Thursday, March 31, 2016

How to Get a Slimmer Waist

In the first installment of our series with structural integrative specialist, Lauren Roxburgh, we talked about what fascia is—and how you can manipulate it for longer and leaner legs thanks to its malleable nature. Luckily, there are ways to slim and streamline the waist, too—a particularly poignant fact for post-partum women who believe that giving up their hourglass shape is the price they paid to have kids. One of the reasons for the lingering thickness? The fascia builds up throughout the lower back to support the belly, and then decides to stay that way. It can be really tough to budge both the weight and the girth (from our personal experience, as well as Lauren’s). And for those who haven’t had a baby in the past few years, but who experience routine bloating or weight gain in their mid-sections, Lauren’s here to help, too. “There’s nothing more disheartening than the sight of love handles spilling over your pants, or a pooched belly,” she explains. “The good news is that while you will still need to do a bit of work, there really is a magic bullet that can help shrink your waist: All you need to do is create length and space in your core.” We asked her for a series of exercises to do exactly that. Her book (Ballantine) is due out in January, 2016.

“When the body begins to work appropriately, the force of gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself.”

—Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D; founder of the Structural Integration method and acknowledged as the first to understand the role of fascia in human health.

Why do we gain weight around our midsections?

Much like weight gain in general, there are myriad factors, including poor diet, stress, hormonal imbalances, emotional eating, lack of adequate rest, and not moving our bodies enough. Alternately, we sometimes over-train parts of our bodies—like with spinning, which can create thicker, heavier quads on some frames.
But why does weight tend to go to our midsection? All of these factors can come into play, but as a structural integration practitioner I tend to look at the role of gravity and the impact of posture on our connective tissue. Basically, over time, gravity and the weight of our upper body can cause the space between the ribs and the hips to get squished and compressed, which in turn leads to a shortening and thickening of the waist. When our waistlines shorten, all the muscles, tissues, organs, skin, and fat start to bulge out to the sides making us look and feel thicker than we really are. To make matters worse this can also negatively influence digestion, metabolism, circulation, oxygenation, and organ and gland efficiency, leading to bloating, density, and inflammation. When more space is available for movement, breath, and circulation in this vital area, not only does the entire waist shrink and the midsection lengthen, but your energy will also increase and you will stand taller.
The waist or sides of the body tend to be neglected in our everyday lives: We spend a lot of time sitting, slouching, driving, and working on computers (or texting). Essentially, we’re just holding onto tension, stress, and worry. During my structural integration training we analyzed the way people in different cultures walk. Not surprisingly, those of us in West tend to walk—excuse the term—as if we have a stick up our asses. We’re rigid, tight, anxious, and inflexible and carry the stresses of our daily lives in our gait. Conversely people in African and South-American cultures tend to walk with their heads held high and with a relaxed movement: Their hips swing, their torsos twist side to side, and they have a more graceful presence to them. What this style of walking also means is that they are effectively doing core work in the muscles and fascia of their torsos with every step, toning the core while also helping to flush toxins, unwind tension, and release stress. So in addition to the roller moves below, whenever you walk (we take on average 5,900 steps a day just getting around our lives—that’s without cardio), stride with movement and grace. It will help your body twist, ‘ringing out’ your organs, increasing the oxygenation throughout, and whittling your waist in the process.

How does fascia contribute to this thickness?

Fascia is critical because it actually helps to create the shape of our bodies. Basically, fascia is like a very thin wet suit just under the skin that wraps around each individual muscle and keeps everything in place (including our organs). It’s that thin white stringy layer that you see on a chicken breast when you’re cooking.
When it’s healthy, it’s like clear saran wrap. But injuries, stress, bad posture, emotional behavioral patterns, and poor body maintenance can cause fascia to get tight, dense, short, and plasticized. This further restricts movement and the alignment and efficiency of the body can be compromised, trapping toxins in the fascia and leading to thicker ‘pockets’ throughout the body—such as those that often form around the waist.

The good news is that fascia is malleable and can be repaired—and foam rolling and bodywork are both fantastic ways of releasing all those unhealthy toxins from the fascia and helping to reduce thickness in the body.

Is it possible to create a waistline if you’ve never had one before?

Anyone can have a waistline, although the optimal waistline differs for every woman depending on body type, genetics, and so on. These exercises are not about getting that idealized 34/24/34 figure. These are about finding your best waist and most elongated torso and creating the space in your body to stretch out a bit.

What are these roller exercises actually doing to your underlying structure?

The foam roller acts as a tool for myo-fascial release, lubricating your tissues and joints, melting away stress, and boosting circulation tremendously. The roller gets into the fascia in much the same way that a deep-tissue massage does, working out the toxins and scar tissue and helping to reformulate the structure of the muscles into a sleeker, leaner, more flexible form.
The roller also helps us tap into our intrinsic and core muscles—or, as I like to call them, the “skinny-buff muscles.” When incorporated with Pilates-inspired movements, the foam roller essentially destabilizes us. In order to balance, we have to “turn on” those core and intrinsic muscles that can be difficult to activate in most gym exercises or cardio workouts. What I’ve seen in my own body and the bodies of my clients is that when we focus on accessing these muscles mindfully we notice that they keep us slim, strong, long, and youthful, so activating and using them is essential to maintaining the improved alignment and sculpting the healthy, youthful body we all crave. The great thing about this program is that it can be an add-on to other workouts you love. You can take it on the road or do it at night before bed. It takes just a few minutes, allowing you to work smarter and not necessarily harder

BPA Is Still Present in 60% of Cans in the U.S.: Study

Photo: Getty Images

Non-profit campaigns and health-advocacy groups have devoted years to alerting the public about how the chemical Bisphenol A, known as BPA, may cause hormone disruption—which is of particular concern for young children and pregnant women. Now, thanks in large part to those campaigns, many food companies have said they will remove the chemical from their cans.
But a new report from a group of non-profits shows that many cans on U.S. grocery stores shelves still contain BPA. More than two thirds of cans tested, including products by some of America’s largest food companies, contain the chemical, according to the report. Even in cans where BPA has been removed, the report claims, food companies have provided little information about what they are using in their canned good instead.
“This is shocking to us because we’ve been hearing for years now that the canned food industry en masse was moving away from BPA,” says report co-author Janet Nudelman, director of program and policy at the advocacy group Breast Cancer Fund.
According to the report, all of the Campbell’s cans tested, 71% of those from Del Monte and 50% of sampled General Mills cans contained BPA. Amy’s Kitchen, Annie’s Homegrown, Hain Celestial Group and ConAgra have all transitioned away from BPA—and that was reflected in the test results in the report, as well; those tested in this study were free of BPA. The report says that some of the companies found to have BPA in their cans have previously made commitments to phase out the chemical.
On Monday, Campbell’s announced that it would “complete a transition to cans which do not use Bisphenol A (BPA) linings by the middle of 2017″—the completion of a promise first made back in 2012. Del Monte also announced this week that it would phase out BPA this year. Whole Foods was among the companies that have made commitments to eliminate BPA but which was found in this report to have some products that still contain it, has said that “buyers are not currently accepting any new canned items with BPA in the lining material.” Similarly, Alberstons says that it is transitioning away from the chemical in “as many products as possible.”
A body of research in recent years has suggested that BPA is an endocrine disruptor linked with infertility, obesity, diabetes and reproductive problems. A study published this week suggests that it may be associated with preterm birth. Some of this evidence, taken together, prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to announce a ban of the chemical from some baby products like sippy cups in 2012. The agency maintains that the chemical is still safe for adults. (A spokesperson for the American Chemistry Council trade group did not return a request for comment on the safety of BPA.)
Complicating things is the fact that despite the outcry over BPA, scientists have yet to find a reliable alternative that can effectively serve the same purpose as BPA—keeping the can from corroding and affecting food—without many of the same concerns. Many of the alternatives that have been employed thus far, including Bisphenol S and F, exhibit the same properties in BPA, a recent study showed.
“The question is ‘What did they replace it with?’” says University of Calgary researcher Deborah Kurrasch, who has written on BPA alternatives.

5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Beautyblender Could Do

Photo: Beautyblender

The beautyblender was a magnificent invention, and as makeup lovers and appreciators of a truly flawless finish, we will forever be grateful to its superb blending powers. May we never have to go another day with unblended foundation, forever and ever, amen.
RELATED: Here’s Why You Should Look Inside Your Beautyblender
Turns how, though, your blending sponge is good for more than just nailing that contour or giving you perfect skin. Here are five more ways you can use your beautyblender (or similar tool) that you might not have thought of:

Lipstick Application

Yep, you can use it for highlighter, contour, blush, concealer, and of course foundation, but don’t stop there. The beautyblender also serves as the perfect tool for applying lip color. Apply lipstick or gloss to the tip of the blender, then dab it onto your lips to create a stained effect. You can also strategically dab the color to the center of your lips to create a gradient effect.

Applying Skin-Care Products

Use your beautyblender to apply moisturizing skin-care products after cleansing, and you’ll find that it distributes the product more evenly than your fingertips can. We especially like it for ampoule, essence, and serum application, three products that have major slip and often prove tricky to apply. Tip: fill your sponge with clean water, first. If it’s saturated then it won’t suck up all the product. After it’s wetted, apply your product to the sponge and then apply to your face.

Smoky Eye

After you apply your eyeliner with a pencil, use the tip of your blending sponge to smudge and smoke it out. You can maneuver the sponge around the outer corners and eyelids, too, to create an even more blended, smoky eye. The result is a perfectly blended, super sultry eye.

Highlighting and Dying Your Hair

Let’s move beyond the confines of your face and onto something completely different: your hair. Yep, you can use your blender on your hair to add color or highlight anywhere you desire. The technique, though not completely new, was recently demonstrated by hairstylist jamiestevens7 on Instagram. Get more information on the how-to here.

Sunless Tanner Application

Looking for a streak free, self-applied sunless tan? The answer lays in your beautyblender, kid. Beautyblender actually makes a larger sized blender, dubbed the “bodyblender,” and it’s the perfect tool to seamlessly apply sunless tanner. You can also use a regular sized blender to get into tiny places, like between your fingers and toes and behind your ears.

How to Declutter Your Kitchen, According to Marie Kondo

Image: Courtesy of Pond5

Professional organizer Marie Kondo has seemingly taken over the world—or at least the closet of someone you know—in the past year. Her bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is 213 compelling pages about, you guessed it, the art of tidying.
In Kondo’s newest book, Spark Joy, she breaks down her process of eliminating items that don’t (you guessed it again) spark joy, and expertly organizing and storing ones that do. If The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was “Tidying 101,” Spark Joy is the ultimate master class in how to perform a systematic room-by-room overhaul. But lest you think you don’t need a guide for cleaning your house, Kondo’s signature KonMari method might convince you otherwise—especially because heeding her organizational advice can potentially aid in helping you stay slim. It all starts with an orderly kitchen.
RELATED: 12 DIY Kitchen Projects to Clean Up Your Eating Habits

Science Says: Clean Kitchen, Clean Eats

Why get your neat freak on in the kitchen? When it comes to healthy habits, even science is on Kondo’s side. A recent study published in the Environment & Behavior Journal suggested that the more cluttered our environments, the more likely we are to overeat. With an organized kitchen, you might be less likely to go on a 20-cookie bender when you’re scrounging for a nighttime snack. “Having a clean kitchen or home makes you feel more in control and primes you to stay in control,” says Dr. Brian Wansink, Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and coauthor of the study. “It’s easier to simply clean your kitchen than to fight it by trying to talk yourself out of unhealthy decisions.”
Lauren Slayton, MS, RD, founder of Foodtrainers in NYC, agrees. “Having a tidy kitchen is stress-reducing, and having lower levels of stress hormones directly translates to more weight loss and less stress eating,” she says. “Plus, who wants to cook in a mess of a kitchen?” Kondo’s goal: Helping you create a kitchen that makes cooking fun. We enlisted Slayton to explain how seven of Kondo’s simple principles can help you find happiness in the kitchen and fewer pounds on the scale.
RELATED: 7 Cheap DIY Props to Pimp Your Home Gym

7 Expert-Approved Ways to Declutter Your Kitchen

1. Focus on ease of cleaning, not ease of use.
After observing a restaurant kitchen, Kondo realized the kitchen was designed so the chefs could easily clean as they cooked, instead of creating a massive pileup of dirty dishes and counters. There was no time-consuming cleanup at the end of their shift—they just had to do one final wipe of the counters. “If you want a kitchen that you can enjoy cooking in, aim for one that’s easy to clean,” she writes.
Slayton points out that we’re more likely to want to be in a space when it’s orderly. “Piles and clutter send us the message that we’re not doing what we should be and, frankly, leave less physical space for working, cooking, and whatever else you want to do,” she says. “But cleanliness and tidiness are examples of self-care. It’s not just about cleaning up—it’s about the positive repercussions from doing so.” Think of organizing your kitchen as the equivalent of getting a massage. You’re more likely to feel taken care of and, as a result, more likely to treat your body better by fueling up with good-for-you eats.
2. Keep your counters as clean and clear as possible.
“Put nothing on the counters or around the sink and stove top,” Kondo writes. “You will be amazed at how easy your kitchen is to use if you design your storage with this aim in mind.” If you’re in a teeny-tiny kitchen where your counter space is a precious commodity, it’s OK to keep some things on the counter so long as they’re away from the oil or water splash zones.
Ever hear the old adage “out of sight, out of mind?” It applies here. If you can see food, you’re more likely to eat it. “If you want to eat less toast, don’t keep the toaster out where you can see it,” Slayton says. “On the flipside, if you’re motivated to make smoothies, keep the [blender] ready and visible on the counter.” She keeps a fruit bowl on her counter because it’s colorful and inviting and it makes her smile—and then she’s more likely to grab an easy-to-reach piece of fruit than a brownie that’s stashed in a cupboard. Be smart about storage, too. “I love my juicer, but I don’t use it much in the winter, so I keep it in the laundry room,” Slayton says. “Teeny spaces force your hand a bit more, but that’s good—use it or lose it.”

3. Cut down on your dish supply.
All those fancy dishes you’re saving to use “for guests,” but haven’t actually whipped out in years? It may be time to part with them. “Take a fresh look at every dish you own and see if it sparks joy,” Kondo writes. “Make the dishes you love the ones you use every day.”
Studies have shown that we eat less off of smaller plates and drink more out of larger glasses. So keep that in mind when you’re doing your cupboard purge. Having fun with your food by making it look nice will create more enjoyable mealtime, too. “I encourage clients to plate their food the way they’d like it presented at a restaurant,” Slayton says. “Bento boxes can make your lunch feel more appealing, and—while it may be the Instagram effect—mason jars and glass straws are great for smoothies.” The prettier our food looks, the more likely we are to want to savor every bite or sip.
4. Toss anything that’s past its prime.
Kondo says to discard food that’s past its expiration date, or to simply eliminate anything you wouldn’t actually want to consume. (Hint: It may be time to toss that specialty hot sauce lurking in the back of your fridge.)
Creating a system for tossing overdue items can help with that. “For ingredients like spices and baking items, date them with a Sharpie and discard them by their first anniversary,” says Slayton. “And try to use ingredients up. If you’re making pesto turkey burgers one night, have pesto pasta the next. It makes me crazy to use a tablespoon of something and then have it sit around. Waste sparks the opposite of joy in me.”
RELATED: You Could Save $43 a Month By Cutting Food Waste
5. Keep your refrigerator 30 percent empty.
Not only will this strategy better help you see the actual contents of your fridge, it’ll also allow for extra room to store leftovers or unexpected gifts.
Keep what you want to eat at eye level in the fridge, says Slayton. She recommends working by category, and only keeping two to three items per category, like hot sauces, jams or vinegars, on hand at a time. “And keep things presented nicely within the fridge, like a tray for your eggs or a glass bottle to keep water cold,” she says.
6. It’s OK to have a lot of kitchen stuff.
The key is making sure you’re hanging onto items you actually use and love. If you’re a smoothie-maker, or food processing whiz, by all means hang onto those bulky appliances even if they hog your shelf space. “What matters is the ability to see where everything is stored,” Kondo writes. Never underestimate the power of a label-maker, clear storage containers, or categorically organized pantry shelves.
Pro tip: Be smart about what you choose to keep around. “I cook, and I like my kitchen to reflect that,” Slayton says. “But if you registered for a paella pan when you got married but haven’t made paella by your fifth wedding anniversary, you can probably get rid of the pan.” Regardless of aesthetics, you need to be able to find the cumin or grab a mixing bowl without major effort.
7. Make your eating space a happy place.
Yes, it seems like a lot of effort to roll out a placemat and whip out the napkin rings, but if you have them, use them to enrich your mealtime, Kondo says. Your dining area should be free from distractions (sorry, Jeopardy) and filled with your favorite things.
“I turn on music and light my favorite candle whenever I enter the kitchen,” says Slayton. It sets the mood for more enjoyable meals. “Remove the eyesores and obstacles and include the scents, sounds and ingredients that make you happy. If standing at the counter, eating out of the package is at one end of the spectrum—and that isn’t the positive side — sitting at the table, using utensils and a placemat is different. I would predict very few binge episodes happen in placemat situations.”

For Pregnant Women, Seasonal Flu Shot Could Reduce Stillbirth Risk

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THURSDAY, March 31, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A seasonal flu shot may reduce a pregnant woman’s risk of stillbirth, according to a new study.
Australian researchers examined nearly 58,000 births to mothers in the western part of the country during the 2012 and 2013 flu seasons. More than 5,000 births were to women who received a flu shot during pregnancy.
Women who received the flu vaccine had a 51 percent lower risk of stillbirth than those who did not receive the vaccine, the study found.
The researchers also found that stillbirth rates rose after flu season and fell in the months prior to flu season, but said these seasonal differences were not statistically significant.
The study was published March 31 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
“During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, we saw a similar reduction in stillbirths following vaccination,” study author Annette Regan, of the Western Australia Department of Health, said in a journal news release.
“Our results are particularly exciting since they show we can get the same protection during seasonal epidemics, which occur every winter. Unfortunately, we know that about 40 percent of pregnant women go unvaccinated, missing out on these benefits,” she added.
Further research is needed to confirm the possible association between stillbirth, seasonal flu and flu vaccination, according to the study authors. But the researchers said they are hopeful that expectant mothers and their health care providers will take note of these findings.
“I’m hoping results like these can convince more pregnant women to get vaccinated each year,” Regan said.
Everyone 6 months of age and older, including pregnant women during any trimester, should get an annual flu shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pregnant women are at increased risk of serious flu-related complications, and having the flu during pregnancy has been linked to fetal death and premature birth. However, many pregnant women don’t get a flu shot because of concerns for the safety of the fetus.
There are more than 3 million stillbirths worldwide each year. If a link between flu season and stillbirth is found, it could have a major impact on infant deaths, according to the study authors.source:news.health

To Speed Up Weight Loss, Eat More of These Kinds of Food

Photo: Getty Images

WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils: Humble foods that may pack a punch for weight loss, Canadian researchers report.
A new analysis of data from 21 clinical trials on these foods—collectively known as “pulses” —finds that they can help dieters feel full, and shed unwanted pounds.
“Though the weight loss was small, our findings suggest that simply including pulses in your diet may help you lose weight, and we think more importantly, prevent you from gaining it back after you lose it,” study lead author Russell de Souza, a researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, said in a hospital news release.
One expert wasn’t surprised by the findings.
“These types of legumes are some of the most underappreciated foods around,” said Dana Angelo White, a nutritionist and assistant professor of sports medicine at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.
“They are full of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals,” she noted. “It makes sense they would help facilitate weight loss and reduce cholesterol when eaten regularly.”
The Canadian team also noted that pulses have a “low glycemic index” — meaning that they break down slowly in the digestive tract. As such, they can be consumed instead of animal protein or unhealthy fats at mealtimes.
The trials included in the new analysis involved a total of 940 adults. When participants started eating one serving (3/4 cup) of pulses a day, they lost an average of 0.75 pounds over six weeks without making any special effort to avoid other types of foods, the researchers said.
According to de Souza’s team, prior research has shown that eating bean, lentils and other pulses makes people feel fuller.
That’s key to weight loss—90 percent of weight loss programs fail, due in part to the influence of hunger and food cravings, according to de Souza.
“This new study fits well with our previous work, which found that pulses increased the feeling of fullness by 31 per cent, which may indeed result in less food intake,” he said.
These foods also appear to help lower blood levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, he added.
Antonella Apicella, an outpatient dietitian at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said the study, “supports the notion that foods such as beans, lentils, chickpeas and dry peas may reduce body fat and may contribute to weight loss, even if calories were not restricted.”
She agreed that pulses do seem to help people feel fuller, sooner, and the fiber these foods contain “may reduce the absorption of fat.”
source:news.health

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Distance Matters for Quality Rectal Cancer Care

- Patients who must travel long distances for rectal cancer radiotherapy are less likely to get the potentially lifesaving treatment, a new study shows.
"Travel burden clearly creates a barrier to radiation therapy access for rectal cancer patients," said study author Chun Chieh Lin, director of health services research at the American Cancer Society.
The findings were published in the March issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.
In the study, Lin's teamed tracked data on more than 26,800 Americans with stage II or III rectal cancer. The researchers found that 30 percent did not receive radiation therapy within the recommended time or did not receive the treatment at all.
Overall, more than two-thirds (69 percent) of the patients received radiation therapy within 180 days of their diagnosis, or within 90 days of surgery. The average time elapsed was 38 days from diagnosis and 84 days between surgery and the start of radiation therapy, the study found.
Why the delays? Some patients didn't get radiation therapy because it was not deemed to be part of the first course of treatment (86 percent), or they received it outside of the specified time frame (7 percent), the patient refused (6 percent), or the doctor refused due to patient risk factors (3 percent).
However, after accounting for a number of other factors, the researchers still found that in certain cases, the distance a patient had to travel to receive radiation therapy affected the likelihood of receiving the treatment.
Among patients diagnosed and treated at the same facility, those who traveled 50 miles or more were less likely to undergo radiation therapy than those who traveled less than 12.5 miles, Lin's team reported.
In a news release from the journal, Lin said that while travel times may keep some patients from care, "this barrier is far from absolute." He noted that some patients decide to get radiation at an often closer facility -- one different from where they are otherwise diagnosed and treated.
When that happens, the likelihood that they receive radiotherapy remains high, Lin said, suggesting that the determination of the patient to get radiotherapy may counteract "the influence of factors such as travel burden and physician availability."
SOURCE: International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, news release, March 21, 2016

CDC Sets New Guidelines on Sex After Zika Exposure

Men who know they've probably been infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus should not have sex without a condom for six months, according to new federal health guidelines released Friday.
Numerous cases of sexually transmitted Zika infection -- which is thought to cause severe birth defects in some cases -- have been confirmed in the United States, said officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Mounting evidence supports a link between Zika and microcephaly, and possibly other problems such as miscarriage," Dr. Denise Jamieson, co-lead of the Pregnancy and Birth Defects Team of the CDC's Zika Virus Response Team, said during an afternoon news conference.
"The rate of these conditions is not known yet," she said. "We know there is a risk, but it is important to remember that even in places with active Zika transmission women are delivering apparently healthy infants."
The goal of the latest CDC guidelines is to give doctors the best advice possible to share with their patients about pregnancy planning and sex, Jamieson added. However, they are are based on the best evidence to date, and not on a definitive understanding of Zika, she noted.
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that's been tied to thousands of cases -- mainly in Brazil -- of a severe birth defect called microcephaly. In microcephaly, a newborn's head is smaller than normal, with the potential for long-term neurological damage.
While the bulk of Zika cases leading to microcephaly may occur via maternal infection during pregnancy, cases of sexual transmission from a man to his female partner have come to light, the CDC said.
A team led by CDC investigator Alexandra Oster notes that, as of March 18, there are now "six confirmed cases of sexual transmission in the United States associated with this outbreak."
Just how long might the Zika virus linger in semen? According to the report, semen collected from one man still showed signs of the virus 62 days after he began to exhibit fever linked to Zika infection.
Zika infection is usually a transient, mild illness in adults, and many cases may occur without symptoms, experts say. However, because of the risk to babies, the CDC is advising that men with known or suspected infection with Zika refrain from sex -- or only have sex with a condom -- for six months after a diagnosis.
The agency also advises that, for couples involving a man who has traveled to or resides in an area endemic for Zika:

the couple refrain from sex, or use condoms during sex, throughout the duration of a pregnancy.
they refrain from sex, or use condoms during sex, for eight weeks if the man has returned from travel to a Zika-endemic area but has not shown signs of infection.
for couples living in a Zika-endemic area, they refrain from sex or engage in sex only with a condom for as long as active Zika transmission persists in that area.

The latest guidelines also recommend that women who know they've been infected, have no symptoms but have recently been to a Zika-endemic area, or think they might have been exposed via sex, should wait at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant.
The CDC has also advised that all pregnant women consider postponing travel to any area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. If a pregnant woman must travel to or live in one of these areas, she should talk to her health-care provider first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites.
On Friday, CDC officials also said that 273 U.S. residents in 35 states have now tested positive for infection with the Zika virus.
"All are travel-related or sexually transmitted cases," Jamieson said. "In addition, there have been 261 cases reported from Puerto Rico, 14 cases from American Samoa and 11 cases from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Of these, 99 percent are presumed to be locally transmitted by mosquitoes in the territories."
In the majority of Zika infections, symptoms included rash (97 percent of cases), fever and joint pain.
"Zika virus disease should be considered in patients with acute onset of fever, rash, arthralgia [joint pain], or conjunctivitis [pink eye] who traveled to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission or who had unprotected sex with someone who traveled to one of those areas and developed compatible symptoms within two weeks of returning," the CDC said.
And earlier this month, scientists reported more evidence supporting a link between the Zika virus and microcephaly.
Researchers now believe that one in every 100 pregnant women infected with the virus during the first trimester will give birth to a baby with the birth defect.
The Zika virus is suspected of causing an epidemic that started last spring in Brazil, where there have been more than 5,600 suspected or confirmed cases of microcephaly.
Zika has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, an immune system disorder that can occasionally lead to a fatal form of paralysis.
Speaking earlier this month, CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said that "we are learning more about Zika every day. The link with microcephaly and other possibly serious birth defects is growing stronger every day. The link to Guillain-Barre syndrome is likely to be proven in the near future, and the documentation that sexual transmission is possible is now proven."
First discovered in Uganda in 1947, the Zika virus wasn't thought to pose major health risks until last year, when it became clear that it posed potentially devastating threats to pregnant women.
Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread in Latin America and the Caribbean.
It is not expected to pose a significant threat to the U.S. mainland, federal health officials have said in the past.
In Puerto Rico, however, the situation is "of great concern," Frieden said.
"Puerto Rico is on the frontline of the battle against Zika," said Frieden, who had just returned from the island. "And it's an uphill battle."
By next year, Frieden said, there could be hundreds of thousands of cases of Zika in the territory, and "thousands of infected pregnant women."
In a separate report released Friday, the CDC stressed that effective contraception needs to be made much more readily available to Puerto Ricans. In a statement, the agency noted that, "approximately two-thirds of pregnancies in Puerto Rico are unintended, indicating a potentially unmet need for access to birth control."
The agency said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will boost its efforts at family planning education in Puerto Rico, so that women can help prevent unintended pregnancies -- especially those jeopardized by Zika infection.
The Zika virus has now spread to over 38 countries and territories, most in Latin America and the Caribbean. The World Health Organization estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year.
SOURCES: MARCH 25, 2016, news conference with: Denise Jamieson, M.D., co-lead, Pregnancy and Birth Defects Team, Zika Virus Response Team, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; March 18, 2016, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; March 15, 2016, news release, The Lancet; March 10, 2016, media briefing with: Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; March 11, 2016, The New York Times; Associated Press

Caffeine Intake -- Even Dad's -- Linked to Miscarriage, Study Says

A couple's risk of miscarriage may rise when the woman or man consumes more than two caffeinated drinks a day in the weeks leading up to conception, a new study suggests.
Risk of miscarriage also may increase if the mother-to-be drinks more than two caffeinated beverages daily during the first seven weeks of pregnancy, the researchers found.
Caffeine has been linked to greater risk of miscarriage before, but what is new in this study is that men's caffeine consumption also appears to play a role, said Janis Biermann, senior vice president for education and health promotion at the March of Dimes. Biermann was not involved with the study.
And the degree of risk was similar for both sexes, the study authors said.
"Behaviors before pregnancy can impact pregnancy," said Biermann. "When you are planning a pregnancy, it's a good time to get your body ready -- reduce your consumption of caffeine, get to a healthy weight, don't drink alcohol and see your doctor for a checkup."
The new research also found that women who took a daily multivitamin before conception and through early pregnancy were less likely to miscarry than women who did not.
The study doesn't prove that caffeine causes miscarriage, only that there appears to be an association, said lead researcher Katherine Sapra, a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "This is an observational study, so we can't prove cause and effect, but we are confident of these findings," she said.
If you are trying to get pregnant, and "you are going to drink caffeinated beverages, keep it to fewer than three a day," said Sapra. Two cups of coffee is a "generous" amount, she added.
A standard cup of coffee is about 8 ounces. The March of Dimes recommends women limit themselves to only 12 ounces of coffee a day, Biermann said. "But caffeine is not only found in coffee," she added. It's in tea, colas, chocolate and energy drinks.
The reason caffeine is linked to miscarriage is not known, Sapra said. Caffeine may turn off certain genes in the sperm or egg, but that's only speculation. It's possible that caffeine is associated with other factors that were not uncovered in this study, she added.
The report was published online March 24 in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
The researchers used data from a study conducted in Texas and Michigan between 2005 and 2009. That study examined the relationship between fertility, lifestyle and exposure to environmental chemicals.
The investigators compared lifestyle factors such as smoking, caffeinated-beverage consumption and multivitamin use among expectant couples, from the weeks before conception through the seventh week of pregnancy.
Of 344 pregnancies, 28 percent ended in miscarriage, according to the report.
The risk for miscarriage nearly doubled for women 35 and older, the researchers found. Possible explanations for that include the greater age of sperm and egg in older couples or longer exposure to environmental substances, the authors said.
In addition, male and female consumption of more than two caffeinated drinks a day was associated with about a 74 percent greater risk of miscarriage, Sapra said.
As for the protective effect of vitamins, the study showed that women who took multivitamins through early pregnancy had a 79 percent reduced risk of miscarriage.
"If you are trying to get pregnant, women should take a multivitamin every day to reduce the risk of miscarriage," Sapra said. This is in keeping with the March of Dimes guidelines for a healthy pregnancy.
SOURCES: Katherine Sapra, M.Phil., M.P.H., postdoctoral fellow, U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Janis Biermann, M.S., senior vice president for education and health promotion, March of Dimes, White Plains, N.Y.; March 24, 2016, Fertility and Sterility, online

HealthDay

Brain Stimulation May Help People With Anorexia

Brain stimulation may ease major symptoms of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, a typically hard-to-treat condition, a new study suggests.
British researchers evaluated anorexia patients before and after they underwent repetitive transcranial stimulation (rTMS), a treatment approved for depression.
"With rTMS we targeted ... an area of the brain thought to be involved in some of the self-regulation difficulties associated with anorexia," study first author Jessica McClelland, a postdoctoral researcher at King's College London, said in a school news release.
The treatment delivers magnetic pulses to specific areas of the brain. It feels like a gentle tapping sensation on the side of the head, McClelland explained. The treatment alters the activity of the nerve cells in the brain, she said.
"We found that one session of [brain stimulation] reduced the urge to restrict food intake, levels of feeling full and levels of feeling fat, as well as encouraging more prudent decision-making. Taken together, these findings suggest that brain stimulation may reduce symptoms of anorexia by improving cognitive control over compulsive features of the disorder," McClelland said.
The study was published March 23 in the journal PLoS One.
"Anorexia nervosa is thought to affect up to 4 percent of women in their lifetime. With increasing illness duration, anorexia becomes entrenched in the brain and increasingly difficult to treat. Our preliminary findings support the potential of novel brain-directed treatments for anorexia, which are desperately needed," study senior author Ulrike Schmidt, a professor from Kings College London, said in the news release.
Because of the promising findings, the researchers are testing brain stimulation to see if it offers longer-term benefits for people with anorexia nervosa, Schmidt added.
Up to 20 percent of anorexia patients die prematurely from the condition, the researchers said.
SOURCE: King's College London, news release, March 23, 2016

Adults Don't Need Tetanus Shot Every Decade: Study

Adults can get tetanus and diphtheria vaccine boosters every 30 years instead of the recommended 10 years, a new study suggests.
"We have always been told to get a tetanus shot every 10 years, but actually, there is very little data to prove or disprove that timeline," said researcher Mark Slifka. He is a professor at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University.
Revising that vaccination schedule could also save the U.S. health care system hundreds of millions of dollars a year, the researchers added in a university news release.
For the study, the investigators examined immunity levels in over 500 adults. The researchers found that after completing the standard five-dose childhood vaccine series, adults remain protected against tetanus and diphtheria for at least 30 years without the need for further booster shots.
Slifka and his colleagues said a simplified age-based vaccination schedule for adults could involve a single booster vaccination at age 30 and another one at age 60.
"If you ask around, you often find that it is hard for people to remember if they had their last tetanus shot eight years ago or even 11 years ago," Slifka said. "If we were to use a simple age-based system, people would only have to remember to get their shots when they turn 30 and again when they turn 60."
The researchers also estimated that changing from a 10-year to a 30-year schedule could save about $280 million in health care costs a year, and about $1 billion over four years.
The study authors noted that the World Health Organization recommends only a single adult booster vaccination during military service or when a woman becomes pregnant for the first time. The United Kingdom and some other countries recommend no adult booster shots at all.
The new study was published online March 21 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tetanus and diphtheria are infections caused by bacteria. Tetanus-causing bacteria can enter the body through cuts, scratches or wounds. Diphtheria can spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Both infections are rare in the United States, but can cause severe complications.source-healthnnews

Injuries More Common in Teens Who Focus on Single Sport

High school athletes who focus on a single sport may be at increased risk for knee and hip injuries, a new study suggests.
"Make sure your children are getting breaks in competition," said study author David Bell, assistant professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"There are so many great aspects to sports participation and we don't want this information to scare athletes or parents -- we just want them to be wise consumers and to participate as safely as possible," he said in a university news release.
The study included more than 300 athletes at two high schools, one large and one small. About 36 percent of the athletes had high levels of sports specialization. Nearly 29 percent had moderate specialization, and about 35 percent had low specialization, the researchers said.
The one-year study found that athletes from the smaller school were less likely to specialize than students from the larger school. Those in the high specialization group were more likely to report a history of overuse knee injuries than those in the other two groups. Athletes who trained in one sport for more than eight months during the study were more likely to have a history of knee and hip injuries, the researchers reported.
The study was published recently in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
"Recommendations already exist to try and limit athletes' year-round exposure to sports," Bell noted. "Yet we don't know how well these recommendations are known to the average person.
"Our next step is to survey parents and athletes regarding their knowledge of sport participation recommendations, and also their attitudes toward sport specialization," he said.source--healthnews

Pets Help Homeless Youth, Study Finds

Pets may bring many health benefits to homeless children, but they can also make it tougher to find shelter or to use other social services, new Canadian research suggests.
A team of researchers, led by scientists at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, found homeless young people who have pets are less likely to abuse drugs or engage in risky behavior.
Pets may also help ease depression among those living on the streets, according to the study published recently in the journal Anthrozoos.
"So many of these youth have lost trust in people, and the animal gives them unconditional love. They will do anything for their pets, which means they are less likely to commit potentially harmful acts," study author Michelle Lem, a graduate of the veterinary college, explained in a University of Guelph news release.
Jason Coe, a professor of population medicine at Guelph, added that, "We also found those without pets are three times more likely to be depressed, though we have not yet determined if this is directly relatable to having a pet."
Homeless young people with pets may also confide in veterinarians about the personal difficulties they are facing, the researchers found.
"We're able to collaborate with public health and social workers as they attempt to reach these marginalized people, essentially using the human-animal bond and veterinary care as a gateway to provide accessible social support and health care," said Lem. She is also the founder and director of the Community Veterinary Outreach, which offers mobile veterinary services to homeless people in Canada.
Despite these health benefits, there is a downside to pet ownership for homeless youth, the study showed. Pets can become a barrier to social services for these young people.
"Many shelters do not allow pets, so these youth may be limited in where they can sleep," Coe explained.
The researchers argued that pet-friendly shelters are needed to accommodate homeless people who have dogs and other animals.
"There is an opportunity here to use this information when we're developing services and plans for young people," said Bill O'Grady, a sociology and anthropology professor at Guelph.source-healthnews

World's Senior Population Forecast to Boom by 2050

- The percentage of the world's population aged 65 and older is expected to double by 2050, a new report says.
People who are 65 and older now make up 8.5 percent of people (617 million) worldwide. By 2050, they are expected to represent nearly 17 percent (1.6 billion), according to the U.S. Census Bureau report commissioned by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA).
Over that time, the number of Americans 65 and older is projected to grow from 48 million to 88 million.
Worldwide, life expectancy is expected to rise from 68.6 years in 2015 to 76.2 years in 2050. The number of people 80 and older is forecast to more than triple, from 126.5 million to 446.6 million worldwide, while their ranks in some Asian and Latin American countries could quadruple.
"Older people are a rapidly growing proportion of the world's population," NIA Director Dr. Richard Hodes said in an agency news release.
"People are living longer, but that does not necessarily mean that they are living healthier. The increase in our aging population presents many opportunities and also several public health challenges that we need to prepare for. NIA has partnered with Census to provide the best possible data so that we can better understand the course and implications of population aging," Hodes said.
Non-infectious diseases are the main health concern for seniors worldwide, but infectious diseases are also a major threat to seniors in low-income countries, including many in Africa, according to the new report.
"We are seeing population aging in every country in every part of the world," John Haaga, acting director of NIA's division of behavioral and social research, said in the news release.
"Many countries in Europe and Asia are further along in the process, or moving more rapidly, than we are in the United States. Since population aging affects so many aspects of public life -- acute and long-term health care needs; pensions, work and retirement; transportation; housing -- there is a lot of potential for learning from each other's experience," Haaga said.
Tobacco and alcohol use, lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet, and inactivity are among the health risk factors worldwide, according to the report. Experts note changes in some risk factors, such as declining smoking rates in some high-income countries. The majority of smokers worldwide are now in low- and middle-income nations, the study authors said.source-healthnews

Wearable 'Defibrillator-in-a-Vest' May Help Some Heart Patients

A vest containing a defibrillator may be an option for some heart patients who can't use an implantable defibrillator -- the device that can shock the heart back to a proper rhythm if needed.
That's the conclusion of the first science advisory on the devices just issued by the American Heart Association. The advisory, however, cautioned that there are still big gaps in knowledge about the devices and they should only be used as a short-term option for specific patients.
"They serve an important niche, but there is relatively limited evidence about their effectiveness and safety," said the advisory's lead author, Dr. Jonathan Piccini, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
"We need research and clinical trials to figure out which patient populations they should be applied to and what the relative benefit is," he added.
The wearable defibrillator is worn under clothes looks like a "a glorified fishing vest" that connects to the body via electrodes, Piccini said, and it comes with a laptop-sized battery. If it detects a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm, the vest will alert the patient by sounding alarms that become louder and louder. If the patient doesn't press a button to tell the device that it's a false alarm, "it senses something life-threatening," he said.
Then, he said, the device ejects a gel onto the chest to help conduct electricity and gives the patient a shock. After that, he said, the device needs to be replaced.
It's not clear how many patients have used wearable defibrillators compared to getting them implanted, but Piccini said the number is small.
It's also not yet clear who would benefit from this device. A randomized clinical trial is now underway.
Research has shown that the device properly shocks people between 90 percent and 100 percent of the time, according to the advisory. About 1 percent to 2 percent of patients get shocked when they don't need to be.
The advisory noted that some patients appear to benefit from the wearable devices because they aren't good candidates to get an implanted defibrillator. In these cases, Piccini said, these devices serve as a "bridge" to an implanted version.
Those who may benefit include heart patients with infections of the heart or blood stream, those who've had their defibrillators removed because of infection, and women who develop weak hearts after giving birth or during pregnancy, he said. The devices may also be appropriate in the short term if a physician is trying to figure out if an implanted defibrillator is the right option for a patient, he added.
Insurance companies typically cover the device, which is generally used for 30 to 90 days, Piccini said. "If it's any longer that, there's an assumption that the patient would benefit from an implanted device. But I have a patient who's been using it for over nine months," he added.
Not surprisingly, patients often don't like the wearable device, and more than 20 percent stop using it due to discomfort or adverse reactions, the advisory said. "Just imagine wearing a fishing vest under your shirt all the time," Piccini said. "It generally is inconvenient, bulky and uncomfortable."
Dr. Byron Lee, a research director at the University of California, San Francisco's Division of Cardiology, is helping lead the first large randomized study of the wearable defibrillator.
He said patients should only take the device off to bathe. "Sometimes, patients have trouble learning to sleep with it," he said. In addition, "you should not have sex with the wearable defibrillator since this may trigger an unnecessary shock. In general, we recommend patients take it easy when using the wearable defibrillator. Walking and light exercise are fine."
Lee said the heart association's advisory will likely help people get insurance coverage for the device. "Insurance companies have questioned whether the wearable defibrillator should be covered," Lee said. "This statement validates its use in specific patient populations."
Dr. Evan Levine, a cardiologist with Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, is a critic of the extensive use of the device. He believes it's a reasonable treatment for patients who've had to have their implantable defibrillators removed due to infection. But he questions its use on patients who aren't eligible to get an implanted device because inexpensive medications are just as effective.
They get "a device that no one can say saves lives," Levine said, "and are not prescribed the very effective and inexpensive medications that clearly do save lives."source-health news

Skipping Meds Greatly Ups Heart Patients' Risk of Stroke: Study

People at risk for heart disease are much more likely to die from a stroke if they don't take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and blood pressure medications as prescribed, a new study reports.
Folks with high blood pressure and high cholesterol had a seven times greater risk of suffering a fatal stroke if they didn't follow their drug regimen to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
The study findings were published online March 28 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Fatal stroke risk also increased if these patients stuck to one type of medication but not both, the researchers found.
For example, if patients kept taking blood pressure medication but dropped their statins, their risk of dying from a stroke increased by 82 percent. Turning the tables, they had a 30 percent added risk of stroke if they took their statins but didn't take their blood pressure medications.
"High blood pressure and high cholesterol concentration are key risk factors for stroke for which effective medication is available," said study lead author Kimmo Herttua, head researcher for the Center of Maritime Health and Society at the University of Southern Denmark. "A major obstacle for the full benefits of lipid-lowering and antihypertensive treatments is the non-adherence of patients to drug therapy."
Stroke is responsible for 12 percent of all deaths worldwide, and it is the second leading cause of death after heart disease, the researchers said.
In this study, Herttua and colleagues tracked data on more than 58,000 patients in Finland with high cholesterol levels. During an average 5.5 years of follow-up, 532 died of stroke.
The researchers used prescription records to track whether people were taking medications as their doctors ordered. They found that only six out of 10 people took statins as prescribed.
Experts cited a number of reasons patients might find it tough to keep up with all their medications.
Doctors struggle to get patients to stick to any sort of health-improving regimen, noted Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist and medical director of NYU Langone's Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health.
"One of the challenges in taking care of patients is getting them to start a program and get them to continue it, whether it's getting them to exercise, cut down on their sugar intake or take their medicine," she said.
Doctors may not be properly explaining the role of these drugs in their health, and the necessity of taking them as prescribed, Goldberg and Herttua said.
"People need to understand the connection between taking those medicines and preventing a heart attack or stroke," Goldberg said. "Face-to-face time being limited in the doctor's office, that is kind of getting lost in the visit."source-healthnews

On-the-Job Training Funds for Pediatricians Lagging: Experts

MONDAY, March 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Funding for graduate medical education (GME) for doctors-in-training needs to be changed to deal with a shortage of pediatric specialists, the American Academy of Pediatrics says in an updated policy statement.
This shortage comes at a time when a growing number of American children have chronic health problems and special medical needs, according to a news release from the academy.
While enrollment at U.S. medical schools has increased in response to a shortage of doctors, an equal number of federally funded training positions for new medical graduates haven't been added, the AAP said.
And, only three years of residency training are fully funded. Additional years of specialized training are funded at 50 percent, the experts said.
"The need to fix our nation's graduate medical education funding system has reached a critical point," Dr. William Moskowitz, chair of the AAP Committee on Pediatric Workforce and one of the policy statement's authors, said in the news release.
"It has to be structured so that it can produce a physician workforce that meets the evolving health needs of the country, and especially its children," Moskowitz added.
The AAP explained that most teaching hospitals receive the bulk of their GME funds through Medicare. But pediatric residency programs based in children's hospitals rely on the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Because the HRSA funding must be re-allocated each year, it's a less secure source of funding.
The doctors' group is calling for: full funding of GME training for all pediatricians, including subspecialists and surgical specialists; more pediatric GME positions; stable funding for children's hospital residencies; and funding from more sources.
The AAP said that a number of groups should contribute to GME funding. These include: government, hospitals, health care systems, health maintenance organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, private and public insurers, medical device and equipment companies, health information technology companies and others. But these groups shouldn't be able to make changes to training requirements or the curriculum, the AAP said.source -healthnews

Mediterranean Diet May Help Lower Hip Fracture Risk in Older Women

- Eating a Mediterranean diet may at least slightly lower an older woman's risk for hip fracture, a new study suggests.
Women who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet -- one high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains -- had a 20 percent lower risk for hip fractures compared to women who didn't follow this regimen, the researchers found.
The study couldn't prove cause-and-effect, however. And the researchers stressed that the absolute reduction in risk of a hip fracture for any one woman was still pretty slight -- only about a third of one percent.
Nevertheless, "these results support the notion that following a healthy dietary pattern may play a role in the maintenance of bone health in postmenopausal women," concluded a research team led by Dr. Bernhard Haring of the University of Wurzburg in Germany.
The study was published online March 28 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
One expert in the United States believes that diet can be very important to bone health as people age. However, which diet might be best remains unclear, according to Dr. Michael Hepinstall.
Research "generally supports the idea that adequate nutrition has health benefits that may extend to a lower risk of hip fractures," said Hepinstall, an orthopedic surgeon at the Lenox Hill Hospital Center for Joint Preservation & Reconstruction, in New York City.
"Nevertheless, the results of this study are not convincing enough to confirm that the Mediterranean diet is best, nor do they suggest that an individual adopting a Mediterranean diet can be confident that they have taken adequate measures to reduce fracture risk," he said.
In the study, the German team examined the link between diet and bone health in more than 90,000 healthy American women, whose average age was 64. They were tracked for nearly 16 years.
While the team found a slight trend in favor of the Mediterranean diet and a lower risk of hip fracture in particular, the diet did not seem to lower the odds for fractures overall.
There was a bit of good news for people already on the diet, Hepinstall noted. While the Mediterranean diet typically has lower amounts of dairy products than other regimens, that did not seem to harm bone health, he said.
What does help to strengthen women's bones as they age? According to Hepinstall, low-impact, weight-bearing exercise is encouraged, including tai chi.
"Physicians also typically recommend adequate dietary calcium intake, with supplemental calcium and vitamin D for those who are deficient," he added. Medications are also prescribed when osteoporosis is diagnosed.
Simple safety measures can also cut the odds of fractures linked to falls, Hepinstall said. Regular vision checks are key, and "within the home, we advise patients to keep an uncluttered path to the bathroom, use a night light, remove throw rugs and other potential sources of falls," he said.source -healthnews

Infant Ear Infections Becoming Less Common

Painful ear infections remain a scourge of childhood, but fewer American babies are getting them now compared with 20 years ago, new research shows.
The study didn't dig into the reasons for the decline. But experts say the credit likely goes to certain childhood vaccines, rising rates of breast-feeding and the drop in Americans' smoking rate.
The new research found that 46 percent of babies followed during 2008 to 2014 had a middle ear infection by the time they were 1 year old.
But while the infections were common, those rates were lower when compared against U.S. studies from the 1980s and '90s, the researchers added. Back then, around 60 percent of babies had suffered an ear infection by their first birthday, the study authors said.
The decline is not surprising, according to lead researcher Dr. Tasnee Chonmaitree, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch, in Galveston.
"This is what we anticipated," she said.
That's in large part because of a vaccine that's been available in recent years: the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Chonmaitree said. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine protects against several strains of pneumococcal bacteria, which can cause serious diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and bloodstream infections.
Those bacteria are also one of the major causes of children's middle ear infections, Chonmaitree said.
She added that yearly flu shots, which are now recommended for children starting at the age of 6 months, are probably helping, too: Ear infections often arise after a viral infection like the flu or common cold, the study authors said.
Vaccinations "could very well be one of the drivers" behind the decline in infant ear infections, agreed Dr. Joseph Bernstein, a pediatric otolaryngologist who wasn't involved in the study.
But there are other important factors, too, both he and Chonmaitree said -- namely, rising rates of breast-feeding and a decrease in babies' exposure to secondhand smoke.
"The data really do suggest that breast-feeding -- particularly exclusive breast-feeding in the first six months of life -- helps lower the risk of ear infections," said Bernstein, who is director of pediatric otolaryngology at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, in New York City.
Why does breast-feeding matter? The main reason, Chonmaitree said, is that breast milk contains antibodies that can help protect babies against infections.
There's also the fact that breast-fed babies are less likely to spend time drinking from a bottle while lying down, Bernstein noted. That position can make some infants more vulnerable to ear infections, he said.
The study findings were based on 367 babies followed during their first year of life. By the age of 3 months, 6 percent had been diagnosed with a middle ear infection; by the age of 12 months, that had risen 46 percent, researchers found.
Not surprisingly, babies with ear infections also suffered more colds during their first year -- almost five, on average, versus two among babies who didn't develop an ear infection, the study authors said.
Breast-fed babies had a lower ear infection risk, however. Those who'd been exclusively breast-fed for at least three months were 60 percent less likely to develop an ear infection in their first six months, the study showed.
To Chonmaitree, the findings underscore evidence that breast milk is the best nutrition for babies. "Breast-feeding is good," she said. "Parents should be encouraged to do it if they can."
Bernstein stressed the "if they can" part. Some mothers, he noted, simply can't exclusively breast-feed for a long time -- because of work or other reasons.
But whether babies are breast-fed or not, they will benefit from routine vaccinations, Chonmaitree said. "Parents should make sure they're on schedule with the recommended vaccines," she said.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), most children with middle ear infections get better without antibiotics, and doctors often recommend pain relievers -- like acetaminophen -- to start. But with babies, Bernstein said, antibiotics are often used right away.
The AAP recommends antibiotics for infants who are 6 months old or younger, and for older babies and toddlers who have moderate to severe ear pain.source-healthnews

CDC: Federal Anti-Smoking Campaign Still Paying Off

More than 1.8 million Americans tried to quit smoking in 2014 as a result of a federal anti-smoking ad campaign and 104,000 quit for good, a U.S. government survey found.
The success rates of the three-year-old campaign still appear strong, according to survey results for 2014 published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched its Tips From Former Smokers (TIPS) national tobacco education campaign in 2012, by running ads for 12 straight weeks. The nine-week 2014 campaign aired ads in two phases, from Feb. 3 to April 6 and from July 7 to Sept. 7.
The first phase of the 2014 campaign mainly featured ads from the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. The second phase centered on new ads highlighting smokers and their tobacco-related health problems, such as cancer, gum disease, stroke and premature birth.
About 80 percent of adult smokers surveyed said they saw at least one of the CDC's ads in phase 2 of the 2014 campaign.
The TIPS campaign "has helped at least 400,000 smokers quit smoking for good since 2012," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in an agency news release. "(TIPS) is also extremely cost-effective and a best buy, saving both lives and money. With a year-round campaign, we could save even more lives and money."
Corinne Graffunder, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, called the TIPS campaign an important counterweight to the $1 million that the tobacco industry spends every hour on cigarette ads and promotion.
"The money spent in one year on (TIPS) is less than the amount the tobacco industry spends on advertising and promotion in just three days," she noted in the release.
Smoking-related health problems cost the United States more than $300 billion a year. That includes nearly $170 billion in direct health care costs and more than $156 billion in lost productivity, according to the CDC.
Cigarettes are the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing about 480,000 people a year, the most recent Surgeon General's Report said.source-healthnews

Cancer Patients Who Choose to Die at Home Live Longer: Study

Cancer patients who chose to die at home lived longer than those who died in hospitals, a large study from Japan found.
The findings suggest that doctors shouldn't hesitate to allow dying cancer patients to receive palliative care at home, the study authors said.
Palliative care does not attempt to cure a person, but is often described as comfort care or symptom management.
Most people would like to be at home when dying, but there have been concerns about whether the quality of care would be the same as in a hospital, the researchers pointed out.
"The cancer patient and family tend to be concerned that the quality of medical treatment provided at home will be inferior to that given in a hospital and that survival might be shortened," said study author Dr. Jun Hamano, of the University of Tsukuba in Japan.
"However, our finding -- that home death does not actually have a negative influence on the survival of cancer patients at all, and rather may have a positive influence -- could suggest that the patient and family can choose the place of death in terms of their preference and values," Hamano added.
For the study, the researchers looked at almost 1,600 patients who died in hospitals and almost 500 who died at home.
The investigators found that those who spent their last days at home lived considerably longer.
The study results appear in the March 28 online issue of the journal Cancer, which is published by the American Cancer Society.
"Patients, families, and clinicians should be reassured that good home hospice care does not shorten patient life, and even may achieve longer survival," Hamano said in a journal news release.source-healthnews

Zika Virus Guidelines Urge Couples to Wait Before Pregnancy

MONDAY, March 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Acupuncture can help alleviate the often-debilitating hot flashes that afflict many breast cancer patients, new Italian research says.
Noting that hot flashes are a fact of life for many women with breast cancer, the investigators found that pairing lifestyle advice with weekly acupuncture sessions dramatically improved the women's quality of life.
"Acupuncture together with enhanced self-care for three months is effective in reducing hot flashes in women with breast cancer," said study author Giorgia Razzini, a clinical trial project manager in the oncology unit of Ospedale di Carpi (Carpi Hospital), in Bologna, Italy.
And because hormone treatment for breast cancer typically makes the hot flash experience even worse, Razzini added, acupuncture could be a useful tool for helping such patients "stay on their therapy and improve their quality of life."
Razzini and colleagues published their findings online March 28 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
In the study, the Italian team focused on 190 breast cancer patients who had reported moderate (or worse) hot flashes while undergoing treatment at five cancer hospitals and one primary health care center in northern Italy between 2010 and 2013.
The patients, whose average age was 49, were randomly split into two groups. One group of 105 patients was offered a three-month regimen of self-care advice on diet, exercise and psychological support.
The second group, of 85, was offered the same advice in the same time frame along with 10 half-hour weekly sessions of "traditional" acupuncture.
All of the participants kept hot flash diaries. At the end of the three-month period (and for up to six months thereafter) daily hot flash experiences were assessed for changing severity and frequency.
The result: by the end of the treatment period, those in the acupuncture group were found to have hot flash scores that were 50 percent lower than those in the non-acupuncture group. The finding continued to hold up for a half-year after the acupuncture sessions ended.
Those in the acupuncture group also seemed to have a generally higher overall quality of life in terms of both physical and mental health, with no serious side effects, the study authors said.
So why does acupuncture seem to work?
Razzini cited several reasons, including acupuncture's ability to prompt blood vessel dilation in the patient's nervous system, while stimulating the release of endorphins -- a neurotransmitter that interacts with brain cells involved in the regulation of pain and emotion. It also triggers the release of the stress hormone norepinephrine, as well as the mood regulator serotonin.
Razzini didn't know how much American patients might have to pay for such treatment, but added, "Compared to other effective treatments such as antidepressants, (acupuncture) should be less expensive, and, for sure, more safe and feasible."
Dr. Courtney Vito, a breast oncologic surgeon at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif., was pleased that a serious issue in breast cancer treatment is getting a closer look.
"Anyone who treats breast cancer struggles with this problem in their practice, because the hot flashes that some women experience with anti-hormonal treatment can be profound," she said.
"Almost all women experience them. For some it's a moderate situation, but for others it's a really significant problem. Some women -- I would say probably about 15 percent -- have such severe hot flashes that they even refuse to take medications that can cut their risk for cancer or cancer recurrence by 50 percent, simply because they can't handle the hot flashes," Vito explained.
"And I've actually had patients who have had acupuncture with good success, so I'm not surprised by the finding," she added. "But it is heartening that we now have scientific proof that this can work. Which, in the end, may help to encourage insurance companies to their expand coverage so this can become an affordable option for all patients in need."source-healthnews

Acupuncture May Ease Hot Flashes for Breast Cancer Patients

Children with Cushing syndrome may have higher suicide risk

Children with Cushing syndrome may be at higher risk for suicide as well as for depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions long after their disease has been successfully treated, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

“...that physicians who care for young people with Cushing syndrome should screen their patients for depression-related mental illness...”

—Constantine Stratakis, M.D., Director, Division of Intramural Research, NICHD

Cushing syndrome results from high levels of the hormone cortisol. Long-term complications of the syndrome include obesity, diabetes, bone fractures, high blood pressure, kidney stones and serious infections. Cushing’s syndrome may be caused by tumors of the adrenal glands or other parts of the body that produce excess cortisol. It also may be caused by a pituitary tumor that stimulates the adrenal glands to produce high cortisol levels. Treatment usually involves stopping excess cortisol production by removing the tumor.
“Our results indicate that physicians who care for young people with Cushing syndrome should screen their patients for depression-related mental illness after the underlying disease has been successfully treated,” said the study’s senior author, Constantine Stratakis, M.D., director of the Division of Intramural Research at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “Patients may not tell their doctors that they’re feeling depressed, so it’s a good idea for physicians to screen their patients proactively for depression and related conditions.”
Cushing syndrome may affect both adults and children. A recent study estimated that in the United States, there are eight cases of Cushing syndrome per 1 million people per year.
The researchers published their findings in the journal Pediatrics. They reviewed the case histories of all children and youth treated for Cushing syndrome at NIH from 2003 to 2014, a total of 149 patients. The researchers found that, months after treatment, nine children (roughly 6 percent) had thoughts of suicide and experienced outbursts of anger and rage, depression, irritability and anxiety. Of these, seven experienced symptoms within seven months of their treatment. Two others began experiencing symptoms at least 48 months after treatment.
The authors noted that children with Cushing syndrome often develop compulsive behaviors and tend to become over-achievers in school. After treatment, however, they then become depressed and anxious. This is in direct contrast to adults with Cushing syndrome, who tend to become depressed and anxious before treatment and gradually overcome these symptoms after treatment.
The authors stated that health care providers might try to prepare children with Cushing syndrome before they undergo treatment, letting them know that their mood may change after surgery and may not improve for months or years. Similarly, providers should consider screening their patients periodically for suicide risk in the years following their treatment.
About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s website at http://www.nichd.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.source-healthnews

De Niro's Tribeca Festival Yanks Anti-Vaccination Film

Robert De Niro Pulls Anti-Vaccine Doc From Tribeca Film Festival

Robert De Niro on Saturday said his Tribeca Film Festival has pulled an anti-vaccination film from the lineup, a day after defending the decision to screen it as "providing the opportunity for a conversation."
The makers of "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Conspiracy" billed the film as an investigation into a Centers for Disease Control study that found the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine does not cause autism. It alleges the CDC committed fraud.
Related: California Governor Signs Tough New Vaccine Law

JUNE 30: Should vaccines be mandatory? Calif. bill sparks debate

The film's director is Andrew Wakefield, who suggested a possible link between vaccines and autism and had his medical license stripped in 2010. He published a study alleging the link in the medical journal Lancet in 1998, but the research was widely discredited and the Lancet later retracted it.
"My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family," De Niro said in a statement. "But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for."
"The Festival doesn't seek to avoid or shy away from controversy. However, we have concerns with certain things in this film that we feel prevent us from presenting it in the Festival program. We have decided to remove it from our schedule."
De Niro has a child with autism. He said Friday that he is not anti-vaccination, but said "I am only providing the opportunity for a conversation around the issue" in defending the screening. De Niro is co-founder of the festival.
Related: Measles Vaccine Gap Puts U.S. At Risk, Reports Show

FEB. 4, 2015: CDC Chief Discusses the Importance of Vaccinations

Repeated studies and years of research have found no link between vaccines and autism. Resistance by some parents to vaccinate their children over health fears has been blamed as one of the causes of an increase in Measles like the 2015 Disneyland outbreak.
Wakefield and producer Del Bigtree accused Tribeca of pulling the film after an organization affiliated with the festival made allegations about the film which they had no opportunity to address.
"We have just witnessed yet another example of the power of corporate interests censoring free speech, art, and truth," they said in a statement posted to Facebook Saturday. "Tribeca's action will not succeed in denying the world access to the truth behind the film Vaxxed.source-healthnews