May 10th, 2010
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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) may still be transmitted through needles long after their first use, according to a U.S. study presented at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco. Syringes larger and cooler temperatures associated with longer survival of the virus, up to two months.
Most people with chronic hepatitis C virus infected through sharing drug injection equipment. HCV infection rates ranged from about 30% to 90% in various groups of injecting drug users, far higher than the HIV prevalence.
While measures such as drug harm reduction needle exchange program has dramatically reduced new HIV infections among people who inject, step-by-step reduction of the adverse effect of injecting drug use has less impact on hepatitis C. In addition, transmission of HCV occurs ten times more frequently than HIV transmission by hypodermic needle through the accident.
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May 7th, 2010
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Chocolate has always been known as a happy food. It puts smiles on faces, whether it is in bunny shapes for children or with exotic ingredients in truffles for adults. It is the go-to ingredient for milkshakes, cakes, cookies. The majority of the candy bars in the check-out line feature chocolate. How in the world can this tasty ingredient be detrimental to your mental health?
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April 27th, 2010
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You surely already know that eating a variety of healthy foods is good for the body. However, busyness and limitations of time preparing food may make people a choice in multivitamin tablets, calcium supplements and other replacement parts. Is this way can help?
According to nutrition experts, supplements might help. But, they still emphasize that the nutrients from food better than pills.
In fact, the American Dietetic Association has updated guide on nutritional supplementation and now emphasizes that eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods are the best way to get nutrients and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
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April 27th, 2010
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We childproof our kitchen cabinets, place cough syrup and aspirin out of harm’s way and keep cleaning products on a high shelf in the garage, but some items, like nicotine gum and tobacco mints are left out on a dresser, stuck in the corner of our purses, or in the console of the family minivan. And they are poisonous and potentially deadly when ingested by children.
With an increasing number of cities, counties and states mandating no-smoking zones, people are turning to alternatives, either to quit or to take the edge off during long lulls between puffs. To adults they can be lifesavers, but to children they can be life-enders. The amount of nicotine found in smokeless products that mimic children’s gum and candy, Approximately .5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight is the minimum lethal dose for a child. New products, such as the Camel Orbs, contain .83 milligrams of nicotine. These dissolving mints can easily be mistaken for ordinary candy and a small child eating several could spell disaster
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April 23rd, 2010
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More teenagers and young adults are having sex, sparking an increase in teen births in both 2006 and 2007, and putting an end to more than a decade of significant decline. In fact, nearly three quarters of a million pregnancies occurred among American females under the age of 20 in 2004 that reversed the downward trend from 1991 to 2004.
To make matters work, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young Americans are also on the rise. The annual rate of AIDS cases among boys ages 15 to 19 has almost doubled over the past decade, while the number of syphilis diagnoses are up among both teens and young adults. In addition, almost a quarter of teen girls aged 15 to 19 were infected with a human papilomavirus (HPV) from 2003 to 2004, as were almost half of young women between the ages of 20 and 25.
The troubling news comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The report was based on data compiled during the years 2002 through 2007 that was gathered from the National Vital Statistics System, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the National Survey of Family Growth and studies of hundreds of thousands children and young adults ranging in age from 10 to 25.
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April 20th, 2010
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I think we have all long known what John Gray put down in words in his bestseller, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: There are differences between the sexes, not just physically, but psychologically. And a new study being published in the May issue of Personality Individual Differences reinforces that belief.
Researchers at Brigham Young University set out to gauge hidden feelings about body image. They conducted psychological screenings of both men and women using brain imaging technology. MRI scans were employed to monitor the brain activity of the participants while they were shown computer-generated images of different body types. While viewing each image, the participants were asked to imagine that someone else was saying the model looked like them.
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April 18th, 2010
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A diagnosis of diabetes doesn’t mean you have been sentenced to a life of bland, boring food. Instead, by making just a few simple changes you can improve your diet, overall health, and those ever-important blood glucose levels.
You may not be able to completely treat your diabetes strictly through diet and exercise, however by following these basic culinary tips you may be able to better manage the rise and fall of your glucose levels throughout the day. This advice can make you feel better, more in control of your health, and you may be able to reduce your reliance on medications in managing your diabetes.
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April 17th, 2010
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While a bilberry may seem as insignificant as a “schnozberry,” something the fictional Willy Wonka might produce in his candy factory, the bilberry is actually a cousin to the blueberry and the cranberry, another low-growing shrub that gives off tiny berries chockfull of healthy antioxidants. Found throughout the world but rarely cultivated, the bilberry has a lot to offer the human body.
Although smaller than a blueberry, the bilberry has a similar taste but is almost black in color and has a potent ability to stain the skin and clothes. Apparently in Europe some dentists are known to have children swish bilberry juice in their mouth before and after brushing in order to stain hard-to-reach areas that didn’t get touched by the toothbrush. Bilberry is not yet commonly known or used but some people have started taking an extract made from the plant in order to gain the benefits without the stain-quality of the fruit.
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April 14th, 2010
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Leading up to the American Revolution in December 1773, the Boston Tea Party was the historical event that began to transform America into a coffee drinking nation. Today the U.S. is responsible for more than a third of worldwide coffee consumption at 400 million cups every day. Over the years, thousands of studies have been done examining coffee’s impact on health and, for the most part, their results are as pleasing as the aroma of that freshly brewed cup of java.
“Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful,” says Dr. Tomas DePaulis, research scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Coffee Studies. “For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good.” Coffee not only perks up energy and helps sharpen the mind, it has been shown to lessen the severity of a heart attack or stroke and protect against certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and gallstones. There’s also evidence that coffee may help stop a headache, boost mood and even prevent cavities. And a study presented this week at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research conference in Houston, Texas shows that men who drink coffee on a regular basis have an added benefit—a significantly decreased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.
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April 13th, 2010
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Last year a national analysis revealed that 20 percent of children, ages 1 to 11, are vitamin D deficient, but probably more alarming is the recent report that shows an even higher number of infants are suffering the same fate.
The recommended daily requirement of vitamin D, set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008, is 400 International Units (IU) per day, twice the amount recommended in the past. The majority of infants are not receiving the RDA, whether breast- or bottle-fed, and even fewer are receiving vitamin D supplements.
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