Clipmarks | arifsali's 'health' clips

California becomes first state to ban trans fats

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:34:45 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Good move.

SACRAMENTO: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed a bill banning trans fats in restaurant food, making California the first U.S. state to ban the use of the cooking oils linked to artery-clogging cholesterol.

The new law, modeled after a ban implemented in New York City, prohibits the use of partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats, by the state's 87,000 restaurants beginning in 2010 and in all baked goods sold in the state starting in 2011.

Trans fats, found in processed and fried food, candies and cookies, are vegetable oils that are treated with hydrogen to extend the shelf life of products. The oils have been linked to LDL cholesterol that clogs the arteries. New York began a ban on trans fats in all restaurants in December 2006.

"Consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease, and today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

Tags: health, california

Agency says 120,00 kids have month to live

Wed, 21 May 2008 02:35:05 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Famine fears for seven million Ethiopian children

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

EGU VILLAGE, Ethiopia (CNN) -- A year of drought and soaring food prices has threatened the lives of tens of thousands of Ethiopian children.

"We have nothing to feed our children," said Egu's village elder. "We are losing our children day by day."

Ethiopia's Health Ministry, along with UNICEF, monitors the health of thousands of children here, but the number of areas they have been able to regularly visit has been cut in half this year.

The small rains that normally allow Ethiopian farmers to plant a second crop each year did not come this year, adding to an already critical food shortage.

"It's an open crisis, and there are more people than we expected, than the government expected, who need additional food," said Bjorn Ljungqvist, head of UNICEF

There is a crucial shortfall in the supply of therapeutic foods used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition, the UNICEF official said.

Tags: food, ethiopia, health, kids, drought

An Uninsured Doctor in the House

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:54:26 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

When Steve Kagen became a member of Congress, he declined health insurance coverage. Now he has a plan to provide it for everyone

One of the first things U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen (D–Wisc.) did when he took office last year was to nix his congressional health care coverage. The move stunned a human resources staffer, who, the lawmaker says, looked at him as though he were insane.

"I'll respectfully decline until you can make that same offer for all of my constituents," he says he told her, explaining his decision to turn down what many say is the Cadillac of U.S. health plans.

Kagen, 58, is now one of millions of Americans, including at least nine million children, without health insurance. "I have absolutely no health coverage at all," he told ScientificAmerican.com during a recent interview. "I have no health conditions and am pretty darn healthy." And if he gets sick? "I'd be just like the 47 [million] to 50 million American citizens who don't have coverage,"

Tags: health, insurance, congress, politics, medical

'Untouchable' woman dies after Indian medics refuse treatment.

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:30:59 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.dawn.com

LUCKNOW, India, April 24 (AFP): An “untouchable” woman who gave birth outside an Indian hospital because doctors would not treat her died Thursday, a day after her baby, officials admitted. The newborn boy of Maya Devi, 28, died Wednesday due to lack of medical help minutes after being born outside the maternity wing of Kanpur Medical College in northern Uttar Pradesh state. Devi was only put in intensive care after giving birth but died of a heart attack early Thursday. Several doctors, including the hospital's chief medical superintendent, refused to touch her or provide medical care as she delivered her baby, the Press Trust of India reported. Devi was a Dalit, or “untouchable”, a group at the bottom of the caste social ladder long ostracised and forced into menial professions despite laws banning discrimination. Many high-class Hindus fear coming into contact with them. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)

Tags: india, discrimination, health, baby, women

New study shows children benefit from drinking chocolate/flavored milk

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:38:42 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

Milk drinkers consume more nutrients; milk has no adverse effects on BMI

Rosemont, Ill. – April 1, 2008– A new study released today in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children who drink flavored or plain milk consume more nutrients and have a lower or comparable body mass index (BMI – a measure of body fatness) than children who don’t drink milk.¹

“Milk contains many nutrients that are important for children. We learned in our research that children who drink milk, including plain and flavored milk, have higher intakes of many nutrients that are low in children’s diets, and comparable or lower BMIs compared to children who don’t drink milk,” said Mary Murphy, MS, RD, co-author of the study. “Limiting access to flavored milks in schools and elsewhere may have the undesirable effect of further reducing intakes of many essential nutrients provided by milk.”

Tags: children, health, nutrition

Hospital Admits Surgeon Removed Wrong Kidney

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:44:50 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.wdsu.com

Officials at a Minnesota hospital said a tragic error led doctors to remove the healthy kidney from a patient with cancer.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that weeks before the surgery at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, the wrong kidney was identified on a medical chart. So even when doctors double-checked their materials during surgery, they were led astray, according to television station WCCO.

The error was noticed by a pathologist a day after the surgery.

The paper said that hospital officials had offered an apology to the patient and his family and were offering their support. The patient decided to stay at the hospital.

Tags: health, medical

Things You Didn't Know About Your Penis

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:35:48 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

Here are some things you might have wondered about your penis, but were

afraid to ask.

No. 1: Your Penis Does Have a Mind of Its Own

You've probably noticed that your penis often does its own thing. You may remember times when it was completely inappropriate to have an erection; and yet you couldn't wish it away.

No. 2: Your Penis May Be a 'Grower' or a 'Show-er'

Among men, there is no consistent relationship between the size of the flaccid penis and its full erect length.

No. 3: Your Penis Is Shaped Like a Boomerang

Your penis is shaped like a boomerang. Just like you don't see all of a big oak tree above ground, you don't see the root of your penis tucked up inside your pelvis and attached to your pubic bone.

No. 4: You Can Break Your Penis

There is no "penis bone," but you can break your penis all the same. It's called penile fracture

No. 5: Most Penises in the World Are Uncut

A report

) estimates that worldwide only 30 percent of males aged 15 and up are circumcised

Tags: health, men

Meditation Impacts Blood Pressure, Study Shows

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:08:43 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: news.uky.edu

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Mar. 14, 2008) − Transcendental Meditation is an effective treatment for controlling high blood pressure with the added benefit of bypassing possible side effects and hazards of anti-hypertension drugs, according to a new meta-analysis conducted at the University of Kentucky. The study appears in the March issue of the American Journal of Hypertension.

The meta-analysis evaluated nine randomized, controlled trials using Transcendental Meditation as a primary intervention for hypertensive patients. The practice of Transcendental Meditation was associated with approximate reductions of 4.7 mm systolic blood pressure and 3.2 mm diastolic blood pressure.

The study's lead author, Dr. James W. Anderson

said that blood pressure reductions of this magnitude would be expected to be accompanied by significant reductions in risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease—without drug side effects

Tags: health, meditation

Adult Brain Can Still Change

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:20:12 GMT

clipped by: Tommolo

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

A new case study of a stroke patient suggests that adults' brains might be just as "plastic," or capable of creating new neural pathways, as those of children.

Past research has established the remarkable capacity of young brains to change or adapt to deficits by creating new signaling routes, a phenomenon called plasticity. However, whether adult brains have that same capacity has remained controversial.

The new finding adds weight to suggestions made by other research about the ability of adult brains to morph.

This year, neuroscientists reported the adult mice could grow new neurons, a finding they said could have implications for the treatment of human neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. A similar finding was reported a couple of years ago in mice. In 2005, a brain-scan study of human adults with macular degeneration showed evidence of plasticity in the visual regions of their brains.

Tags: research, brain, health

Iran produces anti cancer drug

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 19:58:27 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.presstv.ir

Iranian researchers at Isfahan Drug Research Center have applied blood cells to produce an anticancer drug named 'porfimer sodium'.

Porfimer sodium generically known as photofrin is a synthetic derivative of hematoporphyrin with photodynamic properties.

Photofrin injections are absorbed by all body cells, including both normal and cancer cells. The drug which is activated after 2 or 3 days, gives normal cells enough time to degrade it.

The laser activation of the absorbed drug by tumor cells, produces oxygen radicals, resulting in cytotoxicity and the destruction of such cells.

When applied in the initial stages it is believed to treat lung, esophageal, stomach and bladder cancers. So far no serious side effects have been reported for the drug.

Today, Iran has become the second producer of porfimer sodium in the world.

Tags: iran, health, cancer

Longevity: Stop the aging, reduce the death risk

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 01:24:14 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: Paradigm shift in medicine: Directly targeting the aging, instead of directly targeting the diseases.

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

The idea behind the longevity dividend was expressed in an article in The Scientist which argued that research should be directly targeted at slowing the aging process by seven years. As University of Illinois-Chicago demographer Jay Olshansky put it at the conference: It is a new paradigm for health promotion and disease prevention in the 21st century.

Olshansky argues that the old paradigm of directly targeting diseases is about to run out of steam. Even if all cancer, all heart disease and all diabetes were eliminated, it would add only 3 more years to average life expectancy in the United States. So if researchers want to achieve big gains in lifespan and healthspan they have to go after the aging process itself.

If you slow aging by seven years, you cut the risk of death at any age in half, and cut the risk everything else that goes wrong with the body in half too. The idea is not to make people older longer, but to make them younger longer.

Tags: health, longevity, science

Patch promises painless injection

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:31:26 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Technology from inkjet printer cartridges could be used to inject medicines painlessly through the skin from a patch on the arm.

The device uses a system patented by HP to push drugs through tiny needles, which do not go far enough under the skin to trigger pain receptors.

It could potentially deliver many drugs currently injected or taken daily.

Tags: science, medical, technology, discovery, health

Teflon-ized Frog Chemical Could Save You from Disease

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:55:57 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: discovermagazine.com

The nonstick pan coating cooks up a mean antibiotic.

If you had to pick the one medical discovery that has saved the most lives, antibiotics would certainly be on the short list. Each new antibiotic that emerges is another wonder drug that seems to kill everything in sight. But an antibiotic is not forever. After bacteria are exposed to the drug for a while, the pathogens adapt, the antibiotic loses its potency, and scientists are off to find the next gorilla-cillin. That search has driven investigators to extract new antibiotics from all over the living world: plants, animals, soil, fungi, and even other bacteria. We may soon be able to use an entirely new class of antibiotics harvested from our own skin, thanks to new research from right here at the University of Michigan, where I work.

Tags: science, health, disease, discovery, medicine

Diet-conscious Los Angeles eyes moratorium on fast-food outlets

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:59:43 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.csmonitor.com

The city council is set to vote on a measure next week that would put a two-year moratorium on new outlets in South L.A. amid concern about high obesity rates there.

"If you want it cheap and quick – McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken – we've got it," says the mother of two.

Some city officials see the myriad fast-food outlets as a health problem and are seeking change. "Fast food is primarily the only option for those who live and work here," says City Councilwoman Jan Perry. "It's become a public-health issue that residents be given healthier choices."

She has introduced a two-year moratorium on new fast-food outlets in this part of the city, where small, single-family homes dominate and gangs thrive in a rough urban landscape.

Tags: health, united states, fast food, politics

High blood pressure often undiagnosed in US kids

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:34:01 GMT

clipped by: righthand
clipper's remarks: The researchers said electronic medical records have the potential to be programmed to automatically "review current and prior blood pressures, ages, heights, and sex to determine if abnormal blood pressure criteria had been met."

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

High blood pressure often undiagnosed in U.S. kids

Tue Aug 21

High blood pressure among children and adolescents, a growing problem linked to increasing juvenile obesity, often goes undiagnosed in the United States, according to a study published on Tuesday.

This is dangerous, as high blood pressure can quietly damage the organs, especially the kidneys, the researchers reported in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, often signals another disease in children, like endocrine disorders, kidney or heart disease.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland examined more than 14,000 young people ages 3 to 18 and found 507 cases of hypertension.

376 cases, had not been diagnosed despite at least three previous medical checkups.

"If abnormal blood pressure is not identified by a patient's pediatric clinician, it may be years before the abnormal blood pressure is detected, leading to end-organ damage,"

Tags: health, heart