Benefits Of Aloe Vera

The names are many but they all belong to one miracle plant Aloe barbadensis. Its a wonder plant with health benefits so myriad and astounding that hardly any part of human body remains that is not influenced by its healing touch. From being a natural fighter against all sorts of infection, an efficient anti-oxidant to helping in all digestion related problems, arthritis, stress, diabetes, cancer, AIDS to being an enhancer of beauty, Aloe has been proved by research to be a plant of amazing medicinal properties.

The medicinal value of the plant recognized for centuries for its remarkable properties, lies in the gel like pulp obtained on peeling the leaves. Its juicehas cooling properties, is anabolic in action, a fighter of pitta and guards against fever, skin diseases, burns, ulcers, boils eruptions etc. Aloes active principle aloin is responsible for its unique digestive properties. Though it would be too exhaustive to enumerate its health benefits, the areas in which Aloe plant extract helps is summarized, in short, as under Antiseptic, Anti-bactericidal - Aloe Vera produces six anti-septic agents with anti microbial properties and if its juice is taken on daily basis is protective against diseases.

Aloe Vera Gel/Juice
Protector of human immune system The whole leaf extract galvanizes the cells of immune system. The phagocytes increase their scavenging activities, thus cleansing the body and kicking off a whole cascade of protective actions which strengthen immunity.

Aloe Vera Gel/Juice Improves digestive system Research work carried out over the years points conclusively that aloe juice helps in digestive disorders. Constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome etc are cured by the flushing action. The deposits of toxins and unwanted substances in our diet which keep accumulating in intestines prevent the absorption of essential nutrients causing nutritional deficiency, lethargy, constipation, lower back ache. Aloe juice helps flush out these residues boosting the digestion and giving a greater feeling of well-being.

Aloe Vera in arthritis -
Being a stimulant to the immune system, a powerful anti-inflammatory, an analgesic and able to speed up cell growth, it repairs arthritis damaged tissue. While conventional allopathic treatment only relieves pain, Aloe Vera juice taken internally and applied externally helps in repair process by regenerating cells and detoxifying the affected area. Aloe Vera fights stress- The stress filled life of today cause bio-chemical and physiological changes in the body, making us susceptible to diseases and dysfunction. Aloe Vera juice is just the thing to get our machinery smoothly and effectively going.

Aloe Vera and cancer -
aloe juice enables the body to heal itself from cancer and the damage done by radio and chemotherapy which destroy healthy immune cells crucial to the recovery.

Aloe Vera and diabetes -
It lowers glucose and tri-glyceride levels in diabetic patients. Effects can be seen from the second week of the treatment.

Aloe Vera and hepatitis -
Extract of aloe juice has been shown to have beneficial effects on liver and alleviate symptoms considerably in chronic hepatitis patients.

Aloe Vera in heart disease -
Addition of isabgol and Aloe Vera juice to the diet of patients of angina pectoris, results in marked reduction of serum cholesterol and tri-glycerides and increase in level of HDL.

Aloe Vera and AIDS -
A daily dose of min. 1200mg. of active ingredients of aloe vera showed substantial improvement in AIDS symptoms. Says Dr. Pulse, Aloe is to an AIDS patient as insulin is to a diabetic.

Aloe Vera as wound and skin disease healer
Aloe vera gel is excellent for easing first degree burns, relieves inflammation and accelerates healing. Aloe vera gel has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects and helps heal minor wounds. It lessens painful effects of shingles, reduces symptoms of psoriasis and eases heartburns and ulcers.

source:aloeveraindia.com

Five newly born children killed as incubator catches fire

Five children were killed as fire broke out in a nursery of a hospital early this morning here, police
said.

The incident occurred when an incubator, where all the five newly born children were kept, caught fire at 3:30am today, Superintendent of Police Gurmit Singh said.

It is suspected that the fire broke out due to a short circuit, he said, adding the identity of the children were not known immediately.

Family: Octuplets' mother has 6 other children

The home of the Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets this week is seen in Whittier, Calif. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009. Seven of the babies are now breathing unassisted while Baby G, a boy, is the only baby receiving assisted oxygen through a tube in their nose. The family of the woman who gave birth to octuplets this week in Southern California says she has six other young children at home.Octuplets born in Calif. hospital

The woman who gave birth to octuplets this week has six other children and never expected to have eight more when she took fertility treatment, her mother said.

Angela Suleman said her daughter expects a big challenge raising 14 children. The good news, she said, is all the babies appear healthy.

"I looked at those babies. They are so tiny and so beautiful," Suleman told The Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

Suleman's daughter gave birth to the octuplets Monday at a hospital in Bellflower but has requested that doctors keep her name confidential. Media knew little about the woman until a family acquaintance told CBS' "The Early Show" on Thursday that the mother is "fairly young" and lives with her parents and her six children.

Within hours, media had camped out at the family's home in Whittier, where the babies' grandfather pulled up in a minivan in the evening and briefly spoke to The Associated Press. Beside him were two children — a 7-year-old and 6-year-old — who said they were excited to have eight new siblings.

But the grandfather warned that media may have a tougher time finding the family after the babies are released from the hospital.

"We have a huge house, not here," said the man, who would only identify himself as Ed. "You are never going to know where it is."

The mother also has two children, ages 5 and 3, and 2-year-old twins, neighbors told the Times.

Suleman said her daughter had embryos implanted last year, and after finding out she was pregnant with multiple babies was given the option by doctors of selectively reducing the number of embryos. The woman declined.

"What do you suggest she should have done? She refused to have them killed," Suleman told the Times. "That is a very painful thing."

Dr. Harold Henry said the woman was already pregnant when she came to Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center, and she was counseled about the risks of her pregnancy and on the option of aborting some of the fetuses. Doctors had been expecting only seven babies, but an eighth was born in the cesarean delivery.

The six boys and two girls, the second octuplets born alive in the United States, have garnered worldwide attention as media have attempted to find out more about the mother and her family. Hours after media gathered outside the Whittier home, Kaiser issued a statement on behalf of the mother requesting privacy.

"Please know, in our own time, we will share additional details about this miraculous experience," the statement read. "The babies continue to grow strong everyday and make good progress. My family and I are ecstatic about all of their arrivals. Needless to say the eighth was a surprise to us all, but a blessing as well."

Dr. Mandhir Gupta said seven of the babies were breathing without assistance. One was still receiving oxygen through a tube in his nose.

Seven of the infants were being tube-fed donated breast milk. One of the boys was expected to begin feedings Friday.

All babies continued to receive an intravenous nutritional combination. They were expected to remain in the hospital for several more weeks.

Some fertility specialists have said the children face increased health risks because they are octuplets and born nine weeks premature. At birth, they ranged between 1 pound, 8 ounces and 3 pounds, 4 ounces.

Doctors say they advise against higher-order births, but acknowledge the decision is not theirs to make.

"Who am I to say that six is the limit?" said Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg, medical director of Fertility Institutes, which has clinics in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York City. "There are people who like to have big families."

Dr. James Grifo, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the NYU School of Medicine, added: "I don't think it's our job to tell them how many babies they're allowed to have. I am not a policeman for reproduction in the United States. My role is to educate patients."

High BP in pregnancy ups risk in later life

Women who suffer from high blood pressure during pregnancy are at a higher risk of chronic hypertension and type 2 diabetes for the rest of their lives, according to a new study. Yale School of Medicine researchers along with the University of Copenhagen, Denmark have found that women who have had two pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia are at an even higher risk of hypertension after pregnancy.

For the study, the researchers analyzed the data of over 11 million women who gave birth in Denmark from 1978 to 2007 Of those women with preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy linked to life-threatening cardiovascular disease, the risks of subsequent hypertension risks were compounded with each affected pregnancy.

"The only reliable treatment for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby," said senior author Michael J. Paidas, MD, associate professor and director of the Program for Thrombosis and Hemostasis in Women's Health in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale.

"But while delivery may 'cure' preeclampsia in the moment, these mothers are at high risk of chronic hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus and blood clots for the rest of their lives," he added. Paidas said the research adds to growing data on the link between hypertensive pregnancy disorders and subsequent death and ischemic heart disease

The researchers are conducting ongoing studies to explore the genetic links between pregnancy complications, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

How to start meditating

This Factoid is a response to: What daily tricks work for you to chase away feelings of depression?

The key to meditation is being physically comfortable, and yet mildly unconformable so as to reduce your chances of falling asleep. To do this it is best to sit down, back straight. This is not necessary, but the position most meditators sit in is practical in that it alone among bodily positions can be hold without movement for long stretches of time.

Now once you are comfortable begin by taking a few deep breaths and clearing your head. Your breathing should naturally slow through the meditative process.

Try focusing on a single thing.

If you choose a candle flame, focus on the ever changing shapes and colors.

If you choose to count each movement of the breath try counting 1 (in) 2 (out) 3 (in) 4 (out) and so on. Each time you loose focus begin at the next ‘in’ breath with 1.

Or try counting to 10 breaths. (in) 1 (out) (in) 2 (out) and so on. If you loose your place or find yourself at 10 or higher start back at 1.

Try something continual, like a ring, bracelet or prayer beads and continually feel the circular continuum.

If you live around mosquito’s you can try a more advanced technique of meditating on the pain/itch of a bite. Each one you focus on will soon dissipate, while the next one feeds.

Sit by a river or ocean and focus in on the sounds.

Any of these techniques can easily be used and mastered with little effort. Notice though that I suggest no time frame. The important thing is the meditation. Do not worry about how long you meditate or you are not meditating, your worrying. If time is a factor try a meditation timer found online, or just an alarm clock. Remember though that the meditative state is much like sleep and being rudely awaken is startling.

Your goal is a state of peace be in the moment. If you have twenty minutes, set an alarm and begin. If you have no time limit simply begin. Clear your mind and enjoy. When you catch yourself, and you will, thinking of your cat, the last oil change you got, or how beautiful or handsome that one someone on the buss was simply move your thought back. Don’t beat yourself up.

Our culture has encouraged multi-tasking. It is not our natural state to focus on so much, but we can. It feels easy now to multi-task, wait till mono-tasking feels just as easy.

Antibiotics becoming ineffective

People are dying of superbugs because the antibiotic armoury has run dry, leaving one unprotected from the depredations of ever-changing bacteria, warned infectious disease researchers.

A superbug can evade antibiotics by producing an enzyme that devours the drug; creating a barrier to the drug; pumping out any antibiotic that reaches the bacterial cell and modifying the target of the antibiotic so the drug can't bind to it.

"Most of the public has heard of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) because it produces the most cases each year. However, they have not heard of other superbugs that can be far worse," said Barbara E. Murray, co-author and director of Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Medical School (UTMS).

"The gram-negative bacteria are the most antibiotic-resistant with fewer treatment options in life-threatening diseases, such as certain forms of pneumonia, bloodstream infections, gastroenteritis and even meningitis," she said.

Gram-negative bacteria can release toxins created by their cell walls into the bloodstream, where it is harder to treat them.

According to a 2004 report, "Bad Bugs, No Drugs", by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), none of the 89 new drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration were antibiotics.

Murray and co-author Cesar Arias said people are also taking antibiotics without prescriptions or not following the prescription as directed, said an UTMS release.

"We have run out of options. The promise of genomics has not panned out. Gene sequencing has not helped us find a better way to fight these bugs," said Murray.

These findings were published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Pain-Relieving Powers of Acupuncture Unclear

When used to treat pain, acupuncture offers only limited relief that may not be clinically relevant.

So say Danish researchers who examined data from 13 acupuncture pain studies that included more than 3,000 patients.

The studies compared real acupuncture, placebo acupuncture and no acupuncture for a wide range of painful conditions such as knee osteoarthritis, migraine, low back pain and postoperative pain.

Compared to placebo acupuncture, real acupuncture offered only a small amount of relief (about 4 millimeters on a 100-mm pain scoring scale), according to the review authors. A 10-mm change on this scale is classified as "minimal" or "little change," which means the apparent relief offered by acupuncture seems to be below clinically relevant improvement.

The findings, published online Jan. 28 in the British Medical Journal, support a number of previous reviews that found no clear evidence that acupuncture offers effective pain relief.

Future studies should focus on reducing bias and trying to separate the physiological effect of using a needle and the psychological impact of the treatment ritual, said the researchers at the Nordic Cochrane Center in Copenhagen.

The overall effect of acupuncture in relation to usual care may not be large, but it may be clinically relevant for musculoskeletal conditions due to the limited treatment options and acupuncture's safety record and patient preference, Dr. Adrian White and Dr. Mike Cummings of the British Medical Acupuncture Society wrote in an accompanying editorial.

Future research should focus on a comparison of acupuncture with the best existing treatments for different conditions, they suggested.

Eating less helps elderly keep their brains sharp

Eating less can help older adults improve their memory and prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s, suggests a new study.

Cutting on calorie intake increases lifespan in mice, reduces the risk of heart disease in people and boosts cognitive ability in elderly animals, it has been shown.

To see if the cognitive benefit held for people, Agnes Floel and team, at the University of Munster in Germany tested the short term memory of 50 people with an average age of 60, who were overweight, but not obese, and then got one-third to eat 30% fewer calories than normal each day.

Post three months, the dieters scored 20% higher on the test than they had before the diet,recalling on average 12.5 words compared to 10.5.

“Two words may not seem like much, but it’s more than the difference between people under 30 and above 50,” says Agnes Floel.

Those who did not go on the diet showed no change, reports New Scientist. The dieters had lower levels of glucose and insulin in their blood which previous studies have linked to greater neural function, the study found. The study has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

93-year-old froze to death, owed big utility bill

A 93-year-old man froze to death inside his home just days after the municipal power company restricted his use of electricity because of unpaid bills, officials said.

Marvin E. Schur died "a slow, painful death," said Kanu Virani, Oakland County's deputy chief medical examiner, who performed the autopsy.

Neighbors discovered Schur's body on Jan. 17. They said the indoor temperature was below 32 degrees at the time, The Bay City Times reported Monday.

"Hypothermia shuts the whole system down, slowly," Virani said. "It's not easy to die from hypothermia without first realizing your fingers and toes feel like they're burning."

Schur owed Bay City Electric Light & Power more than $1,000 in unpaid electric bills, Bay City Manager Robert Belleman told The Associated Press on Monday.

A city utility worker had installed a "limiter" device to restrict the use of electricity at Schur's home on Jan. 13, Belleman said. The device limits power reaching a home and blows out like a fuse if consumption rises past a set level. Power is not restored until the device is reset.

The limiter was tripped sometime between the time of installation and the discovery of Schur's body, Belleman said. He didn't know if anyone had made personal contact with Schur to explain how the device works.

Schur's body was discovered by neighbor George Pauwels Jr.

"His furnace was not running, the insides of his windows were full of ice the morning we found him," Pauwels told the newspaper.

Belleman said city workers keep the limiter on houses for 10 days, then shut off power entirely if the homeowner hasn't paid utility bills or arranged to do so.

He said Bay City Electric Light & Power's policies will be reviewed, but he didn't believe the city did anything wrong.

"I've said this before and some of my colleagues have said this: Neighbors need to keep an eye on neighbors," Belleman said. "When they think there's something wrong, they should contact the appropriate agency or city department."

Schur had no children and his wife had died several years ago.

Bay City is on Saginaw Bay, just north of the city of Saginaw in central Michigan.

Alcohol 'Improves a Man's Sexual Performance in Bed'

It's often said blokes who drink too much are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

But, researchers have claimed that alcohol can improve man's sexual performance, rather than curbing his prowess in bed.

A international team, led by Western Australia's Keogh Institute for Medical Research, has in fact based its findings on a study of 1,580 men, the 'Journal of Sexual Medicine' has reported in its latest edition.

The study found that drinkers suffer 30 per cent fewer problems in bed than teetotallers. And, what's interesting is that binge drinkers had lower rates of brewers' droop than men who never drink.

"We found that, compared to those who have never touched alcohol, many people do benefit from some drinking," lead researcher Kew-Kim Chew was quoted by the British media as saying.

However, the study found that those at greatest risk of poor performance in bed were heavy drinkers who had stopped drinking, those who smoke and sufferers of heart disease.

Chew added: "Although alcohol may increase sexual desire through disinhibition, the slang term 'brewer's droop' captures its reputation as a risk factor for decreased sexual performance.

"These findings suggest a favourable association between low-risk alcohol drinking and positive erectile function."

Drug waste creates highest disaster zone in Andhra

When researchers analyzed vials of treated wastewater from a plant where about 90 Indian drug factories dump their residues, they Drug-polluted stream in Andhra Pradesh Drug waste creates highest disaster zone in Andhra Pradesh were shocked. Powerful antibiotic was being spewed into one stream each day to treat every person in a city of 90,000.

And it's not just ciprofloxacin. The supposedly cleaned water was a floating soup of 21 different active pharmaceutical ingredients, used in generics for treatment of hypertension, heart disease, chronic liver ailments, depression, gonorrhea, ulcers and other ailments. It is the highest levels of pharmaceuticals ever detected in the environment, researchers say.

These factories, located on NH-9, just 28km from Hyderabad, produce drugs for much of the world. The result: Some of Andhra's poor are unwittingly consuming an array of chemicals that may be harmful, and could lead to the proliferation of drug-resistant bacteria.

"If you take a bath there, then you have all the antibiotics you need for treatment," said chemist Klaus Kuemmerer, a German exper t on drug resistance in the environment. "If you just swallow a few gasps of water, you're treated for everything. The question is ― for how long?"

"We don't have any other source, so we're drinking it," said R Durgamma, a mother of four, sitting on the steps of her mud home, a few miles downstream from the Patancheru treatment plant. High drug concentrations were recently found in her well water.

"When the local leaders come, we offer them water and they won't take it."

Patancheru became a hub for largely unregulated chemical and drug factories in the 1980s, creating what is described locally as an "ecological sacrifice zone" with its pharmaceutical waste. Since then, India has become one of the world's leading exporters of pharmaceuticals, and the US which spent $1.4 billion on Indian-made drugs in 2007, is its largest customer.

Last year, it was reported that trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals had been found in drinking water provided to at least 46 million Americans. But the wastewater downstream from the Indian plants contained 150 times the highest levels detected in the US.

Some locals long believed drugs were seeping into their drinking water, and new data from the study by Joakim Larsson, an environmental scientist at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has confirmed their suspicions.

Ciprofloxacin, the antibiotic, and the popular antihistamine cetirizine had the highest levels in the wells of six villages tested. Both drugs measured far below a human dose, but the results were still alarming.

Love Story.."not tonight honey"

Good food = good sex

Don't blame your hormones the next time you feel like saying "not tonight honey". Blame your deliciously greasy dinner.

According to Dr Rishi Bansal, a sexologist, the key to good sex is proper blood circulation. And to get your blood pumping, you need to eat food that is light, easy to digest and improves the blood flow.

So if you are thinking of ordering sumptuous Chinese tonight, we say skip it. Instead get experimental in bed with the help of these foods.

Green signal

Popeye propagated only half the benefits of spinach. Leafy vegetables such as spinach contain vitamin E, which is directly related to the production of sex hormones in the body. Now don't go green, just have some.

Bed time snacks

According to Dr Bansal, high energy equals good sex. "And nuts and dry fruits are full of vitamin B3, which increases your stamina," he says.

The next time you feel down in dumps, keep these nutty snacks handy by your bedside.

Don't skip this

"Garlic increases heat in the body. When added regularly in your daily diet, it has a positive effect on your sexual hormones," says sexologist Dr Mahesh Bhagat. Just?umm?don't forget to brush before you give him a passionate kiss.

Fishy business

Omega-3 fatty acids make your nervous system function more efficiently. Fish also contains selenium, zinc and magnesium, all of which are critical to your sex drive.

Hot, hotter, hottest

Spicy food has an effect on your hormonal balance. "In fact, chillies can be called a natural Viagra," says Dr Bhagat. Need we say more? But do keep a jug of water handy.

Don't be a chicken

Chicken has vitamin B-complex, which aids the release of sex hormones. "It increases the blood circulation in your body during sex," adds Dr Bhagat. Chicken tandoori tonight?

Instant aphrodisiac

Ginseng, a fleshy root has L-Arsine, an organic substance that ups the release of sex hormones during the act. It also gives you instant energy.

So now you know what to rummage for in your kitchen if you ever run out of steam. And a healthy you is an added bonus.

India Prime Minister Undergoes Angiopgraphy

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday underwent angiography as part of a series of heart-related tests at the All India Institute
of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, officials said.

"We cannot comment on any surgical procedure but the prime minister did undergo angiography," said his personal physician
K S Reddy, who is heading a multi-disciplinary team treating Manmohan Singh.

The prime minister's media press adviser Deepak Sandhu said he would spend the night at the AIIMS and return home Thursday morning.

The prime minister had reportedly complained of chest pain
after which a decision to carry out the tests was taken, according to hospital officials.

A day earlier, the prime minister visited AIIMS for an overall medical check-up and returned home.

AIIMS Medical Superintendent D K Sharma then said the prime minister had come for a "check-up" which was conducted by a team of doctors from various disciplines.

He had cancelled his visit to Kolkata, scheduled for Wednesday, to attend the Asiatic Society's post-bicentennial silver jubilee celebrations and inaugurate the 150th foundation day of St Xavier's College and Collegiate School.

"He is alright and will be joining work," Deepak Sandhu said earlier.

In October 2005 the prime minister underwent a minor surgical procedure to ease the pressure on a nerve in his right wrist.

Then in September 2007, he underwent surgery for benign enlargement of the prostate gland.

Mind make-up crucial for healthy lifestyle

A Canadian study suggests that the amount of physical exercise people carry out is mainly influenced by their self-perceived ability
and the extent of their desire to exercise.

Published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, the study involved 5167 people. It showed that psychological concerns were the most important barriers to an active lifestyle.

Lead researcher Sai Yi Pan, from the Public Health Agency of Canada, revealed that the study examined data from a nationwide series of telephone interviews.

"Our findings highlight the need for health promotion programs to enhance people's confidence and motivation, as well as providing education on the health benefits of physical activity," she said.

One of the questions asked to the participants was how confident they were that they could regularly do a total of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity (PA) three or four times a week, and a total of 60 minutes of light physical activity each day.

According to the researchers, this 'self-efficacy' score was consistently found to be related to higher physical activity across gender, age group, education level and family income level.

"Confidence in one's personal ability to carry out exercise plays a central role in the direction, intensity and persistence of health-behaviour change. People who have higher PA self-efficacy will perceive fewer barriers to PA, or be less influenced by them, and will be more likely to enjoy PA," write the authors.

The participants were also asked to what extent they intended to be physically active over the next six months, and the 'intention score' was another important independent correlate of physical activity.

The authors said that the strong effects of self-efficacy and intention on physical activity suggested that interventions designed to increase it should target such factors.

"Future research is needed to identify how those influences can be optimally incorporated into interventions that will increase people's belief in their ability and motivation/intention to be physically active," they concluded.

High risk medical devices escaped close review

ome medical devices for sensitive uses, from certain hip joints to a type of defibrillator, have won government approval without a close scientific review, congressional investigators said Thursday.

Although Congress ordered the Food and Drug Administration years ago to resolve the issue, the agency approved 228 medical devices without a full scale review from 2003-2007, the Government Accountability Office said in a report.

Some devices approved under the less rigorous process have been recalled because of malfunctions and other problems, according to the consumer group Public Citizen. One device was an external defibrillator to assist heart attack victims.

The report comes as the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health is the subject of allegations that scientists were pressured to approve medical machinery against their professional judgment. Nine FDA scientists wrote the Obama transition team last week complaining that a "corrupted" review process is putting public health at risk.

The allegations are a separate matter from the concerns raised in Thursday's report. But taken together, they probably will raise the level of congressional scrutiny over the FDA's medical devices branch.

"GAO's investigation confirms my concerns that the approval process for medical devices is woefully inadequate," said Rep. Frank Pallone, who heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee's health panel. "For years, Congress has required high-risk medical devices to undergo stringent premarket review, but GAO's findings show that is simply not happening in every case."

Pallone, D-N.J., said he intends to hold hearings on the FDA's oversight of medical devices. The GAO did not look into whether any patients were harmed as a result of devices that got less government scrutiny.

The root of the problem seems to be that the FDA never fully carried out the intent of a decades-old change in the law.

Medical devices include everything from tongue depressors to silicone breast implants and pacemakers. In 1976, Congress set up a three-tiered classification system for devices.

Manufacturers of low-risk devices such as bandages and reading glasses could get cleared by notifying the FDA before going to market. High-risk devices such as pacemakers and heart valves would have to go through tighter scrutiny, and their manufacturers were required to provide evidence of safety and effectiveness. Devices classified as high-risk tended to be ones that are implanted in the body or could spell the difference between life and death.

An exception was carved out for new versions of high-risk devices already on the market.

Manufacturers could get approval by convincing the FDA that these devices were "substantially equivalent" to their precursors. In 1990, Congress ordered the FDA to end the practice, but it has continued even as generations of technology have come and gone.

The report urged the FDA to promptly resolve the problem, either by carrying out full reviews or reclassifying some devices as lower risk, if appropriate.

The FDA acknowledged the problem, but has not set a timetable for resolving it. "In general, we agree with the conclusions and recommendations," said spokeswoman Karen Riley. "We are considering legal and procedural options to accomplish this objective."

The GAO report found that two-dozen distinct types of devices approved without close scrutiny, including metal hip joints, external defibrillators, and electrodes for pacemakers.

"It all adds up to less-than-rigorous device review, and it's placing tens of thousands of Americans at risk," said Peter Lurie, deputy director of Public Citizen's health research group.

Gardening boosts sex drive in men

aking up gardening as a hobby is a good way of achieving a healthy lifestyle, they say. And now a new study has found that it can also boost a man's sex life.

Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna have carried out the study and found that tending the garden for as little as half-an-hour a week can dramatically improve a man's performance in bed, the European Urology journal reported.

According to them, digging, weeding or mowing the lawn for 30 minutes could reduce a man's chances of failing to live up to expectations in bed by more than a third while those who spend more time can more than halve their risk of impotence. "Erectile function can be maintained even by low, regular physical activity. Energy expenditure of as little as 1,000 calories a week reduces the risk. Doctors should use the findings to encourage patients to do more physical training and adopt a healthier lifestyle," the researchers said.

In fact, the study found that men do not have to be keep-fit fanatics to reap the benefits and need to burn just 1,000 calories a week, the Daily Telegraph reported.

This equates to gardening for 30 to 45 minutes, dancing for half an hour, cycling four miles in 15 minutes or jogging 1.5 miles in the same time. This can reduce impotence by around 38%.

Ingredients in your Toothpaste

A Must Read If You Have Children

The 5 Hidden Dangers in Toothpaste

Would you allow your family to brush their teeth with engine degreaser or rat poison? The fact is, they probably are and you don’t even know it.

Dental hygiene products that you and your children use every day may contain toxins that have been linked to cancer, blindness, and even death. Have you checked out the ingredients in your toothpaste or mouthwash lately?

Many name-brand toothpastes and mouthwashes contain potentially harmful ingredients, which are made up of very small molecules that may penetrate through the tissue of your mouth, enter the blood stream, and build up in the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and tissues.
Did you ever wonder why manufacturers are required to put the following warning label on toothpastes?


Just read the label on any major brand toothpaste or mouthwash. You'll see they are loaded with dangerous toxins and chemicals such as sodium fluoride, triclosan, FD&C Blue Dye #1 and 2, sodium lauryl sulfate, and hydrated silica. All of these common ingredients have been found to be harmful to humans. (From the Safe Shoppers Bible)

Sodium Fluoride: One of the main ingredients in rat poison and toothpaste

Many people are probably aware that most toothpaste and many mouth rinses contain fluoride because that's what dentists have recommended for years to prevent cavities. But did you know that most popular toothpastes contain enough fluoride in four ounces to kill a small child within 2 to 4 hours? (From "Fluoride Retained From Mouth Rinses and Dentifrices in Preschool Children."

In children and youth, minimal ingestion of sodium fluoride causes salivation, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, and diarrhea. Large doses of the carcinogen may cause paralysis, muscular weakness and clonic convulsions, followed by respiratory and cardiac failure. (From “Commercial Toothpaste - Natural or Poison?”)

It’s no wonder that fluoride can cause death in humans! In addition to being one of the main ingredients in toothpaste as well as rat and cockroach poisons, sodium fluoride is also a key component in anesthetic, hypnotic, and psychiatric drugs and SARIN NERVE GAS! (From "Neurotoxicity of Sodium Fluoride in Rats" & "Dental Conditions in Workers Chronically Exposed to Dilute and Anhydrous Hydrofluoric Acid")

Fluorides have been used throughout history to alter the behavior and mood of human beings. It is a little known fact that fluoride compounds were added to the drinking water of prisoners to keep them quiet and to hamper noncompliance with authority, both in Nazi prison camps during World War II and in the Soviet gulags in Siberia. (From The Cold War and the University)

Surprisingly, fluoride has NEVER been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, a 1990 study stated that fluoride has been shown to NOT reduce cavities and scientists are now linking fluoride to dental deformity, arthritis, allergic reactions and about 10,000 unnecessary deaths each year from cancer. (From “Fluoride an equivocal carcinogen. National Cancer Institute)


FD&C Blue Dye # 1 & 2: Are you eating crude oil for breakfast?

These dyes are artificial colorings often found in familiar toothpaste brands and a wide variety of other products. Recent studies indicate that FD & C Blue Dyes 1 & 2 can trigger a wide number of behavioral, learning, and health problems. FD&C color dyes may also cause potentially severe allergic reactions, asthma attacks, headaches, nausea, fatigue, nervousness, lack of concentration, and cancer. (From “Formation of carcinogenic aromatic amine from an azo dye by human skin bacteria in vitro” & “Skin discoloration with blue food coloring”)

Using FD & C Blue Dyes 1 & 2 is just like ingesting crude oil as it too, is synthesized from petroleum. These dyes were originally made from coal tar oil, which is a black, sticky tar by-product of steel making and petroleum distillation, and is a source of numerous complex chemicals. Through repeated human exposure, some of these isolated coal tar components
were classified as active carcinogens, ultimately leading to government regulations and restrictions.

Nowadays, coal tar dyes are synthetically engineered rather than extracted from actual coal tar, thereby greatly reducing the possibility of being contaminated with carcinogenic residuals from the coal itself. However, the dyes still contain carcinogenic properties. Over several decades of use, some of these synthetic dyes have come under greater scientific and government scrutiny due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic activity. Because of this, they are still referred to in the industry as “coal tar dyes,” according to the FDA. (From U.S. Food & Drug Administration. “Color Additives Fact Sheet.”)

Even if toothpaste is never swallowed, these dyes can be absorbed within seconds through the skin on the lips, or through the mucous membrane in the mouth. According to the Physician's Desk Reference, the mucosal lining inside of the mouth has an absorption efficiency of over 90 percent. Because of this, these carcinogens get into your blood, your brain, and your cells in no time at all – especially when you consider most people use dental care products 2 to 3 times a day. (From U.S. Food & Drug Administration. “Color Additives Fact Sheet.”)


Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): Used clinically to irritate skin

Perhaps the most dangerous ingredient in personal-care products is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). Because SLS has a foaming property, it is added to toothpastes in order to generate foam and give the impression that the toothpaste is working. However, SLS has been found to be quite corrosive and harmful to skin tissue says a report by the American College of Toxicity.

In the cleaning industry, SLS is used in products such as garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and car wash soaps. Elsewhere, SLS is used for clinical testing as a primary skin irritant. Laboratories use it to irritate skin on test animals and humans so that they may then test healing agents to see how effective they are on the irritated skin.

The journal of the American College of Toxicology reports that SLS can penetrate and be retained in the eye, brain, heart, and liver with potentially harmful long-term effects. Also found in most shampoos including "no tears" baby shampoos, SLS can keep children's eyes from developing properly, can cause cataracts in adults, can retard healing, and can impair hair growth.


Triclosan: A pesticide found in many types of toothpaste

Triclosan, a chemical used for its antibacterial properties, is an ingredient found in many detergents and toothpastes. However, the formulation and structure of this ingredient are similar to some of the most toxic chemicals on earth. Because of this fact, triclosan has been scrutinized in regards to human health and safety, according to Tufts University School of Medicine.

While the companies that manufacture products containing triclosan claim that it is safe, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has registered it as a dangerous pesticide. The EPA gives triclosan high scores both as a human health risk and as an environmental risk.

Triclosan is a chlorophenol, which is a class of chemicals that is suspected of causing cancer in humans. Externally, phenol can cause a variety of skin irritations, but since it can temporarily deactivate sensory nerve endings, contact with it may cause little or no pain. Taken internally, even in small amounts, phenol can lead to cold sweats, circulatory collapse, convulsions, coma, and death.

Additionally, chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides can be stored in body fat, sometimes accumulating to toxic levels. Long term exposure to repeated use of many pesticide products can damage the liver, kidneys, heart and lungs, suppress the immune system, and cause hormonal disruption, paralysis, sterility and brain hemorrhages. (From . “Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings.” Environmental Protection Agency)

Hydrated Silica: A whitener that damages tooth enamel

Hydrated silica, which is primarily used as an abrasive in toothpaste, is made from a crystallized compound found in quartz, sand, and flint. (From “The Safe Shopper’s Bible”)

Tooth enamel re-mineralizes daily from the supply of ionic calcium and phosphorus in the saliva. Scratching the surface of the tooth with an abrasive such as hydrated silica harms the enamel and prevents re-mineralization, much like using sand to clean glass. Severe wear could eventually occur.

”The public is cautioned against excessive use of products containing 'dioforms,' which are abrasive substances that can cause the breakdown of tooth enamel. Products containing the ingredients silica and cellulose, in particular, should be avoided when gum disease, tooth decay, sensitivity and receding gums are present.

While these ingredients can remove tartar and make teeth whiter in appearance, they also may do harm to dental health by altering the acidic balance of the mouth, gums and tongue,” said Dr. Warren Scherer, New York University College of Dentistry, as reported by The Naples Daily News.

If you found this report interesting or helpful, please forward it to a friend or a loved one.
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First US count finds 1 in 200 kids are vegetarian

Sam Silverman is co-captain of his high school football team — a safety accustomed to bruising collisions. But that's nothing compared with the abuse he gets for being a vegetarian.

"I get a lot of flak for it in the locker room," said the 16-year-old junior at Westborough High School in Massachusetts.

"All the time, my friends try to get me to eat meat and tell me how good it tastes and how much bigger I would be," said Silverman, who is 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. "But for me, there's no real temptation."

Silverman may feel like a vegetable vendor at a butchers' convention, but about 367,000 other kids are in the same boat, according to a recent study that provides the government's first estimate of how many children avoid meat. That's about 1 in 200.

Other surveys suggest the rate could be four to six times that among older teens who have more control over what they eat than young children do.

Vegetarian diets exclude meat, but the name is sometimes loosely worn. Some self-described vegetarians eat fish or poultry on occasion, while others — called vegans — cut out animal products of any kind, including eggs and dairy products.

Anecdotally, adolescent vegetarianism seems to be rising, thanks in part to YouTube animal slaughter videos that shock the developing sensibilities of many U.S. children. But there isn't enough long-term data to prove that, according to government researchers.

The new estimate of young vegetarians comes from a recent federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of alternative medicine based on a survey of thousands of Americans in 2007. Information on children's diet habits was gleaned from about 9,000 parents and other adults speaking on the behalf of those under 18.

"I don't think we've done a good job of counting the number of vegetarian youth, but I think this is reasonable," Amy Lanou, a nutrition scientist at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, said of the government estimate. She works with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a vegan advocacy group.

Vegetarians say it's animal welfare, not health, that most often causes kids to stop eating meat.

"Compassion for animals is the major, major reason," said Richard Schwartz, president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America, an organization with a newsletter mailing list of about 800. "When kids find out the things they are eating are living animals — and if they have a pet...."

Case in point is Nicole Nightingale, 14, of Safety Harbor, Fla. In 2007, Nightingale was on the Internet to read about chicken when she came across a video on YouTube that showed the birds being slaughtered. At the end, viewers were invited to go to the Web site peta.org — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Nicole told her parents she was going vegan, prompting her mother to send an angry letter to PETA. But the vegan diet is working out, and now her mother is taking steps to become a vegetarian, too, said Nightingale, an eighth-grader.

She believes her experience was typical for a pre-adolescent vegetarian. "A lot more kids are using the Internet. They're curious about stuff and trying to become independent and they're trying to find out who they are," she said.

Vegetarians are most often female, from higher-income families and living on the East or West coasts, according to previous studies. One good place to find teen vegetarians is Agnes Scott College, a mostly white, all-women's private school in suburban Atlanta with about 850 students. Roughly 5 to 10 percent of Agnes Scott students eat vegetarian, said Pete Miller, the college's director of food service.

Frequently, the most popular entree at the college dining hall is a fresh mozzarella sandwich with organic greens. And the comment board (called "the Beef Board," as in "what's your beef?") often contains plaudits for vegetarian dishes or requests for more. "They're very vocal," Miller said of his vegetarian diners.

Eating vegetarian can be very healthy — nutritionists often push kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, of course. For growing children, however, it's important to get sufficient amounts of protein, vitamins B12 and D, iron, calcium and other important nutrients that most people get from meat, eggs and dairy.

Also, vegetarian diets are not necessarily slimming. Some vegetarian kids cut out meat but fill up on doughnuts, french fries, soda or potato chips, experts said.

"Vegetarian doesn't mean low-calorie," said Dr. Christopher Bolling, who directs weight management research at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He said roughly 10 to 15 percent of the overweight kids who come to his medical center's weight loss program have tried a vegetarian diet at some point before starting the program.

Rayna Middlebrooks, 15, last year started a weight-loss program offered by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, a nonprofit hospital organization. She said she's been on a vegetarian diet for four years and now carries about 250 pounds on her 5-foot-3 inch frame.

Her mother confirmed that, and said that although Rayna does a great job of cooking vegetable-rich stir-fried meals for herself, the girl also loves pasta, soda and sweets. "I have to watch her with the candy," said Barbara Middlebrooks, of Decatur.

On the flip side is Silverman, the Boston-area football player. He's pleased with his health and has no problem sticking to his diet. Rather than try to negotiate the school cafeteria line, he brings his lunch to school. It's the same lunch every day — rye bread, some chicken-like tofu, cheese, a clementine and an assortment of Nutrigrain, Cliff, granola and Power Bars.

He was raised vegetarian and said it's now so deeply ingrained that the idea of eating meat is nauseating. Recently, he ate something he belatedly realized might contain chicken. "I felt sick the rest of the day, until I threw up," he said.

Mouthwash brands linked to cancer

Australian health experts have warned that top-selling mouthwashes can cause oral cancer and should be pulled from supermarket shelves immediately.

The experts issued the warning after investigating latest scientific evidence linking alcohol-containing mouthwashes to the deadly disease.

The investigation concludes that there is now ‘sufficient evidence’ that “alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer”.

The mouthwash contains ethanol, which is believed to allow cancer-causing substances to permeate the lining of the mouth more easily and cause harm.

Acetaldehyde, a toxic by-product of alcohol that may accumulate in the oral cavity when swished around the mouth, is also believed to be carcinogenic. Listerine, the nation’s biggest-selling mouthwash and a brand endorsed by the Australian Dental Association, contains as much as 26% alcohol.

Lead review author Michael McCullough said alcohol-containing mouthwash should be reclassified as prescription-only and carry written health warnings. McCullough, who’s also chair of the ADA’s therapeutics committee, is calling on the ADA to urgently reassess its seal of approval on mouthwashes containing alcohol.

NYC eatery grants freedom to lobster centenarian

A 140-year-old lobster once destined for a dinner plate received the gift of life Friday from a Park Avenue seafood restaurant.

George, the 20-pound supercentenarian crustacean, was freed by City Crab and Seafood in New York City.

"We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace," said Ingrid E. Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA spokesman Michael McGraw said the group asked City Crab to return George to the Atlantic Ocean after a diner saw him at the restaurant, where steamed Maine lobster sells for $27 per pound. George had been caught off Newfoundland, Canada and lived in the tank for about 10 days before his release.

Some scientists estimate lobsters can live to be more than 100 years old. PETA and the restaurant guessed George's age at about 140, using a rule of thumb based on the creature's weight.

He was to be released Saturday near Kennebunkport, Maine, in an area where lobster trapping is forbidden.

Mosquitoes spread diseases like yellow and dengue fever

Mosquitoes' wing duet before mating

Researchers at Cornell University have discovered that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — the ones that spread diseases like yellow and dengue fever — alter their wing vibrations in a mating signal.

The good news is that the finding could lead to better ways to control mosquitoes, according to Ronald Hoy, an author of the report.

The Aedes aegypti alters wing beats, but not to match each other. The females typically have a frequency of about 400 beats per second and the males approximately 600. When they encountered one another they adjusted the beats until there was a harmonic of about 1200 vibrations per second — or hertz — an overtone of both the 400 and 600 beats.

"Bodyweight Exercises" Video

Introduction

Learn to use your bodyweight in exercises such as the prone bridge and side bridge in this free bodyweight exercise video on strength and conditioning.

Prone Bridge & Side Bridge Strength & Conditioning Exercises

Broccoli can cut breast cancer risk

Eating broccoli can significantly reduce the risk of developing breast cancer,say researchers.

The leafy vegetable along with other cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, cauliflower and cabbage, contains chemicals that prevent a number of different cancers.

However, now experts have discovered that the compound in broccoli can actually kill breast cancer cells. University of California researchers have revealed for the first time how the healing
power of these vegetables works in the cells, reports the Daily Express .

The research, which was carried out by Leslie Wilson, professor of biochemistry and pharmacology, and Mary Ann Jordan, adjunct professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, at the University’s Santa Barbara laboratories, found that a compound in broccoli inhibits the rapid growth of tumour cells in a similar way to chemotherapy drug taxol and vincristine, a drug which kills cells that reproduce the fastest. The drugs inhibit cell division during mitosis, the process by which cells split apart and divide.

Graduate student Olga Azarenko, who worked on the project, said: “Breast cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women, can be protected against by eating cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and near relatives of cabbage such as broccoli and cauliflower.

“These vegetables contain compounds called isothiocyanates which we believe to be responsible for the cancer-preventive and anti-carcinogenic activities in these vegetables. Broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the highest amount of the isothiocyanates.

“Our paper focuses on the anti-cancer activity of one of these compounds, called sulforaphane, or SFN. It has already been shown to reduce the incidence and rate of chemically induced mammary tumours in animals. It inhibits the growth of cultured human breast cancer cells, leading to cell death.”

Mississippi has highest teen birth rate, CDC says

Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen birth rate, displacing Texas and New Mexico for that lamentable title, a new federal report says. Mississippi's rate was more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006, according to new state statistics released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The teen birth rate for that year in Texas and New Mexico was more than 50 percent higher.

The three states have large proportions of black and Hispanic teenagers — groups that traditionally have higher birth rates, experts noted.

The lowest teen birth rates continue to be in New England, where three states have rates at roughly half the national average, which is 42 births per 1,000 teen women.

It's not clear why Mississippi, with 68 births per 1,000, surged into first place. The state's one-year increase of nearly 1,000 teen births could be a statistical blip, said Ron Cossman, a Mississippi State University researcher who focuses on children's health statistics.

The New Mexico rate was 64 per 1,000; Texas was 63. New Hampshire, with a rate of 19 per 1,000, was the nation's lowest.

More than a year ago, a preliminary report on the 2006 data revealed that the U.S. teen birth rate had risen for the first time in about 15 years. But the new numbers provide the first state-by-state breakdown.

The new report is based on a review of all the birth certificates in 2006. Significant increases in teen birth rates were noted in 26 states.

"It's pretty much across the board" nationally, said Brady Hamilton, a CDC statistician who worked on the report.

About 435,000 of the nation's 4.3 million births in 2006 were to mothers ages 15 through 19. That was about 21,000 more teen births than in 2005.

Numerically, the largest increases were in the states with the largest populations. California, Texas and Florida together generated almost 30 percent of the nation's extra teen births in 2006.

Some experts have blamed the national increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that does not teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception. They said that would explain why teen birth rate increases have been detected across much of the country and not just in a few spots.

There is debate about that, however. Some conservative organizations have argued that contraceptive-focused sex education is still common, and that the new teen birth numbers reflect it is failing.

Other factors include the escalating cost of some types of birth control and their unavailability in some communities, said Stephanie Birch, who directs maternal and child health programs for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

Glowing media portrayals of celebrity pregnancies don't help, either, she said. "They make it out to be very glamorous," said Birch, who cited a calculation by Alaska officials that teen births were up 6 percent in that state in 2006.

A variety of factors influence teen birth rates, including culture, poverty and racial demographics. For those and other reasons, kids in mostly white New England likely would delay child birth, said David Landry, a researcher at the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based organization which supports abortion rights and gathers research on sexual and reproductive health.

"It's more costly for youth in the Northeast to have a teen birth than for youth in the South, in terms of opportunities they'll miss," he said.

AIIMS spends Rs 1.7 crore on producing one doctor

It takes Rs 1.7 crore to produce a single MBBS doctor at AIIMS.

This is the finding of a first-of-its-kind study submitted by AIIMS' department of hospital administration to the dean recently. The figure includes both direct (services of the faculty and stipend) and indirect (services of non-teaching personnel and furniture) costs incurred by the country's premier teaching hospital over the five-and-a-half year period.

According to the study `Determination of the cost of training of MBBS student at AIIMS' conducted under the supervision of Dr Shakti Gupta, (HoD), department of hospital administration at AIIMS, if computed using a traditional costing method, AIIMS spends Rs 31.31 lakh on every undergraduate student per year per course.

When calculated using the Time Driven Activity Based Costing method (TD-ABC), the study says that total costs incurred on one MBBS student is Rs 98 lakh per course.

"As against this, the annual fee of an MBBS student at AIIMS is Rs 850 per year that includes hostel and tuition fee," Dr Gupta told TOI.

What's worse, an earlier study by the Media Study Group found that over 53% of students who pass out as doctors from AIIMS leave India to work abroad.

Of the 2,129 students who passed out in the first 42 batches of the MBBS programme at AIIMS -- from its inception in 1956 to 1997 -- the study team tracked down 1,477 doctors. Of them, 780 or 52.81% were found to be working abroad.

These stark figures made health minister A Ramadoss plead to students on Wednesday to stay back and work in the country. Addressing the annual AIIMS convocation that saw 376 degrees of which 50 were MBBS degrees being given out, Ramadoss said, "Please stay put in India. This country needs you very badly. You are the best in the world. Your country faces an acute shortage of quality doctors."

Even convocation chief guest Dr R K Pachauri echoed the same view. "If you (students) are looking at spiritual or professional satisfaction, then serving your own people in your own country, where you are needed the most, is the greatest gift you can get. The challenge is here and you will not regret the decision," Dr Pachauri said.

Dr Gupta has a solution to curb such brain drain. "Medical students who graduate from the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune have to serve in the Army for a minimum of five years or else they pay Rs 15 lakh to be allowed to practise in the private sector. Similarly, AIIMS too should think of imposing such a clause where students have to sign a bond agreeing to work in India for a certain period of time after graduating from AIIMS," Dr Gupta said.

A recent Planning Commission report said India is short of six lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and two lakh dental surgeons. Indian doctors, however, form 5% of the medical workforce in developed countries. Almost 60,000 Indian physicians are working in countries like US, UK, Canada and Australia alone.

India has a dismal patient-doctor ratio. For every 10,000 Indians, there is one doctor. In contrast, Australia has 249 doctors for every 10,000 people, Canada has 209, UK has 166 and US has 548.

What is Abortion?

Abortion is the termination of pregnancy by any method (spontaneous or induced) before the fetus is viable (less than 20 weeks of pregnancy) to survive independently.

Induced abortion:

Out of almost 35 million abortions, which take place annually in the world, more than half of them are illegal and performed by untrained, unskilled personnel under highly unhygienic conditions.

Death of Travolta's son raises medical questions

Millions of children and adults have seizures in the United States, but dying from one is rare. That only adds to the confusion and mystery surrounding the life and death of Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston.

The death certificate lists a seizure as the cause of death, according to an undertaker in the Bahamas, where the boy died Friday. Family representatives and lawyers declined requests Tuesday for more information, fueling speculation that has swirled for years about the boy's health.

A Travolta attorney said the teen had a history of seizures, and John Travolta has said his son was successfully treated when he was 2 for a rare disease called Kawasaki syndrome, which can lead to heart disease and related problems.

Medical specialists who did not treat the boy told The Associated Press on Tuesday that while Kawasaki syndrome is poorly understood, it's extremely unlikely the disease had anything to do with the teen's death.

Gossip magazines and blogs long have suggested the boy also had autism — a claim John Travolta denied. Autism is frequently accompanied by seizures that experts believe may stem from the same brain abnormalities that cause the developmental disorder.

Dr. Michael Kohrman, a University of Chicago pediatric neurologist, said up to one-third of children with autism have some sort of seizure disorder.

Still, there are dozens of other causes of seizures. Recurrent seizures are sometimes called epilepsy and are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. These affect more than 3 million Americans.

Mild seizures can be barely noticeable; severe ones can cause convulsing and loss of consciousness.

"Sudden death in epilepsy is not an unheard-of phenomenon," said Dr. Bruce Cohen, a staff neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

It can happen with seizures lasting more than 15 or 20 minutes, typically when medicine stops working or if patients quit taking medicine, Cohen said. One way death occurs in these cases is respiratory muscles weaken from prolonged convulsions and the patient stops breathing, he explained.

More rarely, he said, about one in 1,000 epileptics die each year from a condition doctors call "sudep," or a sudden unexplained death that typically occurs with no sign of a seizure. Whether this happened to Jett Travolta or whether autopsy officials in the Bahamas know that term is uncertain.

"We're dealing with a massive lack of information," Cohen said.

Michael Ossi, an attorney for the Travoltas, and Samantha Mast, a Travolta publicist, told the AP by e-mail that they would not discuss details of the boy's illness.

Jett Travolta's body was cremated, and the autopsy report has not been released.

The Travoltas have said little about their son's condition and his medical treatment over the years. The couple are Scientologists, followers of the controversial religion created by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

The church is not commenting specifically on the Travolta case. But church policy is for members to seek a doctor for medical treatment of a physical condition, including taking any drugs prescribed.

"The bottom line is that Scientologists seek conventional medical treatment for medical conditions," said Tommy Davis, a spokesman for the Church of Scientology International in Los Angeles.

Kawasaki syndrome, the disease the family has said sickened Jett when he was a toddler, can cause inflammation in blood vessels and arteries. It typically features a persistent high fever accompanied by symptoms that can include bloodshot eyes; swelling in hands, feet and neck lymph nodes; a red rash on the arms and legs; and cracked, swollen lips.

Most cases occur in the first five years of life, and if treated promptly with aspirin and intravenous gamma globulin, children are essentially cured, said Dr. Cody Meissner, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

While inflammation can sometimes lead to burst arteries or heart damage, Meissner said most children have no complications. And those who do would develop them soon after diagnosis — not several years later, Meissner said.

"If 10 years or more had gone by, it would be very unlikely that seizure activity could be attributed to Kawasaki disease," Meissner said.

Kelly Preston blamed household cleaners and fertilizers for the disease and said a detoxification program based on Scientology teachings helped improve his health, according to People magazine.

Meissner said there is scientific evidence linking professional-strength carpet cleaners with the disease.

Davis, the Scientology spokesman, acknowledged the detoxification program, but said its benefits are spiritual.

"Scientology is a religion," he said. "We deal with the spirit, and mental and spiritual factors that affect someone's happiness and well-being."

Face With Doctors Online

Consult physician online

American Well, a web service that puts patients face-to-face with doctors online, will be introduced in Hawaii on January 15.

The service is for people who seek easier access to physicians because they are uninsured or do not want to wait for an appointment or spend time driving to a clinic, said Roy Schoenberg, co-founder and chief executive of American Well Systems, which is based in Boston.

Patients use the service by logging on to participating health plans’ websites. Doctors hold 10-minute appointments, which can be extended for a fee, and can file prescriptions and view patients’ medical histories through the system. American Well is working with HealthVault, Microsoft’s electronic medical records service, and ActiveHealth Management, a subsidiary of Aetna, which scans patients’ medical history for gaps in their previous care and alerts doctors during their American Well appointment.

The Hawaiian health plan’s 700,000 members pay $10 to use the service. The insurer also offers the service to uninsured patients for $45. Health plans pay American Well a license fee per member and a transaction fee of
about $2 each time a patient sees a doctor.

Hawaii is particularly well suited for online medicine because the islands are remote, it takes time to travel among them and it is difficult for the state to recruit doctors to rural areas, said Mike Stollar, vice-president of marketing for the Hawaii Medical Service Association.

However, some critics of doctor visits via webcam worry that doctors will miss important symptoms if they do not see patients in person. Others doubt that the poor and uninsured will have the broadband connection and webcams to use the service. “It’s a tool to help doctors do better, the way a stethoscope is a tool,” said Robert Sussman, a family practice doctor on Oahu. “You still have to use your common sense, your medical knowledge.”

Certain diagnoses, such as whether a sore throat is a virus or a strep infection, are difficult using a webcam, says Sussman, who has been testing the service for several weeks. He predicts the service will be useful for patients who need medication refills or follow-up consultations after surgery or who are elderly and homebound. Patients and doctors can use American Well with a camera or with text chat.

It can save time in the case of a serious condition, he said, because an online doctor can recommend that a patient visit an emergency room or specialist immediately rather than waiting a week to see a general practitioner. A doctor can see, for example, whether a baby with a fever is lethargic and needs to visit a physician or just needs rest. “It’s a better iteration on, ‘Take two aspirin and call me in the morning,’ ” Sussman said. “We can’t lay on the hands, but we can lay on the eyes and get a better feel.”

Are you a Third-hand smoker?

If you had always thought that puffing is dangerous to only the active and passive smokers, think again, as 'third hand smoking' can even lead to cancer.

The toxic particles emitted in the smoke of a cigarette get clinged to the place you stay much after your cigarette is over and it can very well affect your children's health
as you try to smoke in their absence, a new study said.

"There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with them, said Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician.
Experts have identified this smoking-related threat to children's health, which has been termed as third-hand smoke.

"Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, but they don't know about this," the lead author of the study, Jonathan P Winickoff, also a pediatrician said.

These toxic particles also remain attached to the smoker's clothing or hair or upholstery. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they're crawling or playing on the floor.

"When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it's okay because the second-hand smoke isn't getting to their kids," Dr. Winickoff continued. "We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren't visible."

Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term "third-hand smoke" to describe these chemicals in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children.

"The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke," Landrigan said.

Vitamin C Tablets Don't Work

MILLIONS pop vitamin C tablets in the hope of preventing colds - but they don't work, studies have shown.

Taking up to THIRTY times the recommended daily allowance won't reduce the risk of colds.

That is the verdict of a Public Library of Science report by boffins who studied 65 years of research into the supplement.

We spend £300million a year on vitamin and mineral pills and powders.

But some experts say we may as well flush the cash down the loo.

In fact, that's just what happens with mega-doses of some. What your body doesn't need is flushed out.

Our body can't get rid of others, such as fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, so they can build up to toxic levels.

And taking a large dose of one nutrient can cause a deficiency of another.

Dr Frankie Phillips, of the British Dietetic Association, says: "High doses of zinc can interfere with copper absorption and calcium can affect iron absorption."

We know deficiencies of vitamins and minerals can cause disease, but there is also evidence that supplements can do more harm than good.

Professor John Garrow, a former World Health Organisation adviser and spokesman for the charity HealthWatch, says: "Tobacco smoke contains free radicals, which damage cells.

"So it seemed sensible to give smokers antioxidant vitamins to mop up these free radicals." But when scientists tested this in a trial of 30,000 smokers they were shocked to discover that antioxidant supplements INCREASED their risk of lung cancer.

And it was no blip. A second trial involving 14,000 people was halted when researchers realised that giving smokers antioxidants pushed their chance of lung cancer up by 28 per cent.

One theory is that the smokers already had pre-cancerous cells and supplements simply boosted their growth.

Advice is also changing. Pregnant women used to be given extra iron but Professor Garrow says lower levels make blood thinner, which means there's a better flow to the foetus.

A growing number of experts say changing diet is more effective than popping pills. So before you decide to splash the cash on a pack of vitamin C, click on the images above to discover how to get all the goodness you need by eating right.

Restrained eating helps fend off weight

Trying to eat less can be beneficial to stave off middle-age weight gain in women, according to a new study. Researchers have found that those women who did not practice more restraint on their eating, over the time, had more than twice the risk of substantial weight gain. "Some suggest that restrained eating is not a good practice," said Brigham Young University professor Larry Tucker, the study's lead author.

In the study involving 192 middle-aged women, the researchers have found that women who did not become more restrained with eating were 138 percent more likely to put on 6.6 pounds or more.

Columbia University researcher Lance Davidson, who was not involved with the analysis, said the findings highlight an important principle of weight management. "Because the body's energy requirements progressively decline with age, energy intake must mirror that decrease or weight gain occurs," he said.

"Dr. Tucker's observation that women who practice eating restraint avoid the significant weight gain commonly observed in middle age is an important health message," he added. "Weight gain and obesity bring a greater risk of diabetes and a number of other chronic diseases. Eating properly is a skill that needs to be practiced," said Tucker.

Good sex everyday, keeps doctors away

Lovemaking coupleHave fun in bed for a healthy life

You would have never thought that a kiss could help keeping dental worries at bay or a gratifying sexual act at night make you feel fit and fresh the next morning. But that's what studies across the web claim.

Healthy sex leads to a healthy
life. You may have tried copious measures to get that extra glowing skin and shiny hair. You must have also worked out rigorously to achieve that perfect ten figure you've desired. But the key to your mind and heart is fulfilling sex. Even for those who lose their temper or are always in a depressed state of mind, 'sex' can be the solution.

A happy sexual life with your partner not only gets you in shape with better skin texture and silken tresses, it also burns extra calories, keeps you fit, combats asthma, relieves headache, reduces depression and tranquilises your mind. From make-up experts, hair stylists, sexologists and fitness connoisseurs – there's a common consensus that a vigourous sexual life leads to a healthy life – both physically and emotionally. We get them share more on this...

There have been several notions stating that 'sex' produces certain hormones that bring happiness, which lead to a fit body and a healthy mind. Shedding some light on this, Dr. Sanjay Chugh, specialist on sexual issues, states, "Sex contributes to general good health. Any sexual intimacy that is enjoyable and pleasurable promotes well being by providing several physical and psychological benefits. It is believed that sex boosts chemicals in the body that protects us against diseases. Research also suggests that sex and masturbation can help ease joint and muscle pain, combat depression, promote heart health and lengthen one's life span."

Dr. Samir Parikh, clinical physiatrist adds, "The basic fact is that a good sex life also means in a larger picture, a good relationship with one's partner and this makes the partner happier, less stressed and by virtue of that physically healthier."

Not just this, sex also accelerates blood circulation and one's basic metabolic rate, which further enhances the well-being of our mind and soul and helps us calm down.

On these emotional benefits, Dr Chugh adds, "A satisfying sexual relationship strengthens the bond between couples, making them feel secure and loved. The feeling of emotional connectedness adds to ones sense of belonging, which in totality helps them achieve a positive physical, psychological and spiritual state that is necessary for one's general health."

Elaborating further, on a scientific angle, Dr Avdesh Sharma, a consultant psychiatrist, and an expert on relationship issues shares, "Sex is a way of bonding at the physical, mental and emotional level and leads to health (including psychological) benefits. If it is used as a mechanical process, it may have limited benefits. There are physiological benefits of positive changes in parameters like pulse, heart rate, reduction in blood pressure (after an increase in B.P. specially if vigourous sex is tried), dilation of blood vessels and capillaries of the skin, leading to a 'glow', burning of a few calories (depending on the duration of the act and vigour), exercising of some of the muscles, thus improving lung capacity (during heavy breathing)."

However, we also need to understand that sexual acts work more in terms of improving resistance, but are not a safe guard or a treatment to illnesses. Any sexual act can neither be used as a treatment nor would it change your stresses of life, which one would need to resolve irrespective.

"The extra edge of sex may be due to the feeling of being wanted, an expression of emotions and certain hormonal and physiological changes that happen as an expression of love for another individual. Unfortunately, the benefits of sexuality are usually quoted out of context and people may look at this as a panacea for everything. But sexuality without emotions have limited value," concludes Dr Avdesh Sharma.

Dental Tips

Dental Tips

* Brush teeth, tongue and gums at least twice a day for two to three minutes.

* Use a small amount (for children aged 3-12 the size of a match head and 12 and older the size of a small pea)

* Clean between teeth with dental floss daily.

* Visit your dentist every 6 months.

* Limit sugary or starchy foods and drinks.

* Change your toothbrush every 2-3 months and after a cold or flu.

* Drink tap water every day (to get fluoride).

* When you can't brush your teeth, rinse your mouth with water, eat a small piece of cheese or chew sugarless gum to help clean your teeth.

* dental cleaningAllow your brush to air dry between uses.

Cell phone soap operas deliver safe-sex message

"Hey baby, you OK?" Mike asks his girlfriend as she sits down next to him.

"Yeah, I'm OK," Toni says, and she puts her head on his shoulder. Mike thinks it's safe to move in for a kiss.

"Slow down," she says, pushing him back. "Just because I've decided to take you back, it doesn't erase the fact that you cheated on me." He looks away sheepishly.

"Look, we're going to be using condoms from now on," Toni says. "And tomorrow, we're getting tested. And that's that."

She kisses him, and Mike manages a little smile.

The scene is from a soap opera with a purpose: to use short videos to go beyond pamphlets on safe sex and deliver the message to women who might otherwise tune it out.

Nurse educator Rachel Jones developed the education campaign, using professional actors and scripts based on focus groups with women in Newark and Jersey City. Mike and Toni and the "other woman," Valerie, are in a pilot video available online.

"Women who watched the first pilot were getting upset, angry, exacerbated," said Jones, who teaches at Rutgers University's College of Nursing in Newark. "Women really saw themselves in that video. We're really resonating with urban contemporary themes that we believe are relevant to women."

Jones filmed a series of 12 soap opera vignettes with a Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey grant, and recently received a $2 million National Institutes of Health grant to test the campaign's effectiveness.

Women in the federal study will watch the 20-minute episodes on their cell phones. Their risk-reduction behavior will be measured against a control group that will receive text messages urging condom use, but no video. A total of 250 women will participate.

"What we believe will happen is that knowledge alone is not effective at changing behaviors," Jones said. "We believe that women in the community will so identify with heroines in the story their own behaviors will change as well."

The scripts feature "nitty gritty stories of risk and risk reduction" that women can identify with, she said, adding that cell phone viewing ensures privacy and offers the viewer the chance to watch again and again as desired.

Jones has dedicated her career to reducing HIV/AIDS among young, urban black and Latina women, who are being infected at an epidemic rate. Some 82 percent of the infections affecting 18- to 29-year-olds are transmitted through heterosexual sex with an HIV-infected partner, she said.

"It is astounding, it is a completely preventable infection," said Jones. "In New Jersey, we have the highest proportion of women living with AIDS in the United States."

Jones said she thought she had spent enough years working in urban health settings to be able to explain why young female patients engaged in unprotected sex despite the known risks, but that even she was surprised when she started looking for ways to change their behavior while earning a doctorate as a family nurse practitioner.

"I had very bright, wonderful patients who would come to me again and again with sexually transmitted infections," she said. She said the women understood that they were being exposed to HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, but engaged in unprotected sex anyway; even those who knew they weren't in monogamous relationships didn't insist their partners wear condoms.

"We have to normalize condom use," she said.

Jones said women experience pressure to have unprotected sex and that their partners often consider insistence on using a condom as sign of distrust.

"These relationship concerns can feel much more important in the moment for some women than reducing HIV/AIDS, which can feel more distant," she said.

At the end of the study, all the participants will get a DVD with all the soap opera videos, she said. The videos will also be available on the Web.

"If we know we're effective, we're going to dedicate ourselves to getting them out," Jones said.

Diabetes Increases Cancer Mortality Risk

Two of the most common diseases in the United States -- cancer and diabetes -- are not often linked together in the public mind. But they may have a stronger link than most people think. Cancer patients who already have diabetes have a greater chance of dying of the disease than cancer patients who do not have the blood-sugar disorder, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Breast, colorectal and endometrial cancer patients with diabetes have a significantly higher risk of dying.

If researchers can tease out the reason why, they might have an opportunity to reduce cancer deaths by focusing on diabetes-related health problems, says lead author Frederick Brancati, M.D., a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore, Maryland.

About 24 million people in the United States have diabetes, and about eight to 18 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients also have the disease. "It's something that is hiding in plain sight," says Brancati. "Diabetes is very common, cancer is very common, but no one had really thought to organize the literature and see it." In the new study, Brancati and colleagues analyzed all the available research and selected 23 well-designed studies that looked at cancer patients who had diabetes at the time of diagnosis. This type of study, known as a meta-analysis, can highlight problems that no single study typically can.

The researchers found that people with diabetes had about a 1.4 times greater risk of dying of cancer than patients without blood-sugar problems. Mortality seemed to be higher for many types of cancer, but it was only statistically significant for three types: breast, endometrial, and colorectal. Health.com: What's your breast cancer IQ?
"It's a big deal if we can take a cancer and knock its mortality rate down by 5 percent or 10 percent," says Dr. Brancati. "Here's a potential 40 percent. We don't know from this kind of study how much we can really chip away at it, but it does say there's a target out there."
Some research suggests that people with diabetes are at greater risk of developing cancer in the first place, possibly due to their weight. Many people with type 2 diabetes are also obese, and obesity is linked to a greater risk of some types of cancer.
The researchers say there are many reasons why people with diabetes might have a higher cancer-mortality risk.

* Something about diabetes, possibly high blood sugar, may cause tumors to grow faster.

* People with diabetes are at greater risk of other health problems, such as heart and kidney disease. This may weaken their ability to withstand chemotherapy or other aggressive treatments, so doctors may treat them less aggressively.

* Diabetics are more susceptible to infections, which may increase mortality after surgery or other treatments.

* People with diabetes may be diagnosed with cancer at a later stage of disease because doctors are focusing on their other health problems. Health.com A mammogram may have saved my life

* A cancer diagnosis may cause patients and doctors to neglect diabetes treatment.

* There may be no relation between cancer and diabetes. People with diabetes are at greater risk of health problems, and may just have a higher mortality risk in general.

One other possible factor is depression, says Richard Hellman, M.D., a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Missouri -- Kansas City School of Medicine. About 10 to 40 percent of people with diabetes also experience depression, and they can have more severe episodes than those who don't have diabetes.

"What happens is that people [who are depressed] delay diagnosis, they delay treatment for needed problems, and their outcomes for almost anything are poorer," he says. "If you have a subset of patients with cancer who have diabetes, and that group has a subset that is depressed, the ones who are depressed will tend to have particularly poor outcomes." Health.com Top 10 celebrity health stories of 2008

Undoubtedly, more research will focus on the link to see if managing diabetes better, or differently, can reduce the cancer-mortality rate. In the meantime, Hellman says that the findings may encourage oncologists to pay closer attention to their patients' diabetes care, and communicate more with physicians who are managing the diabetes. Health.com: I beat cancer and finished a half-marathon "If you have cancer and you have diabetes, you have to be more vigilant," he says. "Make sure that your care is well coordinated so that your diabetes care remains excellent, any of your cardiovascular evaluations are up-to-date, and the doctors are talking to each other."

source:articlesofhealth.blogspot.com

Big bottom protects against diabetes

Here’s some good news for women who find it hard to squeeze into their skinny jeans, courtesy their big bottoms: a generously proportioned derriere could be good for health, say scientists.

Researchers believe the type of fat that accumulates around the hips and buttocks, rather than around your stomach, may offer some protection against developing the disease.

But fat that collects around the stomach, known as visceral fat and often resulting in a ‘beer belly’, can raise a person’s risk of diabetes and heart disease. That means people with pear-shaped bodies, with fat deposits in the buttocks and hips, are likely to be less prone to these disorders, concluded the research at Harvard Medical School.

Scientists believe that the more beneficial fat, called subcutaneous fat because it collects just under the skin, may help to improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels.

Dr Ronald Kahn, who led the research published in Cell Metabolism, said obesity in subcutaneous areas—the ‘pear’ shape—might decrease risks.

He carried out experiments by artificially switching the two types of fat around the body of mice and seeing what effect it had. “The surprising thing was that it wasn’t where the fat was located, it was the kind of fat that was the most important variable,” he said:
“Even more surprising, it wasn’t that abdominal fat was exerting negative effects, but that subcutaneous fat was producing a good effect.

“Animals with more subcutaneous fat didn’t gain as much weight as they got older, had better insulin sensitivity, lower insulin levels and were improved all around.”

Mice given subcutaneous fat transplanted into their bellies started to slim down after several weeks. They also showed improved blood sugar and insulin levels compared to other mice.

Dr Kahn said this is an important result because it shows that not all fat is bad and could help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Cancer risk is linked to bone strengtheners

A small percentage of patients taking Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva developed cancer of the esophagus. The family of bone-strengthening drugs called bisphosphonates -- best known by the brand names Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva -- pose a small risk of causing esophageal cancer, a Food and Drug Administration official reported Thursday in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Diane K. Wysowski of the FDA's division of drug risk assessment said the agency has received 23 reports of the cancer developing in patients taking Fosamax, manufactured by Merck & Co. Eight of the patients died.

European and Japanese authorities, she added, have received an additional 21 reports of cancers involving Fosamax and six involving Procter & Gamble's Actonel or Roche's Boniva.

To put that into perspective, more than 2 billion prescriptions have been written for the drugs since their introduction in 1995.

Esophageal problems

The drugs were already known to cause esophagitis, an inflammation of the lining of the esophagus or throat, which is why patients are told to remain upright for a half-hour after taking the drugs. That inflammation might be a precursor of cancer.

Wysowski recommended that physicians not prescribe the drugs to patients who already have problems with their esophagus.

Another unusual report

In a separate report Thursday in the Journal of the American Dental Association, Dr. Parish Sedghizadeh of the University of Southern California School of Dentistry reported that he had observed nine cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw among 208 patients taking oral bisphosphonates -- an unusually high incidence.

Osteonecrosis of the jaw, characterized by the death of bone, is known to occur in 1 to 10 percent of cancer patients taking intravenous bisphosphonates to combat bone weakening brought on by chemotherapy. It is rarely observed in patients taking oral forms of the drug, however.

Critics dismissed his findings, arguing that the widespread use of the drugs would have already revealed such a high incidence of a disabling side effect.

John Travolta's 16-year-old son dies in Bahamas

John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after falling ill and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, police said Friday. A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement from chief police superintendent Basil Rahming.

The teenager had last been seen going into the bathroom on Thursday and had a history of seizures, according to the statement. Police said they are planning an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Another police spokeswoman, Loretta Mackey, said Jett apparently hit his head on the bathtub.

A spokeswoman for Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.

Jett was the oldest child of Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, who also have an 8-year-old daughter. The family arrived on a private plane Tuesday and had been vacationing at their home in the Old Bahama Bay resort community.

"The Travolta family has become like family to us at Old Bahama Bay and we extend our deepest sympathies to them," said Robert Gidel, president of Ginn Resorts, the property's owner.

Indigestion Or Heart Attack?

Tips to help you analyze your symptoms

During the holidays, emergency rooms see an influx of people who fear the worst is happening . . . a heart attack. According to Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital, many patients who think they’re having a heart attack have had their symptoms triggered by over-indulgence of holiday treats. While it may be a heart attack or angina, it’s also frequently just indigestion.


“Telling the difference between the symptoms of a heart attack, angina or indigestion can sometimes be close to impossible for the person suffering the pain,” said Dr. Atiar Rahman, incoming chair of cardiology at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital. “There are some simple guidelines that can help a person make the decision to wait it out or go to the emergency room. But, if there’s ever any doubt, the rule is to err on the side of caution and get it checked out immediately.”


According to Dr. Rahman, the first rule is: know your risk factors! If you smoke, have diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, are overweight or have a family history of heart disease, you should be suspicious of any symptom related to the chest or heart.


Second, know the warning signs! The most common signals are:

- Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.

- Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck or arms.

- Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.


You should be especially concerned if the common signals are accompanied by:

- Nausea or dizziness

- Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing

- Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue

- Palpitations, cold sweat or paleness

"It’s important to remember that there is no check list for a heart attack. Unfortunately, the symptoms of a heart attack can be different for each patient,” Dr. Rahman says. "You may have all of the warning signs or your only warning may be tightness in the chest area.”

Third, know the competition!

Sometimes the symptoms of reflux or common heartburn related to indigestion can look like a heart attack. If heartburn is common for you and the symptoms you're experiencing are similar to those you've had before and nothing different has occurred you're probably experiencing heartburn and not a heart attack. “But if the symptoms are different and you've never experienced them before and if they are accompanied by a feeling of light-headedness or cold sweats then that type of pain should be taken more seriously," Dr. Rahman said. "It could signal that you're having a heart attack."

Another thing to remember is that if the pain goes away with medication, then it’s probably not a heart attack. Heart attack pain is persistent, stated Dr. Rahman.

If you have a history of heart disease or carry one or more of the risk factors it might be wise to follow a few helpful holiday tips to prevent the overindulgence that can affect your heart health, as well as your pant size.

Memorial Hermann The Woodlands offered a few tips for keeping both items in check.

- Don’t feel obligated to finish every meal with dessert. But, if you must, select your desserts carefully. Avoid the typical high-calorie holiday pleasures by serving up something low fat and out of the ordinary like low-fat pudding with mixed fruit on top.

- Restaurant food is typically high in cholesterol and fat, and loaded with salt, which can lead to high blood pressure. If your holiday celebration is at a restaurant, choose low-calorie treats, eat smaller portions and sample only one or two items instead of four or five items.

- To avoid the temptation of holiday treats at the office when your tummy is grumbling at 3 p.m. . . . Keep a stash of nutritious snacks at your desk.

- Be careful with liquor. The average alcoholic drink contains 150 - 200 calories per glass. Indulge in just 2-3 drinks and you've drunk the equivalent calories of an entire meal. If you partake in these beverages, choose wisely. For example, instead of having a full glass of wine, try mixing half a glass of wine with sparkling water or with a diet soda. This will help cut your calories in half.

- Commit to exercise daily even if it’s just for 20 minutes. You'll probably end up doing more than that once you get started. Even if you only end up completing 10 minutes, that is better than zero minutes.

- Take time to savor every bite. Eating slowly is a sure-fire way to reduce your calorie intake.

- Add fruits and vegetables to your plate. Filling up with healthy food leaves less room for sinful desserts.

- Drinking water with food and between meals can help you fill up more quickly and you’ll be prone to eat less food.

Most of all, remember that the holiday season is not about food. It’s a special time of year to give thanks for all you have and to enjoy the company of family and friends.

About Memorial Hermann Healthcare System
An integrated health system, Memorial Hermann is known for world-class clinical expertise, patient-centered care, leading edge technology, and innovation.

Smoking ban leads to major drop in heart attacks

A smoking ban in one Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations within three years, a sign of just how serious a health threat secondhand smoke is, government researchers said Wednesday. The study, the longest-running of its kind, showed the rate of hospitalized cases dropped 41 percent in the three years after the ban of workplace smoking in Pueblo, Colo., took effect. There was no such drop in two neighboring areas, and researchers believe it's a clear sign the ban was responsible.

The study suggests that secondhand smoke may be a terrible and under-recognized cause of heart attack deaths in this country, said one of its authors, Terry Pechacek of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least eight earlier studies have linked smoking bans to decreased heart attacks, but none ran as long as three years. The new study looked at heart attack hospitalizations for three years following the July 1, 2003 enactment of Pueblo's ban, and found declines as great or greater than those in earlier research.

"This study is very dramatic," said Dr. Michael Thun, a researcher with the American Cancer Society.

"This is now the ninth study, so it is clear that smoke-free laws are one of the most effective and cost-effective to reduce heart attacks," said Thun, who was not involved in the CDC study released Thursday.

Smoking bans are designed not only to cut smoking rates but also to reduce secondhand tobacco smoke. It is a widely recognized cause of lung cancer, but its effect on heart disease can be more immediate. It not only damages the lining of blood vessels, but also increases the kind of blood clotting that leads to heart attacks. Reducing exposure to smoke can quickly cut the risk of clotting, some experts said.

"You remove the final one or two links in the chain" of events leading to a heart attack, Thun said.

Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 46,000 heart disease deaths and about 3,000 lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers each year, according to statistics cited by the CDC.

In the new study, researchers reviewed hospital admissions for heart attacks in Pueblo. Patients were classified by ZIP codes. They then looked at the same data for two nearby areas that did not have bans — the area of Pueblo County outside the city and for El Paso County.

In Pueblo, the rate of heart attacks dropped from 257 per 100,000 people before the ban to 152 per 100,000 in the three years afterward. There were no significant changes in the two other areas.

"The need for protection from secondhand smoke in all workplaces and public places has never been clearer," said Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in a prepared statement. He is president of the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization.

But the study had limitations: It assumed declines in the amount of secondhand smoke in Pueblo buildings after the ban, but did not try to measure that. The researchers also did not sort out which heart attack patients were smokers and which were not, so it's unclear how much of the decline can be attributed to reduced secondhand smoke.

One academic argued there's not enough evidence to conclude the smoking ban was the cause of Pueblo's heart attack decline.

The decline could have had more to do with a general decline in smoking in Pueblo County, from about 26 percent in 2002-2003 to less than 21 percent in 2004-2005. If there were stepped-up efforts to treat or prevent heart disease in the Pueblo area, that too could have played a role, said Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health.

"I don't think it's as clear as they're making it out to be," Siegel said.