Thursday, February 24, 2011

Health : Food-Borne Illnesses Still a Threat, Despite New Food-Safety Law

Health : Food-Borne Illnesses Still a Threat, Despite New Food-Safety Law

Food-Borne Illnesses Still a Threat, Despite New Food-Safety Law

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 03:19 PM PST

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Health Buzz: Cell Phones Cause Brain-Activity Changes

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 10:20 AM PST

Study: Cell Phones Bump Up Brain Activity

A 50-minute cell phone call causes temporary changes in the brain, researchers say, sparking new concerns about the way our beloved devices affect our health. The electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phone antennas increases brain activity to unusually high levels, according to findings published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, led by the National Institutes of Health, is among the first to show that cell phones alter brain metabolism. Researchers followed 47 healthy volunteers who underwent two brain scans. During one scan, a cell phone connected to a muted call was attached to participants' right ear; during the other, they were phone-free. When the phone was turned on, participants experienced a 7 percent increase in the rate of glucose metabolism—an indicator of brain activity—in the regions closest to the cell phone antenna. "This study shows that the human brain is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation coming out of cell phones," study author Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told the Wall Street Journal. "Our finding does not tell us if this is harmful or not," she said. More research is needed to understand the potential health effects of cell phone use.

What Causes Hair Loss? 9 Myths About Baldness

Nearly two out of every three men will begin balding by the time they're 60. Most don't part with their part willingly—American males collectively spend $1 billion a year trying to hang onto those locks. And while there's no cure for a shiny scalp, there are a lot of supposed causes that men worry about more than they need to, U.S. News reports.

Recent research suggests that the most common type of hair loss, male pattern baldness, can be triggered by faulty hair-making progenitor cells in the scalp. Researchers long believed that men whose hair progressively thins—starting with a receding hairline, and then stretching to the crown—lacked a sufficient number of these cells. Rather, it appears that the cells are merely unable to complete their normal development and mature to a fully-functioning state. That finding, published last month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could help researchers develop a treatment that reactivates and restores the malfunctioning cells.

Other potential contributors to hair loss include illness, age, genetics, and even primping habits. Meanwhile, a flurry of myths contribute to men's anxiety, if not to baldness itself. "I get athletes who think helmets caused their hair to fall out, and men who say it's because their mothers rubbed their heads with black tar soap," says dermatologist Gary Hitzig, author of Help and Hope for Hair Loss. Neither helmets nor soap are at fault, he says. And more blame may get heaped on mothers than they deserve. [Read more: What Causes Hair Loss? 9 Myths About Baldness.]

Use These 8 Foods to Help You Lose Weight

Sure, we all know the basic nutrition rules when it comes to safeguarding our health and losing weight. In the words of best-selling nutrition writer Michael Pollan, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Sounds simple, but if you're interested in maximizing the amount of nutrients you get, you may want to be a little choosy when selecting among various options in each food group. Some fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products stand out as nutritional superstars, according to the latest research. And they're also easy on the calorie count to help you shed pounds, fitness blogger Ryan Sullivan writes for U.S. News. Consider incorporating these foods into your daily meal plan:

1. Watermelon. It's not only delicious, but packs a wallop of antioxidants like vitamins A and C. It also contains lycopene, a plant chemical found in studies to lower your risk of cancer, heart disease and age-related vision loss due to macular degeneration. Just as gratifying: One cup of cubed watermelon contains less than 50 calories, not too damaging for your waistline.

2. Avocado. This extremely versatile fruit can be used in salads, sandwiches, and guacamole. Filled with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, avocado is a healthful alternative to mayonnaise and can help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. Just watch your portions. One-quarter of a medium-sized avocado contains 65 calories, so you don't want to overdo it. [Read more: Use These 8 Foods to Help You Lose Weight.]

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Health Buzz: Report Shows Need for Patients to Take Control of Medical Decisions

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 09:25 AM PST

Report: Doctors' Personal Beliefs Can Dictate Your Medical Care

Where patients live and which doctors they see strongly influences the procedures they get, and patients may not be playing a large-enough role in making medical decisions. A new report by researchers with the Dartmouth Atlas Project, a group that analyzes how medicine is practiced across the country, found wide differences in rates of elective surgery among Medicare patients nationally. An elderly woman in Victoria, Texas, who has early breast cancer, for example, is seven times more likely to have a mastectomy than her counterpart in Muncie, Ind. (Women with early breast cancer can typically choose between a mastectomy, which removes the entire breast, and breast-conserving surgery, which removes only the tumor and some surrounding tissue.) Patients with chest pain because of heart disease are 10 times more likely to have a blocked artery stented if they live in Elyria, Ohio, than those in Honolulu, who more often rely on medication to manage their condition. And Medicare patients in Casper, Wyo., are nearly six times more likely to have elective back surgery than are New Yorkers in the Bronx, who are more likely to choose to live with the pain or to treat it with nonsurgical options like physical therapy. Differences in doctors' personal beliefs may be behind the findings, the researchers say, and patients' preferences are not always given sufficient weight. "Physicians differ very strongly in their opinions about the value of these procedures," David Goodman, coleader of the Dartmouth Atlas Project, told Reuters. "There are regional differences, or differences in cultures of care, that develop, partly related to how physicians are trained or the history of the place." Since undergoing surgery is an important life event, the researchers say, patients need to make sure they're fully informed, while doctors focus on shared decision-making.

10 Signs You're Exercising Too Much

Regular workouts are supposed to increase your muscle mass and decrease your body fat, right? Well, yes, with a caveat. Some folks ramp it up too much especially when they start a new training regimen to prepare themselves for, say, a grueling marathon or triathlon, fitness blogger Chelsea Bush writes for U.S. News. Overdoing your workouts can actually lead to diminished strength and increased body fat—your body's way of begging for a break. While your body can handle a particularly tough workout, it also needs time to recover from the stress overload, says Corey Stenstrup, performance development trainer at IMG Academies.

The best way to recover from that particularly tough workout? A day or two of rest followed by a light bout of exercise, recommends Stenstrup. Also make a point to get at least eight hours of sleep a night which your body will need to repair those tiny muscle tears that occur during workouts and enable your body to build new muscle. Good nutrition is also key: Think lean protein (fish, skinless chicken breast, tofu), whole grains and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Here are the 10 ways your body will let you know if you're headed for exercise burnout.

1. Decreased performance. A drop in your workout performance is one of the earliest signs of overload, according to Jini Cicero, a conditioning specialist based in Los Angeles, Calif. Altered performance levels are often more apparent in endurance activities such as running, swimming and cycling, she says. [Read more: 10 Signs You're Exercising Too Much.]

Your Strength Routine: 7 Tips to Shake It Up

If you've never done resistance training or a strength routine before, simply learning the exercises is plenty. But once you've mastered the basic moves, you'll need to shake things up in order to progress, U.S. News reports. Here are seven tips for doing that from Rachel Cosgrove, a personal fitness coach and owner (with her husband) of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, Calif. Her first book, The Fit Chick Body, was published by Rodale in 2009.

Accept that you can't just go on autopilot. It would be nice to be able to memorize one strength routine and simply repeat it with the same set of dumbbells, three times a week, for the rest of your life. But the key to getting stronger, says Cosgrove, is to vary and change things on a regular basis.

Keep a program for four to six weeks. "You don't want to change too often, because then your body can't conquer things," says Cosgrove. Take the first week to master the workout. In the second week, add a second set of each exercise. By the third week, maybe add some more weight or add a third set. By the fourth week, add enough weight to make it really challenging. "We usually say to change one variable at a time," says Cosgrove.

Your program doesn't have to be totally new every time. If you can only do a pushup against a wall, try that for four to six weeks. The next time, you can do the move on your knees, and in your next four- to six-week period, try a regular pushup. [Read more: Your Strength Routine: 7 Tips to Shake It Up.]

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High Triglyceride Levels Linked to Increased Stroke Risk: Study

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 09:00 AM PST

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