Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Health : Health Buzz: E-Cigarettes Win in Court

Health : Health Buzz: E-Cigarettes Win in Court

Health Buzz: E-Cigarettes Win in Court

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 03:35 PM PST

FDA Cannot Regulate E-Cigarettes as a Drug, Appeals Court Rules

Smokers of electronic cigarettes, battery-powered tubes that produce a nicotine vapor instead of smoke, can keep on puffing—for now, Bloomberg.com reports. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., ruled Tuesday that while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can regulate how e-cigarettes are marketed—as it can with any tobacco product—it can't restrict their sale or block their import. Two companies sued the agency last year after it cracked down on them and prevented shipments of their e-cigarettes from entering the U.S., claiming violations of federal law. Because the FDA was not the victor, it can now appeal the case to the highest court in the country—and it should, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "This ruling invites the creation of a wild west of products containing highly addictive nicotine, an alarming prospect for public health," the group said in a statement to Bloomberg. The FDA has warned that e-cigarettes, which don't produce the smoke of traditional cigarettes, may still contain toxic ingredients.

The best health advice? Quit smoking altogether. That may even be possible in 30 days, according to Daniel Seidman, a smoking cessation expert and author of Smoke-Free in 30 Days: The Pain-Free, Permanent Way to Quit. Here's an excerpt of his conversation with U.S. News in January.

From: Is It Possible to Be Smoke Free in 30 Days?

What does your monthlong program entail, and what makes it unique?
It outlines what to do each day. What we're saying to people is rather than think about this as just being [about] willpower, focus on things you can do each day that will help you change your behavior, change your attitude, [and] use medicine to the greatest effect. It's sort of like playing the piano. Nobody says, "If you have enough willpower, you'll be a good piano player." They say, "Practice." [Quitting] isn't just about being strong. That's sort of a trap that people believe: "If I'm strong, I can do it. If I'm weak, then there's nothing I can do and I just have to smoke." We're saying [that] if you make these efforts and do these exercises and follow these daily recommendations, you can be successful.

I've found that nicotine replacement therapy, if it's used properly, can be extremely helpful to people and be a really good confidence-builder. A lot of people fail [with NRT] because they don't use it correctly. They don't use it in conjunction with making certain important changes in their attitudes and in their behavior, which could make it more effective. [Seidman says he takes no funding from makers of NRT or other stop-smoking products.]

Can people—even hard-core smokers—really quit in 30 days? That sounds awfully quick to be rid of a deeply ingrained habit.
The adjustment period can go on for a long time because what you're really doing is learning how to be comfortable without the cigarettes. We're really trying to prepare people for the long term, as well as get them off to a good start. But [they] have to continue to live that way. We don't want you to be ambushed by these things. We're going to alert you to the things that could be a problem, but you have to continue to use self-awareness as a tool.

So avoiding cigarettes doesn't magically become easy on Day 30?
It's not like the curtain comes down on the Hollywood movie. We wanted to set up a really structured program [so] people would know what to do each day and to get them to a point where they are really confident. Confidence is really important. I've seen people who could barely walk down the street from emphysema, and they couldn't quit. Once they built up their confidence, they were basically fine, and it's really sad that they waited so long to quit.

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Surf Your Way Into a Good Mood

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 03:27 PM PST

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Even Kids on Sports Teams Don't Get Enough Exercise

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 03:16 PM PST

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An Update for People on Medicare

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 12:06 PM PST

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Is the Internet Bad for Brain Health?

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 08:38 AM PST

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Health Buzz: FDA Panel Endorses Weight Loss Drug

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 08:05 AM PST

FDA Panel: Diet Pill Works, But May Cause Health Risks

A new weight loss drug got the thumbs up from a federal advisory committee Tuesday, despite concerns about possible health risks. A panel of experts convened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 13 to 7 to back the drug Contrave, but urged the manufacturer, Orexigen Therapeutics, to conduct larger clinical studies to examine potential heart effects. Although the FDA is not required to follow the panel's recommendation, the agency usually does and is expected to make a decision by January. Contrave—which mixes the antidepressant bupropion with the anti-addiction drug naltrexone—appears to work by boosting metabolism while curbing appetite and cravings, Reuters reports. About 35 percent of patients who took the drug in a clinical trial lost five percent of their weight, but they also had an increased risk of elevated blood pressure and pulse rate. "In terms of efficacy, they made it by the hair of their chinny-chin-chin," Melanie Coffin, a patient representative on the panel who voted to recommend the drug's approval, told reporters. "It's not going to be a perfect drug for everyone. But it will be useful to some." Only one prescription weight loss drug remains on the market; Meridia, was removed from shelves in October after it was linked to heart attacks and strokes. And the FDA nixed approval of two other weight-loss drugs earlier this year.

4 Ways to Unleash Your Creative Genius

"But I'm not creative!" If that thought is what froze you the last time you decided not to (fill in the blank), it's time to adjust your thinking, Meryl Davids Landau writes for U.S. News. Many people who can't draw anything more elaborate than a stick figure allow insecurity about their creativity to stop them from expressing their ideas, says Mark Runco, professor of creative studies at the University of Georgia and editor of Creativity Research Journal. But holding back is a mistake, experts say, because self-expression is known to reduce stress, enhance the immune system, and increase joy.

Psychologists define creativity as producing something that is original and that works—a key aspect of human experience and fulfillment, Runco says. That can cover everything from rearranging your furniture and designing a garden to generating a fresh solution to a business dilemma or world hunger. In general, young children most readily heed their creative impulses, because they haven't started editing themselves out of fear of the judgment of others. Studies have shown that this begins around age 10, when kids start focusing on teachers' rules and what their peers think, a phenomenon known as the "fourth-grade slump." [Read more: 4 Ways to Unleash Your Creative Genius.]

How to Encourage Your Kid's Creativity

Little kids are naturally and unselfconsciously creative. U.S. News reports that you can help your child stay that way by:

Tolerating "wrong" answers. Creativity depends upon ambiguity, making mistakes, and being playful, says Kyung Hee Kim, assistant professor of educational psychology at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Applaud your child's imagination when he draws wings on a kitten or writes using incorrect spellings. The rules will assert themselves soon enough.

Lowering your standards. A spotless playroom stifles creativity, because kids may not feel they can engage in messy experiments or art. (That doesn't mean they shouldn't learn to clean up afterward.) Similarly, always reining in an energetic, talkative, or spontaneous child because you prefer quiet may short-circuit her impulses. "The very qualities that facilitate creative accomplishments can be ones that sometimes make creative children hard to live with," Kim says.

Going easy on the rewards. Research links kids' creativity with their intrinsic motivation; praise or reward them too much and you zap both. Refrain from praising every drawing your child makes, or if you must comment, remark on his originality or effort rather than the results, advises Mark Runco, professor of creative studies at the University of Georgia and editor of Creativity Research Journal. [Read more: How to Encourage Your Kid's Creativity.]

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