Tag Archive for 'Prevention'

Protection from swine flu vaccine not likely to kick in until Thanksgiving

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on September 1, 2009
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Unfortunately, according to health officials, it won’t be until around Thanksgiving when a substantial amount of Americans, who have received the swine flu vaccine, will be protected.

By mid-October, around 50 million doses of vaccine are predicted to be available. That will only begin the vaccination process for those who get their first doses right away. The whole process will take approximately five or more weeks.

Why is this? Well, health officials think that most people will need two shots, which will be spaced three weeks apart, and it will take a week or so after the second dose before the immunity will kick in. That makes five or six weeks for the whole course of action.

This said, massive amounts of Americans will not be completely immunized until Thanksgiving, claims the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

For the most part, the swine flu has ended up being not much more threatening than the seasonal flu. Government experts believe that it might soon develop into an additional variety of the flu, and even be added to the seasonal flu calendar – with vaccinations in the fall and suffered from in the winter.

Study finds that many baby boomers are binge drinkers

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on August 22, 2009
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It has been discovered that there is a notable percentage of people over the age of 50 who are binge drinkers. This concerns experts who are afraid that this could cause health problems for these boomers in the future if they keep drinking heavily. A new study performed by Duke University Medical Center researchers shows this to be true.

In the survey, twenty-two percent of men and 9 percent of women from age 50 to 64 reported drinking 5 or more drinks at one time during the past month. The survey will be published in an online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The study revealed 19 percent of men and 13 percent of women in the same age group drank heavily or had two or more drinks a day. Researchers found that in the 65 -and- older age group, 14 percent of men and 3 percent of women were binge drinking. The research, called “National Survey on Drug Use and Health”, is one of the largest significant surveys using people older than 50.

Dr. Dan Blazer, the study’s lead author and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke Medical Center, says that drinking is more prone to make health problems worse for older people because their body’s natural immunities are already weakened. He said that things such as their driving, anxiety or blood pressure medication could all be adversely affected. Additional health problems could arise and cause them to be at an increased risk.

Unfortunately Blazer claimed that this trend is not only likely to continue but to even get worse, because younger people use and abuse alcohol even more than the age groups that were studied. The current findings reveal that drinking doesn’t slow down or stop when people get older. He said, “people need to know that sitting down and drinking five cocktails or seven or eight beers is not without consequence.” He believes this troubling trend has not been recognized much because doctors are not asking enough specific questions.

This study did not go into the causes for this drinking trend.

Weightlifting may benefit breast cancer patients

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on August 22, 2009
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In the past, doctors would often warn those who had survived breast cancer that lifting anything heavy, let alone weightlifting, could cause painful arm swelling. Now, startling new research proves that weight training could even prevent this problem from happening.

Kathryn Schmitz, an exercise scientist from the University of Pennsylvania, led this new study. The results are in the August 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

This is great news for the more than 2.4 million Americans who are survivors of breast cancer, because the study could make a huge difference in their quality of life.

Lymph-edema can occur in women who have had radiation treatment in the armpit or have had their lymph nodes removed to check for cancer. It is a buildup of fluids causing painful and unattractive swelling of the arms or hands.

Up until now, weight lifting was thought to be detrimental to them. Lifting weights has many benefits such as a boost in mood, muscle mass, bone strength and helping with weight control.

Schmitz performed a small study a couple of years ago and found that weight training did not make lymph-edema worse. Her latest study is the first one that is big and extended enough to indicate that this is definitely true. It even demonstrates that weightlifting can actually help sufferers of lymph-edema.

The study consisted of 141 breast cancer survivors who had suffered from lymph-edema. Half of the participants were told no to exercise at all. The other half took 90-minute weightlifting classes two times a week for 13 weeks at gyms in their communities. A custom-fitted compression garment was worn on their affected arm. They slowly worked towards more challenging weights and repetitions. Then for the next 39 weeks, they did the exercises on their own.

After a year, there were less weightlifters who had lymph-edema flare-ups – a 14 percent versus 29 percent. Only 77 visits to doctors or physical therapists, concerning lymph-edema flare-ups, were made by the group of weightlifters against 195 visits for the group that didn’t lift weights.

This said, Kathryn Schmitz warns breast cancer patients to not rush into a weight training program, suggesting patients start slowly and progress gingerly.  She recommends getting a certified fitness expert to teach how to do the exercises correctly. She also stresses the importance of wearing a well-fitted compression garment during workouts.

Artificial sweeteners may raise the risk for weight gain

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on August 19, 2009
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A new study has discovered that people who drink diet sodas and consume other products that contain artificial sweeteners may not lose weight but actually gain instead.

A study from Purdue University that was released August 9 in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience reported that rats who were on diets that contained the artificial sweetener saccharin surprisingly gained more weight that rats that were given food containing real sugar. This disturbing news has cast a dark cloud on the benefits of low-calorie sweeteners.

Dr. Marie Savard, ABC News’ medical contributor, said that she thinks there is a component in diet foods that seems to change metabolic limit and brain chemistry. Although Savard admits that more research is needed to discover additional information concerning these findings, this recent study gives a glimpse into the notion that a person’s metabolism can be changed by these sweeteners. She also said that there was another study performed recently on more than 18,000 people which found that healthy adults who drank one diet drink per day might increase their chance for gaining weight.

The Purdue study found that the rats with diets containing artificial sweeteners seemed to have a physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, causing them to overeat.

Savard explains that “the taste buds taste sweet, but there’s no calorie load that comes with it. There’s a mismatch here. It seems it changes your brain chemistry in some way. Anything you put in your mouth, your body has a strong reaction to it. It’s much more than counting calories. It seems normally with sweet foods that we rev up our metabolism.”

According to a consumer survey from the Calorie Control Council, diet drinks are the second most popular low-calorie, sugar-free product in the U.S., so this may come as a big shock to the 59 percent of Americans who drink them.

Since there are lots of foods that now have artificial sweeteners in them, the results of this latest study may extend beyond just diet drinks. Savard warns that “we need to rethink what this artificial stuff does to us.”

This year, 3 flu shots are recommended

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on August 7, 2009
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This fall flu season is going to be quite different than previous ones in the past, so get ready to possibly feel the sting 3 times. The majority of people should get one shot for the usual seasonal flu and two more to help protect against the swine flu.

If you are lucky enough to find it – experts are saying that you should get your first shot this month.

There are five vaccine manufacturers which supply the U.S. and they are finishing their seasonal flu vaccine earlier than normal. Health officials are expecting around half of the more than 120 million doses of seasonal vaccine to be ready by the end of August. The rest should be out by the end of September. There are some manufacturers claiming that distributors are rapidly buying supplies.

These five companies are the same ones that are making the new swine flu vaccine. One of them makes a nasal spray version. They should begin dropping off the first batches in September, although most of it won’t be expected until the end of October or November, according to health officials.

Scientists think the swine flu vaccine will be the most successful against the swine flu if it is given in two doses, about three weeks apart. Testing is still being done to determine this.

Although it is too late to do it this year, combining the swine flu and seasonal flu into one shot is possible. Last winter decisions were made concerning what flu strains to use in this year’s seasonal vaccine ,and production was too advanced when the swine flu hit to change the formula. This is the reason that multiple shots will be needed.

Unfortunately supplies will be limited, so the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created two different lists for the first to get the seasonal flu shot and the first to get the swine flu shot. Elderly people, health care workers and pregnant women are the first on the regular flu vaccine list. For the swine flu vaccine, the first in line will be health care workers and pregnant people. Older people are not on the first on this list, because they seem to have some immunity to the swine flu. Because of this discrepancy, some confusion is expected.

Scientists are just now starting to test the safety and effectiveness of the new swine flu vaccine. This is expected to take several months. The government is planning on the vaccines to be given with three shots, over three separate visits. If the seasonal and swine flu vaccines were given at the same time, it would be too difficult to determine which vaccine was to blame, if people developed health problems after receiving their shot.

The recommended three shots is a concern to the government because the public has not been very diligent about getting just one flu shot. Last year, just one in three U.S. adults got their flu shots according to CDC data.

The autumn vaccine campaign against seasonal flu is usually starts in late September or October with a news conference, but this year it has been set for September 10. Some health officials are saying that the push for seasonal vaccinations will begin even sooner. Carol Schriber, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, says that “as soon as it becomes available, we’ll be encouraging people to get it.”

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Volunteers of all ages will be used to test swine flu shots

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on August 5, 2009
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Many volunteers will be rolling up their sleeves soon to get the swine flu shot so it can be tested to see if it will really protect against this new virus before it comes back strong this fall. The government health researchers and vaccine makers are looking for volunteers from every age to participate so they can prepare for the fall, which is expected to bring a new surge of cases. It is important to test all ages, because this new flu seems to prey on school-age children, teenagers and young adults. The regular flu is more dangerous for those over 65 and under 2.

On July 22, the National Institutes of Health contacted medical centers in the U.S. to start a series of studies. The first shots will be for healthy adults. If there are no instantaneous health concerns, like allergic reactions, testing will begin on children as young as 6 months. One of the chosen places for the research is Duke University Medical Center in Durham.

The government will be using the tests and vaccine manufacturer’s research to help it decide if the swine flu vaccine should be given to millions of Americans beginning in mid-October. Hopefully there will be enough produced by then. That is still not certain because the vaccine is getting harder to manufacture.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says he’s afraid that it is going to be extremely close. Dr. Karen Kotloff of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, is helping to pilot the NIH study. She said “we are racing to provide them as much information as we possibly can.”

The fall will probably be a very perplexing time as doctors try to give the vaccine for the winter flu and inform patients to be patient and wait and see if they can return for their swine flu shots.

The new swine flu strain comes form the H1N1 influenza viruses, but because it is a distinct H1N1 strain, scientists fear that it might be more difficult for the vaccine to provide the right protection.

The plan for the test is for all the volunteers to get 2 swine flu shots, which will be given 21 days apart. In early September, blood tests will hopefully reveal how much immune protection the first dose provided and if a low-dose shot worked or a higher dose is needed. Then another month will be needed to retrieve information on the second shot.

House approves new changes for food safety

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on July 31, 2009
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On Thursday, July 30, the first major changes for food safety in 70 years was approved. This will give the Food and Drug Administration more authority to monitor the way food is grown, harvested and processed.

These new changes come after a battle with food-borne illnesses during the past two years that have involved food as diverse as spinach and cookie dough.

The new measure passed in the House with 283-142. After the August recess, the Senate is expected to take up their version. On Wednesday, President Obama endorsed the House bill.

Speakers at health conference address childhood obesity problem

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on July 29, 2009
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On July 28, educators and health officials got together to discuss the problem of childhood obesity in North Carolina.

For overweight 10 to 17-year olds, North Carolina ranks No. 14. For example, in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools alone, 1 in 10 high school students is obese. Also, 57 percent of CMS high school students don’t get the recommended levels of physical activity.

Being obese can cause heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. The N.C. State Board of Education’s senior policy adviser for healthy responsible students, Paula Collins, said that we are in an epidemic.

The event was hosted by IMPACT Childhood Obesity hosted the event. It is a North Carolina-based organization that supports child and adolescent wellness. J. Allen Queen, one of the founders of IMPACT and a UNC Charlotte professor, said that the main goal of the event is to get the schools and community to pay attention to the problem.

The State Board of Education does work with legislators to encourage physical activity, healthy eating and positive character building in middle and high school students. Public school cafeterias are also offering healthier food choices for students such as whole wheat pizza crust, vegetables and low-fat dairy items.

Paula Collins said “if you can maintain the weight during middle school because of the growth they go through, they’ll be fine later in life.”

Free lunches and daily physical education classes for all students are some of the legislative goals.

The first African American to break the four-minute mile record, Reggie McAfee, talked about his 3-year-old Cross Country for Youth running program. There are more than 250 kids who participate in McAfee’s 10-week after-school program which main focus in character building. The runners in the program exercise every day and compete in 4 statewide races. McAfee said that “physical activity helps prevent children from being obese.”

Swine flu shots may be available for students and at-risk groups in October

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on July 22, 2009
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Billions of dollars have been put aside to pay for a national H1N1 flu vaccine program that could be ready as early as the middle of October, according to the Obama administration.

The announcement was made at an all-day summit on the swine flu outbreak by Kathleen Sebelius, who is the Health and Human Services Secretary. Officials said that a major reason for the summit was to help refurbish a sense of urgency to the global response to the epidemic. Sebelius said that the government has a billion dollars to purchase the main ingredients and an additional $7.5 billion for emergency preparedness funds.

In October, U.S. swine flu vaccinations could start with children being the first to receive them at their local schools , according to the Obama administration. This said, no final decision has been decided on for vaccinations on Americans. This depends mainly on studies with experimental batches that are set to begin the first week in August. These experimental batches will test to see if they are safe and effective and if one or two doses will be needed.

If everything goes well, the federal government will purchase the vaccine from manufacturers and share it freely among the states. The first to get the vaccine will most likely be school-age children, young adults with conditions like asthma, pregnant women and health workers.

Obama said that the chance of an outbreak in the fall is looming, and although he doesn’t want to make people panic, he wants the U.S. to be prepared.

Even though it has become clear that most cases of the swine flu so far were mild and required little or no medical treatment, the summit reinstates that infection rates have not calmed down this summer like some experts predicted. This said, countries such as Britain have had to alter their response. According to the World Health Organization, 2 billion people could become infected around the world.

Public health experts and scientist warn that the prevalence of the swine flu may get worse in the fall as the normal flu season begins or even sooner when schools start to open.

Low-calorie diet could mean longer lifespan for primates and humans

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on July 22, 2009
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Could it really be true that humans in the future might be able to escape the usual diseases of the elderly and lengthen their lifespan by simply sticking to a certain diet. Well, a long anticipated study on aging of rhesus monkeys indicates that this might be possible.

This diet that was incorporated in the study includes all the ordinary healthy foods but with 30 percent less calories. Mice who stay on this diet from birth have been reported to live up to an astounding 40 percent longer than mice who are fed the usual way.

Of course the most important question here is could the same beneficial results happen in people. There were 2 studies that were begun more than 20 years ago to discover whether primates had the same positive results as rodents did. Since monkeys live up to an average of 27 years old, so patience was a must in conducting these studies.

One of the studies that was led by Ricki Colman and Richard Weindruch from the University of Wisconsin, announced the results on July 9  in Science. They reported that the monkeys are showing such benefits as less diabetes, cancer, and heart and brain disease. The researchers said that “these data demonstrate that caloric restriction slows aging in a primate species.”

Although some critics said that this conclusion was too early, Weindruch believes that it is very positive news. He said that “it says much of the biology of caloric restriction is translatable into primates, which makes it more likely it would apply to humans.

When compared to 13 percent of the dieting group, thirty-seven percent of the other monkeys have died from from factors that are due to old age.

The researchers Weindruch and David Allison, his statistician, said that they expect the dieting monkeys to live 10 to 20 percent longer than normal, based on similar studies that were done on mice of the same age.

There is a second study, by the National Institute on Aging, but it is not as advanced. The number of deaths in the two monkey groups have not been reported, but there are indications that the immune system for those in the dieting group is doing significantly better, according to study leader Julie Mattison.

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