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DEL.ICIO.USHealth News from the AJC
Aging | Cancer | Children/Teens | Cholesterol | Diet/Weight | Disabilities | Disease | Fitness | General | Heart | Mens | Mental health | Minority | Pregnancy | Sleep | Strokes| Womens
Mighty at 90
At age 90, Joe Glass is one of the most popular water aerobics instructors a Gwinnett County YMCA, teaching five classes each week and takes another three.
Social status affects health, epidemiologist says
If you want to get a sense of how social status affects health, then take a ride on Washington's Metro system. Start in the blighted southeast section of downtown. For every mile traveled toward a tony suburb, life expectancy rises about a year and a half.
Doing something creative is good for your health
Forget the broccoli. Forget the treadmill. Go play the violin or something else creative. According to a recent study, participating in music, art, dance and poetry is good for your health.
Fighting forgetfulness
Do not go gentle into the night of foggy memory; pills and 'brain gyms' promise help.
The gentle power of tai chi
Tai chi can reduce falls in the elderly by up to 40 percent, Emory researchers say.
Stop the aging clock
The fountain of youth may be a myth, but certain foods are showing clout as age fighters extraordinaire
Senior citizens face fear of falling
Falls are the No. 1 cause of accidental death among people aged 65 and over, and the most frequent serious cause of injury, doctors say. Minimizing risks is important.
Medicare maze... answers to most frequently asked questions.
Answers for a maze of questions on the new Medicare laws.
Consumers now can quickly find information about the care delivered by home health care agencies -- and how they compare. When drugs collide
Older Atlantans may think their only drug problem is how to pay for their prescriptions, but a growing number of seniors are finding that just what the doctor ordered may be unnecessary or even harmful.
Cancer
Colon X-ray seen as effective at spotting cancer
A long-awaited federal study of an X-ray alternative to the dreaded colonoscopy confirms its effectiveness at spotting most cancers, although it was far from perfect.
Two-year-old's cancer disappears
Brandon Connor was born with a tumor on his spine, a vicious, aggressive cancer that could kill him. Then, just days before risky surgery on the tumor was to be performed, doctors took an MRI Brandon's spine. They could not believe what they saw: The tumor was gone.
Rise in male breast cancer may hint at obesity link
The nation's growing obesity problem may have contributed to an increase in breast cancer among American men over the past 25 years.
CHILDREN & TEENS
Blood vessels show effects of body fat in teens
'Give me 20, Pookie:' Kids' gyms take off
Gyms are typically places to sweat, shoot hoops, backflip, benchpress or box. Then there's the Little Gym.
Two-year-old's cancer disappears
Brandon Connor was born with a tumor on his spine, a vicious, aggressive cancer that could kill him. Then, just days before risky surgery on the tumor was to be performed, doctors took an MRI Brandon's spine. They could not believe what they saw: The tumor was gone.
Rise of hypertension in kids, teens is on the rise
Doctors believe that as many as 2 million children and teens have high blood pressure. Caffeine, obesity, lack of exercise and poor diet may be responsible.
Upper ear piercing may cause problems
Badly infected ears are turning up in teens who have had their upper ears pierced.
Advertising linked to childhood obesity
Turning off the TV and eating a home-cooked meal may be among the best ways to keep kids from packing on the pounds, according to studies.
Treating teen depression
Some experts contend that deep feelings are part of growing up and that, in any case, drugging kids isn't the sole answer.
Supersized meals = super weight gain for filmmaker
DISEASE
FITNESS
GENERAL HEALTH
Lewis: Comedian found relief for back problem
HEART
MEN'S HEALTH
MENTAL HEALTH
MINORITY HEALTH
SLEEP
Mothers, daughters of DES Healthy Living Calendar
How low should you go?
New findings on cholesterol level have patients wondering what to do.
Heart attack survival improves with low cholesterol
Lowering heart attack victims' cholesterol to levels dramatically below current standards appears to be an important strategy for saving lives and preventing new heart problems, a major study shows.
Like 'Drano for coronary arteries'
A synthetic component of "good" cholesterol that reduced artery disease has startlingly big implications for treating the nation's No. 1 killer.
DIET & WEIGHT
Eat out, eat smart
So you've decided to eat healthier this year. But let's face it, you're a busy person and you eat out often because you don't have lots of time to spend in the kitchen. Before your next restaurant meal, test your eat-out IQ with the 10 questions below.
True or false?
Even toddlers' habits and weight should be monitored to fend off obesity, doctors say
Obesity is rising sharply among U.S. preschoolers
Sandwich and bowl of cereal meets government guidelines
Employees told: Lose weight, cash in
Radical weight control may lead girls to obesity, study says
Blood vessels show effects of body fat in teens
Sharing a heavy burden: When your spouse is obese
New food pyramids are tools to help fight obesity
Weight: Nutritionist says diets don't work, lifestyle changes do
More diet and fitness news and tips
Morgan Spurlock got the idea for "Super Size Me," a documentary about what happens when you eat only at McDonald's for a month, after hearing about two obese teenagers who sued the fast food company. They contended McDonald's hid the health risks of its foods.
The big diet question: To count or not to count
What are you counting? Calories? Points? Carbs? Fat grams? A small but growing number of voices in the obesity debate are beginning to question the usefulness of precise counting. POLL
Battle vs. fat goes back to the basics
The number of calories you eat, not carbs, not fat grams, matters most when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, the government says.
Advertising linked to childhood obesity
Turning off the TV and eating a home-cooked meal may be among the best ways to keep kids from packing on the pounds, according to studies.
More meat eaters let tastes roam
Metro Atlantans are increasingly getting the chance to fork over food dollars for once-exotic meats -- bison and ostrich -- now marketed as healthier alternatives to traditional entrees.
'Risky' ephedra banned
The government said it would ban the sale of the diet supplement ephedra, which has been linked to 155 deaths and 16,000 adverse reactions.
Grilled Mexican food gets mixed health review
Grilled Mexican food can be healthier than regular fast food, a nutrition watchdog group says.
Combined techniques offer hope in treating spinal cord injury
Two techniques that had been previously developed to treat spinal cord injury in animals work effectively when combined, allowing deliberately injured rats to regain a certain amount of mobility, researchers say.
Emory, Tech study spinal-cord injuries
Instead of electronically stimulating the muscles of people with nerve damage, researcher looks at using patients' remaining healthy cells.
Research suggests dogs may be able to detect cancer in patients' breath
Most dog owners can regale you with tales about their pooch's smelling acumen: the Labrador who dived tens of feet to the bottom of a lake to retrieve an old tennis ball; the pug who found a stray peanut behind the couch; the beagle who bee-lined to the carcass of a chipmunk half a mile away.
But an international team of scientists says it may have harnessed that talent to help detect cancer.
Inflammation a killer clue to disease, treatment
Doctors hope the link between chronic inflammation and heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and asthma can better prevent, diagnose, treat and possibly heal.
Take precautions now to limit West Nile virus danger
Although disease-carrying mosquitoes need water to breed,they don't mind dry weather when it comes to proliferation.
Black colleges get lesson on HIV threat
North Carolina students come together for a weekend of discussion on disease prevention, sex health after a study found a disproportionate incidence of HIV among black college students.
What shoppers need to know about mad cow
Frequently asked questions about beef and its safety.
Shortages in meningitis vaccine possible next year
Production difficulties with drug Prevnar may cause shipment delays, CDC said.
New breed of workout gadgets help people count calories, see the burn
Panel says children need an hour of exercise over the course of a day
Boomeritis: Strength training fends off flab, aches
More people bringing the gym home
Those over 50 need to exercise
90 minutes of exercise a day? Experts don't really expect it
Were you raised by wolves? Or perhaps weight lifters? Gym etiquette getting harder to find
Women turn to strength training for health, stamina
Choosing a strategy for each stage of life
Men's workouts must reflect their age
A personal trainer, right in your iPod
When Suganthi Balasubramanian started exercising after three decades of inactivity, she found her effort worthwhile but monotonous. Like a child forced to swallow bitter medicine, she followed workout videotapes she didn't enjoy, only because they were good for her. She bought a treadmill but couldn't make herself use it. "It was just too boring," said Balasubramanian, 39, of Guilford, Conn. "I couldn't handle it."
But that was before she tried MP3 workouts. Taking advantage of sale prices last January at cardiocoach.com, she downloaded the first three volumes of a five-part series. Cardio Coach audios are designed to be used during any kind of cardiovascular exercise: running, stair climbing, even walking. For 30 to 60 minutes Sean O'Malley, the personal trainer who created the programs, offers encouragement as he guides the listener through a series of sprints — and for those exercising on machines, hills — that alternate with easier periods. Original music accompanies the ebb and flow of the intervals.
Working out boosts immunity against colds, flu
Ingrid Ozols Perdue runs several miles a week, lifts weights, cycles, does Pilates and even gets in an occasional kickboxing workout — a regimen she credits with keeping her free of colds and the flu.
"I really haven't been ill," said the 50-year-old dermatologist from the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel. "I think I'm healthier when I exercise. I think it's positive for me."
Bowling is becoming a varsity sport
It's practice time, and the high school students vying for a spot on the varsity squad aren't at the gym. The action is down at the Bowl-O-Rama.
The boys and girls from Twin Valley High School in southeastern Pennsylvania set up at their usual lanes, surrounded by teams from rival schools. This is a family bowling center, but the students have taken it over, scattering the pins in a series of loud, clattering crashes.
More diet and fitness news and tips
Video game fans dance off extra pounds
Forget the image of paunchy video gamers holed up in a dark room, surrounded by sticky Twinkie wrappers and empty soda cans. Dance Dance Revolution players burn extra pounds along with their quarters.
ACL: Movement seen as culprit in women's injuries
Georgia Tech women's basketball player Nina Barlin bears the scars of two knee surgeries in a year. Researchers find that female athletes are more likely than males to suffer damage to a key knee ligament.
Boost fitness through housework
All that dusting, scrubbing, gardening and lugging in the groceries has to be worth something when it comes to exercise, right? Well, it can if you increase the intensity and add some cardiovascular activity.
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Get a workout without fancy machinery
The gentle power of tai chi
Tai chi can reduce falls in the elderly by up to 40 percent, Emory researchers say.
Do body building supplements work?
While the world of professional and elite sports comes to terms with illegal steroid useage, many everyday athletes wrestle with whether legal supplements can build muscles.
New guidelines: Don't bother with OTC cough meds
We've all had it: a cold with a nagging cough. So you go to the drugstore for some cough syrup.
Not so fast, suggests a new set of treatment guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). Taking over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine may do no good for a cough tied to the common cold, the report states. Adults are better off taking naproxen (sold under several brand names including Aleve) or an older antihistamine that contains ingredients found in brands such as Benadryl and Chlor-Trimeton. And children shouldn't take OTC cough and cold medications at all, states the report.
One-eyed cat in photo seen on Internet has medical basis
A photo of a one-eyed kitten named Cy drew more than a little skepticism when it turned up on various Web sites, but medical authorities have a name for the bizarre condition.
"Holoprosencephaly" causes facial deformities, according to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health. In the worst cases, a single eye is located where the nose should be, according to the institute's Web site.
SAD season: If your gloomy mood matches the wintry skies, several approaches can help
A little grouchy, aren't we?
Perhaps you feel sluggish, less creative or withdrawn. Maybe you're eating more than usual.
For 37 years, comedian Jerry Lewis lived in pain. Now, he's working with Emory doctors to offer hope and healing through laughter to others.
Too much to do
Multitaskers can literally drive themselves so much that they become sick.
Freedom through forgiveness
When Linda Marra forgave her father's killer, she learned that forgiveness is healing -- literally and figuratively.
Study: Appendix removal by laparoscopy means faster recovery
Patients who have minimally invasive surgery fare far better than those who have traditional operations.
Painkiller addiction difficult to beat
More than 4 million Americans are addicted to painkillers. Among those who seek treatment, only about half are successful.
Particle smog: Health risks move to fore
Now, smog forecasters will monitor metro Atlanta's air for a particle smog year-round.
Take ankle injuries seriously
Many have found out, painfully, that it is important to respect the ligament damage that results from an ankle sprain.
Clearing the air: Do home purifiers help?
Physicians, scientists and health groups say studies show many air purifiers pull allergens from the air. But they stop short of recommending them.
Standard testing fails to detect women's heart risk, study says
Up to 3 million U.S. women are at higher risk of heart attack because they have coronary disease that does not show up on standard tests, the National Institutes of Health reported Tuesday.
These women don't have significant blockages in major arteries. Instead, cholesterol plaque is spread evenly throughout the cells lining the arteries or accumulates in the tiny vessels branching within the heart itself.
Study: Atlanta surgeon's heart bypass technique promising
Bypass surgery in which the heart keeps beating is as good as or better than the old message, says a new study by an Emory University surgeon.
Help for heart patients not always given
Study: One-third of heart patients miss key remedy that could save lives.
Heart attack symptoms in women
Unusual fatigue and sleeplessness might be early warning signs of a heart attack in women, a study suggests.
Men's workouts must reflect their age
Hostility, anger, may be bad for male heart
Both displays of emotions Ñ anger and hostility Ñ may put men at risk of a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, a recent study suggests.
Rise in male breast cancer may hint at obesity link
The nation's growing obesity problem may have contributed to an increase in breast cancer among American men over the past 25 years.
Depression exacts toll on men
Three successful, high-profile men talk about treatment of depression, its stigma and what it feels like to come out of the mental health closet will help those with depression seek treatment.
Left out in the cold? Yes, it really feels cold, study says
Social isolation is often described as "cold and lonely" — but does it actually feel cold?
New research this week says the answer is yes. Just thinking about rejection can make a room feel chillier, according to a report in the journal Psychological Science.
The stresses caused by Katrina are 'a recipe for suicide'
With a newborn daughter, an autistic child and a fledgling music business, life was chaotic enough for Jerome "Slim Rome" Spears and fiancee Rachel Harris.
Then Hurricane Katrina hit, chasing them from New Orleans, throwing both out of work and putting Spears' plans to "dominate" the hip-hop scene on indefinite hold.
It figures: Today is year's worst day
Having a bad day? No wonder. According to one scientist, today, Jan. 23, is the gloomiest day of 2006.
Cliff Arnall, a health psychologist at the University of Cardiff in Wales, has devised a formula that combines personal and seasonal factors to calculate the year's emotional low point.
Depression exacts toll on men
Three successful, high-profile men talk about treatment of depression, its stigma and what it feels like to come out of the mental health closet will help those with depression seek treatment.
Patients worry about FDA anti-depressant warning
The recent call for a warning on anti-depressants has created anxiety among depressed patients who already may feel hopeless, helpless and stressed. But doctors caution patients not to suddenly stop taking them.
Freedom through forgiveness
When Linda Marra forgave her father's killer, she learned that forgiveness is healing -- literally and figuratively.
Treating teen depression
Some experts contend that deep feelings are part of growing up and that, in any case, drugging kids isn't the sole answer
AIDS drugs show promise at preventing infection; global studies expanded
Scientists have long believed that a vaccine is the best way to stop the spread of AIDS, but efforts to invent one have miserably flopped.
Now they may have found something already on pharmacy shelves that seems to prevent infection.
Sickle cell mutation corrected in mice
Scientists have used embryonic stem cells to correct the mutation that causes sickle cell disease in mice, a preliminary finding that may lead to treatment options for people with the painful and debilitating disease.
Although it is unknown if the technique will ultimately work in humans, the research suggests the technique could allow people born with this genetic defect to live with few or no complications from their illness.
Philly hospital offers quick test results on Down Syndrome
A Philadelphia hospital says it is the first in the nation to offer pregnant women a two-test combination that tells them within an hour after its completion whether their baby has Down syndrome.
More birth control choices raise questions
Couples are evaluating a wave of burgeoning birth control options that includes everything from flesh-colored weekly skin patches to a revamped plastic intrauterine device that is effective for up to five years.
Doctors caution against sex selection kits
Internet sellers of sex-selection kits would have you believe you can choose the gender of your baby in the privacy of your own home. But some experts call it "snake oil."
Doctors advise against reliance on sleeping pills for a good night's rest
In the ads for the new sleep drug Lunesta, a pale green luna moth — they're nocturnal — floats peacefully across the TV or computer screen, hoping to lure you into asking your doctor to prescribe the medication.
What the $60 million ad campaign doesn't mention is that there's little research showing Lunesta works any better than prescription sleep aids already on the market. Also, sleep experts say there are drug-free ways to get a good night's sleep.
Holiday ZZZZZs in short supply
Americans, already among the most sleep-deprived cultures south of the North Pole, lose even more sleep during the holidays. And the consequences can be dangerous.
Curse you, snooze button!
Life today means waking, sleeping, then waking again. We can't imagine sleep that doesn't end in multiple snoozes.
Sleepless see health go astray
Loss of sleep, researchers say, can lead to memory problems, depression, obesity, hypertension, heart problems and an increased risk of falling.
Experimental device offers promise against devastating strokes
The MERCI Retriever seems to restore blood flow in almost half of patients -- people who couldn't be helped by today's only stroke-busting medication.
Ovarian cancer test is under fire
OvaSure, the much bally-hooed new diagnostic blood test for early detection of ovarian cancer, is still causing much consternation.
In June, after it was introduced to the marketplace, doctors began taking sides on the risks and benefits offered by the test, which has yet to be validated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Hope, confusion in hunt for ovarian cancer tests
Does a test that promises to find ovarian cancer sooner really do so? Could other tests nearing the market prolong survival by getting patients the right care faster?
A race is on for blood tests to better detect this intractable killer, but the Food and Drug Administration is probing whether to crack down on the first one to sell.
FDA expands use of cervical cancer vaccine
The cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil also works to prevent cancers of the vagina and vulva, federal health officials said Friday, as they approved expanding its use to protect against those diseases as well.
The Food and Drug Administration first approved Gardasil in 2006 for the prevention of cervical cancer in girls and women ages 9 to 26. The vaccine works by protecting against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers. The HPV virus, transmitted by sexual contact, causes genital warts that sometimes develop into cancer.
Genes cause more than half the risk of developing anorexia, study finds
Researchers studying anorexia in twins conclude that more than half a person's risk for developing the sometimes fatal eating disorder is determined by genes.
Most experts already believe there is a strong genetic component to the disorder, which mostly affects girls and women. The new study "hammers home the fact that these are biologically based disorders," said Cynthia Bulik, lead author of the study who is a psychiatrist at the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Standard testing fails to detect women's heart risk, study says
Up to 3 million U.S. women are at higher risk of heart attack because they have coronary disease that does not show up on standard tests, the National Institutes of Health reported Tuesday.
These women don't have significant blockages in major arteries. Instead, cholesterol plaque is spread evenly throughout the cells lining the arteries or accumulates in the tiny vessels branching within the heart itself.
Doctors fear acne drug rules go too far
Janine Carpenter arrived at Columbia University in September with a complexion as clear as her bright blue eyes. But during her first month of college, her face began breaking out in pimples and deep, inflamed nodules, the same symptoms that had plagued her early in high school in San Jose, Calif. "My acne just immediately started to come back at a really rapid rate," Carpenter, 18, said. So her doctor gave her the potent acne drug isotretinoin, best known as Accutane.
The prescription came with a bright yellow label assuring the pharmacist that Carpenter was not pregnant, because Accutane can cause severe birth defects. She agreed to also have a pregnancy test each month before refilling her prescription, even though she takes birth control pills. These precautions were part of a program organized by the makers of Accutane and other brands of isotretinoin (Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret) meant to prevent pregnancy in women taking the drug.
DES has been linked to increased cancer risks in both the women who took the drug and their daughters.
Unusual fatigue and sleeplessness might be early warning signs of a heart attack in women, a study suggests.
Study: Lifetime breast cancer risk at 82 percent for gene mutation
Exercising and maintaining a healthful weight when young can delay the onset of breast cancer in women at very high risk of the disease, study concludes.
More smoking women fall victim to lung cancer
If "you've come a long way, baby" includes catching up to men's lung cancer woes, then women have arrived.
A wake-up call for ovarian cancer
Diagnosis of the cancer is hard because there is no consistently reliable test to screen for it.
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