to obtaining an accurate result. http://www.ehow.com/way_5332776_long-fast-before-blood-test.html

Instructions

Step 1

Check with your doctor or the lab where you'll be having blood drawn to find out how long you're required to fast. Sometimes this time frame is 6 to 8 hours and sometimes you might have to fast overnight. In some cases, you'll have to fast for up to 12 hours.

Step 2

Schedule your blood cholesterol test as early in the morning as possible if you're required to fast for 12 hours. You can stop eating at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. And then wake up the next morning and go right to the lab to have your blood drawn.

Step 3

Pay attention to what you're eating in the weeks prior to a blood cholesterol test, assuming you have that much advance notice that you'll be getting this test. Avoid red meat, eggs and other high-fat and high-cholesterol foods if you're getting a blood cholesterol test as part of a life insurance exam.

Step 4

Don't alter your diet too much if you're getting a routine blood cholesterol test since your doctor will want an accurate idea of what your cholesterol is based on your usual diet.

Step 5

Drink water even after your fast has begun. Most lab facilities still allow patients to drink water and don't consider what to be part of the fast, no matter how many hours you're required to fast.

Step 6

Check with your doctor or the lab to determine if coffee is allowed. In some cases, you're not required to avoid coffee when you're fasting.

Step 7

Be honest when you go for your blood cholesterol test. If you were required to fast for 12 hours, and you only fasted for 8 hours because you had a snack before bedtime, let the lab know.

Why is it important to fast before a blood test?

That depends on what your doctor is trying to test! There's ways to test your cholesterol without fasting before a blood test - but unfortunately, the results won't be as accurate. Doctors may also order a blood test to check your glucose levels instead, and again there are versions of the test which don't require fasting, while others do.

If your cholesterol has tested high in the past, your doctor will want to monitor your cholesterol levels. This is especially important if you're taking a cholesterol medication - or if your family history places you at higher risk for heart disease. Unfortunately, there's several different kinds of cholesterol - good cholesterol (HDL), bad cholesterol (LDL) and very-low-density-lipoprotein (VLDL). And some cholesterol tests will be affected dramatically by what you've eaten before the test.

The measure of your total cholesterol isn't affected as much by your recent meals, according to Harvard Health Publications - and some versions of this test can even be performed at home! But doctors prefer to get a more detailed picture, which is why they perform tests which screen for all the components of your total cholesterol count. But even these tests don't measure your bad cholesterol directly. It's calculated by subtracting the good cholesterol and triglycerides from your total cholesterol level. Whatever's left is your bad cholesterol level!

And after a meal, your triglyceride level increases 20 to 30 percent, according to Harvard. So the extra triglycerides in your bloodstream would also get subtracted from the total cholesterol score - which would make bad cholesterol levels seem lower than they actually are. (And fasting isn't the only thing that affects the calculation. Psychological stress affects your HDL levels - and so does infection or injury!)

Blood tests are also ordered for diabetic patients, or to screen for diabetes. But in these cases, the doctor isn't testing the blood's cholesterol levels. Instead, a glucose test measures the amount of sugar in the bloodstream, to determine how the body is processing carbohydrates. The National Institute of Health notes that there's two kinds of glucose test, and only one of them requires fasting. A random glucose test can be performed at any time of day - even after a meal. But if the doctor wants to check your blood sugar levels after fasting, then you'll have to avoid eating before the test!

How to Fast Before a Blood Test

How to Fast for a Cholesterol Screening

How Is Cholesterol Measured?

How to Read Triglycerides Test Strips

How to Fast Before a Triglycerides Blood Test

Headache triggers, what makes your headache?

2009-09-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

It is common knowledge that headaches are mostly caused by stress, anxiety, glare, and noise. Less common triggers include sleep patterns, medications, hormones, and emotions. But did you know that diet is a factor, too? Many of the things we eat and drink are headache stimulants and we don’t even know it.

Coffee is known to alleviate headaches. But a recent study reported that people with excessive coffee consumption (or more than four cups a day) experienced non-migraine headaches 18-percent more times than those who consumed less.

Other caffeinated beverages like tea, hot chocolate, and carbonated drinks are headache triggers, too.

Alcoholic drinks contain tyramine and phenylethylamine, ingredients that prompt migraine attacks, especially in those who are prone to it. Alcohol is also associated with cluster headaches and that very familiar hangover, usually accompanied by a headache as well.

Cheese is a common headache culprit because of its tyramine content, a naturally-occurring compound in plants and animals. It is one of the most widely-recognized causes of headaches, known as “cheese syndrome” because this compound is found, in extremely high levels, in cheeses (particularly blue cheese, brie, cheddar, stilton, feta, gorgonzola, mozzarella, Muenster, parmesan, and Swiss).

Other foods with high tyramine levels can cause headaches, too. These include some kinds of beans (garbanzos, Lima, pinto), onions, olives, pickles, avocado, raisins, canned soups, and nuts.

Processed meats like hotdogs, hams, sausages, bacon, luncheon meats, pepperoni, and other meats that underwent curing contain tyramine, too. That and their sodium nitrite content make for a lethal chemical combination that triggers headaches and migraines.

It’s easy to deduce, then, that eating pizza with all those processed meats, cheeses, onions, and olives can give you a painfully mean throbbing in your head.

Foods high in monosodium glutamate are suggested to cause headaches. MSG is an additive and flavor enhancer most commonly found in Oriental dishes and seasonings (soy sauce) and many other packaged foods.

Citrus is a surprising headache trigger. Actually, it only is for people with enzyme deficiency. Fruits like oranges and lemons have amines that need to be neutralized and enzymes are required in doing so. People who lack them may experience headaches or migraines when consuming large amounts of citrus.

Cold foods, like ice cream, can also stimulate headaches among people who are overheated, due to exercise or warm weather. This is a simple brain freeze for some that can last for less than two minutes. But in others, it can be a full-blown headache, especially among those with migraine.

Read the complete original article here

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideLifestyle.htm?f=2009/september/15/lifestyle3.isx&d=2009/september/15

8 Common First Aid Mistakes And Myths That Make Things Worse

2009-09-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

—What Would You Do? Your Misconceptions Could Cause Further Injury!

Emergencies do not come with warning bells. They strike at unexpected moments and your response or lack thereof could be the determinant in how things come out in the end.

How much do you think you know about first aid and proper emergency response? Most people think they know quite a lot, but most of what they have learned consists of myths that could actually do more harm than good.

Put yourself to the test and seriously ask yourself: what would you do in these situations?

1. A child pulls a pot of boiling water off the stove or sticks their hand on a hot burner

Do you put butter or mayonnaise on the burn? Hurriedly remove the child’s clothing because it is stuck to the burn? Get out the ice?

Those are the common reactions in the case of a burn, but all of them are myths.

Butter, mayo or other types of grease may cause even more damage to tender skin and pulling clothing or other materials stuck to the burn could damage the tissue or pull the skin off completely.

The correct action is to rinse gently with cool water and coat the burn with antibiotic ointment. If the burn is on a sensitive area of the body such as the face or if there are a lot of blisters, then go to the ER and do not pop the blisters.

You also want to seek medical assistance if a burn completely circles a limb or is larger than your hand.

2. Someone is having a seizure

Do you move them? Do you hold them still? Do you force open their mouth with your finger or another object, or put something between their teeth? Do you simply watch them carefully and time the seizure?

Again, most of these answers are common first aid mistakes that could lead to injury of the person seizing.

Prying the mouth open or moving them could lead to injuries, such as muscle tears. The only reason they should be moved is if they are in an unsafe place and will likely fall off something and hurt themselves.

Try to put them on their side and call 911. You may want to unbutton the top of their shirt or their belt to help them breathe and try to time the seizure activity. If the person is a known epileptic, emergency services only need to be called if it lasts for longer than five minutes.

Never hold someone having a seizure unless you are preventing them from injury!

3. You step in a hole in the yard and sprain your ankle

Is it ice or heat you use? Do you prop it up? Rush to the ER?

This is a very common injury that many people blow off without seeking medical attention.

In most cases that is okay, but you do need to know how to treat it and when to seek help.

The biggest problem is remembering when to use ice and when to apply heat.

For an ankle sprain you want to apply ice. Heat will actually increase the swelling and could slow down the healing process. If it is painful to put any weight down on the foot then it may be a fracture and you should see a doctor.

4. You are taking a walk through the woods and someone is bitten by a snake

Do you rip off your shirt and wrap the wound? Suck out the poison and spit it on the ground? Get out your pocket knife and carefully cut the wound open so the poison can drain?

You guessed it! These are all myths that can actually be quite dangerous and lead to more injury than is actually necessary. If you cut the wound even slightly you may slice tendons or nerves that cause more damage. Tourniquets often lead to the blood circulation being cut off and could lead to the loss of a limb.

The safest response is to immediately splint the wound or wrap it in something clean and get to the ER right away.

5. Your nose suddenly starts bleeding

Should you lean forward and pinch your nose? Or tip your head all the way back so the blood cannot run out?

More importantly, how do you know when it is serious enough to seek medical intervention?

Nose bleeds are not always emergency situations, but they are the source of a major first aid myth. If you answered that you would lean forward and pinch the nose closed, you were actually correct.

The myth is to tip your head all the way back so the blood cannot flow out, but this could be dangerous with a heavy nose bleed that doesn’t stop quickly.

For a nose bleed, lean forward and pinch just underneath the bone. If the bleeding does not stop within five minutes seek medical attention.

6. Your three-year-old gets a hold of the Flintstones vitamins and eats the whole bottle

Do you assume children’s vitamins are safe and they will just be really healthy for a few weeks?

Do you grab the ipecac from the bathroom and force vomiting? Do you simply run to the ER?

In the case of vitamins, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Children die every year from an overdose of iron and children’s vitamins are a main source of iron. For poisons in general, you want to keep the product that was swallowed and call poison control immediately. Depending on what was swallowed different actions will need to be taken, so you must remain calm enough to speak clearly and hear what you are instructed to do for the child.

It is now advised that all ipecac be thrown out completely. It is no longer considered a safe medical intervention, as some poisons can actually be made worse by vomiting. Also, a patient vomiting can seriously interfere with treatment once they are at the hospital.

7. Someone starts to choke across the dinner table

Do you jump behind them and do the Heimlich maneuver? Hand them their glass and encourage them to drink? Pat them lightly on the back?

Your response to someone choking will depend on whether they are able to talk a little bit or if they cannot make any sound. If they are coughing violently and can speak a little, then it is a partial blockage. If they can only nod their head and/or are turning blue, then it is a full blockage that does require you to jump up and start thrusting upward around their stomach.

The Heimlich maneuver will force air up through the body and help dislodge whatever is choking the person, but only in the case of a full blockage.

If some air is getting through, then encourage them to continue coughing and stay close by, but you do not need to take action unless they start to have breathing trouble or turn blue. Do not give them anything to drink, as the fluid will take up what little space is left for air to pass through. In most cases a partial blockage can be coughed out, but if it becomes a full blockage then once again the Heimlich maneuver will be necessary.

Do not perform the Heimlich on a child less than a year old.

8. Your child suddenly has an extremely high fever

Do you give them Tylenol and wrap them in a warm blanket to sweat it out? Rub them down with rubbing alcohol? Put them in a tub full of cold water?

While there are traces of good advice in two of these options, none of them are the best route to take with a fever.

The biggest myth is that rubbing a child’s chest or forehead with rubbing alcohol will break a fever.

The child will actually breathe in the alcohol, and their young systems are extremely sensitive to this substance. It is not healthy for them.

While there may be some truth to the old wife’s tale of sweating out a fever, it is not a good thing to try with a child. Sudden high fevers can lead to febrile seizures, so putting them in a cool bath (not cold!) and giving them something like children’s Tylenol to break the fever (if they are old enough for medication) is a better course of action. If you cannot get the fever down or if it goes above 104 Fahrenheit, you should seek medical attention.

How many of these myths did you think were just standard first aid procedure? How many missteps might you have made if these things occurred in your home? Any of these things could happen and cause minor injuries that do not rise to the occasion of a true emergency, but you never know when something seriously tragic may happen.

The ability to think on your feet and take the safest and most effective course of action is essential, especially in situations where you may be the only person around to help someone in need.

This is from

http://www.healthwatchcenter.com/2009/03/8-common-first-aid-mistakes-and-myths-that-make-things-worse/

Hand sanitizer on the menu as Madrid restaurant fights swine flu

2009-09-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

Hand washing is extremely important to prevent the spread of germs. Read the links at the end of the post to see how to do a good handwashing to stop the spread of germs like swine flu and colds.

MADRID — A Spanish restaurateur, fearing a drop in business due to swine flu, is seeking to pull in customers by offering a sanitized — and hopefully virus-free — environment.

Miguel Angel de la Cruz, manager of the Mesa y Placer (Table and Pleasure) eatery in Madrid, said he was forced to act ahead of a feared second wave of swine flu this autumn, which is "more dangerous to business than the economic crisis."

"We are facing a very difficult autumn. We have, therefore, had to try and anticipate the impact of the H1N1 flu which has completely paralyzed the sector in Mexico," said Mr. de la Cruz.

So, instead of a free aperitif, his customers receive disinfectant hand gel and a sanitized napkin before reading menus that are covered in plastic to reduce the risk of contamination.

The meals are prepared by chefs wearing surgical face masks, and all staff must have their body temperatures checked before starting work to ensure they do not have the flu.

Mr. de la Cruz said another Madrid restaurant in the same group, Plato y Placer, in a more touristy district of the city, has introduced the same measures. Read the complete original article herehttp://www.bworldonline.com/Weekender091109/main.php?id=health5

Hand washing: An easy way to prevent infection

Hand washing is a simple habit that can help keep you healthy. Learn the benefits of good hand hygiene, when to wash your hands and how to clean them properly. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407

WASH YOUR HANDS!

This is the most important thing that you can do to prevent colds and flu.

Wash your hands under running water.
USE SOAP!!!
Clean above your wrists, between your fingers and under your finger nails.
Use a towel to turn off the water AND to open the door, if you are in a sick person's room.

Mosquitoes like some people better than others

2009-09-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

Research shows that genetics accounts for 85 percent of a person’s susceptibility to being bitten by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes like some people better than others

It’s a late summer afternoon and you’re out on the patio having a glass of wine with friends. As the sun begins to set, you start to think about what’s for dinner.
Surprise! It’s you.

That’s right. You’ve suddenly become irresistible to a female mosquito who wants to join the party by sipping your blood. Why are you — rather than your pals — so much more pleasing to her palate?
“There’s no definitive answer. We really don’t know,” said Joe Conlon, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based technical adviser to the American Mosquito Control Association. “There’s a tremendous amount of research going on as to why some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others. But we’ve only begun to scratch the surface.”

While researchers can’t pinpoint why mosquitoes choose one human entree over another, they do know these blood sucking insects are influenced by what they see and smell.
Unfortunately, mosquitoes can target you from more than 100 feet away. And if they find you yummy, your kids will probably be tasty treats as well.

“A lot of it is heredity,” said Dr. Ken Haller, associate professor of pediatrics at St. Louis University. “When parents bring their kids in, I ask the parents if they get bitten by mosquitoes.”
He said research shows that genetics account for 85 percent of a person’s susceptibility to being bitten.

Among other things researchers know is that mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide that humans exhale. The more carbon dioxide you put out, the more they like you. That might explain part of the reason why adults tend to get bitten more often than children, Conlon said.
They’ve also found that mosquitoes enjoy lactic acid and cholesterol on the skin.

“Mosquitoes are also attracted to disgusting smells,” said Conlon. “They like Limburger cheese, dirty socks and smelly feet, but try telling a teenager that.”
In addition to smell, movement is a mosquito magnet.
“Fidgety people get bitten more,” Conlon said.

If all things are equal, the active person will probably get bitten first, agreed Haller. For example, if there are twins and one is playing volleyball and the other is resting in a hammock, the volleyball player will most likely be bitten.

So if you’re doing anything athletic and breathing heavily, you’re especially attractive to mosquitoes because of the amount of carbon dioxide and lactic acid you’re emitting. Mosquitoes also like the chemicals in perspiration and the increased humidity it creates around your body. And of course there’s the movement.

If you do get stung, Haller said, he’s found a unique treatment for those itchy swellings: antiperspirants, particularly roll-on and pushup gels rather than sticks. Plain deodorants won’t work.
“The aluminum salts in the antiperspirant help the body to reabsorb the fluid in the bug bite,” he said. “The swelling goes down and the itching goes away.” Read the complete original article here
http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/788233.html

more about mosquitos

Mosquitoes have mouthparts which are adapted for piercing the skin of plants and animals. They typically feed on nectar and plant juices. In some species, the female needs to obtain nutrients from a "blood meal" before she can produce eggs.

There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes found throughout the world. In some species of mosquito, the females feed on humans, and are therefore vectors for a number of infectious diseases affecting millions of people per year

Mosquitoes are crepuscular (dawn or dusk) feeders. During the heat of the day most mosquitoes rest in a cool place and wait for the evenings. They may still bite if disturbed. Mosquitoes are adept at infiltration and have been known to find their way into residences via deactivated air conditioning units.

Prior to and during blood feeding, they inject saliva into the bodies of their source(s) of blood. This saliva serves as an anticoagulant: without it, the female mosquito's proboscis would quickly become clogged with blood clots. Female mosquitoes hunt their blood host by detecting carbon dioxide (CO₂) and 1-octen-3-ol from a distance.

Mosquitoes are a vector agent that carries disease-causing viruses and parasites from person to person without catching the disease themselves.

Anopheles albimanus mosquito feeding on a human arm. This mosquito is a vector of malaria and mosquito control is a very effective way of reducing the incidence of malaria.

The principal mosquito borne diseases are the viral diseases yellow fever and dengue fever, transmitted mostly by the Aedes aegypti, and malaria carried by the genus Anopheles. Though originally a public health concern, HIV is now thought to be almost impossible for mosquitoes to transmit

Mosquitoes are estimated to transmit disease to more than 700 million people annually in Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico and much of Asia with millions of resulting deaths. At least 2 million people annually die of these diseases.

Methods used to prevent the spread of disease, or to protect individuals in areas where disease is endemic include Vector control aimed at mosquito eradication, disease prevention, using prophylactic drugs and developing vaccines and prevention of mosquito bites, with insecticides, nets and repellents. Since most such diseases are carried by "elderly" females, scientists have suggested focusing on these to avoid the evolution of resistance.

read the complete original article on mosquitos here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito

Gallstones: What Are They and How Are They Treated?

2009-09-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

What are gallstones?
The gallbladder is an internal organ just under your liver. It looks like a small "bag." It stores digestive juices that are made by the liver. Sometimes these juices become solid and form stones, called gallstones.

What problems can gallstones cause?
About 60% of people with gallstones never get sick from them. They might never know they have gallstones. However, a gallstone can leave your gallbladder and go into the passageway from your gallbladder to your intestine. It can get stuck in that passageway. If the stone completely blocks the passageway, you will have severe pain in the right upper part of your belly. You may also feel pain in your upper back. The pain usually starts suddenly and lasts for as long as 3 hours. This is known as an "attack."

Complete or partial blockage can also cause your gallbladder to get irritated and inflamed. If this happens, you will usually have pain for more than 3 hours. You may also get a fever. Your skin may turn a yellowish color, known as jaundice (say "john-diss").

Who gets gallstones?
You're more likely to get gallstones if:

You are a woman
You have diabetes
Your mother had gallstones
You are pregnant or taking birth control pills
You have high blood triglycerides (a type of fat)
You are overweight

How are gallstones usually treated?
If you have gallstones but no pain, chances are good the stones won't be a problem for you. Your doctor might suggest you leave them alone.

Once you have one attack of pain, the chance of having another one is high--about 70%. Many doctors will suggest you have your gallbladder removed in surgery to prevent a future attack. You and your doctor should talk about your situation and decide what is right for you. If your gallbladder is irritated or inflamed, most doctors will want to take it out right away. The surgery is safe and effective. Without surgery, the gallbladder can get infected. It might even burst open, causing further problems.

Are there other treatments?
Yes, there are other treatments. They are usually for people who would have a high risk in surgery because they are elderly, or have heart problems or lung disease. Your doctor might be able to use sound wave therapy to break up the stones so they can move into the intestine without problem. However, only 1 of 5 people can have this treatment. People who have this treatment often form new gallstones after a few years.

Or you might take a pill called Actigall to dissolve the stones. This pill only works in a few people, and it can be very expensive. Surgery is still the best way to cure gallstones for many people. Talk with your doctor about what is right for you.

Other references just click the links below

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/digestive/disorders/555.html

http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/gallstones/GS_treatment.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/50204/gallstones_how_they_form_where_they.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/gallstones1.shtml

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000315/1687ph.html

7 Pains You Shouldn't Ignore

2009-09-08T00:20:00.000-07:00

Experts describe the types of pain that require prompt medical attention.

Whoever coined the term "necessary evil" might have been thinking of pain. No one wants it, yet it's the body's way of getting your attention when something is wrong. You're probably sufficiently in tune with your body to know when the pain is just a bother, perhaps the result of moving furniture a day or two before or eating that third enchilada. It's when pain might signal something more serious that the internal dialogue begins:

"OK, this isn't something to fool around with."
"But I can't miss my meeting."
"And how many meetings will you miss if you land in the hospital?"
"I'll give it one more day."
Etc.

You need a guide. WebMD consulted doctors in cardiology, internal medicine, geriatrics, and psychiatry so you'll understand which pains you must not ignore -- and why. And, of course, if in doubt, get medical attention.

No. 1: Worst Headache of Your Life

Get medical attention immediately. "If you have a cold, it could be a sinus headache," says Sandra Fryhofer, MD, MACP, spokeswoman for the American College of Physicians. "But you could have a brain hemorrhage or brain tumor. With any pain, unless you're sure of what caused it, get it checked out."

Sharon Brangman, MD, FACP, spokeswoman for the American Geriatrics Society, tells WebMD that when someone says they have the worst headache of their life, "what we learned in medical training was that was a classic sign of a brain aneurysm. Go immediately to the ER."

No. 2: Pain or Discomfort in the Chest, Throat, Jaw, Shoulder, Arm, or Abdomen

Chest pain could be pneumoniaor a heart attack. But be aware that heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. "Don't wait for pain," says cardiologist Jerome Cohen, MD. "Heart patients talk about pressure. They'll clench their fist and put it over their chest or say it's like an elephant sitting on their chest."

The discomfort associated with heart disease could also be in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left shoulder or arm, or abdomen and might be accompanied by nausea. "I'm not too much worried about the 18-year-old, but if a person has unexplained, persistent discomfort and knows they're high risk, they shouldn't wait," says Cohen. "Too often people delay because they misinterpret it as [heartburn] or GI distress. Call 911 or get to an emergency room or physician's office. If it turns out to be something else, that's great."

He tells WebMD that intermittent discomfort should be taken seriously as well. "There might be a pattern, such as discomfort related to excitement, emotional upset, or exertion. For example, if you experience it when you're gardening, but it goes away when you sit down, that's angina. It's usually worse in cold or hot weather."

"A woman's discomfort signs can be more subtle," says Cohen, who is director of preventive cardiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "Heart disease can masquerade as GI symptoms, such as bloating, GI distress, or discomfort in the abdomen. It's also associated with feeling tired. Risk for heart disease increases dramatically after menopause. It kills more women than men even though men are at higher risk at any age. Women and their physicians need to be on their toes."

No. 3: Pain in Lower Back or Between Shoulder Blades

"Most often it's arthritis," says Brangman, who is professor and chief of geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. Other possibilities include a heart attack or abdominal problems. "One danger is aortic dissection, which can appear as either a nagging or sudden pain. People who are at risk have conditions that can change the integrity of the vessel wall. These would include high blood pressure, a history of circulation problems, smoking, and diabetes."

No. 4: Severe Abdominal Pain

Still have your appendix? Don't flirt with the possibility of a rupture. Gallbladder and pancreas problems, stomach ulcers, and intestinal blockages are some other possible causes of abdominal pain that need attention.

No 5: Calf Pain

One of the lesser known dangers is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that can occur in the leg's deep veins. It affects 2 million Americans a year, and it can be life-threatening. "The danger is that a piece of the clot could break loose and cause pulmonary embolism [a clot in the lungs], which could be fatal," says Fryhofer. Cancer, obesity, immobility due to prolonged bed rest or long-distance travel, pregnancy, and advanced age are among the risk factors.

"Sometimes there's just swelling without pain," says Brangman. "If you have swelling and pain in your calf muscles, see a doctor immediately."

No. 6: Burning Feet or Legs

Nearly one-third of the 20 million Americans who have diabetes are undiagnosed, according to the American Diabetes Association. "In some people who don't know they have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy could be one of the first signs," says Brangman. "It's a burning or pins-and-needles sensation in the feet or legs that can indicate nerve damage."

No 7: Vague, Combined, or Medically Unexplained Pains

"Various painful, physical symptoms are common in depression," says psychiatrist Thomas Wise, MD. "Patients will have vague complaints of headaches, abdominal pain, or limb pain, sometimes in combination."

Because the pain might be chronic and not terribly debilitating, depressed people, their families, and health care professionals might dismiss the symptoms. "Furthermore, the more depressed you are, the more difficulty you have describing your feelings," says Wise, who is the psychiatry department chairman at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, Va. "All of this can lead the clinician astray."

Other symptoms must be present before a diagnosis of depression can be made. "Get help when you've lost interest in activities, you're unable to work or think effectively, and you can't get along with people," he says. "And don't suffer silently when you're hurting."

He adds there's more to depression than deterioration of the quality of life. "It has to be treated aggressively before it causes structural changes in the brain."

To read the full complete original posting and links , click this link or title heading above

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/common_aches/index.php

Only 1 in 4 know heart attack signs

2009-09-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Only about 1 in 4 Americans know the warning signs of a heart attack and what to do first, according to a new government report. That's a decline in knowledge since the last survey in 2001, which showed nearly 1 in 3 to be well informed.

The study's lead author, Dr. Jing Fang, called public awareness in the new survey "alarmingly low." Fang is with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which surveyed residents of 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Heart attack warning signs can include one or more of the following five symptoms: shortness of breath; pain or discomfort in the chest; discomfort in the arms or shoulder; a feeling of weakness or lightheadedness; and discomfort in the jaw, neck or back.

Chest pain is the most common symptom. Women are more likely than men to experience some of the other symptoms, particularly shortness of breath and back or jaw pain, according to the American Heart Association.

from the website http://www.ptca.org/news/2008/0222_HEART_ATTACK_SIGNS.html

Symptom	Description
Chest discomfort or pain	This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go.
Upper body pain	Pain or discomfort may spread beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain with no chest discomfort.
Stomach pain	Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn.
Shortness of breath	You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort.
Anxiety	You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you're having a panic attack for no apparent reason.
Lightheadedness	You may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.
Sweating	You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.
Nausea and vomiting	You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.

Heart attack symptoms vary widely. For instance, you may have only

minor chest pain while someone else has excruciating pain.

One thing applies to everyone, though: If you suspect you're having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Don't waste time trying to diagnose heart attack symptoms yourself.

Additional heart attack symptoms in women

Women may have all, none, many or a few of the typical heart attack symptoms. For women, the most common heart attack symptom is still some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But women are more likely than are men to also have heart attack symptoms without chest pain, such as:

Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
Shortness of breath
Nausea or vomiting
Abdominal pain or "heartburn"
Sweating
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Unusual or unexplained fatigue

Heart attack symptoms demand emergency help

Most heart attacks begin with much more subtle symptoms — with only mild pain or discomfort. And your symptoms may come and go. Don't be tempted to downplay your symptoms or brush them off as indigestion or anxiety.

Getting heart attack treatment quickly improves your chance of survival and minimizes damage to your heart.

taken from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-attack-symptoms/HB00054

You Name It, and Exercise Helps It

2009-09-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

Randi considers the Y.M.C.A. her lifeline, especially the pool. Randi weighs more than 300 pounds and has borderline diabetes, but she controls her blood sugar and keeps her bright outlook on life by swimming every day for about 45 minutes.

Randi overcame any self-consciousness about her weight for the sake of her health, and those who swim with her and share the open locker room are proud of her. If only the millions of others beset with chronic health problems recognized the inestimable value to their physical and emotional well-being of regular physical exercise.

“The single thing that comes close to a magic bullet, in terms of its strong and universal benefits, is exercise,” Frank Hu, epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in the Harvard Magazine.

I have written often about the protective roles of exercise. It can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia, osteoporosis, gallstones, diverticulitis, falls, erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease and 12 kinds of cancer.

But what if you already have one of these conditions? Or an ailment like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, congestive heart failure or osteoarthritis? How can you exercise if you’re always tired or in pain or have trouble breathing? Can exercise really help?

You bet it can. Marilyn Moffat, a professor of physical therapy at New York University and co-author with Carole B. Lewis of “Age-Defying Fitness” (Peachtree, 2006), conducts workshops for physical therapists around the country and abroad, demonstrating how people with chronic health problems can improve their health and quality of life by learning how to exercise safely.

Up and Moving

“The data show that regular moderate exercise increases your ability to battle the effects of disease,” Dr. Moffat said in an interview. “It has a positive effect on both physical and mental well-being. The goal is to do as much physical activity as your body lets you do, and rest when you need to rest.”

In years past, doctors were afraid to let heart patients exercise. When my father had a heart attack in 1968, he was kept sedentary for six weeks. Now, heart attack patients are in bed barely half a day before they are up and moving, Dr. Moffat said.

The core of cardiac rehab is a progressive exercise program to increase the ability of the heart to pump oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood more effectively throughout the body. The outcome is better endurance, greater ability to enjoy life and decreased mortality.

The same goes for patients with congestive heart failure. “Heart failure patients as old as 91 can increase their oxygen consumption significantly,” Dr. Moffat said.

Aerobic exercise lowers blood pressure in people with hypertension, and it improves peripheral circulation in people who develop cramping leg pains when they walk — a condition called intermittent claudication. The treatment for it, in fact, is to walk a little farther each day.

In people who have had transient ischemic attacks, or ministrokes, “gradually increasing exercise improves blood flow to the brain and may diminish the risk of a full-blown stroke,” Dr. Moffat said. And aerobic and strength exercises have been shown to improve endurance, walking speed and the ability to perform tasks of daily living up to six years after a stroke.

As Randi knows, moderate exercise cuts the risk of developing diabetes. And for those with diabetes, exercise improves glucose tolerance — less medication is needed to control blood sugar — and reduces the risk of life-threatening complications.

Perhaps the most immediate benefits are reaped by people with joint and neuromuscular disorders. Without exercise, those at risk of osteoarthritis become crippled by stiff, deteriorated joints. But exercise that increases strength and aerobic capacity can reduce pain, depression and anxiety and improve function, balance and quality of life.

Likewise for people with rheumatoid arthritis. “The less they do, the worse things get,” Dr. Moffat said. “The more their joints move, the better.”

Exercise that builds gradually and protects inflamed joints can diminish pain, fatigue, morning stiffness, depression and anxiety, she said, and improve strength, walking speed and activity.

Exercise is crucial to improving function of total hip or knee replacements. But “most patients with knee replacements don’t get intensive enough activity,” Dr. Moffat said.

Water exercises are particularly helpful for people with multiple sclerosis, who must avoid overheating. And for those with Parkinson’s, resistance training and aerobic exercise can increase their ability to function independently and improve their balance, stride length, walking speed and mood.

Resistance training, along with aerobic exercise, is especially helpful for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; it helps counter the loss of muscle mass and strength from lack of oxygen.

In the February/March issue of ACE Certified News, Natalie Digate Muth, a registered dietitian and personal trainer, emphasized the value of a good workout for people suffering from depression. Mastering a new skill increases their sense of worth, social contact improves mood, and the endorphins released during exercise improve well-being.

“Exercise is an important adjunct to pharmacological therapy, and it does not matter how severe the depression — exercise works equally well for people with moderate or severe depression,” wrote Ms. Muth, who is pursuing a medical degree at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Feel-Good Hormones

Healthy people may have difficulty appreciating the burdens faced by those with chronic ailments, Dr. Nancey Trevanian Tsai noted in the same issue of ACE Certified News. “Oftentimes, disease-ridden statements — like ‘I’m a diabetic’ — become barricades that keep clients from seeing themselves getting better,” she said, and many feel “enslaved by their diseases and treatments.”

But the feel-good hormones released through exercise can help sustain activity.

“With regular exercise, the body seeks to continue staying active,” wrote Dr. Tsai, an assistant professor of neurosciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She recommended an exercise program tailored to the person’s current abilities, daily needs, medication schedule, side effects and response to treatment.

She urged trainers who work with people with chronic ailments to start slowly with easily achievable goals, build gradually on each accomplishment and focus on functional gains. Over time, a sense of accomplishment, better sleep, less pain and enhanced satisfaction with life can become further reasons to pursue physical activity.

“Even if exercise is tough to schedule,” Dr. Moffat said, “you feel so much better, it’s crazy not to do it.” See the original article at the NY Times here

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/health/29brod.html?ex=1367121600&en=42814f2b13f09c84&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg

Immunizations, recommended shots save lives and suffering

2009-09-04T01:21:00.000-07:00

Immunizations during adulthood are recommended for more than a dozen diseases (see details below).

For example, more than one million adults get shingles every year, even though a vaccine now exists that eases the disease and even prevents it. It's approved for use by adults 60 and older. Yet only 1.9 percent of adults who qualify have received the vaccine, the CDC says.

The results are from the CDC's National Immunization Survey, presented at a press conference in Washington.

Many people don't know they're not at risk. But Dr. Michael Oxman of the University of California, San Diego, told reporters that "everyone who's had chicken pox — and basically that's everyone in this room — is at risk of shingles."

That's because the chicken pox virus can lay dormant and then reactivate decades later, causing shingles. Shingles usually appears as a blistering rash on one side of the face or torso.

Nearly everyone who gets shingles has pain. "And many people describe the shingles pain as the worst pain they've ever endured," Oxman says.

I highly recommend the singles vaccine as if u get it it will be so painful and I didnt know about the shot and got a bad case Neil

Other survey findings include:

—Only 10 percent of women age 18 to 26 have received the vaccine for human papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer.

—Vaccination rates for flu and pneumonia are well below the 90 percent national target set for the elderly.

—Only 2.1 percent of adults 18 to 64 years old are immunized against tetanus-diphtheria-whooping cough.

"By skipping vaccination, people are leaving themselves needlessly vulnerable to significant illness, long-term suffering and even death," Schuchat says.

Flu and related cases of pneumonia kill 36,000 people annually. Wider flu immunization could prevent many of these deaths.

In addition, some 5,000 annual deaths due to pneumonia alone can be prevented with the pneumonia vaccine, says Dr. Robert Hopkins of the University of Arkansas for Medical Science in Little Rock.

Whooping cough is also on the rise in children and adults. Coughing can last for weeks or even months. The rise in the number of whooping cough cases puts vulnerable infants at risk of severe disease and even death.

--------------------------------------------------
full review of adult shots

Flu (influenza)

Pneumonia

Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis

Meningitis

Chickenpox

Measles, mumps and rubella

Human papillomavirus

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Herpes Zoster (shingles)

Herpes Zoster (shingles)

Who should have the shingles vaccine?
Consider the shingles vaccine if you are over the age of 60.

When and how often?
One dose, once in your life.

Who shouldn't have it?
Don't get this vaccine if you are moderately sick or you've ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin or any other component of the shingles vaccine. Avoid it if you have a weakened immune system from HIV/AIDS, are receiving medical treatments such as steroids, radiation and chemotherapy, have a history of bone or lymphatic cancer, or you have active, untreated tuberculosis.

Flu (influenza)

Who should have the flu vaccine?
Get the flu vaccine if you:

Are 50 or older

Have a chronic illness, such as diabetes, heart disease or asthma

Have a weakened immune system

Work in a health care setting

Live in a long term care facility

Are pregnant (inactivated vaccine only)

Want to reduce your chances of missing work because of flu

When and how often?
Once a year, ideally in October or November.

Who shouldn't have it?
Talk with your doctor about whether it's safe if you:

Are allergic to chicken eggs

Have had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of flu vaccine

Have a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome after previous flu vaccination

Pneumonia

Who should have the pneumonia (pneumococcal) vaccine?
Get the pneumonia vaccine if you:

Are 65 or older

Have a chronic illness such as lung or cardiovascular disease, or diabetes

Have a weakened immune system

Have had your spleen removed

When and how often?
Get one dose of the vaccine at any time. You may need a second dose if you:

Are age 65 or older and received your first dose before age 65

Have a weakened immune system, an organ or bone marrow transplant, kidney disease or have had your spleen removed

Who shouldn't have it?
Consult with your doctor if you have a moderate or severe acute illness.

Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis

Who should have the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a combined tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine for:

Adults 19 to 64 years who received their last tetanus vaccine more than 10 years ago

Adults, including parents, child care providers and health care workers, who have close contact with infants

Women who have just given birth and who received their last tetanus vaccine less than 10 years ago

Any woman who might become pregnant

Adults who have a "dirty" wound — a wound likely to become infected — and whose last Tdap booster was five or more years ago

When and how often?
Adults 19 to 64 who are due for a tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster shot should receive Tdap instead if they have not previously received Tdap. Other recommendations include:

A series of three vaccinations, beginning with a single dose of Tdap, followed at four weeks by a single dose of Td and another dose of Td six to 12 months later for adults who never finished the Td series or don't know if they ever received the Td vaccine.

Tdap instead of Td for adults needing a tetanus shot for wound management if they have not received Tdap before.

A single dose of Tdap at least two weeks before having close contact with an infant. Pregnant women shouldn't receive Tdap until after giving birth, although Td may be given in the second or third trimester.

Who shouldn't have it?
Don't get this shot if you:

Are pregnant

Have experienced coma or seizures within seven days of receiving a pertussis vaccine

Have had Guillain-Barre syndrome

Are currently ill

Meningitis

Who should have the meningitis (meningococcal) vaccine?
Get the meningitis vaccine if you:

Are a college freshman living in a dormitory

Travel to areas of the world with a high incidence of meningitis

Have had your spleen removed

When and how often?
One dose, which you can get anytime. It's not known whether a booster shot is needed.

Who shouldn't have it?
Most healthy adults do not require this vaccine on a routine basis, but it may be recommended if you are at high risk or an outbreak occurs in your community.

Chickenpox

Who should have the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine?
Get the varicella vaccine if you:

Have never had chickenpox, especially if you live with someone who has a weakened immune system

Aren't sure whether you've had chickenpox

Are considering becoming pregnant and don't know if you're immune to chickenpox

When and how often?
Two doses, four to eight weeks apart.

Who shouldn't have it?
Don't get it if you are pregnant, might become pregnant within four weeks of the vaccine or have a weakened immune system.

Measles, mumps and rubella

Who should have the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine?
If you were born during or after 1957 and never had an MMR vaccination, you need to get one dose now. The following people need two doses:

Those recently exposed to measles or in an outbreak setting

Health care workers

People vaccinated with killed measles vaccine or an unknown type of vaccine from 1963 to 1967

Travelers

College students and health care workers

People who have had a rubella blood test that shows no immunity

When and how often?
One or two doses at any age, for life.

Who shouldn't get it?
Adults born before 1957 are considered immune to measles. Do not get an MMR vaccination if you have a weakened immune system or you are pregnant or may become pregnant within four weeks of the vaccine.

Human papillomavirus

Who should have the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine?
The HPV vaccine is routinely recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls. However, it's also recommended for girls and women between the ages of 13 and 26 who didn't receive the vaccine earlier.

When and how often?
A series of three doses — the second at two months after your first dose and the last at six months after your first dose.

Who shouldn't have it?
Don't get this vaccine if you have ever had a life-threatening reaction to yeast or to the HPV vaccine, or you're pregnant or moderately to severely sick.

Hepatitis A

Who should have the hepatitis A vaccine?
Get the vaccine if you:

Have a clotting factor disorder

Have chronic liver disease

Are a man who has sex with other men

Inject illegal drugs or have sex with someone who does

Are a health care worker who might be exposed to the virus in a lab setting

Travel or work in countries with a high incidence of hepatitis

When and how often?
You need two doses — you'll receive the second dose between six and 18 months after the first. Hepatitis A vaccine can be combined with the hepatitis B vaccine in a three-dose series.

Who shouldn't have it?
Don't get a vaccination if you're currently sick.

Hepatitis B

Who should have the hepatitis B vaccine?
Get the vaccine if you:

Have more than one sex partner in six months

Are a man who has sex with other men

Have sex with a person infected with hepatitis B

Inject illegal drugs

Are a hemodialysis patient

Are a health care or public safety worker who might be exposed to infected blood or body fluids

Live in a household with someone who has chronic hepatitis B infection

When and how often?
A series of three shots once in your lifetime.

Who shouldn't have it?
Don't get the vaccine if you are allergic to baker's yeast or are currently sick.

Dengue

2009-09-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

Dengue: The dangerous Asian tiger, yellow fever mosquitoe
The Freeman, Cebu newspaper

Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes are existing mainly because of us. We are the ones who are giving a chance for the mosquitoes to exist. For example, in barangays where the inhabitants do not have regular supply of water, they store water in metal drums and plastic containers without any cover. They do not know the principle that, if the mosquitoes could not find water, they are not able to lay eggs, which means no mosquitoes, no dengue illness and no death will occur.

Mosquitoes play a major role in the life quality and health of humans. They are tiny insects but the damage they brought to mankind is enormous. There are 3,200 species or types of mosquitoes in the world. Out of this figure, 1,000 species are considered carriers of diseases and more or less 60 are considered dangerous because they are responsible for the death of mankind.

One of these types of mosquito which is very dangerous is called, Aedes aegypti, often called "the yellow fever mosquito." Another is called Aedes albopictus, often called "the Asian tiger mosquito." These two types of mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting dengue virus to humans that lead to diseases called dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue schock syndrome.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is considered as the primary carrier of the dengue virus while Aedes albopictus is considered as the secondary carrier. The adult of these mosquitoes can be easily identified from other mosquitoes by the presence of white stripes or bands on the legs as well as on the abdomen, and both are day biters.

The female Aedes mosquitoes lay their eggs in clean and stagnant water (metal drums, cans, discarded tires, flower vases, gutters, leaf axils of banana, etc.). Each female mosquito is capable of laying approximately 200 eggs at one time in the water. Mosquitoes have four life stages:

1) Eggs - hatch for about 1 day; 2) larvae or locally called "pito-pito or ngoyo-ngoyo"-which last for about two to three days; 3) pupae-which last for one day; and 4) adult or the flying mosquito, which is responsible for transmitting dengue virus (lives for more than a month).

The whole process from egg to adult or flying mosquito is more or less one week considering that the temperature is more than 26°C, but if the temperature is cooler, then the development process would be slower.

Once an adult mosquito is developed, the female begins to look for human blood. A female mosquito has a special type of apparatus called proboscis (needle like structure) for sucking blood from humans, that's why, only female mosquitoes bite or suck blood because they need it for nourishment and development of their eggs. That means, only female Aedes mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting dengue virus to humans. On the other hand, male mosquitoes don't have proboscis and could not bite or suck blood from humans. They nourish themselves with nectar of plants.

There are about 2.5 billion people at risk and more than 50 million per year with approximately 500,000 per year are hospitalized that result to more or less 24,000 deaths per year from dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever.

Although intensive efforts have been made to develop suitable vaccines against dengue, there is still no chance for success. The only way or possibility of controlling the disease is to control the mosquitoes that carry the virus.

The best way to control the mosquitoes is when they are still in larval stage or when they are still pito-pito or ngoyo-ngoyo, which are found in water (like barrels, discarded tires, etc.). The various ways to control them while they are in the water are:

1. For people who are storing water in barrels and plastic containers, they should cover it with nets or lids so that the female mosquito could not lay their eggs in the water. However, no matter how these barrels are covered sometimes, the mosquitoes could lay their eggs in the water especially when the household gets water from the containers. In this case, the households are recommended to clean these barrels and plastic containers at least once a week and apply B.t.i. tablets to the water to avoid the occurrence of pito-pito.

2. For vulcanizing shops storing old discarded tires, they are recommended to cover the tires with cellophane or plastic so that the tires will not be filled with water during the rainy season. In case the discarded tires have water, application of B.t.i. tablets is necessary.

3. For small plastic cups and other small receptacles that accumulate water during rainfall, they should be emptied. This could be done through environmental sanitation (cleaning the surroundings).

4. For pito-pitos in leaf axils of banana, applying B.t.i. tablets could control these.

All of various methods mentioned above could only be realized: 1. If people have knowledge about dengue - could be done through educational campaign with barangay health officers or health brigade giving lectures to the people especially the women in the barangays. 2. Community participation - if people have knowledge about dengue, they can participate in the activity. They should cooperate or participate in environmental sanitation because if only one family is cleaning its surroundings while the neighbors are not, then dengue fever will still occur. Aedes female mosquito can fly for about one kilometer just to search for human blood. Despite the control measures mentioned above, sustained "community participation" is still the strongest asset of a successful mosquito control. An integrated community-based approach, with volunteers from the village, is the most promising method of motivating a community to participate in mosquito control programmes.

Women can be of vital importance, since their participation enhances the possibility of reaching individual household and ensuring sustained community support. Of course, government coordination, close supervision, monitoring and evaluation, and teamwork with public health personnel, local volunteers, entomologists are necessary to reduce successfully the transmission of the dengue virus.

Finally, only through this approach that we can help save the lives of humans, especially children who are the hopes of our nation.

Introduction
Dengue is widespread in South-East Asia, the Indian sub-continent, the Pacific region as far south as Queensland in Australia, the Caribbean Islands, northern and eastern parts of Central and South America, to a lesser extent the Middle East and sporadically in Africa. Outbreaks are common and often occur after the rainy seasons when mosquitoes breed more actively.The cause is an virus spread by the Aedes aegypti species of mosquitoes which predominantly bite during the day.

The Illness

After an incubation phase of 3-8 days there is usually a sudden onset of fever, headache, muscle and joint pains. A rash may develop. Within a few days the illness usually resolves and serious complications are uncommon. In a few cases dengue can progress to a haemorrhagic form, with shock, which can be fatal.

Treatment

There is no specific anti-viral treatment. Symptoms like headache and fever can be treated symptomatically. Hospital care is indicated in severe illnesses or if complications occur. Maintenance of the circulating fluid volume is the central feature of DHF case management.

There is no specific medication for treatment of a dengue infection. Persons who think they have dengue should use analgesics (pain relievers) with acetaminophen and avoid those containing aspirin. They should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and consult a physician.

Characteristics

Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults, but seldom causes death.The clinical features of dengue fever vary according to the age of the patient. Infants and young children may have a non-specific febrile illness with rash. Older children and adults may have either a mild febrile syndrome or the classical incapacitating disease with abrupt onset and high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, and rash.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a potentially deadly complication that is characterized by high fever, haemorrhagic phenomena--often with enlargement of the liver--and in severe cases, circulatory failure. The illness commonly begins with a sudden rise in temperature accompanied by facial flush and other non-specific constitutional symptoms of dengue fever. The fever usually continues for two to seven days and can be as high as 40-41°C, possibly with febrile convulsions and haemorrhagic phenomena.

In moderate DHF cases, all signs and symptoms abate after the fever subsides. In severe cases, the patient's condition may suddenly deteriorate after a few days of fever; the temperature drops, followed by signs of circulatory failure, and the patient may rapidly go into a critical state of
shock and die within 12-24 hours, or quickly recover following appropriate volume replacement therapy.

A. The principal symptoms of dengue are high fever, severe headache, backache, joint pains, nausea and vomiting, eye pain, and rash. Generally, younger children have a milder illness than older children and adults.

Dengue fever has symptoms which can be very similar initially to flu. Most people who get it will suffer from headaches and fever. Some get rashes, aches and pains and their symptoms usually last for two or three days.

An infected person can feel tired for up to three months, but will not usually need treatment.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (which may cause death and diffferent than normal dengue) is characterized by a fever that lasts from 2 to 7 days, with general signs and symptoms that could occur with many other illnesses (e.g., nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and headache). This stage is followed by hemorrhagic manifestations, tendency to bruise easily or other types of skin hemorrhages, bleeding nose or gums, and possibly internal bleeding. The smallest blood vessels (capillaries) become excessively permeable ("leaky"), allowing the fluid component to escape from the blood vessels. This may lead to failure of the circulatory system and shock, followed by death, if circulatory failure is not corrected.

Early symptoms of Dengue hemorrhagic fever are similar to those of Dengue fever, but after several days the patient becomes irritable, restless, and sweaty. These symptoms are followed by a shock-like state.

Bleeding may appear as pinpoint spots of blood on the skin (petechiae) and larger patches of blood under the skin (ecchymoses). Bleeding may occur from minor injuries.

Shock may cause death. If the patient survives, recovery begins after a one-day crisis period.

Early symptoms include the following:

a.. Fever
b.. Headache
c.. Muscle aches
d.. Joint aches
e.. Malaise
f.. Decreased appetite
g.. Vomiting
Acute phase symptoms include the following:

a.. Shock-like state
a.. Sweaty (diaphoretic)
b.. Cold clammy extremities
b.. Restlessness followed by:
a.. Worsening of earlier symptoms
b.. Petechiae
c.. Ecchymosis
d.. Generalized rash

TYPHOID FEVER

2009-09-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

A recent headline in the Philippines states

Rising typhoid fever cases in S. Leyte alarms DOH

We should all know more about Typhoid Fever

What is typhoid fever?

Typhoid fever is an acute illness associated with fever caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria. It can also be caused by Salmonella paratyphi, a related bacterium that usually causes a less severe illness. The bacteria are deposited in water or food by a human carrier and are then spread to other people in the area.

The incidence of typhoid fever in the United States has markedly decreased since the early 1900s. Today, less than 500 cases are reported annually in the United States, mostly in people who recently have traveled to endemic areas. This is in comparison to the 1920s, when over 35,000 cases were reported in the U.S. This improvement is the result of improved environmental sanitation. Mexico and South America are the most common areas for U.S. citizens to contract typhoid fever. India, Pakistan, and Egypt are also known high-risk areas for developing this disease. Worldwide, typhoid fever affects more than 13 million people annually, with over 500,000 patients dying of the disease.

How do patients get typhoid fever?

Typhoid fever is contracted by the ingestion of the bacteria in contaminated food or water. Patients with acute illness can contaminate the surrounding water supply through stool, which contains a high concentration of the bacteria. Contamination of the water supply can, in turn, taint the food supply. About 3%-5% of patients become carriers of the bacteria after the acute illness. Some patients suffer a very mild illness that goes unrecognized. These patients can become long-term carriers of the bacteria. The bacteria multiplies in the gallbladder, bile ducts, or liver and passes into the bowel. The bacteria can survive for weeks in water or dried sewage. These chronic carriers may have no symptoms and can be the source of new outbreaks of typhoid fever for many years.

How does the bacteria cause disease, and how is it diagnosed?

After the ingestion of contaminated food or water, the Salmonella bacteria invade the small intestine and enter the bloodstream temporarily. The bacteria are carried by white blood cells in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. The bacteria then multiply in the cells of these organs and reenter the bloodstream. Patients develop symptoms, including fever, when the organism reenters the bloodstream. Bacteria invade the gallbladder, biliary system, and the lymphatic tissue of the bowel. Here, they multiply in high numbers. The bacteria pass into the intestinal tract and can be identified for diagnosis in cultures from the stool tested in the laboratory. Stool cultures are sensitive in the early and late stages of the disease but often need to be supplemented with blood cultures to make the definite diagnosis.

What are the symptoms of typhoid fever?

The incubation period is usually one to two weeks, and the duration of the illness is about four to six weeks. The patient experiences

poor appetite,
headaches,
generalized aches and pains,
fever,
lethargy, and
diarrhea.

People with typhoid fever usually have a sustained fever as high as 103 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (39 to 40 degrees Celsius).

Chest congestion develops in many patients, and abdominal pain and discomfort are common. The fever becomes constant. Improvement occurs in the third and fourth week in those without complications. About 10% of patients have recurrent symptoms (relapse) after feeling better for one to two weeks. Relapses are actually more common in individuals treated with antibiotics.

How is typhoid fever treated, and what is the prognosis?

Typhoid fever is treated with antibiotics which kill the Salmonella bacteria. Prior to the use of antibiotics, the fatality rate was 20%. Death occurred from overwhelming infection, pneumonia, intestinal bleeding, or intestinal perforation. With antibiotics and supportive care, mortality has been reduced to 1%-2%. With appropriate antibiotic therapy, there is usually improvement within one to two days and recovery within seven to 10 days.

Several antibiotics are effective for the treatment of typhoid fever. Chloramphenicol was the original drug of choice for many years. Because of rare serious side effects, chloramphenicol has been replaced by other effective antibiotics. The choice of antibiotics needs to be guided by identifying the geographic region where the organism was acquired and the results of cultures once available. (Certain strains from South America show a significant resistance to some antibiotics.) If relapses occur, patients are retreated with antibiotics.

The carrier state, which occurs in 3%-5% of those infected, can be treated with prolonged antibiotics. Often, removal of the gallbladder, the site of chronic infection, will cure the carrier state.

For those traveling to high-risk areas, vaccines are now available.

Typhoid Fever At A Glance

Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonellae typhi bacteria.
Typhoid fever is contracted by the ingestion of contaminated food or water.
Diagnosis of typhoid fever is made when the Salmonella bacteria is detected with a stool culture.
Typhoid fever is treated with antibiotics.
Typhoid fever symptoms are poor appetite, headaches, generalized aches and pains, fever, and lethargy.
Approximately 3%-5% of patients become carriers of the bacteria after the acute illness.

Read the above article at http://www.medicinenet.com/typhoid_fever/article.htm

More references here

Typhoid fever
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_fever

Nursing Care Plan – Typhoid Fever
http://nursingcrib.com/nursing-care-plan-typhoid-fever/

Typhoid fever
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001332.htm

Typhoid Fever
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/231135-overview

Kidney Stones

2009-08-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

Each year nearly 3.3 million Americans seek out medical care for kidney stone removal and pain relief at a cost of about $5.3 billion per year. Treatment strategies include waiting for the stone to pass, physically breaking the stone into fragments, or surgically removing it; often some combination of the three approaches is required. Since people who have had one kidney stone are likely to develop more, kidney stone treatment involves not only addressing the immediate problem but also learning how to prevent formation of additional kidney stones.

Need-to-know-Anatomy

The urinary tract includes the kidneys, ureter, bladder, and the urethra. Urine is produced in the kidneys, two bean-shaped organs the size of your fist located in the lower back, flanking the spine. The kidneys release urine into the ureter, a small muscular tube that can dilate up to 7 millimeters in diameter (about 1 /₄ of an inch) and connects the kidney to the bladder where urine is stored. When the bladder is full, we release the urine into a narrow tube, the urethra, which channels the urine out of the body.

Each day, nearly one quarter of the blood that's pumped by the heart flows through the kidneys into a network of tiny blood vessels that filter the blood. Together the kidneys contain 1 million tiny structures called nephrons that filter this blood, directing the waste products into tubules. In the tubules the wastes are further processed and partially reabsorbed to generate roughly 1 to 3 quarts of urine that the body needs to eliminate each day. The waste products in the blood are derived from the foods we eat and the normal breakdown of tissue in the body. Not only do the kidneys keep the blood chemically balanced by converting waste products into urine and discharging excess water, but they also produce hormones that are needed to stimulate bone marrow to make red blood cells (erythropoietin), regulate blood pressure (renin), and help maintain healthy calcium levels in the bones and body (calcitriol).

Causes

In general, kidney stones form when specific compounds in the urine become overly concentrated, causing minerals to crystallize. This usually happens near the end of tubules, before fluid leaves the kidney. Initially, the crystals are the size of tiny grains of sand, but over time they can aggregate to form a pebble about a half inch in diameter up to the size of a golf ball. Stones can be relatively smooth and round or irregularly shaped, like an antler. There are four main types of kidney stones, each of which is associated with different chemical conditions in the urinary tract.

Calcium oxalate stones make up nearly80 percent of the kidney stones in the United States. These stones, composed of calcium oxalate or calcium oxalate mixed with calcium phosphate, are hard, like a piece of gravel. Calcium oxalate stone formation is driven by the relative concentrations of certain chemicals in the urine; too much calcium, too much oxalate (a chemical compound that occurs naturally in many plants we eat), too much phosphate, or too little citrate (a chemical that inhibits minerals from crystallizing in the urine) can lead to the formation of calcium oxalate stones. In many families, there appears to be a genetic predisposition for developing the conditions that favor calcium stone formation, but the genetics are not well understood. Other more rare causes of calcium stone formation include ingesting excessive amounts of vitamin D or calcium, hyperactive parathyroid glands, sarcoidosis (a condition causing small nodule lesions to form in the body), intestinal bypass surgery, or chronic inflammation of the bowel.

Uric acid stones tend to form in concentrated, acidic urine. About 5 to 10 percent of stones consist of uric acid, a byproduct of protein metabolism. Uric acid stones are associated with early stages of diabetes, a high-protein diet, chronic diarrhea, gout, and genetic factors--such as Middle Eastern ethnicity--that can predispose one to developing uric acid stones.

Pure calcium phosphate stones tend to form in urine that is too alkaline, a condition often caused by renal tubular acidosis. Renal tubular acidosis can be an inherited genetic disorder or arise later in life in association with other disease processes. Overly alkaline urine can also result from chronic ingestion of high quantities of antacids.
Struvite stones are relatively soft and almost always the result of chronic urinary tract infections caused by specific strains of bacteria. These bacteria produce enzymes that increase ammonia concentration in the urine. This ammonia-rich environment favors the formation of magnesium ammonium phosphate crystals, the minerals composing struvite stones. Struvite stones tend to grow quickly, incorporating the bacteria in the stone itself. Struvite stones must be removed surgically to eliminate the bacteria causing the urinary tract infection.

Cystine stones are rare and are associated with cystinuria, an inherited metabolic disorder. In affected individuals, the kidneys are not able to reabsorb cystine, leading to high levels of citrate in the urine, where it can crystallize to form cystine kidney stones. With this rare disease, cystine stones can start forming in young infants and continue throughout their life. Cystine stones are one of the physically hardest types of kidney stone.

Risk Factors

The risk factors for kidney stones fall into two categories: those you can control through lifestyle choices and those traits you are born with. Having a risk factor doesn't mean that you'll develop a disease or condition. Medical research continues to reveal how risk factors interact to influence a person's health and life span. However, understanding your risk allows you to balance the value you place on your health with the risk that may compromise your health in the future. In the United States, the incidence of kidney stones is on the rise, especially in young children. Many experts attribute this increase to changes in lifestyle such as poor diet and a decrease in water consumption.

Risk factors for forming a kidney stone include:
Familial or personal history of kidney stones. If a first-degree relative (mother, father, or sibling) has had a kidney stone, your risk of developing a kidney stone increases dramatically. If you have had a kidney stone, your risk of developing a subsequent one increases dramatically. The risk of developing subsequent kidney stones increases with each episode.

Lack of fluids. You're more likely to form stones if you live in a hot dry climate, work in a hot environment like a commercial kitchen, exercise strenuously without replacing fluids, or habitually drink relatively low amounts of fluid.

Elevated calcium levels in the urine. Elevated calcium levels in the blood increase the likelihood of developing a kidney stone.
Renal tubular acidosis, cystinuria, gout, chronic urinary tract infections, and hyperparathyroidism are the more common diseases that are associated with kidney stones.
High-protein and low-fiber diet increases the risk of forming a kidney stone.

Obesity and sudden weight gain increase the risk of developing a kidney stone.

Medications

For people who continue to form kidney stones after dietary changes, doctors can prescribe medications that prevent kidney stones. Medications commonly prescribed to prevent kidney stones include:

Kidney Stones - Medications

Medicine you can buy without a prescription, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), may relieve your pain. Your doctor can give you stronger pain medicine if needed. NSAIDs include aspirin and ibuprofen (such as Motrin and Advil).

Your doctor may prescribe medicine to help your body pass the stone. Calcium channel blockers and alpha-blockers have been shown to help kidney stones pass more quickly with very few side effects.11 Ask your doctor if one of these medicines can help you.

If you get more kidney stones despite drinking more fluids and making changes to your diet, your doctor may give you medicine to help dissolve your stones or to prevent new ones from forming. You may also receive prescription medicine if you have a disease that increases your risk of forming kidney stones. Which medicine you take depends on the type of stones you have.

Medication Choices
Medicine to prevent calcium stones
About 80% of kidney stones are calcium stones.1 Calcium stones cannot be dissolved by changing your diet or taking medicines. There are medicines that may keep calcium stones from getting bigger or may prevent new calcium stones from forming:

Thiazides (such as hydrochlorothiazide, chlorthalidone) and potassium citrate(Urocit-K) are commonly used to prevent calcium stones.
Orthophosphate (Neutra-Phos) is sometimes used. It has more side effects than thiazides or potassium citrate.

Medicine to prevent uric acid stones
About 5% to 10% of kidney stones are made of uric acid, a waste product that normally exits the body in the urine.1 Uric acid stones can sometimes be dissolved with medicine.
Potassium citrate (Urocit-K) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) prevent the urine from becoming too acidic, which helps prevent uric acid stones.
Allopurinol (Lopurin, Zyloprim) makes it more difficult for your body to make uric acid.

Medicine to prevent cystine stones
Less than 1% of kidney stones are made of a chemical called cystine.1 Cystine stones are more likely to occur in families with a disease that results in too much cystine in the urine (cystinuria).
Potassium citrate (Urocit-K) prevents the urine from becoming too acidic, which helps prevent cystine kidney stones from forming.
Penicillamine (Cuprimine, Depen), tiopronin (Thiola), and captopril (Capoten) all help keep cystine dissolved in the urine, which makes cystine-type kidney stones less likely to form.

Medicine to prevent struvite stones
About 10% to 15% of kidney stones are struvite stones.1 They can also be called infection stones if they occur with kidney or urinary tract infections (UTIs). These types of kidney stones sometimes are also called staghorn calculi if they grow large enough.

Urease inhibitors (Lithostat) are rarely used because of their side effects and poor results.
What To Think About
If you have uric acid stones or cystine stones and are taking medicine to prevent more stones from forming, you will most likely have to continue taking that medicine for the rest of your life.

Some struvite stones (staghorn calculi) form because of frequent kidney infections. If you have a struvite stone, you will most likely need antibiotics to cure the infection and help prevent new stones from forming, and you will most likely need surgery to remove the stone.

Read original medication article here

http://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/kidney-stones-medications

For more reading reference check out these links

Kidney Stones - Treatment
http://www.urologychannel.com/kidneystones/treatment.shtml

Kidney Stones in Adults
http://www.montereybayurology.com/urocond/KidneyStones.htm

Kidney Stones
http://www.fbhc.org/Patients/Modules/kidneystones.cfm