tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79931866471288187002024-03-12T20:51:49.903-07:00Family Health 365Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-47111802047016120772011-08-29T08:47:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:48:49.021-07:00Try the 'portfolio diet' to lower cholesterol; Diet relies on soy products, stick fiber and sterols<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/08/26/alg_portfolio_diet.jpg" alt="New research finds that combining foods such as oats, soy, nuts, and plant sterol can dramatically lower cholesterol. " title="New research finds that combining foods such as oats, soy, nuts, and plant sterol can dramatically lower cholesterol. " /></div>
<br /></div>Need to lower your cholesterol? Try thumbing through the "portfolio diet."
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<br />New research reveals that the diet, which combines soy, nuts, plant sterols, and fiber, may work better than a traditional low-fat diet.
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<br />The University of Canada found that people with high cholesterol who followed the portfolio diet lowered their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by about 13 percent after six months on the diet, according to a recent study.
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<br />That is compared with a 3 percent LDL reduction among those who followed a diet low in saturated fat. The findings appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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<br />The portfolio diet focuses on four kinds of food groups:
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<br />• Substitute soy-based foods for meat and dairy, such as soy burgers, soy hot dogs, soy milk and soy dairy substitutes.
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<br />• Eat a lot of sticky fiber, such as adding a natural psyllium supplement to your diet and eating oats, barley and vegetables such as eggplant and okra.
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<br />• Replace butter and margarine with plant sterol-enriched margarine. US brands include Benecol and Take Control and brands in other countries are Becel and Flora pro-activ. Plant sterols are also available in capsule form.
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<br />• Eat a handful of nuts every day.
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<br />The new study is the latest in a series of research studies by Dr. David Jenkins from the University of Toronto. Prior research from his lab revealed that following the portfolio diet is almost as effective as taking a statin drug.
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<br />"If we let people know that they can control their own cholesterol levels themselves, we're putting some of the responsibility but also the power back into the hands of ordinary citizens," Jenkins told health news site WebMD.
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<br />With AFP Relaxnews
<br />Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-46610134803174487842011-08-29T08:45:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:47:42.865-07:00FDA approves Botox for bladder control; Injectible OKd for people with MS or spinal cord injury<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/08/03/alg_botox_injection.jpg" alt="The FDA has approved Botox for overactive bladder in some patients. " title="The FDA has approved Botox for overactive bladder in some patients. " /></div>
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<br /></div>Botox can cause more than just your wrinkles to freeze -- it can help an overactive bladder.
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<br />The face-freezing pharmaceutical injection was given the nod by the Food and Drug Administration to treat people with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury who suffer from urinary incontinence and must manage it with medication or a catheter.
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<br />"Urinary incontinence associated with neurologic conditions can be difficult to manage," said George Benson, deputy director of FDA's division of Reproductive and Urologic Products.
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<br />"Botox offers another treatment option for these patients."
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<br />The new method allows a physician to inject Botox into a patient's bladder, where it relaxes the muscles and allows more urine to be stored.
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<br />Clinical studies showed such injections could decrease episodes of urinary incontinence for a period of nine months.
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<br />Botox, which is marketed by the California-based Allergan, is also approved for treatment of chronic migraines, severe underarm sweating, eyelid twitching and certain kinds of muscle stiffness, the FDA said.
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<br />The drug is made from a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. In other forms it can cause a deadly type of food poisoning called botulism, according to the National Institutes of Health.
<br />With AFP RelaxnewsFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-85013657518286245382011-08-20T21:05:00.000-07:002011-08-20T21:06:03.795-07:00The illegal cure for cancer: Study says club drug ecstasy may hold cure for cancer<div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/08/20/alg_ecstasy-tablets.jpg" alt="A breakthrough study shows that MDMA, the chemical in ecstasy, could be the future of cancer treatment." title="A breakthrough study shows that MDMA, the chemical in ecstasy, could be the future of cancer treatment." /></div>
<br />Scientists are saying that ecstasy-an illegal drug largely connected with hardcore clubgoers-can actually treat several forms of cancer.
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<br />However, a market-ready medication doctors can prescribe to patients may take another ten years to develop, researchers told BBC Radio.
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<br />"This is an exciting next step," said Professor John Gordon, lead author of a groundbreaking study on the topic, during a radio interview.
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<br />"Where we've tested these new compounds, we can wipe out 100% of the cancer cells in some cases."
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<br />Birmingham University researchers first discovered the unlikely link between the illegal substance and a viable therapy for common blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma in 2006. Additional research produced an atomically tweaked version of ecstasy's active compound, MDMA, which bolsters the drug's cancer-fighting power 100-fold in test tubes.
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<br />The original 2006 study found a fatally large dose of MDMA would be needed to make a dent in the disease. But the Birmingham team, toiling for five years along with scientists from The University of Western Australia, found a way to maximize MDMA's cancer-fighting properties, while minimizing its toxic effect on the brain.
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<br />This is how it works: The drug attaches itself to the fat in diseased cells, weakening the membrane and making them "soapy."
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<br />The cancer cells are then essentially washed away, Gordon said.
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<br />The news is "genuinely exciting," said Dr. David Grant, director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Research charity.
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<br />"Further work is required but this research is a significant step forward in developing a potential new cancer drug," he said.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-52598233120980093422011-08-20T21:03:00.000-07:002011-08-20T21:05:04.060-07:00Can't stick to an exercise program? Blame your self-confidence, not your willpower <div style="text-align: center;" class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/08/19/alg_confidence_workout.jpg" alt="New research suggests that confidence is key to sticking to your workouts." title="New research suggests that confidence is key to sticking to your workouts." /></div>
<br />Having trouble sticking with an exercise routine? Don't blame your willpower.
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<br />New research suggests that whether or not you can overcome obstacles in your workout regime could boil down to confidence.
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<br />"Almost 50 percent of people who begin an exercise program drop out in the first six months," said University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley, who led the research. His assumption? A lack of a quality he refers to as "self-efficacy," or "situation-specific self-confidence."
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<br />"People who are more efficacious tend to approach more challenging tasks, work harder, and stick with it even in the face of early failures," adds McAuley in a statement on August 16.
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<br />If you fall a little short in self-efficacy, all is not lost, said the researchers.
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<br />Prior research has shown that you can boost confidence to achieve your goals by remembering your previous successes, observing others accomplishing something you find daunting, and enlisting support from your friends and family. "Every step toward your goal will further increase your confidence," McAuley said.
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<br />In the study, the researchers conducted a battery of cognitive tests on 177 men and women in their 60s and early 70s, and also asked them whether and how often they set goals for themselves, monitored their own progress, managed their time, and engaged in other "self-regulatory" behaviors, such as working in the yard rather than watching TV.
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<br />Participants were then randomly assigned to either a walking program or a stretching, toning, and balance program that met three times a week for a year. Their self-efficacy was assessed after three weeks in the program.
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<br />Those who stuck to their program were the ones who were better able to multitask and better control their undesirable behaviors, the researchers found.
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<br />With AFP RelaxnewsFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-16626630062500257992011-03-14T08:35:00.001-07:002011-03-14T08:37:43.553-07:00Is Kate Middleton getting too thin? Experts dismiss idea that Kate will struggle like Princess Diana By Lindsay Goldwert<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;" class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/03/12/alg_diana_middleton.jpg" alt="The trim princess-to-be is prompting media cries that she's lost too much weight for her royal wedding and could be heading down Princess Diana's dangerous path." title="The trim princess-to-be is prompting media cries that she's lost too much weight for her royal wedding and could be heading down Princess Diana's dangerous path." /></div><br /></div>The British press dubbed Kate Middleton "Waity Katy" after her courtship with Prince William stretched for years without an engagement – but lately the tabloids are more focused on Katy's weight.<br /><br />Middleton has always had a lithe, athletic build, but the trim princess-to-be has looked even more slender lately – prompting media cries that she's lost too much weight for her royal wedding and speculation that she may fall prey to the same web of pressures and pain that befell the late Princess Diana.<br /><br />The prince's longtime love has been spotted working out at Di's old gym and she's rumored to be using a risky no-carb diet to drop pounds – arousing fears she may fall into the same obsessive quest for thinness and perfection that caused Diana so much misery.<br /><br />But those who know the royal family well call the reports rubbish and say Middleton's emotional state couldn't be more different from the late Diana.<br /><br />"The British press has been relentless in its attempt to portray Kate Middleton as a fragile young woman who is already falling prey to an eating disorder. It's absurd," said Christopher Andersen, author of "William and Kate: A Love Story" and the bestselling "The Day Diana Died."<br /><br /><br />The Princess brides: Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles in 1981 and Kate Middleton and Prince William in 2010. (Getty)<br /><br />"Kate looks no thinner to me at all. She's always been a health and exercise fanatic, but not in an unhealthy way," he said.<br /><br />According to royal lore, Diana became bulimic after Prince Charles hurt her feelings by calling her "chubby."<br /><br />"Kate is not chubby at all, but if she was, William would never hurt her feelings in that manner," said Andersen. "Charles could be thoughtless, even cruel, in a way Williams never could."<br /><br />Another difference is the marriages themselves.<br /><br />There is no "other woman" lurking in the wings to mar Kate and William's special day. One of the reasons Diana became so thin and insecure at the time of her wedding was because she knew her husband-to-be was in love with his now-wife Camilla Parker Bowles.<br /><br />"Diana was l9 when she married a man she already knew was in love with someone else," Andersen said. "She was driven over the edge by a royal family that treated her pretty shabbily."<br /><br />Kate Middleton is 10 years older than Diana was at the time of her engagement and in a much better place, emotionally, because she's marrying a guy who seems completely devoted to herm said Andersen.<br /><br />Another reason why Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage bombed was there considerable age gap, said Claudia Joseph, the author of "Kate: The Making of a Princess."<br /><br />William's parents were 12 years apart in age while the prince and Kate are the same age.<br /><br />"I think she already has a distinct advantage over Diana. She is older and wiser and will conduct her role in a more dignified and conscientious manner," Joseph said. "Kate has been dating William for nearly eight years and has had ample opportunity to learn from him how to cope with the role."<br /><br />Joseph also shrugged off rumors that Kate is heading down a path to weight obsession and eating disorders.<br /><br />"Certainly Kate has lost weight since she became engaged, but many brides drop pounds in the runup to their wedding," she said. "It does not mean she has a problem."Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-7532594777484334702011-03-14T08:22:00.000-07:002011-03-14T08:28:01.904-07:00Major depression and bipolar disorder; New treatments are on the horizon for serious depression<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="datestamp_update"></span> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/03/10/alg_dr_iosifescu.jpg" alt="The specialist: Dr. Dan Iosifescu on treatment-resistant depression and bipolar disorder." title="The specialist: Dr. Dan Iosifescu on treatment-resistant depression and bipolar disorder." /></div></div><br />As director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program and associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Dan V. Iosifescu is a psychiatrist who specializes in treatment-resistant depression and bipolar disorder. His research looks for novel treatments and understanding the brain mechanisms of these severe conditions.<br /><br />Who's at risk<br /><br />Major depression and bipolar disorder are two of the most common disorders seen by psychiatrists.<br /><br />"Depression affects between 10% and 15% of the population," says Iosifescu. "Bipolar disorder is less frequent, but still affects 2% to 4% of Americans at some point during their lifetime."<br /><br />A subset of patients who do not improve after multiple treatments is termed "treatment resistant."<br /><br />These mood disorders can appear similar, and depressive episodes are indistinguishable in bipolar disorder and major depression. "Depressive episodes are characterized by long periods of severe sadness and a lack of interest in doing things" says Iosifescu. "In bipolar disorder, patients experience episodes of depression alternating with episodes of extreme mood elevation called mania or hypomania, which often lead to dangerous behaviors."<br /><br />Genetics and traumatic life events are the two primary risk factors for depression and bipolar disorder, which both have fairly early ages of onset.<br /><br />"While bipolar typically begins early in life (50% of patients have their first episode by age 18), depression has a wider range of first onset. However, the majority of patients experience their first episode before age 30," says Iosifescu.<br /><br />While some patients might have only one or two depressed or manic episodes during their lifetime and can maintain a high level of functioning, patients with treatment-resistant disorder have long, chronic episodes or a series of multiple recurrences and can be highly impaired.<br /><br />Signs and symptoms<br /><br />Both depression and bipolar disorder are characterized by multiple psychological and physical symptoms.<br /><br />"Besides sadness and lack of interest, symptoms of depression include disrupted sleep, low self-esteem, guilt, low energy and fatigue, poor concentration and significant changes in appetite," says Iosifescu. "Importantly, some patients experience suicidal thoughts, and suicide is a cause of mortality in both depression and bipolar disorder."<br /><br />While most patients can recognize their periods of depression, they are less able to recognize as abnormal the mood elevation (hypomania and mania) of bipolar disorder. "The periods of mania — an abnormally excited, hyper mood — can feel like positive energy to the patient, even as they are perceived as abnormal by those around the patient, and it impairs significantly the patients' ability to function," says Iosifescu.<br /><br />"In this state, people tend to have excessive involvement in pleasurable activities, disregarding risks or potential negative consequences."<br /><br />Mania is also associated with high irritability, distractedness, high self-esteem, decreased sleep without fatigue, high levels of activity and pressured speech (very rapid speech).<br /><br />"Sometimes bipolar disorder is not recognized, as the patient does not remember manic episodes as abnormal. However, the most significant challenge for treatment-resistant patients is finding a treatment that does work, even if it's not standard," says Iosifescu. "A series of novel treatments currently researched, some of them in advanced development, could prove to be lifesaving for these patients."<br /><br />Traditional treatment<br /><br />The standard trifecta of treatment options are medications, psychotherapies (counseling or talking therapy) and somatic treatments like electric-shock therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation.<br /><br />"We have a good number of FDA-approved drugs for depression and a smaller number for bipolar disorder," says Iosifescu. "The problem is that a lot of these medications belong to the same families of chemicals and work in relatively similar ways. So while they're incredibly helpful for many people, they are ineffective for a minority of our patients."<br /><br />Psychotherapies seek to improve the patient's sense of well-being and provide tools for overcoming problems.<br /><br />"For instance, cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on the abnormal thinking patterns that patients develop and helps them recognize and correct their distorted perceptions," says Iosifescu.<br /><br />Somatic therapies apply energy directly to the brain to cause positive changes in depression and mood.<br /><br />"Along with electro-convulsive therapy, commonly known as electric shock therapy, more modern treatments include transcranial magnetic stimulation, a magnetic field that stimulates currents in the brain, and vagus nerve stimulation, which modulates electric signals in the brain," says Iosifescu. "While electric shock therapy tends to be very effective, it has significant side effects. Transcranial magnetic stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation have limited efficacy."<br /><br />Research breakthroughs<br /><br />Doctors are seeking new therapies to help patients who have proven resistant to treatment.<br />"One very important novel treatment is ketamine, a medication currently used for anesthesia," says Iosifescu. "Recent studies, including several from our group at Mount Sinai, showed that ketamine works reliably and much faster than other antidepressants, with significant improvement occurring after only a few days even in treatment-resistant patients."<br /><br />The success of ketamine points to a potential whole new family of drugs for treating depression, with activity on glutamate brain receptors, in contrast to current antidepressants, which produce their effects via serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.<br /><br />Questions for your doctor<br /><br />If you're diagnosed and undergoing a new treatment regimen, ask: "How soon can I expect improvement?" "If it's not working after eight weeks, it's time to take another approach," says Iosifescu.<br /><br />Another key question is, "How will we know that the treatment is working?"<br /><br />Not all depression symptoms improve at the same pace. "We have a wide enough variety of treatments that even after you've tried a few, we can find something else that works on very different mechanisms to help you manage these disorders and improve your quality of life," says Iosifescu.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-6284109526018627892011-02-13T19:52:00.000-08:002011-02-13T19:52:00.421-08:00Surgeon General praises benefits of breast feeding; recognizes challenges it presents to new moms<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/08/28/alg_breastfeeding.jpg" alt="While 75 percent of babies start out being breast-fed, just over 1 of 10 are breast-fed exclusively for six months." title="While 75 percent of babies start out being breast-fed, just over 1 of 10 are breast-fed exclusively for six months." /></div><br /></div>America's chief doctor called on Americans to support breast-feeding on Thursday and outlined guidelines for mothers and communities to support that most natural nutrition system.<br /><br />Studies have shown numerous benefits for babies, mothers and overall healthcare when newborns are breast-fed for the recommended minimum of six months.<br /><br />Surgeon General Regina Benjamin issued a report on Thursday advocating mothers breast-feed their children.<br /><br />"Many barriers exist for mothers who want to breast-feed," Benjamin said in a statement accompanying the report.<br /><br />"They shouldn't have to go it alone. Whether you're a clinician, a family member, a friend, or an employer, you can play an important part in helping mothers who want to breast-feed."<br /><br />Breast-feeding develops immunity in babies and protects them from illnesses like diarrhea, ear infection and pneumonia, according to the report.<br /><br />Some studies have linked breast-feeding to higher IQs.<br /><br />Despite the reported benefits of breast-feeding, some women find that with busy schedules, social stigma, and lack of know-how, consistent breast-feeding is difficult to manage.<br /><br />Although 75 percent of babies start out being breast-fed, just over 1 of 10 are breast-fed exclusively for six months.<br /><br />The Surgeon General's call seeks to combat those problems by expanding and improving community programs that provide support and peer counseling, and ensuring employers and health care centers to provide similar support.<br /><br />The American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed the surgeon general's campaign.<br /><br />"The Call to Action provides a road map for creating a clear path for all mothers to breast-feed as long as they can and wish to do so," the children's healthcare organization said in a statement.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-13084558242062665872011-02-11T19:48:00.000-08:002011-02-11T19:48:00.255-08:00Dentist Louis Siegelman calms patients, encourages regular checkups with gentle approach, support<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/27/alg_dr_siegelman_patient_cunningham.jpg" alt="Dentist Louis Siegelman (with assistant Sara Helms) helped Julie Cunningham (c.) overcome fears." title="Dentist Louis Siegelman (with assistant Sara Helms) helped Julie Cunningham (c.) overcome fears." /></div><br /></div>Three words that strike terror when they come from a dentist's mouth.<br /><br />Julie Cunningham, CUNY Graduate Center's chief librarian, knew the dreaded feeling all too well. It was so paralyzing, she simply stopped going to the dentist for 15 years — and only for emergencies in the 20 years before that.<br /><br />At 63, her teeth were breaking, her gums were inflamed. No matter how much she brushed, she worried about her breath.<br /><br />Last year, Cunningham finally got herself into the chair, the gentle chair of Dr. Louis Siegelman, who specializes in dental phobia and dental anesthesia.<br /><br />"He's changed my life," said Cunningham, who in the last year accomplished the major dental work she had been avoiding for years: A new bridge, a crown, wisdom teeth pulled and a deep cleaning and implants.<br /><br />"My family was so thrilled I finally went," said Cunningham, who needed sedation the first several visits and is now able to be awake for routine dental work. "He is someone who understood, who appreciated I took the first step to overcome this fear."<br /><br />Call him the Dr. Phil of fillings.<br /><br />Siegelman truly feels your pain. Like a warm and wise therapist, he has helped thousands of New Yorkers overcome their fears and restore their health and self-confidence.<br /><br />"When people call me on the telephone for the first time, I know they are suffering," said Siegelman, sitting in his W. 57th St. office. "It's like they are out there shivering in the cold. It's rewarding to be able to lift their burden."<br /><br />Siegelman's manner and practice differ profoundly from the brutal dentists most everyone remembers from childhood. (Think "Little Shop of Horrors.")<br /><br />The first visit, for example, is the hour he spends talking with a patient on the telephone. He listens carefully, asks questions about what has kept them from coming and tries to tame their terror.<br /><br />Next is an office visit, where he explains the choices a patient has to ease pain and fear — from numbing the treatment area, to an oral medication to relieve anxiety, to general anesthesia where you are put to sleep and feel nothing.<br /><br />Dr. Louis Siegelman's specialty is people who are terrified of the dentist and need to be sedated to get through a procedure. (Roca/News)<br /><br />"People feel this sense of shame that this part of their body which is so personal is in a terrible state," said Siegelman. "And the more put-together they are in the rest of their lives, the more of a conflict it is for them.<br /><br />"They need to know it's safe to come in — and that everyone here in the office understands and they won't be criticized," he added. "I want them to understand their fear is a normal fear, they are not unusual or crazy. We all have this mechanism to want to flee something that frightens us."<br /><br />The staff — a team of receptionists, dental assistants and a hygienist — have all been trained to work with apprehensive patients.<br /><br />Even the recorded message a person hears when the office is closed, or when someone is put on hold, is aimed at allaying the angst.<br /><br />Melissa McEnerney, the hygienist who has worked with Siegelman for 10 years, said she reminds her patients two months before their scheduled appointments, two weeks before, and then again two days before. And still she gets cancellations.<br /><br />"I know their patterns," said McEnerney. "The sixth time is the charm. If I didn't have the reminders, it would be another 15 to 20 years before I would see them again," she said.<br /><br />According to the American Dental Association, 30% of Americans do not regularly go to a dentist. While many people cite cost as the reason, a third of Americans who have dental insurance don't go, sometimes for years.<br /><br />"One-third to one-half of people have a fear of going to the dentist, but they get there," said Dr. Mark Wolff, professor and chairman of the NYU College of Dentistry. "For about 10% of the people, the fear is so bad they don't go for years."<br /><br />Wolff said the profession needs more dentists like Siegelman, who combine certified skill in dental anesthesia with an excellent chairside manner.<br /><br />"There are very few dentists whose practice is devoted to these patients," he said. "It's a very real and needed service. He doesn't just put people in a chair and knock them out. He treats their anxieties as well."<br /><br />As in Cunningham's case, dental phobias are often rooted in bad experiences as a child. Siegelman says there is often some kind of trauma or abuse, something that may not even be related to dentistry. He once had a former prisoner or war who flew out of the chair as soon as he heard a loud noise from the street outside.<br /><br />Others are upset by the high-pitched sound of the drill, or feel they can't breathe when the dentist has his hands and equipment in their mouths. One patient, who also suffered from a fear of claustrophobia, needed three staffers to walk her up the eight flights of stairs to his office.<br /><br />Jennifer Rosenblum, 34, said she can't remember not being petrified of going to the dentist. Before Siegelman, she had never had a teeth cleaning in her life. Not in New York or in France, from where she moved five years ago.<br /><br />"Unfortunately I waited until the pain felt like my head was going to explode," said the advertising designer. "It's so strange that when it comes to the dentist I completely transform myself from a mature woman to a little girl."<br /><br />A few weeks ago, she had a root canal and crown done under sedation. "In three hours I was out. It was perfect. I hope I won't wait so long the next time. I'm so happy to have met him.<br /><br />"I'm facing my fears because I couldn't end the pain myself," she added. "If I could, I would never go to the dentist."<br /><br />Caroline Hightower, a Manhattan consultant, is glad she found Siegelman after lousy experiences with dentists.<br /><br />On a recent visit, she reclined calmly in his chair for nearly an hour as he worked on her implants.<br /><br />"He is gentle and efficient," said Hightower. "I've come to truly like him, which is very strange to feel about a dentist."<br /><br />The son of parents who worked in the Garment District, Siegelman grew up in Bayside, Queens, the youngest of three children. His sunny and sensitive disposition were on display early in life, according to his 89-year-old mom, Elaine, who still lives in Queens.<br /><br />"The dentist is the last place you want to go," said Elaine Siegelman. She knows about making people comfortable at the dentist; she recently retired from the front office of another dentist after 20 years there.<br /><br />Asked why he chose this work, given the amount of patience and energy needed to help people in emotional distress, Siegelman smilingly made his own admission. "I have analyzed that in myself," he said. "I like to be needed."<br /><br />YOU SHOULD KNOW<br /><br />Here are three things you can do to ease your dental anxiety — and recognize when it's a problem.<br /><br />- If just thinking of going to the dentist makes your heart pound, causes sleepless nights or intrusive thoughts, or you go only when you have an emergency, be open and honest with yourself and the dentist about your fears and your past experiences.<br /><br />- Do your homework when looking for a competent and caring dentist. Ask about his or her training, how many years of experience, the number of cases performed with anesthesia, and the training and readiness of the support team.<br /><br />- Home care is crucial for keeping your teeth and mouth healthy. Avoiding acidic and sugary beverages and foods, as well as foods that stick to your teeth. Brush and floss daily.<br /><br />The longer you put off going to the dentist, the worse the decay and chances of more serious health problems.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-40664470003998487662011-02-09T19:50:00.000-08:002011-02-09T19:50:00.382-08:00Men faking orgasm: 16% of men don't experience pleasure from orgasm<div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/19/alg_couple_bedroom.jpg" alt="About 16% of men are able to ejaculate but feel none of the pleasure of orgasm." title="About 16% of men are able to ejaculate but feel none of the pleasure of orgasm." /></div><br />For nearly a fifth of men, sex is just terrible.<br /><br />About 16% of men are able to ejaculate but feel none of the pleasure of orgasm, according to research presented at the European Society for Sexual Medicine.<br /><br />In fact, when it comes to sexual dysfunction, it's not the erection or the ejaculation that's the problem for many men -- it's feeling anything at all.<br /><br />So are these men, well, faking their orgasms?<br /><br />"When I asked the test subjects in plain language, ‘Did you feel orgasm [after ejaculating after sex with a woman], 16 % of men in our group said they didn't have sensation of orgasm," said Dr. Darius Paduch, assistant professor of urology and reproductive medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. "This is astonishing."<br /><br />Problems with sexual pleasure don't just affect older men. Paduch said that he sees men as young as their 20s.<br /><br />It isn't easy for men to admit to their partner that they can't enjoy sex.<br /><br />"Our society is more sympathetic for women facing sexual problems, but men are still faced with self-doubt, fear of being labeled as impotent, inadequate and just not a full man," said Paduch. "You need to remember that regardless if a man is a bricklayer or a president, men value themselves through their sexual performance."Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-23199845691553997712011-02-07T19:46:00.000-08:002011-02-07T19:46:00.388-08:00Bath salts ban; Sen. Charles Schumer moves to ban drug sold under bath salts guise<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/02/01/alg_charles_schumer.jpg" alt="Sen. Charles Schumer revealed a new bill on Sunday which calls for a nation-wide ban on the so-called bath salts. " title="Sen. Charles Schumer revealed a new bill on Sunday which calls for a nation-wide ban on the so-called bath salts. " /></div><br /></div>Two drugs that produce a "meth-like" high and are being sold under the guise of "bath salts" would be banned as federally controlled substances under a bill unveiled on Sunday by Senator Charles Schumer.<br /><br />"These so-called bath salts contain ingredients that are nothing more than legally sanctioned narcotics, and they are being sold cheaply to all comers, with no questions asked, at store counters around the country," said Schumer, a New York Democrat.<br /><br />Schumer said he will introduce a bill to outlaw the two synthetic drugs -- mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, or MDPV. The drugs come in powder and tablet form and are ingested by snorting, injection, smoking and, less often, by use of an atomizer.<br /><br />Users experience an intense high, euphoria, extreme energy, hallucinations, insomnia and are easily provoked to anger, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is currently investigating the drugs.<br /><br />They have emerged as legal alternatives to cocaine and methamphetamines, and one or both have already been banned in the European Union, Australia, Canada, and Israel. In the United States, Florida, Louisiana and North Dakota have all recently banned the substances.<br /><br />"The longer we wait to ban the substance, the greater risk we put our kids in," Schumer said.<br /><br />Media reports over the last year describe the drugs as becoming increasingly popular, particularly among young people attending nightclubs, although the actual number of individuals using the drugs is unknown.<br /><br />"These products are readily available at convenience stores, discount tobacco outlets, gas stations, pawnshops, tattoo parlors, truck stops and other locations," said an alert issued by the DEA.<br /><br />"Prices range from $25 to $50 per 50-milligram packet," the DEA alert said.<br /><br />The European Union banned mephedrone in December, saying the drug was directly linked to the deaths of two people, and may have been tied to 37 other cases of death.<br /><br />The European Union's report said there was limited scientific evidence on the effects of the drug -- believed to be mostly manufactured in Asia before being packaged in the West -- but that there was sufficient evidence of its health risks to support a ban.<br /><br />Schumer has also asked the health commissioner of New York State, Nirav Shah, to ban the two substances.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-64461613183263915852011-02-05T19:45:00.000-08:002011-02-05T19:45:00.203-08:00Nealy 26 million Americans have diabetes: CDC<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/07/14/alg_resize_large.jpg" alt="Diabetes in America: 13 million, or 11.8% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes." title="Diabetes in America: 13 million, or 11.8% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes." /></div><br /></div>U.S. health officials have raised their estimate of how many Americans have diabetes to nearly 26 million or 8.3 percent of the population.<br /><br />The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the new estimate: Here is a breakdown of the terrifying 2011 statistics:<br /><br />Age 60 years or older: 10.9 million, or 26.9% of all people in this age group, have diabetes.<br /><br />Men: 13.0 million, or 11.8% of all men aged 20 years or older, have diabetes.<br /><br />Women: 12.6 million, or 10.8% of all women aged 20 years or older, have diabetes.<br /><br />Non-Hispanic whites: 15.7 million, or 10.2% of all non-Hispanic whites aged 20 years or older, have diabetes.<br /><br />Non-Hispanic blacks: 4.9 million, or 18.7% of all non-Hispanic blacks aged 20 years or older, have diabetes.<br /><br />Pregnant women: Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 35% to 60% chance of developing diabetes in the next 10–20 years.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-19010844362181476112011-02-03T19:44:00.000-08:002011-02-03T19:44:00.514-08:00Medical clowns may boost IVF treatment success; Laughing may lower stress, raise implantation rate<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/02/01/alg_clown_patient.jpg" alt="Laughter may be the best medicine -- especially if its administered by a professional medical clown." title="Laughter may be the best medicine -- especially if its administered by a professional medical clown." /></div><br /></div>Women who have tried everything to get pregnant may have one more option: A medical clown. Seriously.<br /><br />A study of 229 Israeli women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to treat infertility received 15-minute visit from a trained "medical clown" immediately after the embryos were implanted. The success rate ballooned to 36%, compared with 20% for women who weren't given the silly treatment.<br /><br />The goal of the study was to see if reduced stress, caused by laughter, could increase the chance of that the injected embryo will successfully make its way into the womb.<br /><br />Afraid of clowns? Other treatments, including acupuncture have lead to positive results for women undergoing IVF.<br /><br />You can't become a medical clown just from attending your local clown college. The University of Haifa in Israel is the only school in the world that actually awards a degree in hospital jokery.<br /><br />These professional funnymen, who have taken courses in nursing, have made strides in Israeli children's wards by helping young patient communicate their pain and distract them from their suffering.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-50215535391719320532011-02-01T19:42:00.001-08:002011-02-01T19:44:26.764-08:00Does at-home drug rehab work? Charlie Sheen reportedly receiving help at his Los Angeles home<div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/29/alg_cigar_charlie-sheen.jpg" alt="" title="" /></div><br />Charlie Sheen is reportedly undergoing another round of rehabilitation to cope with his drug addiction - only this time, he's getting the help delivered to his home.<br /><br />The star of the CBS comedy hit "Two and a Half Men" will reportedly receive visits to his Los Angeles home from "an expert in addiction," reports TMZ.<br /><br />But does at-home rehab work?<br /><br />The clearest benefit for a patient receiving rehabilitation treatment at home is that he receives all the comforts of, well, home.<br /><br />But this can be a mixed blessing.<br /><br />"The patient doesn't have access to the full compliment of medical services," Dr. Petros Levounis, the director of the Addiction Institute of New York at St. Lukes & Roosevelt Hospitals told the Daily News. "If something goes wrong, there are no resources available."<br /><br />Making an addict feel "at home" isn't always the wisest treatment move.<br /><br />"Every time you sacrifice something to make rehab more 'like home'—you are catering to the way the addict's life is currently operating," said Dr. David Moore, psychologist and author of the NY Daily News weekly column 'Addictions & Answers.'<br /><br />For example, Sheen is likely to have full access to his cell phone and internet, a luxury that is usually denied to patients first entering rehab.<br /><br />"The only benefit to treating Sheen at home is to control the environment so that the paparazzi has less access to what is going on," said Moore. "However, this type of 'sterilizing the environment' is simply not effective."<br /><br />If the patient is still suffering from withdrawal symptoms, he may require a battery of caregivers to administer IV fluids and medication, provide counseling, and schedule around the clock visits.<br /><br />This also costs a lot of money - most likely a lot more than one would spend in a traditional inpatient rehabilitation facility.<br /><br />"You have to bring the hospital resources to the patient, rather than the other way around," said Levounis.<br /><br />Even if the patient being treated at home has every medical marvel at his fingertips, there's one thing he's likely to miss out on - group counseling.<br /><br />Sheen may be intent on avoiding the cameras but he may have trouble succeeding in sobriety if he doesn't have contact with non-celebrity addicts.<br /><br />"It requires a very motivated person," said Levounis. "Part of rehabilitation is asking for help, having humility and the ability for introspection. You can't bring an AA meeting into someone's home. It's helpful if the patient is willing to leave the home for group therapy and counseling."<br /><br />Is there ever a time when at-home rehabilitation is recommended over traditional treatment?<br /><br />Only when the patient refuses anything else.<br /><br />"When a person steadfastly refuses to come to an addiction treatment center, then this can be a successful option," said Levounis.<br /><br />Moore is less optimistic.<br /><br />"Take a look at Tiger Woods—he had family counselors and therapists coming to his Florida compound for his drug and sex addiction stuff," he said. "Where did it get him?"Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-27586357486433593812011-02-01T19:42:00.000-08:002011-02-01T19:42:37.288-08:00NYC sugar scare ad shows diabetic's decaying toes; TV commercial warns sugary soda leads to diabetes<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/02/02/alg_sugar_commercial.jpg" alt="The 30-second spot stresses that a 20 oz. bottle of soda pop contains the equivalent of 16 packets of sugar." title="The 30-second spot stresses that a 20 oz. bottle of soda pop contains the equivalent of 16 packets of sugar." /></div><br /><br /></div>Sugar is the new scourge of the city, the Health Department is warning.<br /><br />The city cut a grisly new TV commercial warning of the health risks of sugary soft drinks - including images of a diabetic's decaying toes.<br /><br />"Don't drink yourself sick. Go with water, seltzer, fat-free milk or unsweetened teas instead," admonishes the narration.<br /><br />The 30-second spot stresses that a 20 oz. bottle of soda pop contains the equivalent of 16 packets of sugar.<br /><br />A mid-morning soda, a sweetened tea at lunch, a frozen coffee drink in the afternoon and then a few sodas at dinner might seem harmless, but they add up to 93 packets of sugar, a female narrator intones.<br /><br />The ad says excessive sugar intake can cause health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.<br /><br />And to drive home the message, the ad features the decaying toes and an unconscious man being shocked with a defribillator.<br /><br />This the second such commercial released by the city in its campaign against sugar drinks.<br /><br />The earlier spot was released in September 2009 - and featured a young man chugging what was described as liquid fat, with the admonition, "drinking one can of soda can make you ten pounds fatter a year."<br /><br />Print versions of the ads have also been displayed on subway trains and.<br /><br />A spokeswoman for the Health Department said the latest ad push could be seen as gruesome by some, but she added, "we're trying to educate people about the potential harmful health consequences of sugar drinks.<br /><br />"We call them hard-hitting and realistic," she added.<br /><br />The latest ads will air through Feb. 22 on major broadcast and cable TV channels in the area.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-51558284851729500632011-01-24T01:01:00.000-08:002011-01-24T01:01:00.849-08:00'Naked Fitness' author boasts shedding pounds is as easy as 'stripping' away excuses for exercise<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/12/alg_dog_exercise.jpg" alt="Going for regular walks with your pup is a lifestyle change that also helps shed a few pounds." title="Going for regular walks with your pup is a lifestyle change that also helps shed a few pounds." /></div><br /></div>Trainer and nutrition expert Andrea Metcalf won't make you strip off your spandex to shed pounds — she'll adjust your negative attitude.<br /><br />"The book title is referring to my theory that in order to lose weight, you have to strip away your excuses, your bad mind-set, your bad outlook to achieve whatever lifestyle goal you have," she says. "It teaches you how to look at your whole body — and your whole life — in a different way."<br /><br />Metcalf, whose book features a 28-day workout program, doesn't believe in the doctrine of "no pain, no gain." ("That's no way to live your life," she says.) She insists you can change your body with just 10 minutes of exercise a day.<br /><br />Chew on that.<br /><br />'Weight loss is 100% mindset and 100% moving, every day," she says. "Even if it's only for 10 minutes. Doing 10 minutes of movement or strengthening or vigorous walking will make you feel different and cause your metabolism to change."<br /><br />Still not convinced? Metcalf outlines one of her regimens — walking — below, and promises results.<br /><br />"If you're honest with yourself about your goals, you will be successful and you WILL be happy," she says. "And then, you'll want to be naked, really naked!"<br /><br />WALK YOUR WAY TO NAKED FITNESS<br /><br />One secret to success on Naked Fitness is walking two hours a day. You may think, "Two hours<br />a day? That's not possible!"<br /><br />But before you protest, let me reassure you that walking two hours a day is not only doable, but honestly is very easy to do. Nor is it time-consuming, because most of the time you'll be "sneaking" your walk into your day.<br /><br />There are many ways to reach the two-hour target. Some are familiar, but as more of my clients have started walking two hours a day, they've found very inventive ways to do it. They suggest:<br /><br />- Take the farthest parking space.<br /><br />- Take the stairs.<br /><br />- Walk your dog.<br /><br />- Break up walking into different activities: 30 minutes on a treadmill, 30 minutes on a stair-stepping machine, 30 minutes on an elliptical or 30 minutes of walking during your lunch hour.<br /><br />- Walk in place or on a treadmill while watching TV.<br /><br />- Take your clients for a long walk instead of "doing lunch."<br /><br />- Walk around when you're waiting for a bus, airplane, train or other appointment.<br /><br />- Schedule walking meetings instead of group sit-downs in stuffy rooms.<br /><br />- Walk while you shop. Mall walking is a great way to sneak in exercise.<br /><br />- Take some fun aerobics classes, such as Latin dancing or hip-hop. These count toward your daily walking quota because they are aerobic and help you burn fat.<br /><br />- Walk while on your cell phone.<br /><br />- Deliver memos on foot instead of emailing nearby co-workers.<br /><br />- Compete in charity walks. The moment you enroll, you'll have a new sense of purpose and a concrete goal that will push you to achieve more.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-30247715283406038282011-01-22T00:58:00.000-08:002011-01-22T00:58:00.117-08:00Jenny McCarthy still isn't convinced.<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/10/01/alg_mccarthy.jpg" alt="Jenny McCarthy still believes that vaccines are to blame for development of autism in children." title="Jenny McCarthy still believes that vaccines are to blame for development of autism in children." /></div><br /><br /></div>The actress still firmly believes that vaccines are to blame for development of autism in children, despite last week's British Medical Journal article about a discredited study linking childhood shots to the developmental disorder.<br /><br />On a blog she wrote for the Huffington Post, McCarthy asked, "Why does one journalist's accusations against Dr. Wakefield now mean the vaccine-autism debate is over?"<br /><br />"I know children regress after vaccination because it happened to my own son," she stated. "Why aren't there any tests out there on the safety of how vaccines are administered in the real world, six at a time? Why have only two of the 36 shots our kids receive been looked at for their relationship to autism?"<br /><br />That article charged that the author of the 1998 study, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, hid the fact that some of the dozen children he described in his research already suffered from developmental problems when they were vaccinated.<br /><br />The British physician had his medical license revoked last year because of "serious professional misconduct," according to Salon.com.<br /><br />Wakefield had altered the medical histories of the kids whose stories formed the base of his study, CNN reported.<br /><br />McCarthy's son Evan, was born in 2002 and diagnosed with autism in 2005. Since then, McCarthy, a self-described "mother warrior" has been highly visible as an advocate for autism awareness.<br /><br />The former model shows no signs of slowing down in her quest to have childhood vaccines looked at more closely.<br /><br />"Why do other first world countries give children so many fewer vaccines than we do?" she asked. "Vaccines save lives, but might be harming some children. Is moderation such a terrible idea?"<br /><br />And, referring to the BMJ story, she added, "Last week, this hoopla made us a little stronger, and even more determined to fight for the truth about what's happening to our kids."<br /><br />McCarthy, who has written books on Evan's condition, including "Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism," has said her son is "healed" from autism.<br />ShareFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-33149791188868146532011-01-20T00:54:00.000-08:002011-01-20T00:54:00.850-08:00Black and Latino seniors less likely to get flu shots than whites, study shows<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/12/alg_flu_shot.jpg" alt="Gloria LeBlanc, 86, gets a flu shot in October in Hoover, Alabama." title="Gloria LeBlanc, 86, gets a flu shot in October in Hoover, Alabama." /></div><br /></div>Black and Latino seniors are less likely than whites to get the flu shot - even though they're at higher risk for chronic diseases that make the vaccine crucial, a new report says.<br /><br />"We're concerned that not only don't seniors get enough flu shots, but there seems to be ethnic and racial disparities," said Dr. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association.<br /><br />In New York City, 35% of blacks and 38% of Latinos age 50 and older got the shot in 2009, compared with 49% of whites, the Health Department reported.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-76212593015798856492011-01-18T00:52:00.000-08:002011-01-18T00:52:00.640-08:00Avoiding the flu; Influenza is easily contracted but also highly preventable<div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/13/alg_doctor_garcia_sastre.jpg" alt="The specialist: Dr. Adolfo García-Sastre on the flu" title="The specialist: Dr. Adolfo García-Sastre on the flu" /></div><br />As director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Adolfo García-Sastre conducts research on the influenza virus, including ways to produce better vaccines and antivirals. He has been working on influenza for 25 years.<br /><br />Who's at risk<br /><br />For most Americans, influenza, or flu, is an inevitable yearly visitor. "Influenza is a respiratory disease caused by the influenza virus," says García-Sastre. "It's like a very bad cold, characterized by four or five days of high fever and prostration."<br /><br />For 10,000 to 50,000 Americans every year, mostly elderly, the symptoms can worsen and lead to death, usually from flu-induced pneumonia.<br /><br />The groups at highest risk of severe flu are the old and very young, people over age 65 or under age 2.<br /><br />"The older you are, the higher the risk," says García-Sastre. "One exception was last year's pandemic H1N1, which left most people over 65 unaffected and was more severe in young people." Other factors that put you at elevated risk of severe flu are obesity, pregnancy, immuno-suppression and respiratory problems like asthma.<br /><br />Flu spreads in three major ways, all of them respiratory.<br /><br />"Phomites are surfaces that become contaminated," says García-Sastre. "Then someone touches the surface, gets the virus on the hand, and puts the hand in their nose or their eyes." Shaking hands with someone is a common example of this form.<br /><br />The other main way flu spreads is through respiratory droplets, which can either be big or small. "Coughing and sneezing often cause big respiratory droplets that cannot fly more than 3 feet because they are heavy and quickly fall to the floor," says García-Sastre. "That's why the recommendation is to stay 3 feet away from people who are sick."<br /><br />But coughing and sneezing also generate aerosol droplets, which are small particles that stay in the air and travel long distances. Doctors haven't determined which mode of transmission is most common.<br /><br />Signs and symptoms<br /><br />Most people are extremely familiar with warning signs of flu. "The symptoms are very typical of any febrile disease," says García-Sastre. "Most of them are respiratory symptoms: stuffy nose, sneezing, high fever, feeling very bad and prostration." Other symptoms can include headaches and GI symptoms. In severe cases, flu causes respiratory failure, which can lead to multiple organ dysfunction and death.<br /><br />The common cold causes respiratory symptoms that can look like flu, but severity and timing can help you tell the difference. "Flu typically causes a fever," says García-Sastre. "In general, if you feel very bad and need to go to bed, it's usually flu, not a cold."<br /><br />Flu also strikes seasonally, and the Centers for Disease Control tracks the number of cases so its researchers can report which states have a high incidence of flu.<br /><br />"If you get a very bad cold during the peak of the influenza season, it's probably influenza," says García-Sastre.<br /><br />Traditional treatment<br /><br />The best treatment for flu is still prevention. "Vaccines work extremely well in healthy adults, but not as well in the elderly," says García-Sastre. "However, the best way to prevent elderly people from getting infected is to decrease infections among the younger people. Kids are the main spreaders of flu."<br /><br />There are two types of vaccine: an inactivated vaccine, taken as a shot, and flu-mist vaccine, an alive but weakened virus that is taken intranasally.<br /><br />"The injection is an inactivated vaccine, which cannot make you sick because the virus isn't alive," says García-Sastre. "It's also given intramuscularly so it can't reach the respiratory tract."<br /><br />Vaccination takes three to four weeks to induce an immune response.<br /><br />"One problem with the vaccine is that because the virus changes, the vaccine needs to change every year," says García-Sastre. "When a new strain comes, it's very difficult to create a new vaccine in time."<br /><br />Once you've been infected with influenza, antivirals can prevent the virus from replicating.<br /><br />"There are two classes of antivirals. Amantadine and rimantadine belong to the first class, two drugs that target the same viral protein and aren't currently recommended for many patients due to resistance of the circulating strains," says García-Sastre. "Neuraminidase inhibitors <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Tamiflu" title="Tamiflu">Tamiflu</a> and <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Relenza" title="Relenza">Relenza</a> are more effective against the current strains — Tamiflu is an oral product and Relenza is inhaled."<br /><br />Taking antivirals can reduce death in cases of severe disease. "The problem with antivirals is that they need to be taken very early on to have impact," says García-Sastre. "Right now these drugs are effective, but in the future the virus may develop resistance to them."<br /><br />Research breakthroughs<br /><br />The best hope for reducing the burden of influenza is research working to develop new vaccines and antivirals. "New research breakthroughs give hope on the possibility of a next generation of influenza vaccines that are called universal, which means they would protect against more different strains, even all different strains of the virus," says García-Sastre. "A second avenue of research is the development of new antivirals that target different components."<br /><br />García-Sastre expects that doctors will be able to choose from many more anti-virals within the next five years.<br />Question for your doctor<br /><br />If you think you have flu, talk to your doctor over the phone and ask, "Do you recommend Tamiflu?"<br /><br />Tamiflu can also be used prophylactically.<br /><br />"For instance, if one person has the disease in a family that lives together, taking Tamiflu can help prevent the rest of the family catching it," says García-Sastre.<br /><br /><strong>What you can do</strong><br /><strong><br />See a doctor if you have severe flu.</strong><br /><br />"If you start to feel really bad and have problems breathing, you might be getting severe influenza that could lead into pneumonia," says Dr. Adolfo García-Sastre. "And you might need to be hospitalized."<br /><br /><strong>Watch out for complications.</strong><br /><br />The normal duration of flu is around one week. Longer bouts can be a sign something is wrong. For example, the flu could have given way to a bacterial infection, or it may not have been flu in the first place.<br /><br /><strong>Get vaccinated.</strong><br /><br />García-Sastre recommends everybody get vaccinated: "The more people get vaccinated, the less spreading there will be."<br /><br /><strong>Take sensible precautions.</strong><br /><br />Frequently wash your hands, and don't cough or sneeze into your hands. The use of masks by people who have the disease can help, too.<br /><strong><br />Stay in bed.</strong><br /><br />"If you come to work, you are going to spread it," says García-Sastre.<br /><strong><br />Get informed.</strong><br /><br />The CDC runs a great website on influenza (cdc.gov/flu) with information on flu prevention, treatment and free resources.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-60122430471630997162011-01-16T00:48:00.000-08:002011-01-16T00:50:23.825-08:00No diet is one-size-fits-all, only way to target fat is by liposuction<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/13/alg_diet_hotline.jpg" alt="Anne Ammons, 30, a registered dietitian, explains that there are little things you can do to flatten your belly, even if most exercises can't target fat in parts of the body." title="Anne Ammons, 30, a registered dietitian, explains that there are little things you can do to flatten your belly, even if most exercises can't target fat in parts of the body." /><br /></div><br />Calorie counters looking to turn the tables on weight gain have just two days left to phone the free Daily News Diet Hotline.<br /><br />Our diet and fitness experts are taking a bite out of the Big Apple's obesity epidemic, one call at a time.<br /><br />"People are suffering from information overload," says dietitian Keri Glassman, founder and president of Keri Glassman, Nutritious Life. "Weight Watchers says this, Jenny Craig says that, people read one thing one day and another thing the next, so no wonder they are still confused about what they can or cannot eat."<br /><br />No diet is one-size-fits-all, so New Yorkers need to customize a plan to fit their lifestyle.<br /><br />"What they should do is take advantage of the fact that there are options, and figure out what works best for them," says dietitian Lisa Moskovitz of the F-Factor Diet. "People want to be told exactly what to eat, but what they need to learn is how to make choices for themselves."<br /><br />The Diet Hotline is helping confused callers become educated eaters. Dial (212) 210-2044 or email your questions to DietHotline@nydailynews.com.<br /><br />The first step is forgetting the diet and fitness myths you've always believed. Start with this one: There's no such thing as targeting weight loss to a specific area.<br /><br />"The only way to spot-reduce is a thing called liposuction," says trainer Jeff Halevy, CEO of Halevy Life. "That's the only way to suck fat out of just one area."<br /><br />You've got to work the whole body to shed that stubborn belly fat. "You can't target, but when you lose weight overall, it will also leave your belly," says dietitian Anne Ammons from New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. "There are little things you can do to help, however, like focus on building core strength or cutting out carbonated beverages, which can make you bloated and puffy."<br /><br />Next, say our experts: Don't believe the baked-chip hype. Baked Lays aren't better for you than the original fat trap, says dietitian Melissa Rifkin from Montefiore Medical Center Weiler Division. "They're both bad. And Baked Lays actually have more sodium than the regular kind."<br /><br />For snackers struggling to kick salty cravings, try a healthy take on fries: Make your own "potato chips" by sprinkling thin sweet-potato slices with a salt substitute, like Mrs. Dash or Nu-Salt, and baking them in the oven.<br /><br />Whatever you do, eat. Starvation diets are never a quick fix. "Missing meals hurts your metabolism. It slows it down," says June Levine, a dietitian and certified diabetes educator. "Eat small meals throughout the day to boost your metabolism." You'll also be less likely to binge when your appetite kicks in.<br /><br />Eating right doesn't have to mean giving up your favorite local foodie spot. "One caller who needs to cut his daily bagel and cream cheese habit didn't want to give up going to his regular breakfast place," says Allison Fishman, author of the upcoming "You Can Trust a Skinny Cook."<br /><br />"We went over the menu together and amped up his breakfast to an egg-white omelet with vegetables on rye toast," she explains, "so he can still say hi to his peeps every day, and he doesn't have to leave<br />his spot."<br /><br />The experts available on the Daily News Diet Hotline cannot give you medical advice or diagnosis. Any information about nutrition and weight control they offer is not intended as, and is not a substitute for, medical advice, counseling or diagnosis. You should consult your doctor before beginning any weight-loss program. The Daily News makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to information given by the hotline experts and under no circumstances will it be liable to any caller or other person for damages of any nature arising in any way from the use of such information.Family Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-35856699723215124722011-01-14T06:32:00.000-08:002011-01-14T06:32:00.248-08:00Living with Crohn's disease is easier thanks to treatment breakthroughs<div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/05/alg_doctor_babyatsky.jpg" alt="Mount Sinai Doctors Dr. Mark W. Babyatsky." title="Mount Sinai Doctors Dr. Mark W. Babyatsky." /></div><br />As chairman of the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Mark Babyatsky is a gastroenterologist who has specialized in inflammatory bowel diseases since 1984. Seventy-five percent of his patients have Crohn's disease.<br /><br />Who's at risk<br /><br />"Crohn's disease is an inflammation of any part of the digestive tract," says Babyatsky. "It's most commonly located in the small intestine or the large intestine." More than 500,000 people in the U.S. are living with Crohn's disease. An even greater number have ulcerative colitis, a similar inflammatory bowel disease that strikes the colon.<br /><br />"For reasons that we don't completely understand, these numbers are increasing and Crohn's is becoming more common," says Babyatsky.<br /><br />Some groups are at higher risk of Crohn's disease than others. "Doctors have long recognized higher incidence of Crohn's in people of Scandinavian descent and the Ashkenazi Jewish population, which is Jews of Eastern European origin," says Babyatsky.<br /><br />"Western European Jews have a lower incidence." Doctors have recently found other groups at risk, and now agree that any group can get Crohn's.<br /><br />The biggest risk factor is genetics. "There's a genetic predisposition, but it's not strictly inherited," says Babyatsky. "If your parent or first-degree relative had the disease, your risk is 5% higher."<br /><br />Doctors are also exploring environmental factors that contribute to the risks, stomach bacteria in particular.<br />"There's good and bad bacteria in terms of inflammation," says Babyatsky. "But we're not quite there in terms of understanding how that affects Crohn's."<br /><br />The disease commonly shows up in young people. "The most common age of presentation is 15 to 30 years old," says Babyatsky. "Crohn's tends to be a young person's disease, and can appear even in childhood." There's a second peak of diagnosis from age 60-80.<br /><br />Signs and symptoms<br /><br />Crohn's diseases presents itself in different ways, depending on where the inflammation is in the gastro-intestinal tract.<br /><br />"Abdominal pain, diarrhea and bloody bowel movements are three textbook symptoms," says Babyatsky. "Secondary symptoms can include weight loss, nausea and loss of appetite." In some patients, the disease causes abscesses or fistulas that can affect surrounding tissue or organs.<br /><br />For most patients, Crohn's symptoms present as sporadic attacks. "These are symptoms that come and go," says Babyatsky. "Some people have one attack and then it doesn't come back, but most people have recurrences." Crohn's attacks are often triggered by factors like stress, smoking, certain foods (especially high-fiber foods and dairy) and nonsteroidal drugs, including aspirin and non-aspirin products.<br /><br />One challenge of living with Crohn's disease is that it can be difficult to diagnose. "It takes a while to get the correct diagnosis, and Crohn's is often confused with irritable bowel syndrome," says Babyatsky. In milder cases, patients may think they are feeling the effects of a change in diet or bowel habits, or even an infection.<br /><br />Crohn's is easy to diagnose once the doctor orders screening tests like a colonoscopy, X-ray or CT enterography. "These tests give images of the GI tract's lining," says Babyatsky. "The doctor can actually see abscesses, strictures or inflammation."<br /><br />Traditional treatment<br /><br />Doctors now have a powerful array of treatment options for Crohn's disease. "The traditional treatments include a novel class of anti-inflammatory medications, immunosuppressive agents at lower doses, and antibiotics," says Babyatsky. "Most of these drugs are taken orally."<br /><br />In the past 15 years, a newer generation of drugs have dramatically improved quality of life for Crohn's patients.<br /><br />"Starting in 1998, we've had anti-TNF (anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor) medicines like Remicade," says Babyatsky. "These drugs are antibodies against an inflammatory substance that is increased in Crohn's patients."<br /><br />Doctors call these drugs biologic treatments because they're directed against the particular biology of the disease. "Now there's a family of anti-TNF medications and these are used extremely frequently and effectively for many forms of Crohn's," says Babyatsky, "especially for people with fistulas."<br /><br />Surgery is an option of last resort for most patients because the disease is recurrent and the drugs are so effective.<br />"Nonetheless, for some people surgery can be a tremendous option," says Babyatsky. "The surgeon removes the inflamed part of the GI tract, strictures or the fistula."<br /><br />Research breakthroughs<br /><br />Doctors' understanding of Crohn's disease has increased radically in the past decade. "We've found that there are two major pathways in the disease: the first related to the bacteria in the gut and their relationship to how the body handles them, including autophagy, a particular process of degeneration in the cells. The second is a specific pathway of the body's immune system.<br /><br />Targets against these factors are being evaluated," says Babyatsky.<br /><br />"The next step is to use this knowledge to develop the right strategies for treating diseases like Crohn's," he says. One hope is to use good bacteria, called probiotics, to counteract the bad bacteria that cause Crohn's.<br /><br />Questions for your doctor<br /><br />If you're diagnosed with Crohn's ask, "What are the triggers I can avoid?" For many patients the answers include nonsteroidal drugs, not smoking and certain foods. Another good question is, "What risk do my family members have of getting the disease?<br /><br />The third question is, "Is this going to kill me?" Almost without exception, the answer is no.<br /><br />Babyatsky counsels patients that Crohn's is now a manageable disease. "Under great care, patients have a normal life span and, in some cases, permanent remissions."<br /><br />What you can do<br /><br />Comply with medication.<br />Take your medications as prescribed and have a close working relationship with your doctor.<br /><br />Keep a dietary chart.<br />The triggers for Crohn's are different for everyone, and keeping a chart can help identify your pattern. High-fiber foods and dairy are two common triggers.<br /><br />See a nutritionist.<br />No single diet fits all Crohn's patients, so working with a nutritionist is key. Most nutritionists will ask you to keep a food log, then design a diet tailored to your specific needs.<br /><br />Get informed.<br />The Crohn's Colitis Foundation (ccfa.org) posts excellent, up-to-date information, including search engines for clinical trials and physicians who specialize in the disease.<br /><br />Ask about colon cancer screening.<br /><br />Patients with Crohn's in the large intestine can be at increased risk of colon cancer. Most doctors advise colon cancer screening eight-10 years after diagnosis with Crohn's, and repeating it every one to two years.<br /><br />nydailynews.comFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-48750342334942098862011-01-12T06:29:00.000-08:002011-01-12T06:29:00.063-08:00Former vice president Dick Cheney now has no pulse; Heart pump like artificial heart<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/06/alg_dick-cheney.jpg" alt="Former Vice President Dick Cheney got a mechanical heart pump in July." title="Former Vice President Dick Cheney got a mechanical heart pump in July." /></div><br /></div>He no longer has a pulse, but Dick Cheney has a mechanical heart pump – and a chance for a normal life.<br /><br />The 69-year-old former vice president is back in action, albeit a little thinner.<br /><br />"He really doesn't have a pulse, but he has blood pressure because blood is being pumped out from his ventricle into the aorta at a constant pressure," explains Dr. Kirk Garratt, clinical director of interventional cardiovascular research at Lenox Hill Hospital.<br /><br />But what exactly is beating in Cheney's chest?<br /><br />Called an implantable left ventricular assist device, it "works like a little centrifugal pump," Garratt said. "It is like a spinning motor that acts like a fan to draw blood out of the pumping chamber, or left ventricle, and it propels the blood into the aorta."<br /><br />Cheney's device, which is almost like a partial artificial heart, is battery-powered.<br /><br />Implanted in the patient's chest, the device is connected to a cable that comes out of the body and connects to a mini computer that plugs into a battery pack. The patient wears a vest that holds these in place, and spare batteries must be carried as well.<br /><br />"With a normal heart, the left ventricle fills with blood and the muscles of the heart all squeeze at once to push the blood out in one quick wave," Garratt said. "The pressure of that blood being pushed out into the arteries is what you feel as a pulse when you put your fingers to your wrist. But the pump works continuously, always drawing blood out of the left ventricle and propelling it into the aorta at a constant rate. So you don’t generate a pulse."<br /><br />Typically, the pump's batteries last for around six hours, and then they must be changed.<br /><br />But why does Cheney no longer have a pulse?<br /><br />The mechanical heart works continuously to push the blood, rather than mimicking a heartbeat.<br /><br />But don't think that just anyone can get this heart pump. Getting a pump like Cheney’s is major surgery and can require a lengthy hospital stay and recovery time.<br /><br />"It’s a big surgery that carries with it very real risks," Dr. Mathew Williams, surgical director of cardiovascular transcatheter therapies at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia told the Daily News. "We tend to put them into people who are going to die without them."<br /><br />Cheney will likely have this device in place for the rest of his life.<br /><br />Some patients are given this mechanical heart until they are healthy enough for a transplant. But in older patients like Cheney -- who has had five heart attacks -- a heart transplant is not always an option.<br /><br />“Hearts are an exceedingly rare commodity,” Garratt says. “It’s hard to make the decision to give a heart to a man who is [close to] 70 when you know that means a 30-year-old may not be able to get it.”<br /><br />nydailynews.comFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-18362341287583230872011-01-10T06:07:00.000-08:002011-01-10T06:07:00.417-08:00Girls who begin their period earlier are more likely to be depressed teens: study<div style="text-align: center;" class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/06/alg_teenage_depression.jpg" alt="Researchers found that girls who started their periods before the age of 11.5 were the most depressed by ages 13 and 14." title="Researchers found that girls who started their periods before the age of 11.5 were the most depressed by ages 13 and 14." /></div><br />The younger a girl is when she begins her monthly period, the more likely she is to struggle with depression later in her teen years, according to a study.<br /><br />British scientists studied a group of girls ages 10, 13 and 14 years old and examined the relationship between the early onset of menstruation and depressive symptoms, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.<br /><br />Researchers found that girls who started their periods before the age of 11.5 were the most depressed by ages 13 and 14. Girls who began to menstruate at 13.5 years of age were the least likely to suffer the same symptoms.<br /><br />Why does this happen?<br /><br />"Early maturing girls may feel isolated, and faced with demands which they are not emotionally prepared for," said lead researcher Dr. Carol Joinson of the School of Social and Community Medicine at Bristol University.<br /><br />These changes can include hormonal fluctuations, conflicts with friends and parents and sudden attention from the opposite sex.<br /><br />"Later maturation may be protective against psychological distress," said Joinson.<br /><br />The study only examines depression in mid-adolescent girls as opposed to whether girls who menstruate early suffer from depression as adults.<br /><br />If the link between early onset puberty and depression is a real one, additional counseling can help girls who are struggling with the sudden changes.<br /><br />"If girls who reach puberty early are at greater risk of psychological problems in adolescence, it may be possible to help them with school- and family-based programs aimed at early intervention and prevention," said Joinson.<br /><br />nydailynews.comFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-22525937954190769482011-01-06T06:04:00.000-08:002011-01-08T06:07:51.450-08:00Autism and vaccine link discredited; what parents should know now about vaccinating kids<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/07/alg_autism_vaccine.jpg" alt="British doctor Andrew Wakefield reportedly hid the fact that some of the children he wrote about in his research already had developmental problems." title="British doctor Andrew Wakefield reportedly hid the fact that some of the children he wrote about in his research already had developmental problems." /> </div><br />It's safe for kids to get their shots. That's the take-away message from medical experts in the wake of a British Medical Journal article about a discredited study linking vaccines and autism.<br /><br />The study author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, hid the fact that some of the children he wrote about in his research already had developmental problems when they got their vaccines, according to the Journal story.<br /><br />The doctor had changed the medical histories of the dozen autistic children whose stories were the basis of his 1998 study, reports CNN.com.<br /><br />The Journal article "pretty clearly shows that vaccines are safe, and there does not seem to be a clear relationship that vaccines are causing autism," said Dr. Robert Melillo, autism expert and author of "Disconnected Kids."<br /><br />For worried parents, the idea that autism could be prevented by withholding vaccines held a certain appeal since there are no definitively recognized causes for the disorder.<br /><br />"Some 95% of the research in the past couple of decades has been spent looking for a bad gene or genes," said Melillo. "There has not been a lot of research looking at environmental factors."<br /><br />When Wakefield's study came out, Melillo said, "It was the smoking gun, and it gave parents the validation they were looking for as a cause for autism."<br /><br />With the now-retracted study labeled an "elaborate fraud," according to CNN, Melillo advised parents to let go of any vaccine worries. But, he said, they also should be aware of early signs of autism, such as a baby being unable to roll over by the age of 5 months or to breastfeed successfully.<br /><br /><br />Jenny McCarthy is just one of the Hollywood celebrities who is adamant about the connection between vaccinations and autism. (Rodriguez/Getty)<br /><br />Parents worried about a baby's development should get in touch with the child's pediatrician right away, he said.<br /><br />Vaccine fears have taken hold of parents, but they're unfounded, says Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of the division of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of North Shore-LIJ.<br /><br />"There is an overwhelming abundance of research dismissing any credible link between autism and vaccines," he said.<br /><br />"One of the many wrong presumptions is that there is a singular cause of autism." Instead, he said, it's likely that there are multiple reasons for a child to have autism.<br /><br />Despite the BMJ story, not all parents are convinced that Wakefield's research has been disproved. "Vaccine injury is real," said Kim Stagliano, a Connecticut mother of three autistic daughters who said that her older two, now 16 and 14, got autism because of vaccines<br /><br />She subsequently did not have her youngest, now 10, vaccinated.<br /><br />"The barrage against Dr. Wakefield is an unvarnished attempt to convince the American public that there is an ‘anti-vaccine' movement, while ignoring that American children are chronically sicker than ever and autism now hobbles at least 1% of American children," said Stagliano, who is the author of the book, "All I Can Handle: I'm No Mother Teresa."<br /><br />She added that parents have the right to demand vaccine safety and "honest science, without those who have a financial interest controlling the conversation."<br /><br />The actress Jenny McCarthy, whose son has autism, hadn't issued comment on the BMJ article, according to CNN. However, McCarthy, who founded Generation Rescue, a group that backs the idea of a link between vaccines and autism, had supported Wakefield in the past.<br /><br />Parents now should have much less anxiety about vaccinating their kids, says Dr. Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco, chairwoman of legislative affairs of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island and a past member of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee.<br /><br />"The study linking autism with vaccines has decreased the number of children who get vaccinated," she said. "But there was no truth to the study. A mistake was made. The person who did the study has betrayed the public's trust with this, and children have suffered because of it."<br /><br />Whether previously reluctant parents will now decide to have their kids vaccinated remains to be seen.<br /><br />New York State requires certain vaccinations before a child can attend school, but a parent can get a religious exemption, Koslap-Petraco said. "It's very difficult to get a medical exemption, and New York City is really strict about what they will allow as a religious exemption."<br /><br />Not vaccinating kids opens up the possibility of an outbreak of disease, she said. "Unless you have a highly vaccinated population, if you introduce a virus or the bacteria into the community, it puts all children, even the vaccinated ones, at risk," she warned.<br /><br />nydailynews.comFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-30753816731574262702011-01-04T18:50:00.000-08:002011-01-04T18:50:00.126-08:00Scientists debunk dubious celebrity-endorsed health tips<div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><div id="art_header"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;" class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/08/20/alg_kutcher_moore.jpg" alt="Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher: Docs recommend you not take medical or nutrition advice from these people" title="Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher: Docs recommend you not take medical or nutrition advice from these people" /></div><span></span><br />Science campaigners laid bare some of the most dubious celebrity-endorsed health tips on Wednesday, rubbishing ideas such as reabsorbing sperm and wearing silicone bracelets to boost energy.<br /></div></div></div><br />In an annual list of what it sees as the year's worst abuses against science, the Sense About Science (SAS) campaign group debunked diet and exercise suggestions made by actors, pop stars and others in the public eye in an effort "to help the celebrities realize where they are going wrong and to help the public make sense of celebrity claims."<br /><br />In the health and fitness section, SAS noted that soccer player David Beckham and Prince William's fiancee Kate Middleton have both been spotted wearing hologram-embedded silicone bracelets which makers claim can improve energy and fitness.<br /><br />It also listed a diet reportedly used by supermodel Naomi Campbell and actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore in which followers survive on maple syrup, lemon and pepper alone for up to two weeks. Campbell told U.S. TV host Oprah Winfrey in an interview in May: "It's good to clean out your body once in a while."<br /><br /><br />Naomi Campbell: Beautiful but not the person to go to for health advice. (Pascal Le Segretain)<br /><br />But SAS said in a statement: "Many of these claims promote theories, therapies and campaigns that make no scientific sense."<br /><br />Pop star Sarah Harding told Now magazine in April that she crumbles charcoal over her food, saying: "It's doesn't taste of anything and apparently absorbs all the bad damaging stuff in the body."<br /><br />Dr John Elmsley, a chemical scientist and writer asked by SAS to comment on this idea, said charcoal is known to absorb toxic molecules when used in gas masks and sewage treatment, but is "unnecessary when it comes to diet become the body is already quite capable of removing any 'bad damaging stuff'."<br /><br />One of the highlights for SAS was a tip from cage fighter Alex Reid, who told The Sun tabloid newspaper in April that he "reabsorbs" his sperm to prepare for a big fight.<br /><br />"It's actually very good for a man to have unprotected sex as long as he doesn't ejaculate. Because I believe that all that semen has a lot of nutrition. A tablespoon of semen has your equivalent of steak, eggs, lemons and oranges. I am reabsorbing it into my body and it makes me go raaaaahh," he said.<br /><br />John Aplin, a reproductive research scientist at the University of Manchester, said sperm cannot be reabsorbed once they have formed in the testes. "In fact sperm die after a few days, and the nutritional content of the ejaculate is really rather small," he said in a comment on the SAS list.<br /><br />To try and counter the effects of some of the wildest health and fitness tips, SAS published its own "easy-to-remember pointers for celebrity commentators":-<br /><br />* Nothing is chemical-free: everything is made of chemicals, it's just a case of which ones<br /><br />* Detox is a marketing myth: our body does it without pricey potions and detox diets<br /><br />* There's no need to boost: bodily functions occur without boosting<br /><br />* Energy and fitness come from...food and exercise: there are no shortcuts.<br /><br />nydailynews.comFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993186647128818700.post-28234026227040130802011-01-02T18:48:00.000-08:002011-01-02T18:48:00.125-08:00Addictions & Answers: Controlled drinking meds for alcoholics -- miracle drug or denial in a bottle?<div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;" class="art_img_lrg"> <img src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/12/31/alg_old-school.jpg" alt="When the party is over: The drug Nalmefene is aimed at reducing consumption without the abstinence. " title="When the party is over: The drug Nalmefene is aimed at reducing consumption without the abstinence. " /><br /></div><span></span><br /></div></div>BILL: Dave, you heard about this new drug, Nalmefene? Supposed to block brain signals that makes drinking feel good? The promise is that it can curb a drunk's urge to order another after s/he's had that barrier-breaking first shot?<br /><br />DR. DAVE: "Nalmefene is aimed at reducing consumption without the abstinence that Alcoholics Anonymous and other treatment programs say is necessary," says Adron Harris, director of the University of Texas at Austin's Waggoner Center for Alcohol & Addiction Research . "This less-strict approach may drive more abusers to seek treatment for the first time."<br /><br />BILL: Drunks like to say booze fills the hole in your belly. I think it's a hole in your heart and soul. How does a chemical fill that?<br /><br />DR. DAVE: The actual hole that Nalmafene research does fill is the craving among a small group of scientists to develop a path to controlled drinking for alcoholics.<br /><br />BILL: Where I agree with Adron Harris is that the notion of complete abstinence is so scary it does keep many a drunk from seeking treatment. Why are you so dead set against that?<br /><br />DR. DAVE: Experience tells me a return to controlled drinking is the holy grail of virtually every alcoholic. The unstated promise behind Nalmafene is maybe you don't have to stop drinking at all. Listen, Bill, are you having a bit of longing yourself for some pill that would allow you to have that "occasional drink or two?"<br /><br />BILL: Doc, is that what you hear in my interest in Nalmefene? The siren call of relapse? To dance once more with three martinis on the other side of the moon?<br /><br />DR. DAVE: What I don't like is that Nalmefene's false promise undermines work on medications that actually do support a more comfortable abstinence.<br /><br />BILL: Such as Naltrexone and Acomprosate?<br /><br />DR.DAVE: Both already approved by the FDA to alleviate cravings.<br /><br />BILL: I remember going through bouts of depression in rehab – a feeling I had to have a drink right now or die. One of those proven suppressants would have made it a lot easier to pay attention to aftercare group counseling sessions.<br /><br />DR. DAVE: And that's where the new advances in medication are at their best! In fact, even in good Minnesota Model treatment programs we see rates of recovery in depressed alcoholics hovering around 30%. Add Naltrexone and a common non-abusable anti-depressant, Zoloft, to the treatment and those research rates jump up above 50%.<br /><br />BILL: Whoa Doc—aren't you back to pushing pills rather than treatment? Instead of weeks in rehab, wouldn't the temptation be to just go get a prescription from your family doc?<br /><br />DR. DAVE: The statistics are that doctors who mistakenly prescribe just anti-depressant medication to improve the symptoms of alcoholism are actually choosing the least effective course of treatment.<br /><br />BILL: We've certainly seen a lot of celebs who actually died trying to find a chemical way out of their alcoholism or addiction—Corey Haim, Anna Nicole Smith, Judy Garland and the pinnacles of old time rock and roll—Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.<br /><br />DR. DAVE: Its called Combined Drug Intoxication, or CDI, and it comes from trying to mix drugs to "get a better high" without so many negative side effects...<br /><br />BILL: What you are saying is that drugs like Nalmafene could actually be called "Denial in a Bottle?"<br /><br />DR. DAVE: If family physicians reading us want to see the different medications that can be legitimately used to support an abstinence-based alcoholism recovery, they can go to this medication web site.<br /><br />BILL: Run by the American Academy of Family Physicians, right? Dave, I have to tell you though, that with the holidays coming to an end, the research I'd like to see would be for those infomercial favorites--Fat Burner pills, followed by two tablets of Exercise-in-a-Bottle. Now, if there had been one to evaporate the contents of a full bladder, I would never have to leave the couch!<br /><br />DR. DAVE: Well Bill, we've run out of space today; but I'll be glad to reserve next week's column for medication and eating disorders—just in time for your New Years' Resolutions.<br /><br /><br />Dr. David Moore is a licensed psychologist and chemical dependency professional who is a graduate school faculty member at Argosy University's Seattle Campus. Bill Manville is a Book of the Month novelist; his most recent work of non-fiction, "Cool, Hip & Sober," is available at online bookstores. Bill also teaches "Writing To Get Published" for Temple University and at writers.com.<br /><br />nydailynews.comFamily Healthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628204515412966153noreply@blogger.com0