Clipmarks | tabsey's 'health' clips

Coffee Drinkers Have Slightly Lower Death Rates, Study Finds

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:46:49 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Don't tell me that there is still something in life I can look forward to each day.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

A new study has found that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption (up to 6 cups per day) is associated with a somewhat smaller rate of death from heart disease. (Credit: iStockphoto)

ScienceDaily (Jun. 17, 2008) — A new study has good news for coffee drinkers: Regular coffee drinking (up to 6 cups per day) is not associated with increased deaths in either men or women. In fact, both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption is associated with a somewhat smaller rate of death from heart disease.

"Coffee consumption has been linked to various beneficial and detrimental health effects, but data on its relation with death were lacking," says Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD, the study's lead author. "Coffee consumption was not associated with a higher risk of mortality in middle-aged men and women. The possibility of a modest benefit of coffee consumption on heart disease, cancer, and other causes of death needs to be further investigated."

Tags: health

Doctors issue climate change health warning

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:30:34 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Even a non believer will be able to see some of the good side to fixing up the planet. Hospitals on hills!!!!!!! will be the solution offered by many politicians.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Doctors are warning that the health system needs to prepare for increased rates of climate change-related illness in the population.

The Climate Change Institute has released a report by Doctors for the Environment, which warns that floods, droughts, rising seas and higher temperatures caused by climate change will bring a raft of health problems.

Co-author Doctor Graeme Horton says that includes more cases of heat stroke, mosquito-transmitted diseases and gastroenteritis outbreaks.

He says its important for the health system and the community to be prepared to cope with the strain.

"Climate change is clearly much, much more than an economic inconvenience - it is a threat to our life support systems," he said.

He says the elderly, children and those living in coastal and rural areas will be among those worst affected.

"For Australian communities we're expecting in coming years more heat waves, more effects of heat stress and more days of high to extreme fire danger," he said.

Tags: health

Insurance won't cover child's critical leukemia treatment

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:36:38 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: I just don't understand that this can happen in a civilised country.

Clip Source: www.michaelmoore.com

Asheville – Paxten Mitchell will get the treatment that could save his life, but it may cost his parents their home and leave them in debt for the rest of their lives.

Paxten, 3, has acute lymphoblastic leukemia, called ALL. But the type he has, hypodiploid, is very rare and doesn’t always respond to the most common treatments. When he relapsed in January, his parents, Robert and Amy, were told there was little more they could do.

“I knew the doctors had done all they could, so we had made the decision to take him home,” he said.

But then his doctors heard from doctors at Duke University Medical Center about a treatment protocol that has proved effective in cases like Paxten’s. The Mitchells agreed to go ahead with it, but the company that administers the city’s self-insurance plan refused to pay for it.

Amy Mitchell called Primary Physician Care, which is based in Charlotte, and spoke to the company president, but the claim was still refused.

Tags: health, insurance, that, doesn't, insure

No cancer link but mobiles can hit your sperm count

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:01:41 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Only those who have had vasectomies may smile.

Clip Source: www.theage.com.au

Spending hours on a mobile phone each day may affect the quality of a man's sperm, preliminary US research suggests.

In a study of 361 men seen at their infertility clinic, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found an association between the patients' mobile phone use and their sperm quality.

On average, the more hours the men spent on their mobile phones each day, the lower their sperm count and the greater their percentage of abnormal sperm.

The findings, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, add to questions about the potential health effects of mobile phones and other wireless devices.

Some studies, for example, have linked long-term mobile phone use to a higher risk of brain tumours, though many other studies have found no such connection.

The concern is that, over time, the electromagnetic energy emitted from mobile phones could theoretically harm body tissue - by damaging DNA, for example.

Tags: health

Are Americans Afraid of the Outdoors?

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:07:26 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Very "general" statement. Maybe will cause some reflection

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

NATURAL VERSUS VIRTUAL: Records show that Americans are spending less and less time in the great outdoors.
©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/FRED DIDIER

Americans have been visiting national parks and other natural reserves less and less since 1987, new research confirms. Outdoor pursuits, ranging from camping to hunting, have entered a persistent and growing decline.

"Folks are going out into nature much less and decreasingly every year," says conservation ecologist Patricia Zaradic of the Environmental Leadership Program and co-author of the report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. "It would take 80 million more visits this year to get the per capita number back up to the level it was in 1987."

Tags: health

Mental health care boost sought

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:53:29 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: To me, this is the litmus test for any govt.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Independent Senator-elect Nick Xenophon is urging better mental health accommodation for people between 18 and 25.

The father of a teenager who died of a drug overdose at a mental health hostel in Adelaide in 2003 says he wants to see better support for young people in such accommodation.

Mark Keogh says more support for his son, Thom, may have saved his life.

Mr Xenophon says it is an issue he wants raised nationally.

"I don't want what Mark and his family have gone through to happen to any other family," he said.

"There are some significant issues of resources that need to be addressed for 18- to 25-year-olds who've got a mental health problem, aren't ill enough to be institutionalised but clearly need some form of accommodation that is supported and nurturing."

Tags: health, drugs

War Head Injuries: Long-Term Effects

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:55:22 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: I thought that this sort of head injury was pretty common; maybe the researchers had to be careful with the facts to get care for the troops.

Clip Source: www.michaelmoore.com

It seems obvious that living through the terrors of military combat would increase someone's risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But a new report published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine suggests that PTSD isn't a simple psychological reaction to a scary situation. When researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences examined the cases of 2,525 soldiers three to four months after serving in Iraq, they found that a remarkable one-sixth had suffered at least one concussion during their yearlong deployment — typically during combat or from a blast. These same soldiers turned out to be at higher risk for PTSD than those who hadn't had a concussion — about three times higher for soldiers who had been knocked unconscious by concussion, and nearly twice as high for those who had a concussion without blackout.

Tags: war, health

Abortion and the Earth

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 06:04:00 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Well written article for all sides and sexes. (Though it irks me that women allow men to give them their way of thinking.)

Clip Source: www.truthout.org


Many women and couples in Japan who have terminated a pregnancy choose to honor the soul of the child through a practice called mizuko jizo. In this ritual the parents purchase a doll, adorn it and enshrine it in a temple, where it is cared for by priests.

On this recent thirty-fifth anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, pro-choice activists are calling for a new approach to the issue.

Frances Kissling, former president of Catholics for Free Choice, and Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, wrote in an OpEd article in The Los Angeles Times: "Our vigorous defense of the right to choose needs to be accompanied by greater openness regarding the real conflict between life and choice, between rights and responsibility. It is time for a serious reassessment of how to think about abortion in a world that is radically changed from 1973."

Tags: health

Loneliness Breeds Belief in Supernatural

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:29:58 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Chats with older folk, the church was almost an excuse for having get-togethers And I think a lot of those who live away from families really miss the extended family - that has died in Australia.

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

People who feel lonely are more likely to believe in the supernatural, whether that is God, angels or miracles, a new study finds.

Humans have evolved as social creatures, so loneliness cuts to the quick. Living in groups was critical to the survival and safety of our ancient ancestors, and "complete isolation or ostracism has been tantamount to a death sentence," said University of Chicago researcher Nicholas Epley, who led the study.

While group living isn't critical to survival in the modern world, feeling socially connected is. Feeling isolated and lonely is a very painful emotional state for people, Epley said, and can lead to ill health, both physically and mentally.

"Being socially isolated is just not good for you," he said.

Tags: health

How does toxic mould work?

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:50:51 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: My wife has been working on the mould due to higher humidity. Nasty stuff.

Clip Source: home.howstuffworks.com

Inside This Article

How does toxic mold make you sick?

Toxic Mold in Your Home

Lots More Information

See all General Repairs articles

In January 1993, an infant in the Cleveland, Ohio area -- the first of 27 -- suffered acute pulmonary hemorrhaging. The children bled from their airways, their lungs infected with some unknown illness. One of the children died. An investigation into the cause of this terrible outbreak found that each of the homes where the sick infants lived sustained serious water damage. Within these houses, the greenish-black fungi Stachybotrys chartarum (S. chartarum) was discovered. It appeared the children's infections were caused by toxic mold.

Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Water-damaged homes are the likeliest candidates for mold infestations. Concerns over mold problems continue to plague the homes of families living in New Orleans, like the LaCours, following Hurricane Katrina. See more hurricane images.

Tags: health

Study tracks stress disorder in US combat troops

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:42:56 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Something is being done. Will the Pentagon listen. Will the pollies notice it?

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

About 9 per cent of United States troops who have performed combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan report experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study led by Defence Department researchers.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, provides the latest estimate of this mental disorder among US troops returning from war.

It tracked PTSD among 50,000 US troops, looking at differences in rates among those who saw combat, those deployed in non-combat roles and those who did not deploy.

The study finds that some troops develop it after wartime trauma like suffering wounds or witnessing others being hurt, or it can appears months or years after a traumatic event.

"The unpredictability and intensity of urban combat, constant risk of roadside bombs, multiple and prolonged tours, and complex problems of differentiating enemies from allies can leave many troops with high stress levels and possible lasting health consequences," the researchers wrote.

Tags: health, politics, pentagon

Fish Oil May Be Helpful To Some And Harmful To Others

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:38:21 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Isn't this a common story. It seems that we are all "crash test dummies", with the proliferation of drugs and herbal helpers.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2008) — Fish oil supplements may help some cardiac patients while harming others, suggests a new review of evidence compiled by St. Michael's Hospital and University of Toronto researchers.

In a systematic review of trials where patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators used fish oil supplements, Dr. David Jenkins and Dr. Paul Dorian found significant differences among the trials, indicating fish oil may be beneficial to some patients while having a negative impact on others.

"Fish oils can have complex and varied effects on the heart," says Jenkins, a U of T Professor of Medicine who runs the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital. "These effects include blocking cardiac ion channels, reducing fibrosis in response to mechanical stress, decreasing blood coagulation, and possibly altering immune function."

Tags: health

Sleep medicine 'can help ice addicts quit'

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 09:05:46 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Australian researchers say they have discovered a way to rehabilitate people addicted to the drug 'ice'.

In what they call a world first, researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre say they have discovered that Modafinil, a medication currently used to treat sleep disorders, can help ice addicts quit.

The discovery of Modafinil's potential for fighting ice addiction comes after much media attention on what some experts say is an ice epidemic.

The latest national figures show that as many as 70,000 people use ice - otherwise known as crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride.

Researcher James Shearer explains how ice affects the brain.

"What ice, or crystal, does is it actually hooks into your reward system in the brain, and the reward system is designed so that you can recognise positive stimuli, remember them, act on them," he said.

"But by overdoing it, by chronic use, you end up with a depletion of these neurotransmitters."

Tags: health, drugs

US abbatoir workers struck by mystery illness

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 09:36:15 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: I was a teacher for thirty years and, luckily, never became infected by flying brains.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Health authorities in the United States are investigating an outbreak of a mysterious neurological condition among workers at a pig slaughterhouse in Minnesota.

The illness has affected 11 people at the plant whose work involved removing pigs' brains using jets of compressed air.

Scientists believe they may be suffering from a rare immune system disorder possibly triggered by inhaling airborne brain matter.

Tags: health

World Aids Day warning

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:58:02 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: There is also a fear of complacency with the numbers falling.

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

Experts and activists are using World Aids Day to press home the message that the world cannot relax in its work to

Recent statistics from UNAids, the UN umbrella body overseeing the global campaign, show that the number of people with the disease peaked in the late 1990s.

Last month, the body also reduced its estimate of the worldwide figure of people living with HIV or Aids from nearly 40 million to 33 million.

In video

Thailand's Aids successes not without controversy

Activists demand better US domestic Aids policy

Stigma for India's Aids patients

The number of new infections had decreased from three million in the late 1990s to about 2.5 million in 2007.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had said that the number of people in Africa, home to more than two-thirds of people with HIV/Aids, receiving antiretroviral (AVR) drugs has increased by 54 per cent from 2005 to 2006.

Tags: health