You and Your Health

CNN Anchor Zoraida Sambolin to Follow in Angelina Jolie’s Footsteps with Double Mastectomy

2013-05-14T21:34:27+00:00

CNN anchor Zoraida Sambolin has announced that she too will undergo the same cancer-preventive double mastectomy procedure as movie star Angeline Jolie. Today the Hollywood superstar via a NY Times op-ed announced she decided to surgically remove both her breasts to reduce the high risk of breast and ovarian cancer that runs in her family. Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of breast cancer at 56 years-old after a decade long battle. Jolie, 37, also disclosed that she carries the BRCA1 gene that gives her a high predisposition to both breast and ovarian cancer. Click here to read Jolie’s NYT op-ed piece in its entirety. The global reception to Jolie’s news has been overwhelmingly positive and for some women a reality check. For CNN’s Early Start anchor Jolie’s message gave her confidence to reveal that she has been diagnosed with cancer on her left breast and potential cancer issus with the other. The Latina anchors decision to have a double mastectomy is part of her treatment to deal with her breast cancer diagnosis and also preventive since it reduces the potential for breast cancer reoccurance. Sambolin publicly thanked Jolie and said she was “grateful” to Jolie for providing such an open forum on the issue of breast cancer. Sambolin, 47, is a former local Chicago newscaster that joined CNN in 2011 from NBC. She was also a special assignment reporter and substitute anchor for Telemundo Chicago. Sambolin is a divorced mother of two children living in New York City and is engaged to White Sox executive Kenny Williams.

When Teen Dating Turns Abusive and Violent

2013-05-11T12:13:53+00:00

Parents urged to watch for signs of behavior that affects 1 in 10 children. When teens start dating, parents’ worries grow—and experts say that dating violence should be on their list of concerns. “Dating violence happens, and it’s more common than we think,” said Dr. Yolanda Evans, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of adolescent medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital. “We need to talk to teens about it.” Nearly 10 percent of teenagers experience some form of violence in their dating relationships, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dating violence encompasses physical, emotional and sexual abuse, the CDC notes. Physical acts include such things as hitting, shoving, pinching and kicking Emotional abuse could be threatening a dating partner or harming the person’s self-worth by bullying, shaming, name-calling or isolating him or her from friends and family. Sexual abuse involves forcing someone into sexual activity that he or she doesn’t want to participate in and includes sexual activity teens can’t consent to because they’ve been drugged. Beyond the immediate effects of violent relationships, longer-range impacts loom. A study in the January issue of Pediatrics found that teens who had experienced dating violence were more likely to binge drink, smoke, have depression symptoms, think about suicide and experience additional intimate partner violence than were their peers who’d never experienced dating violence. Teens who’ve been abused by their boyfriend or girlfriend are also more likely to do poorly at school, to experiment with drugs and to have an eating disorder, according to the CDC. Those abused in high school are more apt to be abused in college as well. Often, though, abusive behavior starts with teasing and name-calling, which teens may see as a normal part of a relationship but which, according to the CDC, can lead to more serious violence, such as hitting or rape. Nancy Diaz, a domestic violence consultant who has provided services to Outreach in New York City, said that when she explains verbal abuse to teens, many think it’s just normal conversation. Often their own mothers, who may be young, have spoken to them in just that way. “It’s the cycle of violence,” Diaz said. If a teen girl slaps a teen boy, the boy often says it’s not abuse because it doesn’t hurt, but Diaz explains that it is. She said that some gangs initiate girls by forcing them to have sex with all of the gang’s members. “That’s rape, but the girls don’t think of it as rape,” Diaz said. For parents, protection starts with knowing the person their teen is dating. “Invite them in, or offer to drive them somewhere,” Evans said. “Just make sure you know who they’re connecting with.” Discovering that abuse is occurring can be hard, but “watch out for social isolation, withdrawal from friends and activities,” Evans said. “Look for sores, bruises or scratches, and check out what they’re doing on social media like Facebook and Tumblr.” Diaz said that a girl’s sudden change in the way she dresses also could be a sign of abuse. She might be covering hickeys, or her boyfriend might want her to dress differently so that she doesn’t attract other boys. “Are they home earlier? Constantly texting?” Diaz asked. “I’ve heard of a boyfriend who wanted his girlfriend to have the webcam on her computer on all the time so he could see what she was doing. That’s stalking.” Both experts recommend being upfront with your kids, but not confrontational. “Say, ‘I’ve noticed that you’re home a lot more. How is John treating you?’” suggested Diaz. “Have a conversation and try not to judge. Let your teen know that they can come and talk to you no matter what.” And Evans stressed the importance of keeping communication lines open. “The more you talk to your teen and are open with them, they’ll know it’s OK to come to you,” she said. “Tell them if they ever want to talk, you’re always there for them. And, let them know if they want to talk to other adults in their life, that’s OK, too.” Whether a teen’s school can help, however, may not be certain. Researchers reported in the August issue of Pediatrics that more than 80 percent of U.S. schools had no protocol for helping teens who were experiencing dating violence. Still, 61 percent of school counselors said that teens had approached them for advice about dating violence. More information Break the Cycle has more about teen dating violence.

UCLA Establishes Center to Study Health, Poverty in Latin America

2013-05-03T01:07:20+00:00

UCLA’s Blum Center is a research institute that seeks to contribute to improving the health of communities with few economic resources in Latin America. “The Blum Center (aims to have) UCLA professors and students collaborate with their professional colleagues in Latin American to share knowledge to promote health in Latin American countries,” Michael Rodriguez, a professor of family medicine and the director of the center, told Efe. The center was founded with a donation of $1 million by Richard Blum, a wealthy businessman and member of the board of regents for the University of California system. “The Blum Center arose from an idea of Richard Blum, who in chats with UCLA Chancellor Gene Block told him that he wanted to contribute to eradicating poverty in the world,” Rodriguez said. Block placed at the regent’s disposal the support of UCLA professors and students and proposed to Blum that he begin working in Latin America. “To study poverty we’re creating a one-year course in which students from all disciplines can sign up in their first year of study, and we were surprised that 70 students signed up,” Rodriguez said. “At the end of the course, (the participants) told me: ‘the class is nice, but we think that this class should work with a research center to go to the communities, because we want to learn more,’” he emphasized. The professor said that Blum’s vision along with the poverty studies students’ desire to learn more were the two elements that Block joined together and thus the research center was born.

How to Keep Your Family Fit

2013-05-01T12:13:18+00:00

Begin a regular tennis match You don’t have to make staying fit a go-it-alone activity. Have the rest of the family join in. The Shapeup.org website offers these suggestions for family-fitness activities: - Start a regular family tennis match. - Head out with the family pet for a jog or a walk. - Go to the park and rent a paddleboat, or hit the trails for a walk or run. - Take a yoga class together. - Play a family game of whiffleball or volleyball. - Dance to your favorite music, or use steps or a solid bench to do some step-aerobics together. - Challenge your clan to walk as many city blocks as you can.

Health Tip: After a Stressful Event

2013-04-30T12:13:17+00:00

Avoid alcohol and drugs A stressful event can leave you feeling worn out, anxious and, perhaps, unable to cope. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests ways to care for yourself and keep your stress in check: - Don’t turn to alcohol or abuse drugs to escape. - Ask for help and advice from friends, family, doctors, counselors or a religious leader. - Don’t isolate yourself; make an effort to spend time with friends and loved ones. - Eat a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise and get enough sleep. - Treat yourself to something relaxing, such as a massage. - Stick to your usual routine as much as possible, and keep yourself busy with activities such as volunteering or helping others.

Gates and Slim Join Forces to Rid the World of Polio in Six Years

2013-04-25T18:22:13+00:00

Billionaires Bill Gates and Carlos Slim said in an exclusive interview with Efe that they planned to join forces to eradicate polio in six years. Gates, the founder of U.S. tech giant Microsoft, said it was not often that you received a letter proposing to wipe out one of the most harmful diseases of the 20th century, especially when that missive was sent by the world’s richest man to the holder of the globe’s second-largest fortune. Slim, the world’s richest person, and Gates discussed their plans with Efe in the first-ever joint interview they have granted. The moguls said they would work together to achieve one of the philanthropic goals set by Gates, the world’s second-richest person. Slim will contribute $100 million to a project to eradicate polio within six years. Why so much money and energy to fight an illness that affected just 223 children last year and is a problem in only three countries? “With polio, there are two possibilities - either we redouble our work and really end it, saving ourselves the cost of vaccinations, or we halt this great effort and polio could start spreading once more and infecting hundreds of thousands of children,” Gates said. Tremendous progress has been made in fighting this disease in the past 25 years, thanks to the immunization campaigns launched around the world. Polio has gone from paralyzing 350,000 children a year in 125 countries to being a problem in just Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The toughest problem, paradoxically, will be reaching zero cases. Slim and Gates are businessmen with no desire to hide it, and they are taking a business-like approach to fighting polio. The Mexican and American billionaires agree that the worlds of philanthropy and business are “surprisingly similar” and have a hard time choosing one over the other. “Perhaps the only difference is in the goals. In business, your goals are a bigger market share, profitability .. But in both places you seek efficiency, organizing what you do well and that your human capital be the best,” Slim said. “If we do not have success with polio, it would be a tremendous setback not just for global health, but also for optimism about what men can do when they work together. If we are successful, it will make us stronger and remind us that together we can do amazing things,” Gates said.

Many Parents Text, Phone With Kids in Car: Survey

2013-04-23T12:13:44+00:00

Work-related calls a priority for nearly one-third polled. Nearly two-thirds of adults use a cell phone when they’re driving with children in the car, and about one-third text, according to a new California survey. The dangers of such behavior are well-documented. In 2011, about 3,300 deaths and 400,000 injuries in the United States occurred because of distracted driving, according to experts in the driving safety program at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Their online survey of 715 drivers, aged 30 to 64, in San Diego County revealed that many people either are unaware of the dangers of distracted driving or choose to ignore them. “Studies have shown that phoning and driving increases the risk of crashes four-fold, with hands-free and handheld devices equally dangerous; this is the same as driving with a blood alcohol content at the legal limit of .08. Texting increases this risk eight to 16 times,” Dr. Linda Hill, a clinical professor in the department of family and preventive medicine at UCSD School of Medicine, said in a university news release. “[These findings] highlight the dangerous behavior of adults driving distracted, especially with children in the car, exposing both themselves and their children to increased risk for a crash,” Hill said. Of the more than 500 people in the survey who said they drive an average of one to two hours a day, 30 percent said they use cell phones for talking, texting and other applications sometimes or often. Fifty-three percent said they rarely do so, and 17 percent said they never do. Fifty-six percent of respondents reported driving with a handheld phone and 92 percent with a hands-free phone. Among the respondents with children younger than age 11 in the car, 65 percent drive with a cell phone and 36 percent text. Of those with children aged 12 to 17 in the car, 63 percent drive with a cell phone and 31 percent text. People with children younger than age 11 in the car were significantly more likely to text and to talk on a handheld phone, according to the survey. The survey also found that 31 percent of respondents said they feel obligated to take a work-related call while driving. “Employers should be aware that encouraging workers to initiate and receive calls while driving on the job is putting their employees at risk and exposing their companies to potential liability,” Hill said. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about distracted driving.

How Panda Express, Taco Bell, And McDonalds Rebrand Food As ‘Healthy’ Without Changing Much

2013-04-12T15:10:47+00:00

As a growing number of Americans cite obesity as the most urgent health problem facing the country, the food industry is looking for a way to profit. Despite playing a critical role in enabling America’s obesity epidemic, fast food chains have recently announced attempts to make their product seem healthier — a number of new menu items that may substitute whole grain for white or turkey for red meat. But for many of these companies, the rebranding is superficial: Panda Express: Customers at Panda Express will have three rice choices: Steamed white rice, steamed brown rice or fried brown rice (brown rice has more nutritional value) Chief Marketing Officer Glenn Lunde described how Panda Express hopes to avoid shocking customers. “If you just sell steamed brown rice, you’re not going to sell that much.” He added, “Aren’t we fabulous?” Taco Bell: The chain that popularized Doritos Locos Tacos announced it would make 20 percent of its meals meet nutritional guidelines, but not before 2020. Burger King: Burger King’s limited time turkey burger is its attempt at a “game-changer” healthier option. It still weighs in at 530 calories. McDonalds: McDonalds’ new McWrap uses a green label to trick customers into thinking it’s healthier. Its “healthy” Egg White Delight is 40 calories less than the original and complete with bacon and cheese. Many executives say they are hesitant to make any major changes, because they expect healthy foods to taste bad and perform poorly. Huffington Post’s Joe Satran described the motivation for the incremental change: Chains add new items “to make consumers think of their restaurants as healthy — or at least not gratuitously unhealthy — and, by extension, OK to visit. In other words, healthy menu items are marketing tools. Like any other new product introduction, they bring attention to the chain; unlike, say, Cool Ranch Doritos Tacos, they shift perception of the brand toward virtue.” Of course, the problem is not limited to fast food, with sugary drink brands suddenly advertising their nutrition. At least now consumers will have more information to make healthier choices. Obamacare requires chains with more than 20 locations to post calorie counts on their menus.

Unemployment Can Take Its Toll on Your Health

2013-04-12T12:13:02+00:00

Resulting stress, anxiety, bad habits may lead to cardiovascular trouble. As anyone who’s lost a job can attest, stress and worry often quickly follow. But the health of your heart after unemployment can also take a tumble. Job loss can cause immediate heart issues, and the stress and bad habits that frequently come with unemployment can build up over time, causing cardiovascular damage, health experts say. In some people, especially those who might not be expecting the job loss or those with significant financial obligations, getting fired may cause a condition called broken heart syndrome. “In a very stressful situation, you can actually get a severe release of adrenaline and sympathetic nerve discharges that cause the heart to beat irregularly,” said Dr. John Higgins, a sports cardiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. These changes can actually cause a heart attack in some people, though Higgins said that most people who have significant stress reactions return to normal over time without having a heart attack. Long-term changes that happen after a job loss—such as financial stress, family problems, loss of daily routine and sometimes higher-risk behaviors, like increased alcohol use or a poor diet—can cause heart problems to develop over time, Higgins explained. Psychological factors can play a role, too. “Most of us know the common risk factors for heart disease, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and genetics, but about 25 to 35 percent of heart disease remains unexplained,” said Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan, director of cardiac imaging at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. “Psychosocial factors likely play a role in these unexplained cases. More and more studies have been looking at stress, anger, sudden stress and major life changes like losing a job, and all of these can have a major effect on cardiovascular events,” she said. One recent study, published Nov. 19 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the risk for heart attack increased significantly for middle-aged to elderly people when they were unemployed. The researchers also found that the risks increased incrementally with each subsequent job loss. Losing a job, however, doesn’t mean automatic heart problems, especially if you take steps to protect your heart’s health. “Decreasing stress hormones is important,” Chinnaiyan said. “We know from studies that behaviors such as meditation, yoga and tai chi work specifically to reduce our response to stress.” Meditation, one of Chinnaiyan’s favorite ways to reduce stress, “can help in multiple ways,” she said. “It helps you see your choices and have a clearer perspective of what to do next. Stress may still be around us, but meditation gives us a better ability to cope with it.” Yoga can also be quite helpful in decreasing stress-related hormones, she added. Higgins noted that it’s crucial to keep up a regular exercise routine. He recommends exercising 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week. “This helps reduce cardiac risk factors and depression,” he said. But, if someone has significant clinical depression, exercise won’t be enough, he noted, adding that it’s then important to see a mental health professional. He also recommends body muscle relaxation exercises. “Lie down and go through each muscle group in your body, progressively relaxing the muscles as you go,” Higgins said. He noted that a variety of CDs and programs available on the Internet offer detailed instruction on relaxation exercises. For some people, Higgins said, job loss support groups can also be helpful. But what’s most important, he said, is to remember that “while it’s bad, you could be worse off.” As Higgins said: “One of my favorite quotes from Winston Churchill applies here: ‘When you’re going through hell, keep going.’” More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on what you can do to prevent heart disease. To read about one man’s story of dealing with the stress of job loss click here.

Why Walgreens’ Decision To Provide Primary Care Is A Glimpse Into The Future Of U.S. Health Care

2013-04-05T17:44:46+00:00

On Thursday morning, Walgreens became the first-ever chain retailer to announce that it would become a direct provider of primary care services, moving beyond the pharmacy’s current practice of administering vaccinations to diagnosing and treating Americans with asthma, diabetes, and high cholesterol. The decision holds particular promise for Americans suffering from chronic conditions by giving them an easily-accessible “medical home” for managing illnesses that require preventative or ongoing care — and it might just herald the future of the American health care industry. Walgreens has been planning something along these lines for some time now. In January, the company announced that it would be launching its own take on Obamacare’s Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) — coordinated arrangements in which normally stratified health workers collaborate to provide better patient care while lowering costs — in an effort to become “care extenders” that implement the plans drawn up by physicians. As this announcement proves, they were serious about that: Walgreens officials say they will have nurse practitioners and physician assistants at more than 300 Take Care Clinics in 18 states and the District of Columbia to do tests and make diagnoses – and also write prescriptions, refer patients for additional tests and help them manage their conditions. “We’re not trying to take over primary care, but we think we can help support physicians and transform the way care is delivered to provide more access points at a time when people need it the most,” said Heather Helle, a division vice president at Walgreens. [...] She said physicians will help oversee Walgreens’ clinics – and the clinics can transmit test results and other information electronically to doctors’ offices. She noted that clinics could help people find doctors too. Many would have an affiliation or other link with the stores’ clinics. Retail clinics generally appeal to consumers looking for convenience and cost savings. Costs are roughly 30 percent to 40 percent less than similar care at doctor’s offices and 80 percent cheaper than at an emergency room, according to a 2011 study published in the American Journal of Managed Care. The cynically-minded may point out that there’s a financial motivation to all this, as Walgreens’ main revenue source is its pharmacies, where the costs of generic versions for prescription drugs are considerably higher than at independent, online, and wholesale retailers. Still, this shift would provide substantially added value to purchasing those drugs at Walgreens chains by eliminating the need for a hospital trip, and the idea of an ubiquitous source of cheap primary care should excite health reform advocates, as the planned coordination model is exactly the sort of innovation that reformers and Obamacare are hoping will take root. American Academy of Family Physicians president Dr. Jeffrey Cain slammed Walgreens’ decision, stating that it could be risky and confusing for patients to receive care through non-doctor practitioners — but this critique completely ignores the needs and realities of U.S. health care. The fact is, increasing reliance on practitioners and physician assistants to provide primary care is absolutely critical to meeting increased patient demand as an increasing number of Americans gain coverage under Obamacare. That’s why the reform law encourages the expansion of community health clinics and these collaborations in the first place. Having easily-accessible chain pharmacies like Walgreens to carefully monitor patients’ chronic care needs is also likely to increase patients’ compliance with their treatments. That’s huge, considering that noncompliance — especially with medication regimens — leads to $300 billion in wasteful health expenditures every year. Pharmacy-based primary care medical homes would also open up access to disadvantaged populations, like low-income Americans or Americans living in isolated rural communities.

More US Couples Living Together, Insead of Marrying

2013-04-04T22:13:47+00:00

And more women getting pregnant while cohabiting. Many more American women are living with their partners rather than tying the knot, a new government survey finds. And they live together longer than couples in the recent past, and many more get pregnant before marriage, according to the survey released Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly half of women aged 15 to 44 years old “cohabited” outside of marriage between 2006 and 2010, compared with 43 percent in 2002 and 34 percent in 1995. The report is based on in-person interviews with more than 12,000 women in that age group. One reason more people are living together is a well-documented delay in the age at which people are marrying, said study lead author Casey Copen, a demographer with the National Center for Health Statistics. “Cohabiting couples may be waiting for improved financial stability before they make a decision to marry and, in the process, become pregnant and have a baby,” she said. “As you cohabit longer, there’s more of a chance to become pregnant.” Many of these arrangements occur at a young age, with one-quarter of women cohabiting by age 20 and three-quarters saying they had lived with a partner by age 30. During the first year of living together, nearly 20 percent became pregnant and went on to give birth, according to the report. Along with this trend, fewer women reported getting married in the period from 2006 to 2010 than in either 2002 or 1995 (23 percent, 30 percent and 39 percent, respectively). Of those who became pregnant the first year, 19 percent got married within six months of the pregnancy, versus 32 percent in 1995. Education and income play a role in how long women cohabit and whether they get pregnant or marry, Copen said. “Those who have less than a high school degree are cohabiting for longer periods of time,” Copen said. “Women who have a bachelor’s degree or higher are more likely to move into marriage.” Less educated women were also more likely to become pregnant while they were living with their partner. The rate of cohabitation increased in all racial and ethnic groups except for Asian women. Here are some highlights of the report: - For the period between 2006 and 2010, 23 percent of recent births happened while the couple was living together, up from 14 percent in 2002. - The length of time couples lived together averaged 22 months in 2006 to 2010, compared with 13 months in 1995. - About 40 percent of people living together got married within the first three years, while 32 percent continued to live together and 27 percent broke up. - More white women (44 percent) and foreign-born Hispanic women (42 percent) married their partners within the first three years of living together compared with only 31 percent each for black women and Hispanic women born in the United States. - Women who had not finished high school were more likely to live with someone (70 percent) than women who had finished college or beyond (47 percent). - Women with more education were more likely to marry than those with less education, 53 percent within three years versus 30 percent. It’s not clear what effect these trends may have on the health of families, women and children. Previous research has shown that people who are living together—married or not—tend to be healthier both physically and mentally, Copen said. Children tend to be happier and healthier the more stable their parents’ union is, regardless of whether the “union” has been formalized or not, she added. This study did not look at how long couples stayed together beyond three years. More information The Nemours Foundation has tips for a healthy relationship.

STUDY: Hispanic-Americans Coffee Consumption Driving Growth

2013-03-28T17:09:18+00:00

Overall coffee consumption jumped by five percentage points this year, driven in great part by Hispanic-American coffee consumption patterns, according to the NCA National Coffee Drinking Trends (NCDT) market research study. 76 percent of Latinos surveyed said they had drunk a cup of coffee the day before, which represents a 13 percent increase from the year before. Past-day coffee consumption among Hispanic-Americans again outpaced that of other Americans, further affirming data identified last year when NCA began tracking ethnic consumption. Seventy-six percent of adult Hispanic-Americans said they drank coffee yesterday, 13 percentage points more than the total population. By comparison, 47 percent of African-Americans and 64 percent of Caucasian-Americans said they drank coffee yesterday. Latinos consumption of gourmet coffees outpaced that of other groups at 44 percent versus 30 percent for white and 25 percent for African-Americans. Hispanic-American consumption of espresso was especially strong, almost double that of other groups. Overall daily consumption of coffee was flat at 63 percent with 83 percent of all American drinking coffee. There were notable drops in coffee consumption by adults under 40 and Americans aged 18-39.

How Healthy Is Your County?

2013-03-21T12:13:26+00:00

People living in the least healthy areas of U.S. twice as likely to die early, report says. Rates of premature death in counties across the United States are the lowest in 20 years, but people in the least healthy counties are more than twice as likely to die early as those in the healthiest counties, according to a new report. In addition, childhood poverty rates in unhealthy counties are twice as high as those in healthy counties, according to the 2013 County Health Rankings released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. This is the fourth year of the rankings, which examine 25 factors that influence health, including rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to doctors and dentists, child poverty, physical activity levels, high school graduation rates and percentages of children living in single-parent homes. The rankings also take into account how long people live and how well they feel. This year’s rankings identified significant new national trends: - Child poverty rates have not improved since 2000, and more than one in five children currently lives in poverty. - Violent crime has decreased by almost 50 percent over the past two decades. - Counties where people don’t live as long and have poorer physical and mental health have the highest rates of smoking, teen births, physical inactivity and preventable hospital stays. - Teen birth rates are more than twice as high in the least healthy counties as in the healthiest counties. - People in healthier counties are 1.4 times more likely to have access to a doctor and dentist than those in the least healthy counties. The rankings “can be put to use right away by leaders in government, business, health care and every citizen motivated to work together to create a culture of health in their community,” Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said in a County Health Rankings news release. “The rankings are driving innovation, unleashing creativity and inspiring big changes to improve health in communities large and small throughout the country.” Dr. Patrick Remington, professor and associate dean at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said no single sector alone can tackle the health challenges in any given community. “Collaboration is critical,” he said in the news release. “The rankings are sparking action all over the country as people from all sectors join forces to create new possibilities in health—county by county.” More information Here’s where you can find the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.

Phones, Texting May Be as Dangerous as Alcohol for Drivers

2013-03-15T22:13:45+00:00

Small study found distracted driving performance similar to being legally drunk. Hands-free phone conversations or texting while driving are as dangerous as getting behind the wheel after having too much to drink, a small new study finds. The study included 12 university students who took two driving-simulation tests—once after consuming alcohol and once while using headphones and a microphone to simulate a hands-free system. People who were habitual drinkers or had never consumed alcohol were not included in the study. The participants, who had driving licenses, had to maintain their vehicle’s position in the center of the left lane at a speed of between 40 and 50 miles per hour, and brake every time a truck appeared. Researchers from Australia and Spain found that when having a phone conversation that required a lot of attention or when answering a text message, the participants’ levels of distraction were equal to the effects of having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) that was above the legal level in both countries (0.5 grams per liter). “When the conversation using the hands-free was simple, the effects were comparable to a BAC level of 0.04 grams per liter,” study co-author Sumie Leung Shuk Man, a researcher at the University of Barcelona, said in a news release from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology. “However, when more attention was required, their alcohol-level analogue shot up to 0.7 grams per liter, which is above the legal limit in both countries yet below in other countries, like the United States or United Kingdom, where up to 0.8 grams per liter is allowed. When answering text messages, the rate stood at 1 gram per liter, which is illegal in all of these countries,” Leung Shuk Man said. “Our results suggest that the use of hands-free devices could also put drivers at risk,” Leung Shuk Man said. “Although they should be allowed, they require more research to determine how they should be regulated and, of course, the thorough knowledge that national authorities should have regarding their pros and cons.” More information The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more about distracted driving.

Check Out Salma Hayek at the Photo Shot for the New ‘got milk?’ Ad (VIDEO)

2013-03-15T01:13:21+00:00

“Protein Makes Perfect’, that’s the message in Salma Hayek’s latest got milk? campaign ad. See what happened with Salma on the set of her latest ad and learn why her family starts every day with milk’s powerful protein. Watch the behind-the-scenes footage here, and hear Hayek talk about the importance of milk in her and her daughter’s morning routine.

Report Details Steps to Boost Patient Safety

2013-03-06T13:13:15+00:00

Leadership is needed for change to occur, experts say. Experts estimate that many tens of thousands of people in the United States die each year from medical errors, unproven treatments, bad diagnoses and preventable problems such as bedsores. Now, a federal health care agency is urging the medical world to follow 10 strategies to improve safety for patients. The strategies range from the straightforward—keep hands clean—to the complicated, including a series of measures to prevent pneumonia in people on ventilators. The agency also supports the use of checklists to prevent a variety of complications. At first glance, the strategies seem fairly simple to implement because they mainly require changes in the protocol of treating patients. But it’s not an easy task, said Dr. Rainu Kaushal, director of the Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy at Weill Cornell Medical College, in New York City. “Practicing medicine is complex and growing increasingly complex every day. This includes even simple patient safety measures such as hand washing. Understanding when hand hygiene needs to be performed and in what manner is more complicated than remembering to wash one’s hands prior to eating,” said Kaushal, who’s familiar with the strategies listed in a report released Monday. The report, from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, was written by an international team of physicians and others who study medicine. The top 10 list of “Strongly Encouraged” strategies focuses on ways to prevent complications such as infections and blood clots. A secondary list of “Encouraged” strategies addresses issues such as patient falls, bad drug interactions, radiation exposure and informed consent. Here are some of the strategies from both lists: Better use of safety checklists around surgery and anesthesia use For patients on ventilators: “sedation vacations,” better mouth care, and suctioning to prevent pneumonia Hand-washing Bedsore-prevention measures Checklists to prevent bloodstream infections from central intravenous (IV) catheters in the large neck or heart veins Real-time ultrasounds when inserting central lines Reduced use of urinary catheters A “do not use” list of hazardous abbreviations Barrier precautions such as face masks, gloves, gowns used by health care providers to prevent spread of infection Measures to prevent patient falls Use of advance directives/living wills Lower-dose radiation from CT scans and other imaging tests Use of electronic medical orders This isn’t the first time there’s been a major focus on errors that kill or sicken patients. In 1999, a landmark Institute of Medicine report estimated that as many as 98,000 patients in the United States die each year in hospitals and other facilities because of medical errors. So what’s changed since then? Are fewer people dying? “If you look at the global numbers, we haven’t made a lot of progress,” said report lead author Dr. Paul Shekelle, chief of internal medicine at VA West Los Angeles Medical Center and director of RAND’s Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center. Indeed, a 2010 New England Journal of Medicine study that analyzed North Carolina hospitals from 2002 to 2007 found little change in patient safety, with many patients harmed or even killed by their treatment. But, Shekelle said, there’s been progress in specific areas, such as preventing bloodstream infections from catheters. “We always want things to go faster than they do,” he said. “It was only 1999 when the very concept of patient safety was recognized as being of importance, and we’ve come a long way in 13 to 14 years.” Now, Shekelle said, it’s clear how to prevent many medical mishaps. And it’s not a matter of just applying common sense, he said: Strong leadership is needed, and in some cases, like injuries from falls, “you’ve got to change the attitude that everybody falls, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Will it be costly to embrace these strategies? Kaushal said they’re cheaper than adopting other ways of improving safety, like new technology. And better patient safety saves money over time by decreasing time in the hospital, among other things, she added. “Technology is a powerful way to systematically change practices, but those included in this list are generally behavioral and/or staffing practices, which are more prone to variation and require leadership to implement change,” Kaushal explained. The report appears in the March 5 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. More information For more about patient safety, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Secretary Kerry To Honor Ten Women of Courage on Int’l Women’s Day

2013-03-05T22:13:33+00:00

On Friday, March 8, Secretary John Kerry will honor 10 extraordinary women with the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award. First Lady Michelle Obama will join Secretary Kerry and the awardees as a special guest at the 3 p.m. ceremony in the Dean Acheson Auditorium of the U.S. Department of State. The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award annually recognizes women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women’s rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk. Since the inception of this award in 2007, the Department of State has honored 67 women from 45 different countries. The 2013 awardees are: Malalai Bahaduri, First Sergeant, Afghan National Interdiction Unit (Afghanistan) Samira Ibrahim, Coordinator, Know Your Rights (Egypt) Julieta Castellanos, Rector, National Autonomous University of Honduras (Honduras) Dr. Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin, President, Campaign for Democracy (Nigeria) Elena Milashina, journalist, human rights activist (Russia) Fartuun Adan, Executive Director, Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre (Somalia) Tsering Woeser (Wei Se), Tibetan author, poet, blogger (China) * Razan Zeitunah, human rights lawyer and Founder, Local Coordination Committees (Syria) * Ta Phong Tan, blogger (Vietnam) * Nirbhaya “Fearless,” champion for justice (India) ** * Will be awarded in absentia. ** Will be awarded posthumously. See these women’s full biographies and photos here. The honorees begin their visit to the United States in Pittsburgh, where they will participate in an open to the press forum at Chatham University on March 4, as well as in meetings with organizations such as the Women and Girls Foundation and Gwen’s Girls. They arrive in Washington on March 6 for meetings with Department of State and White House officials, Members of Congress, and NGO leaders. Following the award ceremony, the honorees will travel separately to cities across the United States to engage with the American people through an International Visitor Leadership Program. They will visit Indianapolis, Jackson Hole, Portland, San Francisco, and Tampa. The women will reconvene in San Diego to reflect on their visit and discuss ways to work together to improve the lives of women and girls around the world.

Hispanic Standout: Dr. Alejandro Berenstein and the Vascular Birthmark Institute

2013-03-05T21:44:34+00:00

Dominican toddler Joel de la Rosa is surrounded by people wanting to improved his quality of life, including Dr. Alejandro Berenstein, who on Tuesday performed a modern procedure on the boy to correct a malformation of his face. De la Rosa was flown in from the Dominican Republic by the Healing the Children organization, to be treated for a malformation that causes a swelling on one side of his face due to the retention of lymphatic fluid. Healing the Children, which offers kids from all over the world access to medical treatment, found no hospital that could treat the 2-year-old’s condition until it came upon the Vascular Birthmark Institute at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, directed by the Mexican Dr. Alejandro Berenstein. “We have a system of defense in the body, which is the lymphatic system. For reasons we don’t understand, the child has a collection of lymphatic fluid on the left side of his face and below his chin which doesn’t drain in a normal way and forms cysts,” Berenstein told Efe. Berenstein, a native of Mexico City, is a pioneer in the use of minimally invasive procedures to treat conditions related to the vascular system in the brain, head, face and spinal column, performed the procedure using a modern ultrasound and X-ray system as a guide. The procedure applied Tuesday was the first of about four that the little boy will need before returning to his country six months from now, but the doctor warned that the problem could recur. He also told Efe that he has trained personnel in the Dominican Republic who could take over treatment of the boy, whose mother Ramona Rosado is waiting for his return.

Congress Approves New Version of Violence Against Women Act

2013-03-01T14:13:53+00:00

The U.S. Congress on Thursday approved a new version of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act including protections for same-sex couples and Native Americans who are sexually assaulted by non-Indians. The measure, which was approved by the Senate on Feb. 12, passed in the House of Representatives on Thursday by a vote of 286-138, with many Republicans opposing the bill because of the clauses pertaining to homosexuals. In a statement, President Barack Obama promised to sign the updated VAWA as soon as it reaches his office. The new law authorizes $660 million per year over the next five years for domestic violence prevention programs. In addition to the protections for gays, lesbians and Native Americans, the new version of the VAWA includes measures to combat human trafficking and help minors who are the victims of sexual trafficking. “Over more than two decades, this law has saved countless lives and transformed the way we treat victims of abuse,” Obama emphasized. “Renewing this bill is an important step towards making sure no one in America is forced to live in fear,” the president said. Vice President Joe Biden was the sponsor of the VAWA almost 20 years ago when he was a senator for Delaware.

Mexico Slaughters 2.1 Million Chickens Exposed to Bird Flu

2013-02-26T11:29:58+00:00

Mexican authorities so far have slaughtered 2.1 million chickens exposed to the bird flu, which has spread to 18 farms in the central state of Guanajuato, government officials said Monday. Agriculture Secretary Enrique Martinez said at a press conference that since the outbreak was detected 519,000 egg-producing chickens have been slaughtered, along with 900,000 birds being fattened for their meat and 722,265 reproducing birds. He said that the losses do not affect the national inventory of chickens, which totals 140 million laying birds and 300 million chickens being fattened for market. Martinez also said that the outbreak is being controlled and is on the way to being resolved in the affected zone, “a complex task since it deals with a very pathogenic virus that requires great efforts to prevent its spread.” The Senasica national agricultural health and quality service said that its experts had inspected 35 chicken operations in Guanajuato and four million birds, of which 1.3 million were deemed not to be infected by the H7N3 bird flu. Senasica director Enrique Sanchez Cruz said at a press conference that the virus is one against which Mexican chickens have no natural defense and thus their only protection is the vaccine produced in Mexico, which “has functioned extraordinarily well.” Some 22 million birds have been vaccinated since the outbreak was detected a week-and-a-half ago and this week alone 40 million more doses will be distributed.

Relationship Worries Can Make You Sick

2013-02-23T13:13:20+00:00

Chronic fretting linked to rise in stress hormones, lowered immune response in study. Feeling insecure and frequently anxious about your romantic relationship can actually harm your health, new research contends. The feelings may boost levels of a stress hormone and lower your immune system, according to Ohio State researchers. In their study, married couples who were often anxious about their relationship—wondering if their partner truly loved them, for example—had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and lower levels of T-cells, which are important in the immune system to fight off infections, lead author Lisa Jaremka said. “These concerns about rejection and whether or not you are truly cared for do have physiological consequences that could, in the long-term, negatively affect health,” said Jaremka, a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University’s Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. The study was recently published online and will appear in an upcoming print issue of Psychological Science. Jaremka said she was not describing the normal now-and-then concerns about a relationship. “Everybody has these thoughts and feelings sometimes,” she said. “They are a natural part of being in a relationship.” But for the highly anxious, she added, “it’s a chronic thing.” Jaremka studied 85 couples, all married for an average of more than 12 years. Most were white. Their average age was 39. All the partners reported their general anxiety levels and symptoms, and answered questions about their marriage and about their sleep quality. The couples were generally healthy. Those with wives who were expecting a baby, or who drank excess alcohol or caffeine or had health problems affecting the immune system were all excluded. The couples provided saliva samples over three days and blood samples twice. From these, the research team measured levels of cortisol and T-cells. Participants with higher levels of anxiety about the marriage produced about 11 percent more cortisol than those with lower anxiety levels. Spouses with higher anxiety levels had between 11 percent and 22 percent lower levels of T cells than those with less anxiety. Jaremka said the two findings are likely linked, because cortisol can hamper production of T-cells. The study found a link or association between relationship anxiety and the body’s stress and immune response, but cannot prove cause and effect. While the study did not track whether the highly anxious partners got sick more often, the link is reasonable, Jaremka said, based on other research about the ill effects of chronically high stress hormone levels. “A lot of the negative consequences of high cortisol are beyond the common flu,” she said. Rather, she added, high level have been linked to heart problems, sleep problems, depression and other conditions. Another expert who also studies attachment styles said the link between attachment anxiety and stress is not new, but the link to immune system function is newer. And it is “not that surprising,” said Jeni Burnette, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond, in Virginia. Until more research is in, Jaremka suggests people who are highly anxious in relationships work on reducing their stress. Reduce stress by yoga or other exercise or meditation, she suggested. That would lower cortisol, presumably, and help their health. Burnette suggested that highly anxious partners might also try to be more forgiving, and not keep replaying negative events such as arguments. “Some of our work suggests that anxiously attached individuals are less forgiving and tend to respond with more rumination,” she said. The study was supported by an American Cancer Society grant, a Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State fellowship and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. More information To learn more about improving a relationship, visit the American Psychological Association.

Positive Dreams Start With TOMA LECHE

2013-02-20T16:13:03+00:00

TOMA LECHE Launches New Hispanic Ad Campaign to Reinforce Milk’s Sleep Benefits Following the positivity message of the “The Master of the Glass Half Full,” a guru and philosopher who swears by the powers of milk for a positive and healthy lifestyle (www.elmaestrodelvasomediolleno.com), the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB), the creator of GOT MILK? and TOMA LECHE (Drink Milk in Spanish), will roll out a new Spanish-language ad campaign starting this week that educates California’s vast Latino population on how drinking milk prior to bed helps achieve proper sleep and in turn, lead to positive dreams. “Milk has a myriad of health benefits and one of them is quality of sleep,” says Steve James , executive director of the California Milk Processor Board. “Milk has protein rich in tryptophan that can help improve sleep quality, giving families an important nighttime occasion to drink milk.” According to the National Center for Sleep Disordered Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as much as 40 percent of the U.S. population suffers from insomnia, have difficulty staying and/or falling asleep.1 People who lack proper sleep suffer from sleepiness, irritability and lack of attention span throughout the day. Produced by Huntington Beach-based advertising partner, Grupo Gallegos , the CMPB will roll out 30-second Spanish-language television spots in California titled ‘Piñata Cars’ and ‘Battle,’ to reinforce that milk consumption is also appropriate for nighttime for restful sleep and positive dreams. All that consumers have to do is open the fridge before going to bed. Over an original performance of “Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Postive” by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer , ‘Piñata Cars,’ opens with what would seem to be a tragic incident: two cars driving towards a head-on collision. Despite the crash, however, the audience is surprised to find out that the vehicles are actually cars in form of piñatas meant to bring joy and gifts to a small town. Even the pain of one child saddened for not getting treats from the crash of piñata cars was immediately bandaged by paramedics as they reward her with a huge birthday cake. Then the spot abruptly cuts to a woman sleeping contently. The audience realizes that the “piñata” cars are all but a positive dream. The commercial then dissolves to a shot of warm milk being poured into a cup and the spot ends with the following text: Sleep Well (Duermes Bien). Dream Well (Sueñas Bien). Drink Milk (TOMA LECHE). The second spot, ‘Battle’ ironically opens over the song titled “I Love You” performed by the Zombies. The scene starts at a military command center where a group of strategists stand over a geographic map. Then the scene cuts to a general who orders his submarine to shoot, only to surprise children at the nearby beach with a barrage of rubber duckies. The scene then cuts to the enemy command center where the chief officer orders a counter attack, consisting of a shower of cupcakes and clown paratroopers. The final “weapon” is a teddy bear that becomes a balloon cloud. The spot abruptly cuts to a boy in bed sleeping contently with his teddy bear. The audience realizes that the ‘Battle’ is all but a positive dream. The spot then dissolves to warm milk being poured into a cup and ends with the following text: Sleep Well (Duermes Bien). Dream Well (Sueñas Bien). Drink Milk (TOMA LECHE). “Many Hispanic consumers have learned since childhood from their parents and grandparents that drinking milk can help them sleep,” says James. “These spots serve as a reminder to Latinos that, no matter the age, drinking milk at night makes for restful sleep and positive dreams.” Supporting the TV campaign will be Spanish-language radio spots in California also starting this week. The campaign will also be supported by digital and social engagement throughout the year. To view the new TOMA LECHE spots and to learn more about the nighttime benefits of drinking milk, visit www.tomaleche.com.

Jessica Alba Announces “Honest Baby” App for Her Eco-Friendly Startup

2013-02-14T21:13:16+00:00

Actress and mother of two, Jessica Alba, recently announced on the Valley Girl Show that her eco-friendly startup, The Honor Company, has released the “Honest Baby” app. The app, described as a “baby tracker,” allows parents to keep track of a child’s sleep and feeding schedules as well as doctor and other appointments. Watch the video below to learn more about The Honest Company’s latest app.

Economy May Have Lasting Effect on Young People’s Outlook

2013-02-12T13:13:43+00:00

Satisfaction rises with age, but growing up in tough times lowers well-being overall, study suggests. Happiness seems be a generational thing, new research suggests. Life satisfaction generally increases with age, but a person’s overall level of satisfaction appears to depend on when he or she was born. For the study, researchers analyzed data collected from several thousand Americans over a 30-year period and found that older adults had lower levels of overall life satisfaction than young and middle-aged adults. However, when the study authors analyzed the data by birth cohorts—groups of people born around the same time—they discovered that life satisfaction increased with age in all groups. This trend held true even after the researchers accounted for factors such as health, sex, ethnicity and education. The findings were released online in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Psychological Science. People born in the early part of the 20th century—particularly those who lived through the Great Depression—had much more difficult early lives than people born in more prosperous times, study author Angelina Sutin, a psychological scientist at Florida State University College of Medicine, noted in a journal news release. She said this explains why older adults’ overall life satisfaction was lower, even though their satisfaction increased as they aged. Sutin conducted the study while at the U.S. National Institute on Aging. The researchers said their findings may prove important for younger Americans trying to cope with the current poor economy. “As young adults today enter a stagnant workforce, the challenges of high unemployment may have implications for their well-being that long outlast the period of joblessness. Economic turmoil may impede psychological, as well as financial, growth even decades after times get better,” the study authors wrote. More information Helpguide.org offers tips for well-being and contentment.

Winter Storm Hazard: Snowblower Injuries

2013-02-09T13:13:41+00:00

Broken bones, amputation possible if safety precautions not followed, expert warns. The massive winter storm battering the northeastern United States means that many people will be using snowblowers to clear snow from their driveways and sidewalks. While snowblowers can make that task easier, they can also cause serious injuries if people fail to take proper safety precautions, an expert warns. Each year, about 5,700 people in the United States go to the emergency room for treatment of snowblower-related injuries such as broken bones, cuts to skin and soft tissue, bruises, and sprains. About 10 percent of injuries involve amputation of the hand or fingers. “Snowblower injuries tend to happen when someone stops paying attention for even a few seconds,” Dr. R. Michael Koch, chief of the microsurgery and replantation service at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., said in a center news release. “Even after the snowblower is turned off, tension is stored in the rotor blades. A hand or finger stuck in to remove wet snow or ice is at risk for being cut, mangled or even amputated,” added Koch, who is also an assistant professor of surgery at New York Medical College and a surgeon with the New York Group for Plastic Surgery. To stay safe, keep your hands and fingers out of the snowblower mechanism whether the machine is running or turned off. Do not disable the safety devices built into most new snowblowers and take the time to review the key safety features in the owner’s manual. In addition, always pay attention when using a snowblower. Many accidents occur when people allow their thoughts to wander, they get distracted, or they’re in a hurry and skip important safety steps, Koch said. It is also recommended that you wear thick gloves when using a snowblower. They don’t offer complete protection, but may lessen the potential damage if there is an accident. Koch noted that advances in microsurgery enable surgeons to reattach, replace or repair hands and fingers that are injured in snowblower accidents. More information The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers tips to prevent snow-shoveling and snowblower injuries