A Much More Gentle Method Of Weight Loss

There will be some intuitive belief that in order to lose weight, you need to consume less. That is a strategy that may work simply because you will be reducing calories. That tactic sounds like it ought to work, and it can, but it requires more changes than people realize. This is certainly like quitting smoking cold turkey, and the fact is it calls for a lot with respect to changing daily habits and lifestyle. Positive and healthy lifestyle and eating improvements will be incredibly easier to accomplish with a different approach. Instead of trying to make a complete makeover in a single day, take it one step at a time.

The well-known fact is calories consumed and not needed are converted to fat. Nevertheless, there are some that can eat all day and never put on weight. Nevertheless you have to be aware that your body needs calories to work at a good level. If you chronically deprive yourself of nutrition, then your body always will feel constantly fatigued. Therefore, the initial step would be to begin decreasing foods that are not helping your weight problem. It's always much easier to scale back, initially, than try to completely eliminate them.

Of course you should make a parallel effort to begin eating healthier foods on a daily basis. Keep in mind you want to avoid altering everything simultaneously. This technique is worth testing for those who have gone the route of starving yourself without success. What you are accomplishing is taking baby steps and boosting your efforts as time goes on. Once you are feeling confident with what you have done, then just do a little more using the same approach. On top of that, you may consider introducing some kind of physical exercise to your weekly routine.

Make certain you examine exactly what you are eating every day with regards to how good it is for you. High carbohydrate foods together with those with an excessive amount of sugar need to be determined. Always remember that one's body requires fat, but it is the healthy variety that is right for you. The unhealthy fats are highly saturated fats, and merely consider fast foods as well as highly refined foods. You do not want to get rid off them all at once, so then as we said above cut back little by little. Commit to a serious attempt to bring about some kind of healthy change, and each time you do that you will feel more self-assured.

It is advisable to make these small changes a part of your new behaviors and habits. This may of course take time, but that is the trade-off as you make smaller modifications. On the other hand, this approach definitely will work for some people who cannot make radical changes. Just remember that you need to keep striving forward and cutting out increasingly more fattening foods. However, as soon as the results start to happen, then that can have a magical effect on your aspiration to change. You never know how you will react when you start losing weight and eating less, and being healthier, is actually easier.

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What you do not know about the benefits of cumin and 6 amazing facts

By Fathi Med

What you do not know about the benefits of cumin and 6 amazing facts

Cumin is a herbaceous plants and latency is the second most prevalent types of spices in the world is not free from the house, in this article you'll learn about some of the benefits

Cumin is a herbaceous plants and is considered cumin second most types of spices prevalent in the world is not free house from him, and enters in many cooking recipes, like Rose Marie and adds to the dish a special flavor and taste good and enters in baking and pastry, too, and cumin many health benefits in addition to taste your are:

1.       Energy Regeneration: Cumin is a very rich source of iron, which helps you to get a good level of energy needed for the body and helps to stimulate blood circulation, thereby increasing the proportion of oxygen in the blood and euphoria.

2.       Cancer Prevention: As already mentioned to you that Qaatk cancer starts from your table has proved many research studies contain cumin seeds on the properties of anti-cancerous tumors and has the effect of strong in the prevention of cancer of the stomach, colon, thanks so as to fit on the free radical resistance to cancer.

3.       Beneficial for the digestive system: cumin seeds contain a compound that stimulates the thymol and stomach on the production of natural and Ahmadha that helps absorb the highest possible proportion of food ingredients found in food, in addition to that it is an effective treatment for nausea and diarrhea and indigestion.

4.       Detox: help cumin seeds to raise the temperature of the body's natural rate and stimulates metabolism "metabolism" Like the rest of the foods that help so that you can know at this Alanfujravek, in addition to those seeds help in improving the functions of the liver, kidney and thus ensuring the best result to get rid of body toxins.

5.       Skin Health: help cumin seeds to rid the body of toxins that may lead to problems in the skin, Kalotfh skin boils, which are often a result of the body's attempt to get rid of toxins redundant the use of latency reduces symptoms because it already helps to get rid of those toxins.

6.       Breastfeeding: In addition to the latency stimulates energy because of the iron in the seeds, but it is beneficial to the mother that rely on breastfeeding because it stimulates the production of milk in the mother's breast, it may be thymol found in cumin reason also to increase milk because it stimulates the secretion of the glands.

• nutritional values ​​in each 100 grams latency:

 - 375 calories

 - 44 grams carbohydrates

 - 17 grams protein

 - 10.5 grams of natural fiber

 - 7.7 mg Vitamin C

 - 3.3 mg vitamin E

 - 1788 mg sodium

 - 68 mg Potassium

 - 931 mg Calcium

 - 66 mg Iron

- 366 mg magnesium

- 499 mg phosphorus - 4.8 mg zinc

For more information on nutritional values ​​visiting our article: Immune Boosting Foods andNutrition

• Tips when buying and storage:

available latency throughout the year and when you buy it you should take care to buy the seeds whole and not crushed, and careful to choose the green seeds, which when rub your fingers out of the smell of cumin distinctive it is proof of it fresh, and make sure to store them somewhere dry and cool, dark they remain fresh and can grind the required quantity when needed. You can also add cumin Kphar food or boil the seeds and drink warm drink.

source : What you do not know about the benefits of cumin and 6 amazing facts

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Exercise May Not Stave Off Holiday Weight Gain

Study suggests nothing can replace moderation in the face of high-calorie food and drinks

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Brenda Goodman

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Hoping to counter all those Thanksgiving calories with extra exercise?

A recent study suggests the strategy may not keep off holiday pounds.

Researchers followed 48 men and 100 women for the six weeks between the Thanksgiving and New Year's celebrations. They ranged between 18 and 65 years of age.

Half reported being serious, regular exercisers. On average, they said, they worked up a sweat almost five hours each week, nearly double the amount of moderate physical activity recommended by the American Heart Association. The other half copped to being couch potatoes.

Researchers weighed and measured each person to calculate their body mass index (BMI) before and after the holidays. They also gauged their percentage of body fat and took their blood pressure.

From mid-November to early January, people in the study gained an average of one-and-a-half pounds. Men gained slightly more, around two pounds each, while women gained a little less, about a pound apiece.

A pound or two may not sound so bad, but studies have found that on average, people gain about two pounds each year. It's called weight creep. And studies have found that once most people put it on, they never take it off.

After 10 years of small annual increases, that's an additional 20 pounds of fat. That means holiday weight gain could be a more important factor in the obesity epidemic than many people realize, said researcher Jamie Cooper, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

People who were obese at the start of the study had the biggest increases in weight. They also had significant rise in their percentage of body fat. In fact, starting weight was the best predictor of how much weight and body fat a person might gain.

Exercise had no significant impact on holiday weight gain. Researchers aren't entirely sure why.

On the one hand, Cooper said it could be that the study didn't have enough participants to detect small differences in weight change between exercisers and non-exercisers.

But she said the results could also mean that people were just eating far more calories than they could burn off, even with all that physical activity.

"If you think about going for a run, if you run for 30 minutes and you run three miles during that time, you burn about 300 calories. Well, one piece of pumpkin pie without anything on it is about 300 calories," Cooper said. "So, it's really easy to eat all those calories that you burn during exercise and then some."

Exercise also boosts appetite, which can lead to even more overeating.

Cooper said that means there really is no substitute for moderation during the holidays, a time when foods are much more likely to be loaded with fat and sugar and hidden calories.

source : Exercise May Not Stave Off Holiday Weight Gain

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Exercise May Not Stave Off Holiday Weight Gain

Study suggests nothing can replace moderation in the face of high-calorie food and drinks

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Brenda Goodman

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Hoping to counter all those Thanksgiving calories with extra exercise?

A recent study suggests the strategy may not keep off holiday pounds.

Researchers followed 48 men and 100 women for the six weeks between the Thanksgiving and New Year's celebrations. They ranged between 18 and 65 years of age.

Half reported being serious, regular exercisers. On average, they said, they worked up a sweat almost five hours each week, nearly double the amount of moderate physical activity recommended by the American Heart Association. The other half copped to being couch potatoes.

Researchers weighed and measured each person to calculate their body mass index (BMI) before and after the holidays. They also gauged their percentage of body fat and took their blood pressure.

From mid-November to early January, people in the study gained an average of one-and-a-half pounds. Men gained slightly more, around two pounds each, while women gained a little less, about a pound apiece.

A pound or two may not sound so bad, but studies have found that on average, people gain about two pounds each year. It's called weight creep. And studies have found that once most people put it on, they never take it off.

After 10 years of small annual increases, that's an additional 20 pounds of fat. That means holiday weight gain could be a more important factor in the obesity epidemic than many people realize, said researcher Jamie Cooper, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

People who were obese at the start of the study had the biggest increases in weight. They also had significant rise in their percentage of body fat. In fact, starting weight was the best predictor of how much weight and body fat a person might gain.

Exercise had no significant impact on holiday weight gain. Researchers aren't entirely sure why.

On the one hand, Cooper said it could be that the study didn't have enough participants to detect small differences in weight change between exercisers and non-exercisers.

But she said the results could also mean that people were just eating far more calories than they could burn off, even with all that physical activity.

"If you think about going for a run, if you run for 30 minutes and you run three miles during that time, you burn about 300 calories. Well, one piece of pumpkin pie without anything on it is about 300 calories," Cooper said. "So, it's really easy to eat all those calories that you burn during exercise and then some."

Exercise also boosts appetite, which can lead to even more overeating.

Cooper said that means there really is no substitute for moderation during the holidays, a time when foods are much more likely to be loaded with fat and sugar and hidden calories.

source : Exercise May Not Stave Off Holiday Weight Gain

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6 Changes to the Affordable Care Act

Nov. 27, 2013 -- To put it in surgical terms, the Affordable Care Act has had some work done. Here are six major changes made in recent months.

1. Consumers Have an Extra Week to Buy 2014 Coverage

Because of all the technical glitches affecting health insurance Marketplace web sites, the federal government is giving consumers more time to buy coverage that will begin on Jan. 1,  2014. People can now buy coverage as late as Dec. 23, 2013, instead of Dec. 15. This only applies to the federally run Marketplaces. States that run their own may have different deadlines.

Consumers will still be able to buy coverage for 2014 after this deadline. But it won't start on Jan. 1, and they must buy it no later than March 31, 2014, when open enrollment ends.

2. Customers Have More Time to Sign Up

The deadline to avoid a tax penalty was also extended. Although the open enrollment period has not changed and still runs through the end of March, to avoid a penalty, the system required people to buy coverage by Feb. 15. 

People can now buy coverage all the way through the last day of open enrollment on March 31, 2014, without facing penalties.

3. Enrollment Period Will Be Later for 2015

Americans can buy coverage for 2015 from Nov. 14, 2014, to Jan. 15, 2015. That's a change from the previously announced enrollment period of Oct. 15, 2014, to Dec. 7, 2014.

Officials said the change will give insurers more time to figure out their rates for 2015.

4. You Can Restart That Cancelled Policy -- Maybe

On the heels of the HealthCare.gov debacle, health care reform got another black eye when it became clear that many Americans would lose their existing insurance plans because their coverage didn’t meet new standards. In some cases, policyholders were furious because alternatives for new coverage were more expensive. Some people also found they wouldn't be allowed to keep their doctors.

President Obama had promised that people would be able to keep their plans and doctors under the Affordable Care Act.

Earlier this month, Obama allowed insurers to restart canceled policies if they wish. But they can only issue the policies if state insurance commissioners allow them to do so. And the insurers only have an extra year to align their policies with the rules or eliminate them.

"This fix won't solve every problem for every person," Obama said, "but it's going to help a lot of people."

5. Larger Businesses Can Wait to Provide Coverage

Last summer, the Obama administration announced that businesses with more than 50 workers don't need to offer insurance coverage to full-time employees by Jan. 1, 2014, or risk penalties.

The businesses now have an extra year to wait to offer the coverage. Some companies and their advocates had complained that the rules were too complex, and they wanted more time.

6. Some Consumers May Be Able to Bypass Marketplaces

The Obama administration is looking at ways to relieve the log-jam of Americans who've had trouble buying insurance coverage through the online Marketplaces.

One approach could allow certain consumers -- those eligible to get subsidies (financial help) because of lower income levels -- to bypass the Marketplaces and buy coverage directly from insurers and brokers. The challenge now is to figure out how to make such a system work.

source : 6 Changes to the Affordable Care Act

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Parents Who Set, Stick to Rules May Help Kids Stay Slim

Australian study found it was more important than what Mom or Dad weighed

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Parents who set firm rules about behaviors like TV viewing, dinner time and physical activity tend to have children of healthier weights, a new Australian study finds.

"Children of parents who set consistent rules have a slightly lower body-mass index [BMI]; they're thinner," said study author Pauline Jansen.

Both mothers and fathers who enforced clear guidelines had a similar effect on their children's weight -- regardless of their own weight -- found Jansen, an honorary off-campus fellow at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne.

The study involved more than 4,000 children and their parents who participated in a long-term study of Australian children.

Starting in 2004 when the children were 4 or 5 years old, parents reported their offspring's height and weight and described their parenting styles four different times every two years.

Jansen found an association between consistent parenting and healthy weights in children, not a cause-and-effect.

And while the effects were not great, they were only slightly less than the effects of other factors often cited as contributing to a child's healthy weight, such as breast-feeding, said Jansen, now a researcher at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands.

This suggests programs aimed at helping get children to a healthy weight should include talk about parenting styles, she said.

Childhood obesity is a troubling public health problem. In the United States, 17 percent of children aged 2 to 19 are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raising the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint problems, diabetes and other conditions.

The new study is published online Nov. 25 and in the December print issue of the journal Pediatrics

What exactly is parental consistency? For the study, Jansen said, ''the parenting consistency we assessed did not refer to lifestyle habits, but was more global. It reflects the degree to which parents set and ensure compliance with age-appropriate instructions, rules and expectations. We showed that this global consistency benefits child BMI."

BMI is a measurement of body fat that takes height and weight into account.

Why would parenting style affect children's weight? Jansen didn't look at that specifically. However, she speculated that those who are consistent in parenting ''may be more likely to set clear expectations around healthy behaviors -- for example rules regarding television viewing, screen time and physical activity, bedtime routines and the timing and type of foods consumed."

One expert said the finding is a good starting point.

The study ''is a good first start to see the influence that both parents have" in affecting a child's weight, said Dr. Gloria Riefkohl, a pediatrician at Miami Children's Hospital. In future research, she said, "we need to take a look at the influence of expanded families," she said, such as the effect of grandparents. Researchers should also look at nontraditional families.

Parents can help encourage healthy weights in their children in a number of ways, she said. "Choose family goals, such as exercising every day and eating fruits and vegetables," she said. "Keep track of who meets their goals, and praise those who do. And when the whole family achieves the goals, do something fun together -- going to the zoo, park or aquarium, and so on."

Parents should also focus on establishing healthy eating habits early, Riefkohl said: "What we eat is a learned process."

source : Parents Who Set, Stick to Rules May Help Kids Stay Slim

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European Morning-After Pill Ineffective in Heavier Women

WebMD News from HealthDay

The label on a "morning-after" emergency contraceptive sold in Europe will be changed to alert consumers that it is not effective in women who weigh more than 176 pounds.

The new warning on the label of Norlevo will also caution that the pill starts to lose its effectiveness in women heavier than 165 pounds, and is not recommended for anyone over this weight, CBS News reported.

"When we became aware that there appeared to be an impact on efficacy (linked to weight), we felt it was our ethical duty as a drug manufacturer to report it and be transparent," Erin Gainer, CEO of HRA Pharma, the French manufacturer of Norlevo, told the New York Daily News.

Norlevo is identical in formula to the over-the-counter Plan B One-Step emergency contraceptive sold in the United States. The U.S. maker of Plan B One-Step, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, declined to comment on the issue when asked about it by the Daily News and Mother Jones, CBS News reported.

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Cross These Dangerous Toys Off Kids' Christmas List, Experts Say

Annual 'Trouble in Toyland' report cites playthings that could choke or poison a child

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Toxic or dangerous toys can still be found on store shelves despite tough new federal regulations, according to a report released Tuesday.

Researchers found toys for sale that contained toxic levels of lead, cadmium, antimony and phthalates, said this year's "Trouble in Toyland" report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

One vinyl toy, the Marvel Super Hero Squad Soft Shield, contained 29 times the legal limit of lead.

"That toy is recommended for ages 2 and up," said Andrew Fish, a program associate with the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. "It really shouldn't be recommended for anyone at that level."

A Lamaze-brand infant play mat contained high levels of antimony, a toxic metal that has been classified as a cancer-causing agent. A Ninja Turtles Pencil Case contained high levels of phthalates and cadmium. Phthalates are chemicals suspected to cause developmental health effects. Cadmium is a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities and kidney problems.

U.S. PIRG researchers also found the following:

• Toys that still pose a choking hazard, despite a ban on small parts in toys for children under 3 years old
• Toys that are potentially harmful to children's hearing
• Toys containing small powerful magnets that can be dangerous if swallowed

Magnets are a particular concern. If a child swallows more than one, the magnets can stick together inside their bodies and cause internal damage.

"Magnet toys are much stronger than they have been in the past, and therefore pose a greater health risk, especially to young children because they routinely put toys in their mouths," Fish said.

A 2-year-old child suffered intestinal tears in January after swallowing 62 rare earth magnets, the report found. Between 2009 and 2011 there were 1,700 emergency room visits following the ingestion of magnets. More than 70 percent of those cases involved children between ages 4 and 12.

The U.S. PIRG report also raised concerns regarding excessively loud toys that could harm a child's hearing.

The group tested toys based on standards that consider anything above 85 decibels dangerous to human ears, and sounds above 65 decibels dangerous for toys meant to be held close to the ear. Prolonged exposure can lead to gradual hearing loss.

"One in five children will have some form of hearing loss by the time they reach age 12," Fish said.

Researchers found three toys on store shelves that exceed these loudness limits. These were the LeapFrog Chat & Count Smart Phone, the LeapFrog Lil'Phone Pal and the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Remote.

Toys that pose a choking hazard also continued to crop up on store shelves, the report said. U.S. PIRG researchers found a number of toys containing parts that would fit through the "choke tube" that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) provides to parents to assess choking hazards.

source : Cross These Dangerous Toys Off Kids' Christmas List, Experts Say

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Multivitamins May Help Fight HIV Progression, Study Suggests

But supplements tested only on those who hadn't started medications

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- New research from Africa suggests that basic multivitamin and selenium supplements might greatly lower the risk that untreated people with the AIDS virus will get sicker over a two-year period.

It's not clear how patients who take the vitamins and mineral might fare over longer periods. And the impact of the study in the United States will be limited because many Americans diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, immediately begin treatment with powerful medications known as anti-retroviral drugs. Those in the African study hadn't yet begun taking drugs to keep the virus at bay.

Still, "it is incredibly useful to find new strategies to delay the progression of HIV disease," said Dr. Jared Baeten, an associate professor of global health at the University of Washington in Seattle who's familiar with the findings. "Not every HIV-infected person is immediately willing, or able, to initiate anti-retroviral therapy. Inexpensive, proven treatments ahead of starting anti-retroviral therapy can fill an important role."

At issue: Do HIV-infected people benefit from nutritional supplements? Previous research has suggested that even well-fed people infected with HIV may not properly process nutrients in food, said study author Marianna Baum, a professor of dietetics and nutrition at Florida International University's Stempel School of Public Health.

The researchers wondered whether the immune system would get a boost if patients who hadn't yet begun anti-retroviral treatment took nutritional supplements. No study had looked at this before, Baum noted.

For the study, published in the Nov. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers divided nearly 900 HIV-infected patients in the African country of Botswana into several groups. Some took a placebo, a sugar pill with no active ingredients. Others took a multivitamin including B, C and E vitamins. Another group took the multivitamin along with supplements of the mineral selenium, and still others took only selenium.

None of the treatments had a noticeable effect except the combination of multivitamin and selenium. After adjusting their statistics so they wouldn't be thrown off by various factors, the researchers reported that those who took the combination were about half as likely to show signs over two years that their infection had progressed toward AIDS as those who took the placebo.

Overall, the risk that the disease would progress over the two years of the study was fairly low: 32 of the 217 who took the placebo suffered progression of the disease, she said, compared to 17 of the 220 who took the vitamin/mineral combination.

Baum didn't have information about the costs of the supplements, but she said they are low. In the United States, supplements that contain many vitamins and minerals can cost just pennies a day.

source : Multivitamins May Help Fight HIV Progression, Study Suggests

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Nasal Allergies, Hay Fever Tied to More Migraines in Study

But it's unknown if allergic conditions bring on headache or vice versa, researcher says

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Allergies and hay fever may increase the number and severity of migraine headaches, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 6,000 migraine sufferers who filled out a questionnaire in 2008 as part of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study. Two-thirds of the respondents said they had nasal or seasonal allergies, or hay fever.

Based on the findings, the study authors concluded that those with allergies and hay fever were 33 percent more likely to have more frequent migraines than those without these conditions. The report was published online Nov. 25 in the journal Cephalalgia.

The study is one of the first to link the frequency of migraines to irritation and inflammation of the nasal mucus membrane caused by allergic and non-allergic triggers, according to lead author Dr. Vincent Martin. He is a professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati and co-director of the university's Headache and Facial Pain Program.

"We are not sure whether the [allergies and hay fever] causes the increased frequency of headaches or whether the migraine attacks themselves produce symptoms of [allergies and hay fever] in these patients," Martin said in a university news release. "What we can say is if you have these symptoms, you are more likely to have more frequent and disabling headaches."

The findings could prove important in treating migraines, according to study principal investigator Dr. Richard Lipton, co-director of the Headache Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

"The nose has largely been ignored as an important site involved in the initiation and [worsening] of migraine headache," he said in the news release. If allergies and hay fever worsen migraine symptoms, as the study findings suggest, treating these nasal conditions may help relieve headache in people with both disorders, noted Lipton. He is also a professor of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University.

About 12 percent of people in the United States have migraines, which are three times more common among women than men. Allergies and hay fever affect between one-quarter to one-half of the U.S. population. Symptoms include a stuffy and runny nose, postnasal drip and itchy nose.

source : Nasal Allergies, Hay Fever Tied to More Migraines in Study

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Want to Stay Young? Start Moving

Study finds it's never too late to reap the anti-aging benefits of exercise

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds that exercise among older adults helps ward off depression, dementia and other health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Exercise increased the odds of healthy aging as much as sevenfold, the researchers found. And apparently it's never too late to start: Even adults who don't begin exercising until they're older could increase their odds of healthy aging threefold, the researchers said.

"In a growing elderly population, it is important to encourage healthy aging. Physical activity is effective in maintaining health in old age," said lead researcher Mark Hamer, from the department of epidemiology and public health at University College London, in England.

"Encouraging physical activity in older adults is of benefit, and small changes are also linked to healthier aging," he said.

The report was published online Nov. 25 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist and exercise physiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said it's well known that physical activity and exercise are good for you. "Regular exercise staves off chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and depression," she said.

"What this study emphasizes is that the 'I'm too old' excuse doesn't fly, because it is never too late to get your fanny off the couch and out the door for some exercise," she said.

The benefits of exercise include better circulation and improved bone, muscle, cardiovascular and organ health. Even the brain benefits from regular exercise, which increases communication between neurons and slows the brain tissue loss associated with aging and mental decline, Heller said.

"The question we face now is, How do we motivate and support people of all ages to get moving and keep moving? There is an undeniable resistance among non-exercisers to the notion of motion," Heller said. "On an individual level, we can gently insist that family and friends join us in regular walks, a dance or yoga class, a game of tag, or an exercise DVD."

Partnering with someone is a real motivator, Heller said. "Give a session with a qualified personal trainer as a holiday gift; explore fitness-class offerings at the local YMCA or community or senior centers; or sign up for a charity walk, run or swim."

For the study, Hamer and his colleagues collected data on nearly 3,500 people with an average age of 64 who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging.

As part of the study, the participants reported their level of physical activity every two years between 2002-'03 and 2010-'11.

The researchers categorized the participants by how much exercise they did each week. There were those who were inactive, those who did moderate exercise and those who exercised vigorously.

source : Want to Stay Young? Start Moving

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FDA to Lift Restrictions on Diabetes Drug Avandia

Not all experts are happy with granting wider access to the troubled medication, however

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that it is lifting the tough safety restrictions it imposed on the diabetes drug Avandia two years ago because of reported links to heart problems.

The agency's decision was expected, and follows up on a June vote by an expert advisory panel to rescind the restrictions, based on new data that suggested the medication may not be as harmful as once thought.

Avandia had been taken off drug store shelves in 2011, and its use restricted to patients who first signed a waiver saying they understood the possible risks. Only specially registered pharmacies could dispense Avandia.

But an independent review by Duke University researchers, based on Avandia's original clinical trial, concluded that patients had no elevated risk of heart attack or death compared with those taking standard diabetes drugs.

"Our actions today reflect the most current scientific knowledge about the risks and benefits of this drug," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. "Given these new results, our level of concern is considerably reduced. Thus, we are requiring the removal of certain prescribing restrictions."

Dr. Steven Nissen, head of cardiology at Cleveland Clinic, first sounded the alarm about Avandia in 2007 with an analysis of 42 studies that showed that the medication caused a 43 percent increased risk of heart attack.

Following his study, an FDA analysis of more than 50 studies concluded that Avandia was linked to an increased risk of heart problems, and the agency decided to pull the drug from pharmacy shelves.

However, the FDA also asked drug maker GlaxoSmithKline to review key aspects of Avandia's clinical trial related to heart safety. This was the review that led to Monday's decision.

Nissen condemned the FDA's latest action.

"This decision is not in the public interest," Nissen said. "It's really more about the FDA than it is about the drug. It does not make any good regulatory sense, and in fact it's rather bizarre."

Not everyone agreed with him, however.

Dr. Yehuda Handelsman, an endocrinologist in Tarzana, Calif. and incoming president of the American College of Endocrinology, applauded the FDA for "doing what's right by standing up for the science."

"I thought it was about time. Many of us never thought the information brought against the drug was very scientifically solid or correct," Handelsman said of the announcement.

For his part, Dr. Bob Eckel, a past president of the American Heart Association, greeted the news with more of a shrug.

"I think they've made the appropriate decision based on the updated evidence," Eckel said. "It's consistent with the latest evidence."

source : FDA to Lift Restrictions on Diabetes Drug Avandia

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Can You Lose Weight Without Dieting and Exercise

If you have ever found yourself overweight. You will know the sheer terror that the words diet and exercise could strike into the hearts of people, that need it most. The idea of eating rabbit food as some people call it or salad as the rest of the world know it. And the idea of running 5 miles per morning is to some people... hell. But if we step back for a second and look at these two words objectively what are they actually saying to us.

The word diet is actually nothing to do with Weight Watchers it just means what you eat. Eating fewer calories is just one of the healthy ways to lose weight. Everybody has a static metabolic rate. This is the rate at which your body burns calories doing absolutely nothing for 24 hours. So let's just say for instance the core static metabolic rate is around 2000 calories. That means that you have to eat 2000 calories per day to maintain the weight you currently are. Put simply if you cut 500 calories out of your day you will automatically lose weight. No diet required and no exercise required you're simply reducing the amount of calories you are taking.

Your body will lose the weight slowly as it burns 500 calories of fat per day instead of food energy. Same goes for the word exercise. When people talk about the word exercise they automatically assume going to a gym or running and marathon three times a week. But again let's look at the word objectively. What does exercise mean. Exercise is simply exerting yourself above and beyond your daily needs. Say for instance you need to walk your kids to school every day walking the long way home is classed as exercise.

And when you combine this with the calorific reduction you are automatically cutting pounds from your diet. The average pound of fat contains 3500 calories. So if you cut say 500 calories per day and combine that with a 300 calorie exercise routine per day which would be a 3 mph brisk walk over 2 miles. You're automatically losing weight without exerting yourself. Exercising to lose weight is simply walking for weight loss and taking care of your food intake at the same time. You are simply exerting your body above and beyond its usual. This in itself is a form of weight-loss and dieting.

When we think of healthy ways to lose weight, walking for weight loss seems to be overlooked. But a regular walk can shed pounds if you cut your calories at the same time. It may take time. But the weight will stay off.

source : Can You Lose Weight Without Dieting and Exercise

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In California, Some Happy About Canceled Insurance

By Stephanie O'Neill, KPCC

Sun, Nov 24 2013

But Neff, a 46-year-old self-employed writer, isn’t outraged. She’s relieved. Even though she makes too much money to receive a subsidy to buy insurance under the Affordable Care Act, the policy cancellation was good news for her.

Neff says she's been stuck in a bad plan because treatment for a back problem years ago red-flagged her with a preexisting condition.

"The deductible has ranged anywhere from $3,000 to as high as $5,000, which means I have to spend that much each year before the insurance even kicks in,” she says. “I was rejected [from a more affordable policy] because I'd had a bout of sciatica five years previously that has never returned.”

On Jan. 1, the federal health law prohibits insurers from denying coverage or charging more for such preexisting problems. That's opened an array of options for Neff, who has enrolled in a new plan through California’s state-run insurance marketplace, Covered California. On Thursday, the exchange board voted unanimously that it would not extend canceled policies, rejecting the president’s proposed fix for the problem. 

Neff’s policy has a $2,000 deductible and her premium will go up by $24 a month. Under the federal law, she’ll no longer have to pay for preventive care, and she figures that alone will more than make up for the additional premium costs.

“I've been paying for my mammograms out of pocket and that's $400 to $450 per year,” says Neff. “That type of care is 100 percent covered under this new policy.” 

Huge deductibles have been the norm for Tim Wilsbach, a 40-year-old TV editor who lives in Culver City with his family. Like Neff, Wilsbach also makes too much to qualify for federal subsidies, so when he received his cancellation notice a few weeks ago, he was worried his premium would go up.

Wilsbach has two plans for his family. The one being cancelled is a bare bones policy with an $11,000 deductible that he has for himself and his four-year-old son.

“It was not a great policy,” he says, “which is essentially why we had a second plan for my wife which we paid a little more for."

Wilsbach and his wife are planning to have a second baby, so they bought a policy for her with better coverage and a $5,000 deductible.

After getting the cancellation notice, Wilsbach checked out plans on the Covered California website and he was pleasantly surprised. He found a plan for the whole family that offers broader coverage, a much lower $4,000 deductible and a more affordable monthly premium. 

“Our premium went down, not quite 100 bucks, and just looking through what the plan covers versus what used to be covered, yeah, I'm quite happy about it,” Wilsbach says.

source : In California, Some Happy About Canceled Insurance

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Estrogen Won't Make Women Sharper After Menopause, Study Finds

Researchers see no brain benefits even in early postmenopause

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Low levels of the hormone estrogen are not to blame for mood swings and poor memory after menopause, a new study suggests.

Based on this finding, the researchers believe there's no reason to use hormone replacement therapy to boost mental well-being after periods stop.

"These study findings provide further evidence that a woman's decision about hormone therapy use during early postmenopause should be made independently of considerations about thinking abilities," said lead researcher Dr. Victor Henderson, a professor of neurology and neurological science at Stanford University in California.

However, while estrogen wasn't tied to any mental benefits, the study found that another hormone -- progesterone -- might affect thinking ability in younger women.

But this could be a chance finding and merits further investigation, according to the report, published online Nov. 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The sex hormones estrogen and progesterone typically decline in a woman's 30s and 40s, eventually resulting in menopause and an end to fertility. The average age of menopause is about 50.

The benefits and harms of hormone replacement therapy have been the subject of much debate. Previous studies have linked use of synthetic hormones after menopause with increased risk for heart disease, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer.

Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that after menopause "a lot of women think that lack of estrogen will lead to mental decline, and that's just not the case."

Doctors don't usually start with hormone replacement therapy as the first line of treatment for postmenopausal symptoms because of the associated risks, she said.

"Trying to maintain mental abilities is not a reason to take on all the risks of hormone replacement therapy," she said. And other medications are available for treating hot flashes -- episodes of intense body heat related to menopause.

Some scientists theorized that estrogen's effect on thinking might depend on how soon after menopause hormone levels were boosted. This led the researchers of this study to divide the participants into two groups -- women within six years of menopause and those more than 10 years beyond menopause.

Henderson said length of time in estrogen decline appeared to make no difference. "We found that the relation between blood levels of estrogen and memory or planning skills is the same in younger postmenopausal women as in older postmenopausal women," he said. "Essentially, for estrogen there is no association at either age."

Although these findings don't absolutely rule out estrogen as relevant to thinking and memory, since there is no direct way of measuring estrogen in the brain, they suggest that boosting estrogen levels -- even in younger postmenopausal women -- may not affect mental skills one way or the other, he said.

source : Estrogen Won't Make Women Sharper After Menopause, Study Finds

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Women's Chest Pain Unreliable Indicator of Heart Attack: Study

Scientific tools, not patient complaints, needed for accurate diagnosis, expert says

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Chest pain is not a symptom that doctors can use to accurately diagnose a woman suffering a major heart attack, according to new research.

A survey of about 800 women and 1,700 men found that women tend to suffer the same types of chest pain as men during a heart attack, Swiss researchers from the University Hospital Basel said.

However, most of the chest pain symptoms reported by women could not be used to tell a heart attack from some other cause of severe chest pain.

Doctors said the study, which was published Nov. 25 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, provides further evidence that emergency-room doctors should use concrete heart tests to diagnose a heart attack.

These tests include the electrocardiogram (EKG), which checks the heart's electrical activity, and the cardiac troponin test, which is a blood test that checks for proteins called troponins that are released when the heart muscle is damaged.

"Doctors must be much more aggressive in trying to diagnose heart disease through EKG and troponins, because without those objective data it's very hard to tell it's a woman's heart," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "The symptoms aren't going to tell us. We have to use the diagnostic tools we have."

Some physicians, however, expressed concern that these findings, while important to doctors, would prompt some women to ignore chest pain that otherwise would have sent them to the hospital for testing.

"We use symptoms to try to drive people to the hospital, but we would never diagnose a heart attack by symptoms alone," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist and medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. "If you are experiencing chest pain, the most important thing is you get to the hospital as soon as possible. If any of the symptoms of heart attack come on all of a sudden, don't just ignore it."

About nine out of 10 people suffering a heart attack complain of chest pain or discomfort, the researchers said. But there are many other medical problems that can also cause chest pain, in addition to heart attacks.

Women also are more likely to experience other common signs of heart attacks. These include shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and pain in the back, neck or jaw.

The Swiss study involved nearly 2,500 people suffering from severe chest pain who went to one of nine different emergency rooms.

Of those people with chest pain, only 18 percent of women and 22 percent of men were actually suffering a heart attack, the researchers found.

Looking at the women, the researchers assessed the ability of 34 different chest-pain characteristics to accurately determine whether the patient was having a heart attack. These included things like the location of the pain, where the pain radiated from, what the pain felt like, and whether movement, breathing or other factors aggravated the pain.

Although some differences emerged, they were too small to support their use in the early diagnosis of heart attack in women, the researchers said.

"None of the chest pain characteristics were helpful in differentiating [heart attack] from other causes of chest pain," Steinbaum said. "If a woman had chest pain, it was very difficult to determine if that chest pain was her heart."

source : Women's Chest Pain Unreliable Indicator of Heart Attack: Study

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How the 'Love Hormone' Works Its Magic

A whiff of oxytocin lit up reward center in men's brains when they looked at their partner's face

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Brenda Goodman

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists, and women everywhere, have long wondered exactly what keeps a man from straying with a stranger.

From a biological perspective, at least, cheating is easy to understand. The more sexual partners a man has, the more likely he'll be to pass on his genetic material.

So why do so many men settle down, get married and stick around to raise their kids?

Researchers think they may have found a clue in oxytocin, a hormone released during sex and other intimate gestures like hugging or holding hands that's been proven to strengthen social bonds in other mammals.

They found that the hormone appears to boost men's attraction to their mate -- even when presented with pictures of other women.

The findings are published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the study, 20 men who were in committed relationships for 28 months, on average, took whiffs of either oxytocin nasal spray or an inactive placebo spray.

For the first test, the men looked at pictures of their partner, a woman they'd never met, or a house. The photos of the women were carefully matched so one wasn't more attractive than the other.

In the second experiment, they looked at pictures of their partners or of women they knew but weren't related to, perhaps someone they saw at work every day.

Then the men rated the attraction they felt to the various faces. Men consistently rated their partners as being more attractive and arousing than the other women and, in most cases, a whiff of oxytocin boosted that effect compared to the placebo.

But what really fascinated the researchers was what happened inside the men's brains.

Under the influence of oxytocin, two areas of the brain responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure lit up when men saw their partner's faces. But the sight of other women had the opposite effect, suppressing feelings of pleasure.

"Oxytocin triggers the reward system to activate on the partner's face, the presence of the partner," said study author Dr. Rene Hurlemann, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Bonn, in Germany.

"Sexual monogamy is actually quite costly for males, so there must be some form of mechanism binding males and females together, at least for some time," Hurlemann said. "There must be some benefit, and reward is actually the strongest motivation underlying human behavior."

An expert who was not involved in the study said the results suggest that couples who keep a high level of intimacy in their relationships can maintain stronger bonds.

"When you're first becoming intimate, you're releasing lots of dopamine and oxytocin. That's creating that link between the neural systems that are processing your facial cues, your voice and the reward system" of a partner's brain, said Larry Young, a professor of psychiatry at Emory University in Atlanta. He studies the role of oxytocin in social bonding.

As time goes on, and couples become less intimate, Young noted that linkage can decay. But activities that release oxytocin, such as really looking into another person's eyes, holding hands, kissing and having sex may help restore the connection.

"To me, it suggests that it may be a way to help prevent the decay that can occur that leads couples to separate," he said.

Hurlemann agreed: "I think this is the only reason that we do hug and touch each other all the time. I think this is the mechanism that keeps oxytocin levels high in relationships."

source : How the 'Love Hormone' Works Its Magic

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Why Many U.S. Preteens Aren't Getting the HPV Shot

Review found cost, fear of kids becoming sexually active deters some parents

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Denise Mann

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to being vaccinated and protected against the human papillomavirus (HPV), too many U.S. adolescents are missing out, a new review finds.

Cost and parental concerns about the link to sexual activity may be why relatively low numbers of girls and boys are getting the HPV vaccine as recommended.

Educating doctors and parents about the benefits of the vaccine and debunking some of the myths that surround it may help improve these rates and protect more adolescents, experts said.

Two available HPV vaccines -- Cervarix and Gardasil -- protect against the strains of genital warts responsible for 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends routine HPV vaccination for girls aged 11 to 12.

They also recommend Gardasil for males starting at age 11 to protect against genital warts, as well as oral, penis and rectal cancers.

But "parents have a number of concerns including the mindset that 'my child isn't sexually active yet,' and many may hope that they will remain inactive for years to come," said study author Dawn Holman.

However, "vaccinating young is when the shot is most effective and a great way to protect your child's health, even if they wait to get married to become sexually active," said Holman, a behavioral scientist at the CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

Holman and colleagues reviewed 55 studies on the HPV vaccine published from 2009 through 2012 to see why the rates remain low in comparison to other recommended vaccines. Their findings appear online in the Nov. 25 issue of JAMA Pediatrics.

Cost was cited as a major barrier by many parents. The American Cancer Society reports that the vaccine can cost about $130 per dose, and a series of three shots is required. Current changes in health care may help remove the cost barrier for some people, Holman said, and financial assistance programs are available to help pay for the shots.

Beside identifying barriers, the new study also highlighted ways to improve rates of HPV vaccine acceptance.

"Parents report that a recommendation from their health care provider is the key factor in their decision," Holman said, yet the study found that many didn't get this recommendation from their doctor.

Dr. Greg Yapalater, a pediatrician in New York City, routinely counsels adolescents and their parents about the HPV shot. "People shy away from anything that has to do with sex, and this shot has to do with the sex talk," he noted.

When talking to families, Yapalater discusses puberty and sexually transmitted diseases and how not to get them. "This opens up the chapter in terms of condoms and vaccinations," he said. "I spend time discussing this with the entire family as ultimately the parents are the ones who will say yes or no to the vaccine."

source : Why Many U.S. Preteens Aren't Getting the HPV Shot

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Smaller Bowls May Keep Kids From Overeating

Researchers say tactic could help curb childhood obesity

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Having youngsters use smaller bowls may be one way to help reduce childhood obesity, a new study suggests.

In their first experiment, researchers gave 8- or 16-ounce bowls to 69 preschoolers. Adults then served the children cereal and milk in increments until the children said they'd had enough. Children with the larger bowls asked for 87 percent more cereal and milk.

How much kids weighed or whether they were boys or girls did not affect how much food they requested.

A second experiment included 18 elementary school students who were given smaller or larger bowls. Secret scales were embedded within the tables to weigh each child's serving and to determine how much the children ate. Those with larger bowls asked for 69 percent more cereal and milk, and ate 52 percent more than those with smaller bowls.

"Bigger bowls cause kids to request nearly twice as much food, leading to increased intake as well as higher food waste," study author Brian Ven Ittersum, a professor of behavioral economics at Cornell University, said in a university news release.

"Based on these findings, using smaller dishware for children may be a simple solution for caregivers who are concerned about their kids' caloric intake," he said.

The study was published online Nov. 18 in the Journal of Pediatrics.

source : Smaller Bowls May Keep Kids From Overeating

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FDA Approves New Treatment for Hepatitis C Infection

Olysio may cut down on side effects while achieving good responses in patients, experts say

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for chronic hepatitis C infection that some experts hope will cut down on side effects from current therapies.

Hepatitis C infection triggers an inflammation of the liver that can lead to reduced liver function, liver failure and even death over time. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3.2 million Americans -- many of them in the "baby boomer" generation -- are infected with the hepatitis C virus.

The new drug, called Olysio (simeprevir), is approved as part of a combination antiviral drug regimen to treat certain classes of adult patients with hepatitis C. These include people who have cirrhosis or other liver disease but whose liver is still functioning, people who haven't been previously treated for their hepatitis infection, or those whose infection has not improved after prior treatment.

The approval of Olysio is promising, one expert said, because it might someday free some patients from having to rely on interferon, which can have difficult side effects.

"The approval of Olysio is the first step toward once daily interferon-free treatment of hepatitis C," said Dr. Douglas Dieterich, director of outpatient hepatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

The FDA's approval was based on the results of six clinical trials that evaluated Olysio in combination with peginterferon-alfa and ribavirin, two other drugs commonly used to treat hepatitis C virus infection.

The three-drug combination was effective in 80 percent of patients who had never been treated for hepatitis C, the study found, compared to 50 percent effectiveness in patients who got an inactive placebo plus peginterferon-alfa and ribavirin.

The three-drug combination was also 79 percent effective in patients who had received prior treatment but had relapsed, compared to 37 percent effectiveness in people who got only the two older drugs, the FDA said.

Olysio is from the protease inhibitor class of drugs, and it works by blocking a key protein the virus needs to reproduce. It's the third such drug approved by the FDA to treat chronic hepatitis C infection. The other two drugs are Victrelis (boceprevir) and Incivek (telaprevir), both approved in 2011.

Another expert was optimistic about the treatment.

Olysio "is an important new addition to the hepatitis C virus treatment regimens, offering improved efficacy, easier administration with once-a-day dosing and an improved side effect profile," said Dr. David Bernstein, chief of the division of hepatology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.

The clinical trials for Olysio also found that patients with a specific strain of the hepatitis C virus commonly found in the United States were less likely to respond to treatment with the drug. The drug's label therefore tells doctors to screen patients for the presence of this strain before beginning treatment with Olysio and to consider other treatments for patients with this strain.

source : FDA Approves New Treatment for Hepatitis C Infection

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Kids Hospitalized for Flu Need Antiviral Meds Right Away: Study

Survival odds increase with early administration of drugs such as oseltamivir, researchers say

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Kids near death because of severe flu infection have a better chance of survival if they are given antiviral medications early in their treatment, researchers say.

Children treated with antiviral drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) within the first 48 hours of serious flu symptoms developing are significantly more likely to survive, according to a study published online Nov. 25 in the journal Pediatrics.

"The benefit was more apparent for the most severely ill children, who required a ventilator to help with breathing," said co-author Dr. Janice Louie, chief of the influenza and respiratory diseases section at the California Department of Public Health's Center for Infectious Diseases.

In children rendered critically ill by the flu, treatment with NAIs reduced their risk of dying by 64 percent, the study found.

Researchers found that in recent years, however, fewer than two-thirds of severely ill children received NAIs while hospitalized for the flu.

Dr. Octavio Ramilo, a professor of pediatrics at Ohio State University, said a flu-stricken child who is sick enough to go to the hospital needs to receive antiviral therapies immediately.

"The minute you come to the hospital, we [should] start you on antiviral therapy," said Ramilo, who also is chief of infectious diseases at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Doctors usually advise children with the flu to rest, drink lots of liquids and, if needed, use over-the-counter drugs to ease symptoms such as fever or congestion. But some people develop serious complications such as pneumonia that require hospitalization.

The study focused on nearly 800 patients younger than 18 who were treated in intensive-care units for the flu between April 2009 and September 2012.

Only 3.5 percent of kids who received NAI treatment during the first 48 hours ended up dying, the researchers found. By comparison, 9 percent of kids died who received NAIs between day eight and day 14 of their illness, and 26 percent died who received the medication after day 14.

Overall, 6 percent of kids treated with NAIs died from the flu, while 8 percent of kids died who didn't receive the medication.

Despite these numbers, hospitals appear reluctant to use NAIs when treating kids sick enough from the flu to require hospitalization.

About 90 percent of kids in the ICU with the flu received NAIs during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, the researchers found. Only 63 percent of kids, however, received NAIs in the years following the pandemic.

"I'm not at all sure why that percentage was so low," said Dr. Rich Whitley, professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "There's no good reason for that."

Cost shouldn't be a factor, Louie said. "The cost of oseltamivir, the most commonly prescribed NAI, is approximately $7 per pill," she said. "The usual treatment course is one pill twice a day for five days, for a total $70."

source : Kids Hospitalized for Flu Need Antiviral Meds Right Away: Study

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Steroids for Preemies May Raise ADHD Risk, Study Says

Shots are given to boost lung development

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Giving steroid injections to pregnant women before premature birth may increase the child's risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other behavioral and emotional disorders, a small study suggests.

Pregnant women who are expected to give birth prematurely often receive glucocorticoids, which mimic the natural hormone cortisol. This treatment is important to help a premature baby's lungs mature, the researchers explained.

However, their findings suggest that steroid injections may also increase a child's risk of developing ADHD and other mental health problems.

Children with ADHD have trouble paying attention and following through on tasks. They may also talk excessively and behave impulsively.

The study included 37 children whose mothers were given synthetic glucocorticoids before they gave birth and 185 children who were born at the same gestational age but were not exposed to glucocorticoids.

At ages 8 and 16, the children who were exposed to glucocorticoids before birth had poorer scores on general mental health and were more likely to have symptoms of ADHD, compared to the other children.

The findings were confirmed in a comparison group of more than 6,000 children, according to the study, published Nov. 22 in the journal PLoS One.

"There are a lot of studies that have found links between stress in pregnancy and effects on children's mental health, especially ADHD, and this might be related to cortisol," study senior author Alina Rodriguez, a visiting professor at the School of Public Health at Imperial College London in England, said in a college news release.

"Synthetic glucocorticoids mimic the biological reaction when the mother is stressed, so we wanted to see if babies who were exposed to this treatment are affected similarly in terms of mental health outcomes," she explained.

Although the findings suggest that the use of glucocorticoids may pose long-term risks to children's mental health, they don't prove a cause-and-effect relationship. The number of children in the study who were exposed to glucocorticoids was relatively small, and more studies are needed to confirm the findings, Rodriguez noted.

"We would like to reassure parents that in light of all available evidence to date, the benefits of steroid treatment on immediate infant health and survival are well-established and outweigh any possible risk of long-term behavioral/emotional difficulties," she said. Parents who are concerned that their child might have behavioral or emotional difficulties should contact their child's doctor, she added.

source : Steroids for Preemies May Raise ADHD Risk, Study Says

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1 in 10 U.S. Children Now Has ADHD, CDC Says

Good news is that the rate of increase is slowing, researchers add

WebMD News from HealthDay

By EJ Mundell

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- One in every 10 U.S. children has been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the steady rise in cases has started to slow, a new government survey shows.

The 2011 poll of more than 95,000 parents showed that about 11 percent -- or about 6.4 million -- of children aged 4 to 17 had been diagnosed with ADHD. That's up from a 2007 survey that found that 9.5 percent of youngsters in that age group had an ADHD diagnoses.

Nearly one in every five high-school age boys, and about one in every 11 high school age girls, was reported by their parents as being diagnosed with having ADHD, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found.

Numbers also varied widely between states, as well, with 15 percent of children in Arkansas and Kentucky reporting a history of ADHD treatment, compared to just 4 percent of those in Nevada.

The number of children placed on ADHD medications -- which include stimulants such as Ritalin or Concerta -- also rose by about 1 million between 2003-04 and 2011-12, the CDC said. That means that more than 3.5 million youngsters between the ages of 4 and 17 are now taking an ADHD drug.

The survey was published Nov. 22 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

According to the survey, half of children with ADHD are diagnosed with the disorder by the age of 6.

"This finding suggests that there are a large number of young children who could benefit from the early initiation of behavioral therapy, which is recommended as the first-line treatment for preschool children with ADHD," study author and CDC researcher Susanna Visser said in a journal news release.

Not every child with ADHD is getting proper treatment, the study found. According to the survey, 18 percent of kids with ADHD had not received either psychiatric counseling or drug therapy during 2011-2012.

"This finding raises concerns about whether these children and their families are receiving needed services," Dr. Michael Lu, senior administrator at the U.S. Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), said in the journal news release.

There was some good news from the survey, however. The CDC noted that ADHD diagnoses among American children were rising at a rate of about 6 percent a year in the mid-2000s, but that rate slowed to 4 percent a year from 2007 to 2011.

Visser told the Associated Press that this slower rate of diagnoses might reflect that doctors are closer to identifying most of the youngsters with the disorder.

ADHD makes it difficult for kids to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors. Treatments can include drugs, behavioral therapy or both.

source : 1 in 10 U.S. Children Now Has ADHD, CDC Says

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