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Are 'Swine Flu Parties' Safe?
Tweet Share on Facebook September 28, 2009 Comment (38)I've heard that some parents are throwing "swine flu parties" for their kids with the intent of exposing them to the virus now, while it's mild, so that kids have enough immunity to fight the virus off. Is this a good idea?
While parents want to protect their children from infections, exposing them to illness is not a prudent practice. I asked Dr. Thomas Sandora, the director of infection control at Children's Hospital in Boston, to give his advice. Here's what he had to say: -
How Much Sugar Is Too Much?
Tweet Share on Facebook September 18, 2009 Comment (16)The American Heart Association has just advised that we limit our added-sugar intake. I don't have a sweet tooth, but what should I be cognizant of as I browse store shelves? How much added sugar is too much, and what's at stake if I don't cut down?
This will be a bit challenging for consumers to put into practice. The first and most important point is that a huge source for millions of Americans is sugary beverages—soda but also fruit drinks or punches. Not consuming these, or if so only rarely, is very important for maintaining health.Then, we should consider that 5 percent of calories from added sugar [the AHA recommendation] means about 25 grams or five teaspoons for a typical person. If you look at the food labels, you can see how the content fits into this total target. This is not perfect, because the label includes natural sugars like those in an orange, which are not counted toward the 5 percent. Metabolically, though, natural sugar behaves the same, so we will be on the safe side by including natural sugar.
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Do Omega-3 Supplements Affect Mood?
Tweet Share on Facebook September 18, 2009 Comment (5)I've been considering taking Omega-3 supplements since I heard they can improve mood. Is there really a link?
Omega-3 supplements can be good for your mind as well as your body. Fish oil is the prime source of two key omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). Epidemiological studies have demonstrated significant inverse relationships between annual fish consumption and prevalence of major depression: The more fish eaten, the lower the levels of serious clinical depression.Researchers have shown that depressed patients have, on average, lower levels of omega-3 in their blood than nondepressed individuals; furthermore, they have found evidence that greater severity of depression is linked to lower levels of omega-3. A number of well-controlled depression treatment studies have found therapeutic benefits following omega-3 supplementation. Omega-3 fatty acids also benefit patients with cardiovascular disease, and there is a very well-known association between depression and cardiovascular disease that may reflect a common factor for both: deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids.
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Is Low-Dose HRT Safe for Menopause Symptoms?
Tweet Share on Facebook August 19, 2009 Comment (10)I'm a 49-year-old woman struggling with menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, depression, and emotional swings. Is a blood test for estrogen levels worthwhile? (I saw Suzanne Somers talk about this on Oprah.) And is low-dose hormone replacement therapy a valid treatment for these symptoms, or is it too risky?
There are many approaches to menopausal symptoms that can help with this transition. Some of them are hormonal, many are not, and all of these decisions need to be individualized depending on your personal health history, your family history, and the symptoms or issues you are trying to address. In other words, there is no approach that fits all, and having a health provider you trust and who will work with you as you make decisions along this journey is critical.OK, so you are 49 years old. The FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) level can indicate whether you are hormonally menopausal at this time. This hormone signals your ovaries to develop an egg. When you are not ovulating, it keeps getting higher and can therefore indicate if you are in menopause. An estradiol level will also tell you if your circulating estrogen levels are consistent with premenopausal levels or post-menopausal. In your situation, these levels can help delineate whether your symptoms are due to hormonal changes or other causes need to be investigated.
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Will Neurontin Work as Well as Lyrica for Fibromyalgia?
Tweet Share on Facebook August 19, 2009 Comment (18)Lyrica is prescribed for fibromyalgia, but its cost is excessive. Will Neurontin deliver the same relief?
Lyrica (pregabalin) blocks calcium channels in the central nervous system and peripheral nerves. It is used to control seizures and also painful peripheral neuropathy such as that seen in some diabetics, some people after an outbreak of shingles (also known as post-herpetic neuralgia), or in nerve compression syndromes such as spinal stenosis and herniated lumbar discs. It has been found to be helpful in a significant percentage of people with fibromyalgia. Neurontin (gabapentin) is structurally similar to Lyrica and has a similar mechanism of action. Both are structurally related to the neural transmitter GABA, but neither drug seems to affect GABA uptake, release, or degradation. Both drugs can cause sleepiness, so it is good to start with a relatively low dose and gradually build up therapeutic levels. Likewise, one should taper off both drugs over a week or two to prevent seizures or other withdrawal symptoms.I feel that it is essential that all patients thought to have fibromyalgia have their vitamin D3-25 levels checked. A significant number of these patients will be found to be vitamin D deficient, and many of their aches and pains will improve if they take 2,000 to 4,000 units of vitamin D3 a day.
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Can Stem Cell Therapy Treat Pulmonary Hypertension?
Tweet Share on Facebook August 19, 2009 Comment (8)I'm a middle-aged woman who has pulmonary hypertension. My doctors want to put me on Flolan. But my husband and I have identified an established adult stem cell therapy program in the Dominican Republic in which my own blood would be used to provide stem cells, which would then be inserted into my lungs via a heart catheter. I have spoken to a patient who had the therapy for the same condition, and he is off oxygen and drugs and is back to work. Do you think this could be credible? My doctors seem to scoff at it.
Stem cell therapy holds promise for the treatment of almost all human diseases, from spinal cord injuries to damage caused by heart attacks. Stem cells are the cells in our body that have the potential to "grow up" to be any type of cell in the body. But organs are more than just collections of cells. They're highly organized collections of a multitude of cells.All treatments with stems cells are still experimental, and therefore the risks of this treatment are not completely understood. Clinical trials are monitored in the United States by academic and government agencies to help protect research subjects. We are not familiar with the safety measures in place to protect research subjects in the Dominican Republic, and I am unaware of a stem cell pulmonary hypertension protocol in the Dominican Republic. Information about research protocols from around the world and information on how to enroll in such a trial can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov.
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How Is Sleep Related to Both Mental and Physical Well-Being?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2009 Comment (4)Both your psychological and physical well-being suffer when your sleep suffers. A good night's sleep is important to daily functioning; sleep deprivation makes us irritable, and sleep deprivation certainly can interfere with our performance at work and school. In fact, a sleep disorder can serve as a trigger for mood disorders, particularly depression. And it's a nasty two-way street: Being stressed or anxious or depressed can make it difficult to fall asleep, cause you to wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep, or cause you to awaken an hour or more before you are supposed to get up.Meanwhile, there's good evidence that chronic insomnia can provoke a number of negative immune changes. In particular, some of the newer studies suggest that chronic sleep deprivation boosts inflammation, which is linked with a series of age-related diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, periodontal disease, and frailty, as well as functional decline.
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What's the Link, if Any, Between Dietary Fat and Breast Cancer?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2009 Comment (8)I hear that a low-fat diet reduces the chance of having breast cancer. Does that include all fat or only saturated fats?
The belief that dietary fat is related to the risk of breast cancer developed because women in Japan and some other countries where dietary fat is low also had low rates of breast cancer. However, the difference in rates of breast cancer could have been due to many other aspects of diet and lifestyle that varied among these countries.More recently, many large follow-up studies have looked at the relationship between dietary fat and breast cancer and have consistently found little or no relationship. Also, in a very large randomized trial, the Women's Health Initiative, women assigned to a low-fat diet experienced rates of breast cancer not statistically different from that of women assigned to follow their usual diet. Thus, the available evidence does not support any substantial relationship between fat intake during midlife or later and the risk of breast cancer. Although the data are limited, some evidence suggests that high intake of red meat and high-fat dairy products during adolescence or premenopausal years may increase the risk of breast cancer before menopause.
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Do Happiness and Hard Work Benefit Health?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 15, 2009 Comment (3)Any merit to the old saw that happiness and hard work are good for your health?
Happiness in many forms can be good for your health; for example, recent data from the Women’s Health Initiative Study showed that women who were most optimistic and who expected good things to happen were 14 percent less likely to die than pessimists over an eight-year follow-up, and 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease. This may be partly because the more optimistic individuals also had better health habits, like smoking less. A number of studies now suggest that people who have more positive moods and who are happier have, on average, better-functioning immune systems. Hard work (if it is not overwork) may also be beneficial; when people feel involved and productive and in control of their work, the good feelings that come from work seem to be good for health. But feeling out of control, overscheduled, or unable to control the important things at work can promote depression, anxiety, and poor health.
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Is Asthma in Children Preventable?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 15, 2009 Comment (8)With asthma rates on the rise, are there any steps parents can take to prevent it from developing in their children?
The worldwide increase in asthma is thought to be due to many factors, including air pollution, climate change, environmental allergens, respiratory infections, and stress. By keeping the home environment free of triggers such as dust, mites, animal dander, and cockroaches, parents can minimize the chance that children will have wheezing attacks. To protect children from infections that can trigger asthma, parents should ensure that children keep on up-to-date on their immunizations as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, including an annual flu shot. Children should all be taught good hand-washing techniques.One of the major causes of asthma and many other childhood afflictions is smoking. Parents who smoke are more likely to have premature babies whose lungs are more prone to develop asthma. Once the baby is born, parental smoking makes the asthma come on more frequently and worsens attacks. The Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence at the American Academy of Pediatrics offers great tips for families to stop smoking so that their children will not suffer asthma as the result of a truly preventable cause.
