Health : Health Buzz: Early Births Could Cause Health Risks |
| Health Buzz: Early Births Could Cause Health Risks Posted: 27 Dec 2010 12:25 PM PST Data Suggests Premature and Early Births Are Increasingly Common The number of women giving birth early has spiked over the past two decades, inviting health risks for the newborns. A normal pregnancy is 40 weeks. Between 1990 and 2006, births at 36 weeks increased by 30 percent, while births at 37 and 38 weeks rose by more than 40 percent. In fact, the length of the average pregnancy has decreased by about seven days since 1992, according to the nonprofit California Watch, which analyzed data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's worrisome, researchers say, because a shortened pregnancy could affect lung and brain development, vision, and weight, and could cause babies to sleep longer than normal, have trouble learning to breast-feed, and suffer from dehydration or jaundice. "The vast majority of early-term babies do fine, but it's like playing Russian roulette," Bryan Oshiro, vice chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Loma Linda University, told The San Francisco Chronicle. The trend could be fueled by women who schedule early births for convenience, rather than a medical reason. The C-section rate may be too high, but there are ways to avoid the surgery, U.S. News's Megan Johnson reported in September. From: C-Section Births on the Rise: How to Avoid Surgery It's no secret that the C-section rate is rising. Between 1996 and 2007, the rate jumped from 21 percent to 32 percent of all births. What is surprising, however, is that the C-section rate is that high for first-time mothers, according to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. One in every three new moms has a cesarean, researchers reported. Concerned about the surgery's costs and its health risks, such as excessive bleeding and infection, public health experts are now trying to bring those rates down. The C-section rate should be more like 20 percent, as it was in the '90s, says Robert Barbieri, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Much higher than that, he says, suggests that the surgeries are being performed without medical need. "Most obstetricians would like babies to be born vaginally," says Sebastian Faro, vice-chair of the obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences department at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, but parents don't necessarily agree. "Have I ever done an elective C-section at the patient's request? The answer is yes," says Faro, who has also refused such requests. He talks to patients about the risks of the surgery and tries to persuade them to attempt a natural birth. Many C-sections are necessary, to minimize the danger from complications such as placenta previa (when the placenta blocks the opening of the cervix) or a baby in breech position. Surgery may also be warranted if labor fails to progress, which can put the fetus in distress. But C-sections are major operations, says Faro. Aside from the additional risk, women who have them also face a lengthier hospital stay while they recover. So what can pregnant women do to prevent an unnecessary C-section? Wait as long as possible until natural labor begins, says Barbieri—at least until 39 weeks of pregnancy. In the study mentioned above, the government researchers found that women who were induced had nearly twice the rate of C-sections as those who went into labor on their own. Inducing is more likely to lead to C-section in first-time moms, he says. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Health Buzz: Huge Recall of Diabetes Test Strips Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:15 AM PST Abbott Cites False Readings in Sweeping Recall of Diabetes Test Strips Hundreds of millions of diabetes test strips were recalled last week because of concern that they might give falsely low blood sugar readings. Abbott Laboratories voluntarily pulled up to 359 million strips on Wednesday after learning they don't absorb blood quickly enough to provide a proper reading, federal officials announced Wednesday. The defect "can lead users to try to raise their blood glucose when it is unnecessary, or to fail to treat elevated blood glucose due to a falsely low reading. Both scenarios pose health risks," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. The chemically treated paper strips, manufactured between January and May 2010, were branded Precision Xceed Pro, Precision Xtra, MediSense Optium, OptiumEZ, and ReliOn Ultima. Abbott has not yet identified the source of the defect, but improper storage is one possibility—exposure to high temperatures can cause strips to yield false readings. The company says it will offer free replacements to affected customers. To find out if your product is involved in the recall, or to request a replacement, visit precisionoptiuminfo.com/EN/lookup.php. Orthorexia: An Unhealthy Obsession With Healthy Eating At the beginning, the goal seems innocent, smart even: a vow to eat more whole grains, or more fruits and vegetables. But healthy eating can turn rigid and confining, wiping out whole categories of food one by one—first anything with additives, perhaps, then maybe nonorganic produce, and then another and another. It can become decidedly unhealthy. The focus on quality and purity can deteriorate into orthorexia, a term coined in 1996 by physician Steven Bratman to describe a "fixation on righteous eating." Like anorexia and bulimia, it can wreak serious damage on the health of someone trapped in the obsession, U.S. News reports. "Orthorexia boils down to someone who is very, very concerned with eating what they consider the perfect diet," says Joy Jacobs, a clinical psychologist with the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine. "This is someone who takes healthy eating to an extreme and feels good about it. These people often have a sense of moral superiority." While others abuse their bodies, they know better. Orthorexia is not a formally recognized psychiatric diagnosis or eating disorder, although most experts agree it blends elements of both. While an anorexic or bulimic person is fueled by a desire to lose weight, someone with orthorexia singlemindedly pursues health through food. Some with the condition eat only raw or organic foods. Some may follow a strict vegan or fruitarian diet. And others may eliminate sugar, processed ingredients, artificial flavors and colors, or anything that contains additives. [Read more: Orthorexia: An Unhealthy Obsession With Healthy Eating.] Smile to Improve Your Mood Research suggests smiling doesn't just spread sunshine: it strongly affects your mood, writes U.S. News contributor Courtney Rubin. In February 2009, psychologists at the University of Cardiff in Wales found that people whose frown muscles were deadened by Botox were happier and less anxious than those who hadn't had the wrinkle treatment. Another study, appearing in the May 2008 issue of the Journal of Pain, revealed that people who grimace during uncomfortable procedures feel more pain than those who don't. But a 2005 study by Hewlett Packard and the British Dental Health Foundation was perhaps the most intriguing. Researchers measuring brain and heart activity found that volunteers were as stimulated by imagining someone they loved smiling at them as they were by being told they'd won a cash prize. [Read more: Smile to Improve Your Mood.] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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