Staying Healthy: Healthy Habits for Men

Juggling jobs, relationships, social obligations, bills, and staying on top of a healthy gym routine is a lot to handle. As a woman, trying to find the time to eat better seems to be the last thing on my list and it can’t be much easier for men. Here are a few tips for making men’s lives a little bit better from morning to night:

Eat Breakfast
Eating breakfast everyday keeps your metabolism in check, your weight down, and your cravings at bay. Filling up on fiber early on keeps you satisfied throughout the day. Dr. Oz recommends oatmeal with dried fruits, nuts, and his own personal touch…flaxseed oil.

Work through Pain
Sometimes taking the load off of a sore back, neck, or legs is worse for you than if you work through the pain. Experts suggest that nursing your pain isn’t always the best course of action because resting can weaken your muscles and you may lose strength over time. If you haven’t pulled any muscles or slipped any discs, take an anti-inflammatory pain reliever and stay on your feet.

Snack like a Squirrel
You don’t have to hoard nuts for the winter, but grabbing a handful during the middle of the day can actually keep you healthier than eating a bag of chips or waiting until dinner to satisfy your food cravings. Full of omega-3 fatty acids, these are the type of proteins we look for in our diets from fish, also known as good fats.

Sweat is Your Friend
While walking to the office or public transit is eco-friendly and cost efficient, chances are you don’t get the full cardio effect until you do your time on the treadmill. Sweat away your toxins and reduce your blood pressure and risk of heart attack by switching up your routine; the wetter the better. Tacking on weight training makes your body work harder to bulk up and lose any extra pounds that may be damaging to your frame. Aside from looking better to your partner, you may feel better and be able to get more sleep, more on that later. For more stamina, find a workout buddy!

Be Friendly
When men get stressed, they often clam up and don’t tend to talk about their problems. Women, on the other hand, can usually tell a story until their lips bleed. With more stress in the world than ever, it’s no wonder your body may not be feeling up to par. Grab a beer—or your partner—and tell them what’s on your mind, sharing may just save your life or keep the stress away.

Save for a Rainy Day
Like the harmful stressors everyone puts upon themselves at any moment, a lot of these have to deal with financial woes. If you are able, sock away some of your paycheck every month to save for a rainy day or an emergency by investing some of that worth in a separate savings account you can run to if you need to, but put your own limits on how you are allowed to spend it. Down the road, merely thinking about how to spend that extra cushion you set aside can make even the gloomiest day perk up a bit.

Go Between
We have all been conditioned to learn that brushing your teeth two times a day is the normal but in order to keep your oral health at its best, go deeper with floss. Your best bet is to floss before bedtime to clean the bacteria from the hard to reach spots in your mouth so it doesn’t grow into a problem overnight.

Sleep like a Baby
If you are a parent, you understand the importance of getting a child to go to bed at a certain time every night in order to keep their mind and body stable and free from grouchiness. You should treat your sleeping patterns the same way. Set a bed time and keep it—at least during the work week—and get at least seven hours of sleep. Professionals advise that sleeping regularly can stave off calories and stress because being groggy can incur bad decisions like eating greasy food or sucking down your usual morning coffee in half the time.

http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/mens-health/staying-healthy-healthy-habits-men-3807.html

Antipsychotic Drugs Can Cause Rapid Weight Gain in Kids

Obesity is still a big problem within our country, and now one of the medications prescribed for children could be a factor in their weight gain. Up to one-third of adolescents and children who took some of the common antipsychotic drugs for the first time became overweight or obese in as little as 11 weeks, which in turn raised their risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Researchers said that doctors who prescribe these antipsychotics to children should carefully consider the benefits against the risk, and keep a close eye on the children who are taking these medications. Dr. Christopher Varley and Dr. Jon McClellan from the Seattle Children’s Hospital wrote in a commentary for the Journal of the American Medical Association that, “These data confirm prior findings that children and adolescents are highly vulnerable to antipsychotic medication. These results challenge the widespread use of atypical antipsychotic medications in youth.”

Dr. Monica Michell, a child psychiatrist at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York who was not involved with this study, said that these findings caution us and underscores the long-term potential harm that these drugs can cause. She also stated, “For children, who are not psychotic or bipolar, these medicines should be a last resort."

This study looked at four of the most common antipsychotic medications used in children: Risperdal or risperidone made by Johnson & Johnson, Zyprexa or olanzapine made by Eli Lilly, Abilify or aripiprazole made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Seroquel or quetiapine made by AstraZeneca.

A research team, led by Dr. Christopher Correll from Zucker Hillside Hospital and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York, studied approximately 272 teens and children who were between the ages of 4 to 19 that suffered from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and aggressive or disruptive behavior spectrum disorders.

After approximately 11 weeks, the participants that took Zyprexa gained an average of 18.7 pounds, those who took Seroquel gained 13.4 pounds, those who took Risperdal gained 11.7 pounds and those who took Abilify gained 9.7 pounds. Altogether, 10 to 36 percent of participants became overweight or obese within 11 weeks. Correll stated, “The weight gain is dramatic, rapid and pervasive.” However, he said, not all of the medications performed the same.

The children who took Zyprexa showed to have the most dramatic weight gain and the biggest changes in their metabolic factors such as cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar, which can cause diabetes and heart problems. Abilify, a medication that is usually not linked with weight gain in adults, did cause the kids to gain weight, but was not shown to raise blood sugar levels or cholesterol. Correll hopes to be able to conduct more research to help determine what caused these differences. He said, “We will look at genetics and look at blood samples to see what changed early on that predicted weight gain.

Currently, only two atypical antipsychotics are approved for children to take, Abilify and Risperdal. However, in June, a Food and Drug Administration panel of experts backed the wider use of Seroquel, Zyprexa, and Pfizer’s Geodon for teens and children.

At the time, many of the panel members expressed their concerns about the rising sales of the drugs to young people and the lack of long-term studies for safety. The members were especially worried about the chance that the drugs might be misused to treat other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The FDA has still not acted on the panel’s endorsement.

Last November, a panel of outside experts called on the FDA and other U.S. healthy agencies to help study the long-term effects of prescribing these antipsychotic medications to kids.

Zyprexa is Lilly’s top-selling medication with sales of over $4.7 billion last year. Seroquel is the second-best seller for AstraZeneca with over $4.5 billion for the year 2008.

It is always best to consult with your physician about your child’s disorder and find out what is the best solution, while keeping the immediate and long term effects of the medications in mind.

http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/child-health/antipsychotic-drugs-can-cause-rapid-weight-gain-kids-3802.html

Excess Diet Soda Consumption Increases Risk of Health Problems

What do heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity, tooth decay, osteoporosis, diabetes, and dementia have in common? It may surprise you to know that all of these health problems have been linked to the excess consumption of soft drinks. Unless fortified, soft drinks contain little or no vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, or other essential nutrients, and often displace other healthier choices in people’s diets, such as water, milk and tea. What they do contain—simple sugars or sugar substitutes, carbonation, caffeine, and often food additives such as artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives—are the real troublemakers, directly or indirectly contributing to a wide array of illnesses, some of which are listed above. But results of a new study suggest that drinking just two artificially sweetened soft drinks a day can result in an increased risk of declining kidney function; a finding that may change the way we view excess when it comes to sodas.

The study, conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, examined the effects of sodium and artificial sweeteners on kidney function among 3,256 women, median age of 67, who were already participating in the Nurses’ Health Study. The participants submitted food questionnaires that asked about their average beverage intake—whether they drank beverages less than once a month, one to four times a month, two to six times weekly, once daily but less than twice, or twice a day or more often, and whether the beverage was sugar sweetened or artificially sweetened soda.

When the researchers compared the kidney function of the women, they found that 372 had a 30 percent or more decline in kidney function. Further analysis of the diet information revealed that the decline was associated with drinking two or more artificially sweetened soft drinks a day. This held true even after considering other factors, such as age, physical activity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Researcher Dr. Julie Lin, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a staff physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said, “Thirty percent is considered significant,” especially since most of the participants had well-preserved kidney function at the beginning of the study.

Higher dietary sodium intake was also found to be associated with a greater kidney function decline, but no link was found with less than two artificially sweetened sodas or with the sugar-sweetened beverages.

Dr. Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition for Washington University, St. Louis, says the link found “calls for more studies where actual intake can be assessed, rather than taking the information from food frequency questionnaires, which could be subject to mistakes.” She also wonders if the link might have come about because of long-term consumption, as many of the participants were older adults. Regardless of the mechanism, she says diet drinks are “generally low in important health-promoting nutrients, so keeping them as a small part of your eating plan would be a smart step.”

Many health experts say the problem is that people don’t always drink their sodas in moderation. Calories from beverages make up 21 percent of the total daily calories consumed by Americans over 2 years old, predominantly soft drinks and fruit drinks with added sugars, according to a 2004 article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “Many people either forget or don’t realize how many extra calories they consume in what they drink, yet beverages are a major contributor to the alarming increase in obesity,” said Dr. Barry Popkin, director of the University of North Carolina Interdisciplinary Obesity Program.

In 2006, a panel of experts assembled by Popkin published a “Beverage Guidance System,” which recommended people should drink more water and limit or eliminate high-calorie beverages with little or no nutritional value. The panel emphasized the need for children and teenagers to drink more milk. “Fortified soy milk is a good alternative for individuals who prefer not to consume cow milk,” the panel said.

The study, “Associations of Sweetened Beverages with Kidney Function Decline,” was presented last week at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual conference in San Diego, California.

http://www.healthnews.com/nutrition-diet/excess-diet-soda-consumption-increases-risk-health-problems-3821.html

The Best Chance for Smoking Cessation: Patch & Lozenge Combo

A smoker who is trying to kick the habit has the best odds for triumph over cravings by utilizing a nicotine patch in combination with a nicotine lozenge. This is the key finding of a first ever study that compared the effectiveness of several popular smoking cessation products used alone or in various combinations. The results of the analysis appear in the November issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

The patch-lozenge combination therapy was shown to be more successful than other methods studied, including antidepressant use. The reasoning behind the success of the patch when used in conjunction with the lozenge holds that the combination offers the best imitation of the actual highs and lows associated with nicotine addiction. While the patch supplies a constant supply of nicotine replacement, the lozenge supplies a boost of nicotine for those times that smokers have an extra craving. By using the two treatments together smokers are given the control they need to quit.

According to Megan E. Piper, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, “If you combine these different types of nicotine replacement you're going to get the best bang for your buck.” She then added, “But also remember that in this study people got a lot of counseling. It was that combination that resulted in a 40 percent quit rate.”

In measuring the success rate for smoking cessation at six months after the initial quit date, results indicated that only the patch-lozenge intervention performed better than a placebo. Smokers who used the patch-lozenge combination were also more likely to have stopped smoking after only one week. In addition, they were more likely to have achieved one full day without smoking.

Piper noted that this type of research has not been done in the past due to cost constraints and other factors. She stated, “As each medication comes out, it is tested against a placebo” but never compared to other smoking cessation methods.

The study involved 1,504 adult smokers who expressed a desire to quit. All participants had smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day for six months prior to the study. They were randomly assigned to receive a placebo, or one of five different smoking cessation interventions that included either nicotine lozenge, nicotine patch, the antidepressant bupropion (also marketed as Zyban and Wellbutrin), nicotine patch plus nicotine lozenge, or bupropion plus nicotine lozenge. Therapy lasted for 8 to 12 weeks, and smoking rates were assessed at one week, eight weeks, and six months after the quit date. In addition, each participant received a total of six individual counseling sessions with an assigned case manager.

GlaxoSmithKline, marketer of Wellbutrin, provided free medication to patients. A second prescription drug, marketed by Pfizer and known as Chantix, is also approved for smoking cessation use in the United States. However, Chantix was not included in the study.

Only one serious adverse event occurred during the study period, which involved hospitalization of a participant for seizures that were possibly related to the study medication. The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Center for Research Resources.

http://www.healthnews.com/medical-updates/the-best-chance-smoking-cessation-patch-lozenge-combo-3822.html

Better Health With Better Products Online

Our ancestors say that health is wealth. This speaks volume about the importance of being healthy. Everybody strives to achieve optimum health. This does not mean living free of diseases. A healthy body must be accompanied by healthy thoughts, wellness in habits, behaviors, surrounding and in everything. A healthy diet is required to be fit. Food habits give the maximum benefits in being healthy. Looking for some of the better deals can land you in getting the needed. Discounts offered through GNC Promotion Code are some of the best deals. This promotional code will help in reducing the cost thus saving money.

There are large number of people who would like to have a well shaped and structured body. Some even try to become a body builder. In addition to the natural food habits, people would like to take supplements to get what they desired. There are lot more supplements which are clinically proved and highly recommended by physicians. Gaining information and buying those supplements are made easy online. There are lots of online stores selling these products. The search for the best product can be difficult. And another search to find the discount information on those products may be time consuming. But once can use Puritan Pride Coupon Code to get the products wanted with fewer efforts. This code comes in handy to obtain the best of deals which includes benefits like free shipping, processing and other charges.

The online information world can give lot of information. There are lots of references available but one has to select the best site where one can get the expert advice and help. Bodybuilding.com promotion code offer wide range of valuable discounts and offers. It is wise to tap the resources like this and make the best use of it.

http://www.mediorta.com/category/health-care/

Top Colon Cleansing Solutions

When you consider top colon cleansing products used today, it all depends upon whether you prefer a more natural solution or some other traditional medical aid. Learning how to colon cleanse at home is actually simpler than you might think.

However, in order for it to be safe, you need to beware of a few tips to help you along the way:

• Make sure you try a product that is safe and effective. It helps if the remedy you use does not cause any known side effects. One of the best solutions out there to date is Bowtrol. This is consider right now the top colon cleansing on the market, and is effective nearly 100% of the time.
• It is best that you take 3 to 5 days to prepare for any colon cleanse process by modifying your diet. Regardless of which types of colon cleansing you partake in, the soundest recommendation made today is to include a diet of 50% fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, eliminate as many high-fat foods as possible and replace them with high-fiber foods. Reviews of Bowtrol

http://www.mediorta.com/category/diseases-cure/

Facts About HIV

Nostradamus predicted that a dangerous disease will be spread through out the world in the late 20^th century and he was proven right. HIV started spreading in the African region and slowly to the entire world. People have a misconception that Aids will be spreaded by having sexual intercourse having illegal relationship. But it is not true. The 2 main ways through which HIV spreads are

• Having sexual intercourse – vaginal, anal with an infected person.
• Sharing the needles or syringes with an infected person.

Pregnant women can spread HIV to their babies and in some cases it is also done by breast feeding. Unprotected sexual intercourse means having sex without proper usage of condom. When an injection is shared from a HIV infected person to a normal person, the blood may remain in the needle and can enter the body of a healthy person. A shocking statistics reveal that about 75% of the HIV cases are reported because of having unprotected sexual intercourse. This is because of having no proper awareness. It is always safe to use a condom to avoid HIV infection.

HIV is not contagious. It is not spread by cough and sneezes. One cannot get HIV by having contact with the infected person everyday. HIV cannot remain alive on any clothes, phones or toilet seats. It cannot be spread by the use of same spoons, cups or any other physical objects. The AIDS virus cannot be spread by mosquito bite. Those viruses cannot live in a mosquito. Also one cannot pass on HIV virus by kissing. But having a deep and prolonged French has got the least possibility of transmission of the virus. It is not yet proven scientifically. Biting does not pass on the virus but deep biting like tearing the tissues and entering the blood vessels may have a possible chance.

http://www.mediorta.com/category/diseases-cure/

Addiction Recovery Program

Addiction of alcohol, cigarette, drugs, tea, coffee, cocaine, heroine, pharmaceuticals, methamphetamine or even food is dangerous as it causes serious health issues. When you think of recovering from some addiction you should keep a strong will to get out from the situation. If you’re drug or alcohol addict then it is advisable to join recovery centers. If you want to take consultation from residence then you should join Residential Addiction Recovery Centers. Most rehab centers have various treatment methods and it depends on rehab centers how they go for recovery of your addiction. Basically there are three stages of any Addiction Recovery Program which are known as early recovery, middle recovery, and late recovery.

The stages of recovery are described as below:-

1. Early Recovery: – In this stage first task is to gain control of all the drugs that alter the mood of a patient. By controlling drugs the brain is allowed to recover from chemical permanent changes that have taken place in patient`s body and help in coming back to normal stage. Some rehabilitation centre also provides Inpatient Eating Disorder Treatment Facility in which patient diagnosed for some particular eating habits and that need to be stopped

2. Middle recovery: -In this stage person is given motivation to keep away from drugs or whatever addiction he might have. Sympathy, emotion, love and care are vital keys of this stage. Family support is more important at this place.

3. Late Stage Recovery: In this stage once the strength of patient is gained .Some fundamental issues are raised that why the habit of addiction aroused from childhood which let all addiction .This is important to analyze so that the situation may not repeat.

These fundamental issues can be anything .In case of drug addiction these are generally low self esteem, desertion, broken family and relationships.

When the patient is fully recovered he is suggested the cause of addiction and he is made to realize and accept the reality so that he may not again indulge in any addiction.

http://www.mediorta.com/category/diseases-cure/

How To Get Rid Of Wrinkles

Well, it is a known and proven fact that people want to look younger than their actual age. A wrinkled face does not look good, impressive and unattractive and it looks older. The spark is found to be missing which normally a wrinkle free face has. For the people of age groups after 50`s and 60`s wrinkles are common and it is due to normal aging process but if some younger person has wrinkles it is due to poor maintenance of skin.

Before I move ahead let’s discuss some causes of wrinkles. Researches done by researchers have found that these unwanted fine lines or wrinkles are attributed because of many factors such as hormonal imbalance, smoking, exposure to sun excessively which leads to loss of collagen and elastin.

Now let`s discuss some natural methods to get rid off wrinkles. One way of getting rid of these wrinkles is to buy some high quality Best Wrinkle Cream or anti wrinkle cream. Before you buy them you must check its ingredients such as Cynergy TK, Nano Lipobelle HEQ10 and Phytessence Wakame. If they did not have these ingredients then you must consult some dermatologist who can really guide you in a better way.

Another method of getting sparking attractive and wrinkle free face is use of Ayurvedic products of India which uses only natural products such as haldi, chandan (sandalwood), tulsi etc. as the list of such items is quite long.

To get skin`s firmness, glow and elasticity the ingredients mentioned above are very useful. I hope when you are going to buy anti skin product you would keep in mind the above some points. Moreover if you keep good care of your face and skin the wrinkles will not come as early as in normal case. So you must use products made of milk such as curd, butter etc. In the end I would recommend that try using natural products and you will have always a good wrinkle free skin.

http://www.mediorta.com/category/beauty/

Growing Tall Health

Growing up is a very important phase of your life. But it is also a very crucial one too. You have to pay very close attention to your diet and intake as well. But also you need to know about all the information on growing up. After knowing all the facts one doesn’t really has to go looking for growth increasing techniques and stuff specifically drugs and formulas. Growing people usually do stuff in their growth era that stuns their growth. This is a common problem of committing mistakes in the growing age.

Well if you avoid the most common mistake you can end up with a good height and supreme development of your muscles.

Firstly you have to believe in your natural hormones. The rates provided by these are always accurate and the best ratios ever. Using drugs and supplements is not the right way to treat your hormones. Well these may keep you happy for a time by showing increase in the height. These cause specific behaviors and attitude usually draining your body and making you feel exhausted more quickly. So firstly avoid all drugs.

Antibiotics seem really good when fighting off a disease or virus. But along with the destruction of germs and bacteria these also end up destroying your virus safeguard and digestion organs. So the food you eat is used up in other things rather than growth. So keep away from antibiotics too.

Smoking is easily the most attractive and fashionable activity ever. Teenagers are quite prone to getting involved in this. Actually smoking kills body cells and slows down the growth ratio. The body then needs a lot of time to regenerate these cells causing a stunning of your growth.

Well if you are in a hurry to go tall then you better keep in mind all these points and stay away from all these. Good luck growing tall.

Maxillofacial Surgery

Enhancement of facial structure is not a very big deal in modern world. Oral and facial surgery has become a fashionable method to modify facial structure of the patient. Defects of jaws and other related facial structures are cured easily just because of the advance developments that have taken place in the field of dental surgery. Oral and Maxillofacial surgery is an area of expertise that plays an important role and it is a helpful in improving facial structures.

The most essential part of the jawbones is teeth. Maxillofacial surgery aligns the bone along with the teeth, so that the normal functions of chewing and thus facial aesthetics are preserved.

The most important benefit of the maxillofacial surgery is that it leaves no marks on patient’s face. This surgery is nowadays mostly used to treat various facial defects such as small upper or lower jaws, small chin, and fractures of the facial bones due to accidents or injuries. This surgery is also helpful to get rid of the gummy smile which puts your teeth on view when you smile. The maxillofacial surgery is also used to improve uneven faces with abnormality that is present since birth. It can also treat tumors of jaws, cysts and other various defects of the face which are involving the mouth and jawbones. Dental implants are also done by maxillofacial surgeons for those who have lost single tooth or most of their teeth. The best is that the results of maxillofacial surgery can be witnessed and achieved in one single day.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are experts who have experience and physical training of four years in the field of dental education. While talking about maxillofacial surgeons I must describe Facial and Oral Surgery Associates as they are the experts in this field and they are located in Texas, they expertise in Dental Implants, Wrinkle Removal, jaw surgery, wisdom teeth removal and many others.

Addiction Treatment

It is very important to take a professional help and seek assistance of any Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation center if you or someone in your family is addicted towards drug or alcohol. These centers have certain methodologies and approaches for you that restore the wheels of life on right track and also bring back the pace of life.

With the help of several kinds of recovery methods rehabilitation centers emphasizes on retaining the body strength of a person so that he can start his normal daily activities. These days the rehabilitation of alcohol recovery is gaining huge importance as people are getting more addictive towards alcohol and drugs. Rehabilitation helps in recovering from physical and mental health of patients through love, affection and medicines. The right mix of medicines by professionals and physicians play an important role in recovery of patients. Alcoholism treatment is more of psychological treatment which needs more proper care.

The first process is alcohol or drug withdrawal, psychological treatment and therapies which ensure effective results so those patients do not repeat same mistakes in his future. This needs a continuous process of monitoring. I know one such rehabilitation center which provides such services.

It is Narconon and it takes you or your family out from clutches of Heroin addiction, Cocaine addiction, RX addiction, Marijuana addiction, Meth addiction, Ecstasy addiction and alcoholism. It is known for its treatment services such as proven Intervention techniques and other services besides online consulting.

They have different models of treatment which helps a patient to recover steadily physically and mentally so that the patient is not lured again to these addictions of alcohol and drugs. Thus the role of rehabilitation centers is to improve the behavioral manner of affected patients and improve the lifestyle of such people who have realized their mistakes. Stimulating good thoughts and spirit of happiness by working hard or involving mind in some work are some of the targets and goals for rehabs.

http://www.mediorta.com/addiction-treatment/

Weight loss Endoscopic Surgery Techniques Tips.

Weight Loss Surgery Using Endoscopic Techniques for Lower Risk, Quicker Recovery.

Weight loss surgery patients may enjoy quicker recovery, and less risk, as more doctors utilize endoscopic techniques.

The use of endoscopic techniques is on the rise across several surgical specialties, including bariatric surgery, according to a new report.

Data compiled by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. indicates that better technology is leading many healthcare organizations to use endoscopic surgery.

The technique involves placing a small camera tube into the patient’s body through very small incisions, or by way of a natural orifice, like the mouth. The surgeon is able to look around inside, and surgery time is often shorter than with a traditional procedure. Endoscopic surgery also can be less risky and shorten the patient’s recovery time.

Endoscopic systems are frequently used for cancer treatments, as well as arthroscopy and even some cosmetic surgeries. But now doctors are testing various endoscopic bariatric procedures, including the “Transoral gastroplasty” – or TOGa – an experimental procedure that uses a surgical insert called the TOGa device.

The TOGa combines a surgical stapler with a suction unit and tissue-spreading retractor all in an instrument small enough to be inserted into the patient’s stomach via the mouth and esophagus. This eliminates the need to cut open the abdomen.

So far, the TOGa procedure is still in clinical trials. But as these technologies continue to develop, weight loss surgery patients can look forward to quicker recovery times, fewer complications and less scarring after an operation.

http://healthcaretips-fact-guide.blogspot.com/2009/09/weight-loss-endoscopic-surgery.html

Vaccine reduces risk of HIV infection by one-third in large trial

A combination of two HIV vaccines reduced the risk of infection by almost one-third in a large trial in Thailand, the trial sponsor announced today. It is the first proof that a vaccine against HIV can protect against infection, but scientists say a lot more research will be needed before a vaccine emerges that can be given to large numbers of people.

“This is a historic day in the 26-year quest to develop an AIDS vaccine,” said Dr Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise.

"This is the first HIV vaccine candidate to successfully reduce the risk of HIV infection in humans. We are very excited and pleased with the outcome of this trial and congratulate all those who participated in it," said Lieutenant General Eric Schoomaker, Surgeon General, U.S. Army, the trial sponsor.

The trial, called RV 144, compared a regimen of vaccination with two products against vaccinations with a dummy, inactive substance in 16,000 adults enrolled since 2003.

The study recruited adults in the community in two provinces of Thailand with high HIV prevalence (Chon Buri and Rayong), but did not specifically target individuals at high risk of HIV infection. Volunteers for the study were adults aged 18-30 who gave informed consent to participate in the trial.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive an initial set of vaccinations with ALVAC, and follow-up booster vaccinations with AIDSVAX, a product previously tested in large trials without evidence of success, or the placebo vaccination.

The presence of AIDSVAX in the vaccination regimen was one reason why many vaccine experts had not expected the trial to show a positive result.

In the event, the prime-boost combination of ALVAC(R) HIV and AIDSVAX(R) B/E lowered the rate of HIV infection by 31.2% compared with placebo. This reduction was statistically significant, meaning that the possibility that the possibility of the result being due to chance is very low, but the confidence intervals for the estimate in the reduction in risk were wide (p=0.039, 95% confidence interval 1.1% - 51.1%).

In the final analysis, 74 placebo recipients became infected with HIV compared to 51 in the vaccine regimen arm. The vaccine regimen had no effect on the amount of virus in the blood of volunteers who became HIV-infected during the study.

More detailed results of this study will be presented next month at the AIDS Vaccine Conference, October 19 - 22 in Paris, France.

The vaccine products used in the study will not go forward for immediate licensing. Instead, the results from the study, which was considered to be a `proof of concept` trial, will be used to inform the design of future vaccine trials.

Collaborating partners on this study include the U.S. Army, the Thai Ministry of Public Health, the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, sanofi pasteur (the developer of ALVAC), and Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases (GSID), the current developer of AIDSVAX. The collaborators are already working with external experts to determine the need for additional studies on this vaccine regimen and consider the impact of this study’s findings on other HIV vaccine candidates.

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/FC15FEF3-3CA0-41F5-A4BF-72C145D583A2.asp

Improved knowledge of sexual health not translating into HIV decline in adolescents in eight-year trial

A large randomised controlled trial of sexual and reproductive health interventions in schools, health services and communities in Tanzania has found that, while the interventions increased adolescent knowledge about sexual health, they had no significant impact on HIV transmission or other sexually transmitted infections, nor on pregnancy rates.

The findings were presented last week at the Fifteenth International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa, held in Dakar, Senegal.

HIV prevention among young people is an urgent priority, since according to UNAIDS 45% of HIV transmission worldwide takes place in young people aged 15 to 24 years. However there is still a lack of evidence about which approaches work best in preventing new infections, the gold standard for any HIV prevention study.

In order to accumulate more evidence about what works, researchers at the Tanzanian National Institute for Medical Research have been conducting research in the Mwanza region of Tanzania for nearly ten years, in a trial which randomised twenty communities either to receive existing services or to receive a comprehensive package of interventions aimed at adolescents. The study is called Mema kwa Vijana (`Good things for young people`), and was developed in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the UK’s Medical Research Council.

The intervention package consisted of:

• In-school sexual and reproductive health education targeting adolescents aged 14 years and above

• Youth-friendly reproductive health services

• Community-based condom promotion (between 2000 and 2002 only)

• Community interventions to create a supportive environment for the interventions.

The intervention package was implemented by the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF).

The first evaluation, of the initial cohort of 9645 adolescents, looked at outcomes after three years, and found substantial improvements in knowledge about sexual health, but no significant difference in biological outcomes such as HIV incidence, HSV-2 infection, sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy between the intervention communities and the control group.

Study investigators questioned whether the intervention had carried on for long enough, and a further evaluation was carried out in 2007/08, covering 13,814 young people who had been exposed to the intervention between 1999 and 2002 (together with the control population).

The second evaluation found a sustained difference in knowledge of sexual health, although not as pronounced as in 2002, and a trend towards delayed sexual debut in the intervention group. Condom use was significantly higher only among young women with a non-regular partner in the intervention group. There was no difference in the frequency with which concurrent sexual partnerships were reported, nor in use of health services by those who experienced symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection in the past twelve months.

There was no significant difference in sexually transmitted infections, HIV prevalence or HSV-2 prevalence between intervention and control communities, despite a much larger sample size and greater statistical power to detect a difference in the second evaluation, and despite the fact that two-thirds of the young people surveyed had been exposed to the in-school intervention for at least three years.

A second study, in Zimbabwe, using a similar package of interventions, also showed an increase in knowledge in the intervention group, but failed to show a significant impact on new infections.

The researchers warn that further research is needed to better define the package of interventions that can reduce new HIV infections and other sexually transmitted infections among young people. They note that, while the 2001 UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS called for 95% of young people to have access to education about sexual health by 2010, two well-designed randomised studies now show that changes in knowledge and attitudes as a result of interventions do not reliably predict changes in the most important outcome, new HIV infections.

In other words, improving knowledge and access to services among young people is not enough to stem HIV infections in this age group. Other factors are clearly preventing young people from acting on the knowledge they have acquired.

The Mema kwa Vijana study could not measure population-wide attitudes towards sexual behaviour that continue to pressurise young people - especially young women - to engage in unprotected sex, and the researchers say that more work is needed to determine how population norms were changed in countries where HIV incidence has declined, such as Uganda and Zimbabwe.

These norms include gender- and age-related power imbalances, reluctance to use condoms, and transactional sex, especially between young women and older males.

While education about sexual health will continue to be necessary in order to equip young people with knowledge, additional interventions will be necessary. Identifying effective interventions to change population norms related to sexual risk behaviour should be a priority, the researchers conclude, together with the investigation of alternative interventions.

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/07DE1C91-62B6-4F99-8610-5FAFF2326F8B.asp

Climate change and human health - risks and responses. Summary.

Global climate change and health: an old story writ large

Climate change poses a major, and largely unfamiliar, challenge. This publication describes the process of global climate change, its current and future impacts on human health, and how our societies can lessen those adverse impacts, via adaptation strategies and by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In 1969, the Apollo moon shot provided extraordinary photographs of this planet, suspended in space. This transformed how we thought about the biosphere and its limits.

Our increasing understanding of climate change is transforming how we view the boundaries and determinants of human health. While our personal health may seem to relate mostly to prudent behaviour, heredity, occupation, local environmental exposures, and health-care access, sustained population health requires the life-supporting "services" of the biosphere. Populations of all animal species depend on supplies of food and water, freedom from excess infectious disease, and the physical safety and comfort conferred by climatic stability. The world’s climate system is fundamental to this life-support.

Today, humankind’s activities are altering the world’s climate. We are increasing the atmospheric concentration of energy-trapping gases, thereby amplifying the natural "greenhouse effect" that makes the Earth habitable. These greenhouse gases (GHGs) comprise, principally, carbon dioxide (mostly from fossil fuel combustion and forest burning), plus other heat-trapping gases such as methane (from irrigated agriculture, animal husbandry and oil extraction), nitrous oxide and various human-made halocarbons.

In its Third Assessment Report (2001), the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated: "There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities." (1).

During the twentieth century, world average surface temperature increased by approximately 0.6ºC, and approximately two-thirds of that warming has occurred since 1975. Climatologists forecast further warming, along with changes in precipitation and climatic variability, during the coming century and beyond. Their forecasts are based on increasingly sophisticated global climate models, applied to plausible future scenarios of global greenhouse gas emissions that take into account alternative trajectories for demographic, economic and technological changes and evolving patterns of governance.

The global scale of climate change differs fundamentally from the many other familiar environmental concerns that refer to localised toxicological or microbiological hazards. Indeed, climate change signifies that, today, we are altering Earth’s biophysical and ecological systems at the planetary scale – as is also evidenced by stratospheric ozone depletion, accelerating biodiversity losses, stresses on terrestrial and marine food-producing systems, depletion of freshwater supplies, and the global dissemination of persistent organic pollutants.

Human societies have had long experience of naturally-occurring climatic vicissitudes (Figure 1.1). The ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Mayans, and European populations (during the four centuries of the Little Ice Age) were all affected by nature's great climatic cycles. More acutely, disasters and disease outbreaks have occurred often in response to the extremes of regional climatic cycles such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle (2).

The IPCC (2001) has estimated that the global average temperature will rise by several degrees centigrade during this century. As is shown in Figure 1.2, there is unavoidable uncertainty in this estimate, since the intricacies of the climate system are not fully understood, and humankind’s developmental future cannot be foretold with certainty.

World temperature has increased by around 0.4ºC since the 1970s, and now exceeds the upper limit of natural (historical) variability. Climatologists assess that most of that recent increase is due to human influence.

Potential health impacts of climate change

Change in world climate would influence the functioning of many ecosystems and their member species. Likewise, there would be impacts on human health. Some of these health impacts would be beneficial. For example, milder winters would reduce the seasonal winter-time peak in deaths that occurs in temperate countries, while in currently hot regions a further increase in temperatures might reduce the viability of disease-transmitting mosquito populations. Overall, however, scientists consider that most of the health impacts of climate change would be adverse.

Climatic changes over recent decades have probably already affected some health outcomes. Indeed, the World Health Organisation estimated, in its "World Health Report 2002", that climate change was estimated to be responsible in 2000 for approximately 2.4% of worldwide diarrhoea, and 6% of malaria in some middle-income countries (3). However, small changes, against a noisy background of ongoing changes in other causal factors, are hard to identify. Once spotted, causal attribution is strengthened if there are similar observations in different population settings.

The first detectable changes in human health may well be alterations in the geographic range (latitude and altitude) and seasonality of certain infectious diseases – including vector-borne infections such as malaria and dengue fever, and food-borne infections (e.g. salmonellosis) which peak in the warmer months. Warmer average temperatures combined with increased climatic variability would alter the pattern of exposure to thermal extremes and resultant health impacts, in both summer and winter. By contrast, the public health consequences of the disturbance of natural and managed food-producing ecosystems, rising sea-levels and population displacement for reasons of physical hazard, land loss, economic disruption and civil strife, may not become evident for up to several decades.

Conclusion

Unprecedentedly, today, the world population is encountering unfamiliar human-induced changes in the lower and middle atmospheres and world-wide depletion of various other natural systems (e.g. soil fertility, aquifers, ocean fisheries, and biodiversity in general). Beyond the early recognition that such changes would affect economic activities, infrastructure and managed ecosystems, there is now recognition that global climate change poses risks to human population health.

This topic is emerging as a major theme in population health research, social policy development, and advocacy. Indeed, consideration of global climatic-environmental hazards to human health will become a central role in the sustainability transition debate.

References

1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Climate Change 2001: Third Assessment Report (Volume I). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

2. Fagan, B. Floods, Famines and Emperors. El Nino and the Fate of Civilisations. New York: Basic Books, 1999.

3. WHO. World Health Report 2002: Reducing risks, promoting healthy life. WHO, Geneva, 2002.

Health Risks of Being OverWeight

Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke


What are they?

Coronary heart disease means that the heart and circulation (blood flow) are not functioning normally. Often, the arteries have become hardened and narrowed. If you have coronary heart disease, you may suffer from a heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina (chest pain), or abnormal heart rhythm. In a heart attack, the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart is disrupted, damaging portions of the heart muscle. During a stroke, blood and oxygen do not flow normally to the brain, possibly causing paralysis or death. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and stroke is the third leading cause.

How are they linked to overweight?

People who are overweight are more likely to develop high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides (blood fats) and LDL cholesterol (a fat-like substance often called “bad cholesterol”), and low levels of HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”). These are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. In addition, excess body fat—especially abdominal fat—may produce substances that cause inflammation. Inflammation in blood vessels and throughout the body may raise heart disease risk.

What can weight loss do? Losing 5 to 10 percent of your weight can lower your chances for developing coronary heart disease or having a stroke. If you weigh 200 pounds, this means losing as little as 10 pounds. Weight loss may improve blood pressure, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels; improve heart function and blood flow; and decrease inflammation throughout the body.

http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/health_risks.htm#heartdisease

Type 2 Diabetes

What is it?

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are above normal. High blood sugar is a major cause of coronary heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, amputation, and blindness. In 2002, diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in the United States. This form of diabetes is most often associated with old age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, and physical inactivity. The disease is more common among certain ethnic populations.

How is it linked to overweight?

More than 85 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. It is not known exactly why people who are overweight are more likely to develop this disease. It may be that being overweight causes cells to change, making them resistant to the hormone insulin. Insulin carries sugar from blood to the cells, where it is used for energy. When a person is insulin resistant, blood sugar cannot be taken up by the cells, resulting in high blood sugar. In addition, the cells that produce insulin must work extra hard to try to keep blood sugar normal. This may cause these cells to gradually fail.

What can weight loss do? You may lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes by losing weight and increasing the amount of physical activity you do. If you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help you control your blood sugar levels and prevent or delay complications. Losing weight and exercising more may also allow you to reduce the amount of diabetes medication you take. The Diabetes Prevention Program, a large clinical study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found that losing just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight and doing moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, may prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. For more information about the Diabetes Prevention Program, visit www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/preventionprogram/index.htm.

http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/health_risks.htm#heartdisease

All the Health Risks of Processed Foods -- In Just a Few Quick, Convenient Bites

Every day, 7 percent of the U.S. population visits a McDonald's, and 20-25 percent eat fast food of some kind, says Steven Gortmaker, professor of society, human development, and health at the Harvard School of Public Health. As for children, 30 percent between the ages of 4 and 19 eat fast food on any given day.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Americans get processed food not only from fast-food restaurants but also from their neighborhood grocery stores. As it stands, about 90 percent of the money that Americans spend on food is used to buy--that's right--processed foods.

Think about it ... if it comes in a box, can, bag or carton, it's processed. The fact that these foods are so readily available, and, often, of such poor quality, has led some, like associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard David Ludwig, to say that they're actually discouraging healthy eating and leading to a "toxic environment."

"There's the incessant advertising and marketing of the poorest quality foods imaginable. To address this epidemic, you'd want to make healthful foods widely available, inexpensive, and convenient, and unhealthful foods relatively less so. Instead, we've done the opposite," says Ludwig.

Processed foods have, indeed, been implicated in a host of chronic diseases and health conditions that are currently plaguing the nation. What follows is just a taste of the risks processed foods may present to your health.

Processed foods vastly outweigh fresh foods at most grocery stores.

Obesity

The World Health Organization (WHO) says processed foods are to blame for the sharp rise in obesity (and chronic disease) seen around the world.

In one study by Ludwig and colleagues, children who ate processed fast foods in a restaurant ate 126 more calories than on days they did not. Over the course of a year, this could translate into 13 pounds of weight gain just from fast food.

"The food industry would love to explain obesity as a problem of personal responsibility, since it takes the onus off them for marketing fast food, soft drinks, and other high-calorie, low-quality products," Ludwig says.

However, "When you have calories that are incredibly cheap, in a culture where 'bigger is better,' that's a dangerous combination," says Walter Willett, M.D., D.P.H., professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Diabetes

"In the last 50 years, the extent of processing has increased so much that prepared breakfast cereals--even without added sugar--act exactly like sugar itself ...

As far as our hormones and metabolism are concerned, there's no difference between a bowl of unsweetened corn flakes and a bowl of table sugar. Starch is 100-percent glucose [table sugar is half glucose, half fructose] and our bodies can digest it into sugar instantly," says Ludwig.

"We are not adapted to handle fast-acting carbohydrates. Glucose is the gold standard of energy metabolism. The brain is exquisitely dependent on having a continuous supply of glucose: too low a glucose level poses an immediate threat to survival. [But] too high a level causes damage to tissues, as with diabetes," he continued.

Heart Disease

Many processed foods contain trans fatty acids (TFA), a dangerous type of fat. According to the American Heart Association, "TFAs tend to raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol and lower HDL ("good") cholesterol ... These changes may increase the risk of heart disease."

Further, most processed foods are extremely high in salt, another blow to the heart. One-half cup of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, for instance, has 37 percent of the daily-recommended amount of sodium.

"Probably the single fastest way to reduce strokes in this country is to halve the amount of salt that's added to processed food," says Tim Lang, professor of food policy at the City University, London.

Cancer

A seven-year study of close to 200,000 people by the University of Hawaii found that people who ate the most processed meats (hot dogs, sausage) had a 67 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate little or no meat products.

A Canadian study of over 400 men aged 50 to 80 found similar results. Men whose eating habits fell into the "processed" pattern (processed meats, red meat, organ meats, refined grains, vegetable oils and soft drinks) had a significantly higher risk of prostate cancer than men in the other groups. Men who ate the most processed foods had a 2.5-fold increased prostate cancer risk.

Yet another study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Mile Markers, and Prevention found that refined carbohydrates like white flour, sugar and high fructose corn syrup is also linked to cancer. The study of more than 1,800 women in Mexico found that those who got 57 percent or more of their total energy intake from refined carbohydrates had a 220 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who ate more balanced diets.

Processed meats like hot dogs, lunch meats, bacon and other sausages have been linked to various forms of cancer.

Acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance that forms when foods are heated at high temperatures, such as during baking or frying, is also a concern. Processed foods like French fries and potato chips have shown elevated levels of the substance, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

"I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans," said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis.

Food Additives: Unknown Effects

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of over 3,000 chemicals that are added to the processed food supply. These compounds do various things to food: add color, stabilize, texturize, preserve, sweeten, thicken, add flavor, soften, emulsify and more.

Some of these additives have never been tested for safety--and require no government approval--but instead belong to the FDA's "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) list. An item is "safe," as defined by Congress, if there is "reasonable certainty that no harm will result from use of an additive."

Some compounds that are known to be toxic to humans or animals are also allowed, though at the level of 1/100th of the amount that is considered harmful.

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/10/19/all-the-health-risks-of-processed-foods----in-just-a-few-quick-convenient-bites.htm

Why Fast Food is Dangerous To Your Health

Fast food success has drawn much attention to the industry and the food itself. Animal rights advocates and health buffs alike criticize fast food on its effect on the health of its customers and the health of the globe. Not only is fast food proven to be bad for the health because of its high fat content and the probable health hazards fast food chains are prone to, but also its effect on employment and agricultural concerns.

Fast food = Bad Eating Habits

Fast food affinity is equated with bad eating habits. A typical meal from a fast food restaurant, say a serving of fries and a cheeseburger, amount to about 1,000 calories. This is about half of the recommended dietary allowance. This is mainly because of the large portions that fast foods are accustomed to serving. The tendency is for people to enlarge their appetites by eating beyond their limit, because of being afraid for the food to go to waste.

Fast food is everywhere. It is available from main commercial blocks to gas service stations. In short, it is available and accessible. This partnered with the biological propensity towards food high in fat and sugar, leads to widespread obesity.

A particular man filed a lawsuit in the United States against four fast food chains because, according to him, the fast foods’ greasy and salty food led him to being obese and unhealthy. Magnifying this issue, a documentary titled “Supersize Me” was created. This showed the life of a man who dined on fast food for an entire month. The result was tens of pounds gained.

Ultimately, dining regularly or almost totally on fast food will pose serious risks to one’s health. But it cannot be totally blamed for health problems. Mainly because it still rests on the person’s choice. There are plenty of fast food diners in perfect shape. The key is in moderation and smart choice.

Another issue in the fast food industry is the health hazards that fast food chains are prone to. A particular hazard is the E-coli bacteria that meat products are susceptible to. Because of the long supply chain through which fast food chains operate in, the handling and sourcing of the meat is very hard to monitor. This issue remains unsolved.

Employment and Agriculture Implications

Employment issues are also abundant in the fast food industry. Mainly because working in a fast food does not require a college diploma or reasonable career experience, fast foods employ teenagers as part-time crew and unskilled adults that accept low pay. There are widespread cases wherein workers were forced to work longer hours without pay.

The agriculture industry also suffers because of fast food chains. It has led to mass slaughters of cattle. Because fast food chains require so much meat and poultry, their demand leads them to make deals with large slaughter corporations. These deals and practices crowd out smaller businesses.

Fast food domination has several implications both for the health of individuals and for the health of the entire globe. Ultimately, people can exercise their power of choice responsibly. Be more conscious with what they eat and where their food came from. This is the starting point for a healthier lifestyle.

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/art/fastfooddangers.asp