Tag Archive for 'Prevention'

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The HPV vaccine for girls

Published on November 17, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

HPV stands for the Human Papillomavirus and it is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Each year, there are six million new cases of HPV. Among these, 75 percent occur in people from age 15 to 24. Most cases are asymptomatic and eventually clear up own their own. This said, some cases can turn into cervical cancer. There are 3,900 deaths due to cervical cancer each year in the U.S.

Precancerous lesions of the cervix and cervical cancer are caused by the high risk strains of the virus. The low-risk strains can cause anogenital warts and juvenile respiratory papillomatosis.

There are currently two vaccines that protect against HPV. Gardisil protects agains four types of HPV and is approved for females ages 9-26. These four strains are the culprits behind 75 percent of all cervical cancer cases and 90 percent of genital warts cases. It is also approved for the prevention of genital warts in males.

Cervarix is the other vaccine and it protects against two strains of HPV. It is approved for the prevention of cervical cancer in female patients.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that girls get immunized for cervical caner around age 11 or 12. Even though this seems very young, studies have shown that HPV is a problem for 25 percent of girls ages 14-19 years old. Early vaccination is important to acquire the most protection.

HPV vaccines are safe according to the FDA. Gardasil has been linked to fainting within 15 minutes after an injection, but fainting has also occurred after blood is drawn or other injections have been given to this age group, so it may not be specific only to Gardasil. For more information you can go to www.cdc.gov or make an appointment to see your child’s healthcare provider.

Food allergies in kids are increasing

Published on November 1, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Many elementary teachers are noticing that more and more children have food allergies. Well, it is a fact that food allergies among children are definitely increasing. In fact, between 1997 and 2007, the amount of children with food allergies has increased by an astounding 18 percent.

Some people believe it is because of the ever increasing awareness of food allergy signs and symptoms. There is also more food allergy testing available to the public.

There is some evidence that these increasing amounts of food allergies is an actuality and not perceived, as some have believed in the past. A study from the Children’s Hospital of Boston reported that pediatric emergency room visits because of food allergies has doubled between 2001 and 2006. Currently, it is believed that 4 percent of U.S. children have food allergies.

It is not known why food allergies are rising. There are many explanations.

Milk, eggs, nuts, soy, fish and wheat are the most common allergenic foods. Some people think that bringing these foods into a child’s diet too early might lead to a food allergy. On the flip side, some experts believe that delaying the introduction of these foods could be the reason. Family history can also come into play.

Parents will definitely continue to hear confusing advice about prevention of these food allergies, until scientists finally are able to discover the reason for these allergies to occur. At the moment, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests breast-feeding only until six months of age. Following this advice has been proven in studies to bring down the occurrence of food allergies and eczema.

After an infant has turned six months old, the AAP doesn’t recommend holding off on introducing any particular type of food group. This said, be sure to check with your doctor about specific advice about the introduction of solid foods if your infant has eczema, asthma, known food allergies or a family history of food allergies.

Caffeine and alcohol drink: A dangerous combination

Published on November 1, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

We’ve all heard of people who have taken caffeine while drinking alcohol. Recently though, a breakout of cases where students, as well as others, have ended up the hospital after they had drinks that contained both caffeine and alcohol in the same can. College and health officials are very alarmed and concerned by these occurrences.

Doctors report that the drinks are dangerous, because the caffeine conceals the effects of the alcohol, preventing those who drink them to feel just how intoxicated they really are.

There is a brand in particular, called Four Loko, a fruit-flavored malt beverage with an alcohol content of 12 percent containing as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, that has come under specific criticism. Students at Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J. and Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, drank it and wound up in emergency rooms, some with very elevated levels of alcohol poisoning.

Dr. Michael Reihart, an emergency room doctor in Lancaster, Pa., said it “is one of the most dangerous new alcohol concoctions I have ever seen.” He has treated more than twelve teenagers and adults in the last three months who came to him after drinking Four Loko. He said it is a deadly recipe because your body naturally wants to sleep, but it is tricked by the caffeine.

After 18 attorney generals urged that the drinks be examined, the Food and Drug Administration is looking into whether or not the drinks are safe. The FDA has never approved of adding caffeine to alcohol. In July, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., asked the FTC to investigate if the drinks are especially designed to appeal to underage drinkers. It is a fact that the drinks have colorful packaging and flavors such as watermelon, blue raspberry and lemon-line.

Even though no legislation has passed yet, several states have tried to ban the drinks.

The president of Ramapo College, Dr. Peter Mercer, banned Four Loko and other energy drinks that contain caffeine and alcohol after 6 students ended up in the hospital after drinking Four Loko. One of the students said he had 3 three cans of Four Loko and a couple of shots of tequila in only one hour. He had a blood alcohol level of .400 after this.

The co-founder and managing partner of Phusion Projects, which is the 5-year-old Chicago company that owns Four Loko, said that the drink, introduced in August of 2008, was being unfairly scrutinized. According to him, the company takes measures to try to keep minors from being able to obtain the drink. Also, Phusion Projects wonders why a police investigation into the Central Washington University incident had centered on Four Loko, when the police report claimed that several other alcoholic drinks, including beer, were also discovered at the party where the students became sick.

Women who seek other protein sources can lower their risk for heart disease

Published on October 12, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Sometimes there is nothing better than a hot, juicy steak or hamburger for dinner. Well if you are a woman, you may just want to decrease your love for red meat. Why you ask. Well there was a recent study at Harvard that found that women who attain their protein from foods other than red meat are much less likely to develop heart disease.

Women who ate just one daily serving of nuts instead of meat decreased their risk by an astounding thirty percent (30%). It was also discovered that replacing one serving of meat with fish brought the risk down to twenty-four percent (24%).

Women who were putting themselves in the most dangerous category were the ones who were eating two or more servings of red meat each day. These women were at the highest risk.

BCBSNC launches new program to fight the rise of childhood obesity and diabetes

Published on June 22, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) have recently introduced the national commencement of the Good Health Club Physician Toolkit to fight obesity and diabetes. This toolkit, which was initially created and tested in five states including North Carolina, will become accessible to pediatricians in North Carolina and communities throughout the U.S. The toolkit was designed with materials that were used with great results by BCBSNC and augmented in consultation with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The toolkit is obtainable in both English and Spanish and is composed of tip sheets, physician reference materials, wall posters, tracking sheets and brochures with educational information.

The Good Health Club Physician Toolkit presents messages from the “Good Health Club, ” which is a group of friendly animal characters that motivates children to:

* Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day

* Curb screen time to 2 hours or less each day

* Exercise at least 1 hour each day

* Eliminate sweetened drinks

Dr. Don Bradley, senior vice president and chief medical officer at BCBSNC, and Dr. Edie Bernosky, Chapel Hill pediatrician, are both pleased and optimistic about the new program.

In the last 20 years, type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes) has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing incidence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in three U.S. children born in 2000 could get diabetes during their lifetime and the pervasiveness of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years, rising from 6.5 percent in 1980 to an astounding 17 percent in 2006.

Since 1999, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has developed an assortment of programs in our community that focus on healthy lifestyles. The lifestyle modification program, called Health Lifestyle Choices, gave customers the support and instruments they needed to reach and maintain a healthy weight. In 2005, BCBSNC converted into one of the very first insurers to label obesity as a medical condition and cover nutritionist visits. Since 2007, they have augmented model tool-kits to assist families in getting routine exercise and taking control of managing their health and well-being.

To take a look at the Good Health Club Physician Toolkit and to get more information about what the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are accomplishing in their communities to fight childhood obesity and diabetes, please visit www.bcbs.com/goodhealthclub.

Potential liver damage with two weight-loss pills

Published on June 1, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Federal health officials from the FDA are warning consumers that two weight loss pills, called Alli and Xenical, could cause sever liver damage in rare cases.

The Food and Drug Administration said recently that it has put a warning concerning the risk on the label of the drug Alli. Alli is sold over-the-counter by GlaxoSmithKline. The prescription version Xenical is manufactured and marketed by Roche.

The FDA has identified 13 cases of liver damage associated with these two drugs.

Curb your caffeine if you are pregnant

Published on June 1, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Pregnant and need that extra cup of jo to get you going in the morning? Well, you have most likely been told that pregnant women should decrease or eliminate their caffeine intake so they can reduce their chances of premature delivery, low-birth-weight babies and miscarriage. Many wonder if they should give up the all caffeine during pregnancy?

Well, British researchers have recently worked on determining if there is a safe amount to consume each day. They found that women who had more than 300 milligrams of caffeine (from coffee, tea, soft drinks or chocolate) were more likely to have lower-birth-weight babies than women who only had 30 mg. each day. The average cup of coffee has about 40 mg.

One cup of coffee, tea or soft drink a day will most likely be O.K. but you should check with your doctor first. It may be safer to give up the stimulant completely for those important nine months.

Norovirus illness can be prevented easily

Published on May 12, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Health officials around the Carolinas are trying their best to persuade people to prevent the spread of viruses by simply washing their hands often with soap and water. This winter there were norovirus outbreaks on a cruise ship out of Charleston and also at a teen conference in Raleigh.

Unfortunately, noroviruses are very common and contagious. They can cause a uncomfortable gastrointestinal illness which may result in quite a bit of vomiting and some diarrhea. This type of virus is spread through direct contact with a person who already has the virus. This occurs when someone touches a contaminated surface or eats or drinks contaminated food or water.

It usually spreads easily in schools, long-term care facilities, child care centers, restaurants and other settings where there are numerous amounts of people. That’s why it is so common for children to get this illness. It is very important to inform children of the necessity to frequently wash hands.

The symptoms that come with the illness include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Some people may also get a fever, chills, headache and muscle aches. The short-lived illness begins very suddenly and usually only lasts from 1 to 2 days. The elderly and young children can easily and quickly get dehydrated and may need medical care. Extreme cases may even require hospitalization. For this reason, it is very important to make sure a person with this illness gets plenty of fluids.

Currently there are no special medicines that can treat norovirus. Protect yourself by washing hands often. It is particularly important to wash hands after using the restroom and before preparing, serving or eating food or drinks. Do not prepare food if you are sick and for at least 48 hours after you have been sick.

One-third of breast cancer cases may be avoidable

Published on May 1, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Supporters of eating less and exercising have won yet again as results from a new study have been divulged. According to researchers, around a third of all breast cancer cases in Western countries could possibly be avoided if women consumed less food and exercised more.

Even though early diagnosis, mammograms and better treatments have helped to slow the disease, experts are now focusing on changing unhealthy behaviors like overeating and being too sedentary.

This new study only adds to a string of existing findings that lifestyle changes in areas such as smoking, eating, exercising and sun exposure can have a crucial effect on all kinds of cancer rates.

The head of epidemiology, Carlo La Veechia, emphasized the importance of  taking these findings seriously when he said “what can be achieved with screening has been achieved. We can’t do much more. It’s time to move on to other things.” He spoke last month at a European breast cancer conference in Barcelona.

Michelle Holmes, a cancer expert at Harvard University, warned that people might mistakenly believe that their likelihood of getting cancer leans more on their genes than on their lifestyle.

Breast cancer is currently the most common cancer among women. In Europe, around 421,000 new cases and almost 90,000 deaths occurred in 2008. Last year in the United States, there were more than 190,000 new cases  and  40,000 deaths.

During an average woman’s lifetime, her chance of developing breast cancer is around one in eight. According to a 2006 study by British researchers, obese women are up to 60 percent more likely to develop any cancer than normal-weight women.

Numerous breast cancers are encouraged by estrogen, which is a hormone manufactured in fat tissue. This is why experts believe that the more fat a woman has, the more estrogen she is likely to produce, which could initiate breast cancer. This said, even slim women can help reduce their cancer risk with exercise by converting more of the body’s fat into muscle.

The American Cancer Society now recommends that women get 45 to 60 minutes of physical activity for five or more days a week to reduce their chances of getting breast cancer.

Some good news for women who have survived breast cancer and want children; a separate study has found that breast cancer survivors who have children later, do not seem to be at any more risk for dying from cancer. For a long time, doctors have been troubled that pregnancy could ignite hormonal changes which could cause the disease to return. For this reason, many women have been told to avoid getting pregnant after they recover from cancer. The European breast cancer conference had experts who announced that cancer survivors who get pregnant are safe and it does not appear to be linked to the disease’s recurrence.

Colon cancer deaths can be reduced by special procedure

Published on May 1, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

On April 29, British researchers announced that a procedure called a sigmoidoscopy performed between the ages of 55 and 64 can decrease colorectal cancer deaths by an astounding 43 percent.

These results, which were taken from the first major randomized trial of sigmoidoscopy, reveal that it is even more effective screening than mammography for breast cancer or PSA tests for prostate cancer.

This reaffirms current U.S. guidelines that recommend regular sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy to check for colorectal cancer.

During a sigmoidoscopy, a bendable tube equipped with a tiny camera is inserted into the rectum to scan the lower third of the bowel. More than 50 percent of bowel cancers happen in this area of the colon. All of the large intestine is examined during a colonoscopy.

This test finds tumors in their early stages of development, when the cure rate is almost 90 percent. It also spots and enables removal of polyps that could grow into tumors later.

At this time, only around 13 percent of all tumors are detected at that stage. Sadly, once symptoms develop, the cure rate is less than 50 percent.

Currently, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer in the U.S.  It is diagnosed in about 147,000 people every year and kills almost 50,000. However, only around half of the qualified people in the U.S. get screened for it, according to the American Cancer Society.