Coffee and Prostate Cancer

Heavy coffee drinkers may have a reduced risk of prostate cancer, study suggests.
ABC World News (5/17, story 6, 2:10, Sawyer) reported, "Fifty-eight percent of Americans drink coffee every day. But there is word tonight that even as little as one cup of coffee, even decaf coffee, could have powerful health benefits." NBC Nightly News (5/17, story 5, 2:15, Williams) noted, "It comes from the Harvard School of Public Health; and it seems to hold strong evidence that coffee can help prevent prostate cancer." The CBS Evening News (5/17, story 6, 1:05, Couric) reported, "The study involved 47,000 men and it found those who drank a lot of coffee, six or more cups a day, reduced their risk of lethal prostate cancer."
The Washington Post (5/17, Stein) "The Checkup" blog reported that researchers analyzed data from "47,911 US men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study." As part of the "large, ongoing" examination of men's health issues, participants reported their "coffee consumption every four years between 1986 and 2008." Interestingly, the men who "consumed the most coffee, which was defined as six or more cups every day, were nearly 20 percent less likely to develop any form of prostate cancer," the researchers reported in the May 17 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
According to Bloomberg News (5/18, Ostrow), the study team found that men who consumed "six or more" cups of regular or decaffeinated coffee also had a "60 percent lower risk of developing deadly metastatic prostate cancer," and one to three cups "cut the risk of lethal prostate cancer by 30 percent." The findings suggest "non-caffeine elements in coffee" may provide the benefit. Coffee contains "compounds that can reduce inflammation and regulate insulin"; and previous research linked it to a lower risk of "Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, liver cancer, cirrhosis and gallstone disease," the study authors noted.
According to HealthDay (5/17, Reinberg), lead researcher Kathryn Wilson, PhD, pointed out that coffee is a "major source of antioxidants that might have anti-cancer effects," and it may impact sex-hormone levels as well. Notably, even after accounting for "lifestyle factors, such as age, smoking, obesity and exercise, the decline in the odds for prostate cancer remained."
Meanwhile, WebMD (5/17, Doheny) noted that, according to the American Cancer Society, about "217,730 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed" in the US in 2010 and approximately "32,000 men" died of the disease. The CBS News (5/18, Freeman) website also covers the story.

ACO Options

Obama Administration unveils new ACO options.
The Washington Post (5/18, Goldstein) reports, "The Obama administration is trying to hasten the spread of new arrangements to coordinate and pay for the health care of older Americans, even as major groups of hospitals and doctors are skeptical of the government's plans." Notably, Administration health officials "announced a program Tuesday under which medical teams and health systems could begin the arrangements, known as 'accountable care organizations,' for Medicare patients by the fall." But just last week, the "American Medical Group Association, an organization of nearly 400 physician groups and health systems" in a letter to CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick, noted that a "survey had found that more than 90 percent of its members would not sign up as an ACO," because the "proposed rules, it said, are 'overly prescriptive'" and "operationally burdensome."
The Hill (5/18, Pecquet) reports in its "Healthwatch" blog that the Administration "announced three new initiatives to encourage physicians and hospitals to" adopt ACOs. These include "a Pioneer ACO Model aimed at organizations that have already started coordinating care for patients," and "an Advanced Payment ACO Initiative that would allow certain participants in the program to get part of their expected savings up front to invest in care coordination." In addition, the Administration is offering "free Accelerated Development Learning Sessions to help providers learn how they can improve care delivery and coordination."
Kaiser Health News (5/18, Gold) reports that Dr. Berwick "said in a news briefing that the complaints from provider groups were 'nothing we didn't anticipate' and showed they were engaged in the ACO discussions. The Pioneer program, he said, is another 'exciting new option.'" Meanwhile, some "health care experts say the new program is intended to get some of the major health systems," such as the American Hospital Association, "back at the ACO table." CQ (5/18, Reichard, Norman, Subscription Publication) also covers the story.

Pap Test Study Results

Study confirms three-year cervical cancer screening guidelines.
The Wall Street Journal (5/19, Gryta, Subscription Publication) reports that a study, to be detailed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting next month, established that undergoing cervical cancer screening every three years is safe for most women. The study also showed that that for women at risk for cervical cancer, testing for HPV in combination with a Pap smear is not necessary. The Journal quotes lead study author Hormuzd Katki, PhD, from the National Cancer Institute as saying, "We concluded that a single negative HPV test provided five years of extremely low cancer risk for women, and this risk was not appreciably lowered by also having a normal pap test."
The AP (5/19, Marchione) notes that the study team concluded that screening women "with no symptoms for ovarian cancer with a blood test and an ultrasound exam" does not prevent deaths and leads to "thousands of false alarms, unneeded surgeries and serious complications." The study could be considered a "warning to people who get screening tests that aren't recommended, or who question whether screening can ever hurt. 'The answer is, it could hurt a lot,'" said Dr. Allen Lichter, the CEO of ASCO, which published over 4,000 "studies Wednesday, ahead of its annual meeting next month."
The CNN (5/18, Smith) "The Chart" blog reported that the researchers followed "331,818 women who had Pap tests, HPV tests, or both." After comparing the two tests, the determined that a "positive HPV test was more predictive of cervical cancer than a positive Pap. Same goes for a negative test." Dr. Katki said Pap testing "should only be reserved for HPV-positive women."
MedPage Today (5/18, Smith) noted that the current guidelines from the "American Cancer Society say women over 30 who have had three normal Pap test results in a row can get screened every two to three" years. The new study "provides 'very solid data to make us comfortable' with recommendations for a three-year gap between tests, according to ASCO President George Sledge Jr., MD, of Indiana University in Indianapolis." The study was also covered by HealthDay (5/18, Gardner), and WebMD (5/18, Mann).

Paralyzed Man Stands

Experimental electrical stimulation treatment allows paralyzed man to stand on his own.
ABC World News (5/19, story 11, 2:00, Muir) reported, "More than a million Americans are living with spinal cord injuries in this country."
The CBS Evening News (5/19, story 2, 2:40, Couric) reported, "Now, for the first time, a patient paralyzed from the waist down, a 25-year-old man, was able to stand up on his own and take a few steps," thanks to "an experimental new treatment."
USA Today (5/20, Marcus, Szabo) reports that, according to research published online May 20 in The Lancet, "scientists from the University of Louisville, UCLA, and the California Institute of Technology" used "electronic stimulation of the spinal cord" to help Rob Summers, who was "struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run accident" five years ago.
As a result of the treatment, Summers can "move his hips, knees, ankles and toes voluntarily," the Los Angeles Times (5/20, Maugh) reports. What's more, he has "regained some bladder and sexual function after intensive rehabilitation and two years of electrical stimulation to his damaged spinal cord with a device normally used for pain relief."
The New York Times (5/20, A12, Grady, Subscription Publication) reports that "surgeons implanted electrodes in the lower part of his back to stimulate his spinal cord. The electrodes are attached to a pulse generator, similar to a pacemaker, which is also fully implanted and controlled by a remote device outside the body." Next, "the device was switched on for about two hours a day, for therapy sessions." Amazingly, just after three days, Summers was able to support his own body weight briefly, effectively standing on his own after the release of a supporting harness.

New York Smokin Ban

New York City outdoor smoking ban effective.
The CBS Evening News (5/22, story 9, 2:00, Mitchell) reported, "Smokers considering a visit to New York City should consider themselves warned. The city that has already extinguished most indoor smoking is taking aim now at the great outdoors." CBS (Dow) explained, "New York City is now taking the war against tobacco a step further with a new law that goes into effect tomorrow banning smoking outdoors at beaches, boardwalks, parks, and pedestrian plazas. .. New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a former smoker, pushed for the law that aims to drastically reduce if not eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke."

DASH Diet is Best

US News & World Report ranks DASH as best diet.
The CNN (6/8, Park) "The Chart" blog reported that although the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet, which was "created by the National Institutes of Health," does not have the "marketing firepower that commercial diets with now-svelte celebrities have," it took the "top stop" in US News and World Reports' best diets rankings.
The New York Daily News (6/9, Glodwert) notes that DASH "adheres to principles that seem simple, yet aren't widely followed during this era of convenience food and expanding obesity: balance, specifically of protein, good carbs, and fats," US News said in a press release. The diet's menus feature "vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products, as well as whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts. Limited portions of red meats, sweets and sugary beverages are allowed as well." Notably, it has been shown to "help girls keep excessive weight off during their teen years." The Huffington Post (6/8, Pearson) also covered the story.

Chemicals and Cancer Risk

Updated government carcinogens report links two common chemicals with cancer risk.
On its website, ABC News (6/10, Murray) reported that HHS added "eight more substances to its 'known human carcinogen' or 'reasonably anticipated to be carcinogen' lists today, one week after a World Health Organization study concluded that cell phones may cause cancer."
The Los Angeles Times (6/10, Dennis) "Booster Shots" blog reported that formaldehyde "now officially falls into the 'known to be a human carcinogen' category," and styrene can now "officially be described as 'reasonably anticipated' to be cancer-causing," according to the Department of Health and Human Services' updated " Report on Carcinogens."
In a front-page story, the New York Times (6/13, A1, Harris, Subscription Publication) reports that the federal government on Friday issued warnings about the "two materials used daily by millions of Americans." The report by NIH's National Toxicology Program found evidence that styrene, which is used in "boats, bathtubs, and in disposable foam plastic cups and plates," may increase the risks of "cancer of the pancreas and esophagus," the report found. Consumers can be exposed to styrene from the "fumes of building materials, photocopiers and tobacco smoke." According to the AP (6/11), NIH says the greatest exposure to styrene is "through cigarette smoking."
The Time (6/10, Walsh) "Healthland" explained that the report found that "concerning amounts of formaldehyde could be encountered in plywood and particle boards, as well as in hair salons and in mortuaries," and the exposure is "most intense" among workers in "some manufacturing plants." With formaldehyde and styrene, the government also added captafol, cobalt-tungsten carbide, "certain inhalable glass wool fibers, o-nitrotoluene," and riddelliine to its twelfth report, bringing the total to 240 carcinogens. Notably, studies of mortuary workers "exposed to high levels of formaldehyde have shown increased incidences of certain kinds of rare nasal cancers."
The New York Daily News (6/10) noted that the report also linked formaldehyde to leukemia. The American Cancer Society "said consumers should not worry about cups or food containers, but should shelve personal products with formaldehyde."
The Washington Post (6/11, Stein) noted that most of the cancer risk evidence "came from people exposed to relatively high levels in industrial settings. 'A listing...does not by itself mean that a substance will cause cancer,'" said Dr. John Bucher, associate director of the National Toxicology Program. Moreover, Dr. Bucher said the updated listings "do not trigger any immediate new restrictions on the substances, but other government agencies may use the information in the future as part of their regulatory decisions." He said individuals can use the list to "make personal choices," noting that most people's "routine exposure to the newly listed substances was probably low."

Breast Cancer Advice

Oncologist: Advice for daughters of women with breast cancer is for all women.
The Wall Street Journal (6/13, Hobson, Subscription Publication) "Health Blog" reported that iCarly co-star Jennette McCurdy has been posting on the Journal's Speakeasy blog about her mother's struggle with advanced breast cancer. Thus, the "Health Blog" asked Dr. Marisa Weiss, a breast cancer oncologist, who survived breast cancer and founded breastcancer.org, how she would advise young women who may be concerned their mother's breast cancer increases their risk of developing the disease. The Journal quotes Weiss, who co-wrote "Taking Care of Your 'Girls': A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens and In-Betweens," with her own daughter, as saying that because most breast cancer cases are not hereditary, "all women and girls need to be mindful of how to reduce" breast cancer risk. Weiss' recommendations include maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, minimizing alcoholic drinks, and avoiding smoking.

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Alzheimers Risk Diet

Low-fat, low-glycemic diet may lower risk for Alzheimer's.
HealthDay (6/13, Gardner) reported, "The low-fat, low-glycemic diet often promoted for general health and well-being may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease if adopted early in life," according to a study published online June 13 in the Archives of Neurology. For the study, "twenty healthy adults and 29 with mild memory problems that could be predictive of Alzheimer's followed either a high-fat, high simple-carbohydrate diet ('HIGH' diet) or a diet lower in fat and simple carbohydrates ('LOW' diet)."
"Healthy people who ate high-fat, high-glycemic-index diets for one month saw increases in spinal fluid levels of beta-amyloid, a fibrous protein that clogs the brains of people who have Alzheimer's disease," WebMD (6/13, Goodman) reported. "Eating a low-fat, low-glycemic-index diet, on the other hand, lowered levels of beta-amyloid in healthy adults and improved other markers of inflammation and damage in both groups." And, "for both groups, the low-fat, low-glycemic-index diet also improved delayed visual memory, which is the ability to remember and recognize complex patterns."

Weight Loss Surgery Risk Factors

Researchers provide top six weight-loss surgery risk factors.
The Los Angeles Times (6/15, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported that although weight-loss surgery is "safe and effective for most people," complications do occur. Researchers reported Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery that they had "devised a list of the top six risk factors." The factors include age, type of operation (gastric bypass or gastric band), surgical technique (open or minimally invasive surgery), patient gender, insurance type, and presence of type 2 diabetes.
Rush to discharge weight-loss surgery patients may raise risks. HealthDay (6/15, Preidt) reported that weight loss surgery "patients who are discharged from the hospital too soon after undergoing gastric bypass have an increased risk of complications and death," according to findings presented at the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery meeting. After analyzing data from "nearly 52,000 gastric bypass" patients, researchers found that those released from the hospital the "day of surgery were 12 times more likely to have serious complications (1.9 percent versus 0.16 percent) and 13 times more likely to die than patients who left the hospital after the US average of a two-day stay."

Abuse Proof Oxycodone

FDA approves abuse-resistant form of oxycodone.
The AP (6/20) reported, "Pfizer Inc. and Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday the Food and Drug Administration approved a powerful painkiller that is designed to be harder to abuse." The agency "cleared marketing of Oxecta [oxycodone HCl tablets] as an immediate-release treatment for moderate to severe pain. The drug is designed to discourage common methods of abuse like crushing or dissolving, and it contains a compound that irritates the nose if it is snorted."

Foods and Weight Gain

Certain foods may lead to more weight gain than others.
ABC World News (6/22, story 7, 2:35, Sawyer) reported that "there's some specific food targets that may be the biggest culprits" behind weight gain, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The AP (6/23, Chang) reports that for the study, which received funding from the National Institutes of Health, physicians "analyzed changes in diet and lifestyle habits of 120,877 people from three long-running medical studies. All were health professionals and not obese at the start." Participants' "weight was measured every four years for up to two decades, and they detailed their diet on questionnaires."
USA Today (6/23, Hellmich) reports that participants "gained an average of 3.35 pounds over four-year periods and almost 17 pounds over the two decades."
The Washington Post (6/23, Stein) reports, "Among all the foods studied, potatoes stood out." The researchers "found that even mashed, baked or boiled potatoes were unexpectedly plumping, perhaps because of their effect on the hormone insulin."
CNN /Health.com (6/23, Harding) reports that "eating one serving of potato chips per day was associated with an extra 1.7 pounds every four years, while a daily serving of french fries was associated with an extra 3.4 pounds."
The Los Angeles Times (6/23, Hernandez) reports that the researchers also found that "for each additional sugary soft drink consumed per day, participants in the study gained an average of 1 pound over four years. Extra servings of red meats and processed meats did only slightly less damage." Meanwhile, "consuming an extra alcoholic drink translated into close to half a pound more on the scale every four years."
Bloomberg News (6/23, Ostrow) reports, however, that "yogurt helped people lose about 0.82 pounds, the study found." Meanwhile, "eating nuts...lowered weight by 0.57 pounds." The Wall Street Journal (6/23, Hobson, Subscription Publication) also covers the story.

Reflux and Eating

Experts say major culprit of acid reflux is eating too much.
In a front-page story, Sacramento Bee (5/12, 1A, Creamer) reported that acid reflux is "on the rise in America, with 25 million people experiencing daily symptoms," up from "15 million only a decade ago," according to the American Gastroenterological Association. Moreover, another 60 million report having heartburn once a month. "Blame stress and an aging population -- and above all, experts say, blame Americans' habit of eating too much," because even modest weight gain can lead to acid reflux. Women with a BMI of "25 to 27, considered only slightly overweight, are more than twice as likely to develop the disease, Boston University researchers have found."

Vitamin D and Psoriasis

Study explains why vitamin D may benefit patients with psoriasis.
WebMD (5/12, Boyles) reported, "Ultraviolet light therapy and vitamin D creams are widely prescribed treatments for psoriasis, and now a new study may help explain why they work for so many patients." Investigators "say the vitamin D-based treatments increase the binding of a peptide called cathelicidin to DNA, which, in turn, inhibits the inflammatory response that triggers psoriasis." This "finding may one day lead to better treatments for the painful skin condition that specifically target cathelicidin." The study was published in the May 11 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Toddler Sleep Disruption

Marital instability may have negative impact on toddlers' sleep patterns.
The CNN (5/11, Hagan) "The Chart" blog reported that infants "exposed to their parents' marital discord may be more likely to experience sleep issues during toddlerhood," according to a study published in the journal Child Development. After following 357 families, all of whom had adopted unrelated infants "during the first three months of the child's life," researchers found that marital "instability when an infant was nine months old predicted whether the child would have issues falling asleep and staying asleep at 18 months of age."
The Time (5/11, Rochman) "Healthland" blog reported that the researchers assessed marital instability "via questions that asked mostly middle-class, white, educated husbands and wives individually whether they'd considered consulting an attorney and, more generally, 'has the thought of separating or getting a divorce crossed your mind?'" The higher a couple "scored on marital instability measures, the greater the likelihood of them reporting their children had sleep problems -- falling asleep, staying asleep, or frequent night wakings." Notably, the association between "marital discord and poor infant sleep remained constant even when factoring in birth order, parental anxiety, and infant fussiness." In contrast, HealthDay (5/11, Preidt) noted, the researchers found that infants' "sleep patterns had no effect on parents' relationships."

Bedbug Bacteria

Bedbugs found carrying two types of drug-resistant bacteria.
The Washington Post (5/12, Sun) reports that "a peer-reviewed study (pdf) published online Wednesday in" the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, a publication of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicates that bedbugs "could play a role in transmitting disease. In a tiny sample of bedbugs, collected from a small number of residents living in crowded conditions in a poor neighborhood in Canada, researchers found the drug-resistant bacterium known as MRSA."
For the study, USA Today (5/12, Weise) reports, "researchers took five bedbugs that patients had brought in and crushed and analyzed them." Not only did investigators find "MRSA on three of them," they also found on the other two bedbugs "VRE – vancomycin-resistant enterococcus faecium, a less dangerous form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria."
The AP (5/12, Stobbe) reports, "Bedbugs have not been known to spread disease, and there's no clear evidence that the five bedbugs found on the patients or their belongings had spread MRSA or a second less dangerous drug-resistant germ." Nevertheless, "bedbugs can cause itching that can lead to excessive scratching. That can cause breaks in the skin that make people more susceptible to these bacteria, noted...one of the study's authors."
According to HealthDay (5/11, Preidt), "These findings suggest that bedbugs may act as a 'hidden environmental reservoir' that promotes the spread of MRSA in overcrowded and impoverished communities, the researchers said in a CDC news release." The researchers concluded, "Further studies are needed to characterize the association between S. aureus and bedbugs."
Also covering the story were the National Journal (5/12, Fox, Subscription Publication), Bloomberg News (5/11, Peterson), the Los Angeles Times (5/11, Cevallos) "Booster Shots" blog, and WebMD (5/11, DeNoon).

Drug Shortage

Drug shortages cast as "national epidemic."
The St. Petersburg (FL) Times (5/12, Maher) reports on "the growing ranks of Americans affected by a national epidemic of drug shortages" that have made it difficult to find "certain antibiotics, high blood pressure medicine, and muscle relaxants" as well as injectable gold, ADHD medications. "Even more worrisome are shortages of injected drugs used for cancer treatment, anesthesia during surgeries and other life-saving functions." The shortage of generic drugs is "particularly critical to people whose insurance will pay only for generics." The FDA "maintains a website that lists medically necessary products -- used to treat serious illnesses -- that are difficult or impossible to get," and "as of Wednesday there were 192 drugs on the shortage list."

Health Care Costs

Report: Health costs have more than doubled for some US families over past nine years.
The AP (5/12) reports, "A new study from the consulting firm Milliman says healthcare costs have more than doubled for some American families over the past nine years, and they show few signs of dropping."
CNNMoney (5/12, Kavilanz) reports, "American families who are insured through their jobs average healthcare costs of $19,393 this year, up 7.3%, or $1,319 from last year, according to...Milliman." Perhaps "more significantly, employers are making workers shoulder an even bigger share of total healthcare expenses." Meanwhile, "of the $1,319 annual increase, workers' out-of-pocket costs this year rose 9.2."

Coffee and Breast Cancer

Daily coffee consumption may be associated with reduced breast cancer risk.
HealthDay (5/10, Mozes) reported that women who "drink a substantial amount of coffee each day may lower their risk for developing a particular type of breast cancer," according to a study in Breast Cancer Research. The researchers assessed "5,929 Swedish women, aged 50 to 74," half of whom had breast cancer. Drinking coffee "appeared to spur a 'strong reduction' in risk for ER-negative breast cancer." Women who drank "five cups of coffee a day had a 33 percent to 57 percent lower risk for ER-negative cancer than did those who drank less than one cup a day."
However, WebMD (5/10, Doheny) noted that a "US expert warns that the new finding about reduction in risk for ER-negative breast cancer could be due to chance. The only solid message from this study and previous ones, says Shumin Zhang, MD, ScD, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, is this: 'Drinking coffee doesn't seem to increase the overall risk of breast cancer.'"

Twins and Longer Life

Women who have twins may live longer, study suggests.
The Los Angeles Times (5/10, Stein) "Booster Shots" blog reported, "Women who have twins naturally may live longer and have other child-bearing advantages compared with non-twin-bearing mothers," according to a study published online May 10 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. After examining "statistics on 58,786 women who were born between 1807 and 1899," investigators "discovered that twin-bearing mothers lived longer after menopause."
On its website, KTVX-TV Salt Lake City, UT (5/10), an ABC affiliate, reported, "Ken Smith, a professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah, is the senior author of the study funded by the National Institute on Aging." Smith "says mothers of multiples may not only carry a gene that increases their likelihood of twins, it may be the gene that causes the improved health of that woman." He stated, "The women are healthier to begin with, and it's that initial health status, that allows them to bear twins, and that also allows them to live longer."

Tanning Risk

Many US tanning salons not warning teens about skin cancer risks.
HealthDay (5/10, Preidt) reported, "Many tanning salons in the United States don't warn teens and young women about the skin cancer risks posed by tanning beds, according to" the results of an online poll conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology. The "poll included more than 3,800 white females aged 14 to 22 from across the country who were asked about their tanning knowledge, attitudes and behavior." Notably, "the survey found that 43 percent of indoor tanners said they had never been warned about the dangers of tanning beds by tanning salon employees, and 30 percent said they hadn't noticed any warning labels on tanning beds."

Home Health Risks

Florida physicians will be banned from asking patients whether there are guns in the home.
The Los Angeles Times (5/10, Khan) "Booster Shots" blog reported, "Doctors will be banned from asking patients whether there are guns in the home, under legislation expected to be signed into law by Florida Gov. Rick Scott." The blog entry pointed out, "Whether a person has guns in the house may not immediately sound like a medical or health-oriented question -- unless you count not dying as a health issue." For example, physicians may ask their patients if they have a swimming pool to counsel them on related safety issues, particularly if they have youngsters. "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of all unintentional deaths of children between one and four years of age were due to drowning in 2007." Like swimming pools, firearms in the home pose a safety risk, the blog entry observed.

Meditation Prescription

More physicians referring patients for meditation, other alternative treatments.
ABC World News (5/10, story 7, 2:50, Sawyer) reported, "There is a new report finding 40% of us now are turning to alternative treatments, especially meditation." ABC (Harris) added, "Meditation, once considered supremely flakey, is now being used by the Marines, by corporate executives from General Mills to Target to Google, by students in classrooms all over America and now, according to this new study, by roughly three million patients on the recommendation of their doctors."
The Boston Globe "Daily Dose" blog reported, "A study published yesterday in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that some three percent of Americans, who responded to a government health survey, were practicing some sort of mind-body therapy as a result of a physician referral." That is "far less than the more than 15 percent of respondents surveyed who said they initiated these therapies on their own. But, hey, it's a start, considering how resistant doctors have been to adopting alternative remedies that veer away from mainstream medicine."

Cancer and Insurance Rates

More patients survive cancer but face battle over insurance costs.
In the Huffington Post (5/10), Cedars-Sinai Department of Medicine Chair Glenn D. Braunstein, MD, writes, "'You have cancer.' Those three words once braced patients for a worst-case scenario." For some, the "bad news is, it still does. But now there's positive news to report": The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute have "released new findings saying that one in every 20 Americans is now a cancer survivor." The data show deceased mortality rates "in both sexes for cancers of the colon, brain, stomach, kidney and lung, as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia." Meanwhile, in their "continued fight for health, cancer survivors also often must battle insurers," and higher insurance "costs for a longer period of time mean a harder-hit pocket book."

Exercise and Colon Polyps

Even minimal exercise may protect against colon polyps.
HealthDay (5/8, Gardner) reported, "Even a little exercise may ward off polyps in the colon, which are sometimes precursors to cancer," according to findings presented Sunday at Digestive Disease Week in Chicago. In study, half of the nearly 1,000 middle-aged patients of "different ethnic and racial" groups, who were at "no increased risk for colon cancer or polyps" exercised for "at least an hour a week." About "two-thirds" of the participants were overweight. By performing screening colonoscopies, the researchers found that participants who "exercised one or more hours a week had a 25.3 percent risk of polyps, versus 33.2 percent for those who didn't meet this exercise threshold. ... Also, 'individuals who exercised for at least three years had increased protection from colon polyps,'" said study author Dr. Nelson Sanchez from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Childhood Food Allergies

One in 12 children may suffer from food allergies.
NBC Nightly News (5/8, story 7, 2:15, Holt) reported, "A new study to be published in the Journal of Pediatrics will show a big increase in the number of children who suffer from food allergies," some of which "can be life threatening." NBC (Sanders) explained that a new study "funded by the Food Allergy Initiative...found one in 12 children have food allergies, almost twice as many as initially thought. Forty percent of those with allergies have a life-threatening condition."

Airplane Emergencies

Physicians urge airlines to develop better in-flight medical-emergency procedures.
HealthDay (5/7, Preidt) reported that the airline industry "needs to standardize procedures and equipment for in-flight medical emergencies," according to a commentary published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Over a "five-year period, European airlines identified 10,000 in-flight medical emergencies, but the issue doesn't get the attention it deserves," said Dr. study authors Melissa Mattison and Dr. Mark Zeidel, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. They also noted that US Federal Aviation Administration "requires flight attendants to be trained in CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators, yet does not require standard curriculum or testing." The authors outlined a "four-step plan to improve the handling of in-flight emergencies."

ER Wait Times

Redirecting non-urgent visitors may reduce ED wait times.
The Wall Street Journal (5/9, Martin, Subscription Publication) spotlighted some solutions to alleviate increasingly longer emergency-department wait times. For one, urgent-care centers or retail healthcare clinics could accommodate approximately 14% to 27% of all visits that presently take at hospital emergency-departments, according to a study published in the September 2010 issue of Health Affairs. Programs that refer non-urgent ED visitors elsewhere are working as well. For example, in 2006, the Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, started using a program that refers non-urgent ED patients to alternate providers. According to Aurora Sinai's ED Director Dr. Paul Coogan, the program enabled the hospital to reduce its ED visits by roughly 23% annually.

Smokers in Court

Court rules smokers may sue tobacco industry two years after developing related disease.
The Los Angeles Times (5/6, Dolan) reports, "Smokers may sue the tobacco industry once they develop a disease like lung cancer, even if they suffered different smoking-related ailments years earlier, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday." In the case before the court, "Nikki Pooshs, a former smoker, was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 1989 and a couple of years later with periodontal disease," but she "did not sue the tobacco industry until she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2003." Cigarette makers "argued that her suit should be dismissed because the timetable for suing began when she first discovered that smoking had injured her in 1989."
The San Francisco Chronicle (5/6, Egelko) reports, "A federal judge dismissed the suit, saying Pooshs' two-year clock had started running when she was diagnosed with a noncancerous lung disease in 1989." She had known that "both illnesses were smoking-related," the judge said. Pooshs "appealed to the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, which then asked the state's high court, the top authority on California law, to interpret the timetables," and on Thursday, the justices "ruled unanimously that someone diagnosed with a new disease, not caused by previous illnesses, has two years to sue from the date of the diagnosis."

Bisphosphonates and Fractures

Bisphosphonates may increase rare fracture risk.
The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Marcus, Subscription Publication) reports that, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the use of bisphosphonates increase the risk rare fractures of the thigh bone.
HealthDay (5/4, Reinberg) reported that, for the study, Dr. Per Aspenberg, of Linköping University in Sweden, and colleagues, "collected data on 12,777 women, aged 55 and older, who had fractured femurs in 2008. Among these women, they identified 59 with atypical fractures." The researchers "used data from registries to estimate the use of bisphosphonates. In addition, they compared the 59 cases of atypical fractures with 263 women who had typical fractures."
MedPage Today (5/4, Gever) reported, "Whereas the rate of atypical subtrochanteric femoral fractures in the general population of older Swedish women not using bisphosphonates was 0.09 per 10,000 person-years, it was 5.5 per 10,000 person-years among those who did take the drugs (age-adjusted relative risk 47.3, 95% CI 25.6 to 87.3)."
WebMD (5/4, Doheny) reported that duration of use "affected risk." For every "100 days of bisphosphonate use, the risk of the unusual fracture rose by 30%" but the risks "declined quickly after the drug was stopped." The risk was "reduced by 70% per year since the last use of the drug"; and for "one unusual fracture to occur, 2,000 women had to take the bisphosphonate drugs for one year."

Adderall Shortage

Drug to treat AD/HD in short supply.
The Washington Post (5/4, Stein) "The Checkup" blog reported that "reports are emerging that many parents are having a hard time finding some drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). The biggest problem appears to be shortages of the drug Adderall XR (Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine) and its two generic versions." According to Shire Pharmaceuticals spokesperson "Matt Cabrey, the problem is due to 'supply and distribution irregularities' that 'are due mainly to the restricted amount of active ingredient' used to make the drugs."

New Diabetes Drug

FDA approves new type 2 diabetes treatment.
Bloomberg News (5/3, Peterson) reports, "Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH won US approval of a new drug to improve blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes." The medication, Trajenta (linagliptin) was "shown to be safe and effective in eight clinical studies involving about 3,800 patients with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease," the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
The AP (5/3, Perrone) reports that the FDA approved the a DPP-4 inhibitor as a "stand-alone treatment or in combination with older diabetes" medications. Boehringer and Lilly "submitted eight studies of the drug that enrolled more than 3,800 patients. The drug consistently improved blood sugar control when compared to placebo. The most common side effects of the drug were respiratory infection, sore throat, muscle pain and headache."
MedPage Today (5/2, Fiore) noted that unlike the "other approved DPP-4 inhibitors sitagliptin (Januvia) and saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin is not excreted through the kidneys, so it may be especially appropriate for patients who have renal problems." According to Medscape (5/2, Lowes), linagliptin, which "comes in tablet form, boosts the level of hormones that stimulate the release of insulin after a meal by blocking an enzyme called dipeptidyl peptidase-4." HealthDay (5/2) also covered the story.

Children's Hospital Stay

Children whose parents do not speak English fluently have longer inpatient hospital stays than peers.
MedPage Today (5/2, Smith) reported, "When parents don't speak English well, their children may have longer inpatient stays if they need to be hospitalized," according to a study published online in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. For the nine-year retrospective analysis, Michael Levas, MD, and colleagues from Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Missouri, reviewed medical record of "1,257 children admitted to their hospital from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2008 for infection requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment" and found that "sick children with parents whose English proficiency was limited spent 60% longer in hospital than those whose parents spoke fluently."

Social People and Dementia

Highly social individuals may have decreased risk of dementia.
The Time (5/3, Szalavitz) "Healthland" blog reports that the most "social seniors had a 70% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline, compared with their least social peers," according to a study in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Researchers followed "1,138 people" (average age 79) without dementia for five years. They found that each "one-point increase on the social activity score was linked to a 47% drop in the rate of decline in cognitive function." An earlier study of the "same group of elderly participants by the same researchers also found that each one-point increase in sociability reduced the risk of becoming physically disabled by 43%."

Waist Fat Risk

Fat around waist may increase risk of death in patients with coronary artery disease.
The Los Angeles Times (5/2, Healy) "Booster Shots" blog reported that, "for people with coronary artery disease, including those with a 'normal, healthy' body-mass index (or BMI), having even a little flubber around the middle is a bad omen, increasing the risk of death as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or having very high cholesterol," according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The researchers found that "having a BMI in the 'overweight' or 'obese' category does not, by itself, imply a grim prognosis."
The Wall Street Journal (5/3, Winslow, Subscription Publication) reports that, according to Michael Lauer, director of cardiovascular sciences at the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, "Fat is not created equal and where fat is located makes a difference."
CNN /Health.com (5/3, Harding) reports that "the paradox appears to be explained by the simple fact that BMI is a very flawed measure of heart risk. Waist size provides a far more accurate way to predict a heart patient's chances of dying at an early age from a heart attack or other causes, the study found."
MedPage Today (5/2, Smith) reported that "the findings could have important clinical implications, the researchers argued, because it's generally accepted that if body mass index is normal, 'no further measures of obesity are necessary, and no lifestyle modifications to induce weight loss might be recommended.'"

Concierge Medicine

More physicians opting for concierge medicine.
In the New York Times (4/30, B6, Subscription Publication) Wealth Matters column, Paul Sullivan wrote about "a growing subset of" healthcare: concierge medicine. "MDVIP, which has 450 concierge doctors in 34 states, charges patients $1,500 to $1,800 a year. Their doctors are each limited to 600 patients, whereas, the company says, most primary care physicians serve at least 2,000 patients." The company "says appointments with doctors 'start on time and last as long as necessary' and can usually be made the same day or the next one."

Infants and Herbs

FDA researchers find infants being given potentially harmful herbal supplements.
The AP (5/2) reports, "New research suggests many US babies are fed herbal supplements or teas." A study by Food and Drug Administration researchers "was released Monday in the journal Pediatrics and is billed as the first to examine broad use of such products in American infants."
Bloomberg News (5/2, Ostrow) reports that the researchers found that "one in 10 infants are given herbal teas and supplements to ease digestion or fussiness." The investigators found that "gripe water, a formula containing ginger and fennel used for colic and gas, chamomile, an herb used in tea, and teething tablets, which may also contain botanical ingredients, were the most commonly used supplements."
WebMD (5/2, Goodman) reports that "the more weeks a mom breastfed her infant, the more likely she was to give the infant an herbal supplement or tea, the study found."

Armadillos and Leprosy

Genetic sequencing confirms armadillos can transmit some leprosy strains to humans.
The AP (4/28, Chang) reports, "With some genetic sleuthing, scientists have fingered a likely culprit in the spread of leprosy in the southern US: the nine-banded armadillo." According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, DNA tests "show a match in the leprosy strain between some patients and these prehistoric-looking critters."
Bloomberg News (4/28, Ostrow) reports that the researchers identified the "same strain of leprosy in 28 of 33 wild armadillos and 25 of 39 patients who lived in states where the animals are common." Exposure to "fresh armadillo blood or tissue raises the risk of leprosy infection," the study authors said.
The New York Times (4/28, A7, Harris, Subscription Publication) reports that the cases are concentrated in "Louisiana and Texas, where some people hunt, skin and eat armadillos." Leprosy now joins a "host of other infectious diseases -- including flu, HIV/AIDS and SARS -- that are known to have jumped from animals to humans."
The Los Angeles Times (4/28, Brown) notes that annually, about "100 to 150 people" in the US are "diagnosed with the malady, which is also known as Hansen's disease. ... 'It doesn't mean people need to run away from armadillos the way they do a rattlesnake, but people need to be careful,'" said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, which "helped fund the research."

Autism Screening Test

New early screening test detects autism in children as young as one year.
USA Today (4/28, Szabo) reports an "early screening test for autism, designed to detect signs of the condition in babies as young as 1 year old, could revolutionize the care of autistic children, experts say, by getting them diagnosed and treated years earlier than usual." The 24-item "checklist takes just five minutes to complete and can be filled out in a pediatrician's waiting room, when parents bring children for their routine 12-month checkup, says a study of more than 10,000 infants," published in the Journal of Pediatrics. The study was funded "by the National Institutes of Health and others."
The San Diego Union-Tribune (4/28, Lavelle) reports researchers at UCSD "say a promising tool in diagnosing autism early and getting treatment for the syndrome could start with asking parents to fill out a simple questionnaire at their baby's one-year checkup." Dr. Karen Pierce, "assistant director of the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence, recruited 137 San Diego pediatricians for a study that has screened nearly 10,500 1-year-olds for a possible autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay, using a 24-item questionnaire." The questionnaire "has the potential for identifying children with autism early enough to get treatment while their brains are developing internal connections," Pierce said.
The AP (4/28, Neergaard) reports the research "is a first step in the quest for earlier autism screening." Experts "say early therapy can lessen autism's severity, even if they don't know exactly what types will prove best." Dr. Lisa Gilotty of the National Institute of Mental Health says, "The earlier you start, the better."
The Washington Post (4/28, Stein) reports by "allowing scientists to study children with autism when they are younger, it could also provide crucial new insights into the disease's causes, further dispelling discredited theories about vaccines and other supposed risk factors, as well as leading to better ways to diagnose and treat the disorder." Thomas R. Insel of the National Institute of Mental Health said, "Beyond this exciting proof of concept, such a screening program would answer parents' concerns . . . with more confidence than has ever been done before." The Wall Street Journal (4/28, Wang, Subscription Publication) also reports the study.

Eating Out with Allergies

Restaurants may be unsafe for people with food allergies.
HealthDay (4/26, Gordon) reported that according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), as many as "12 million Americans" have food allergies; and the primary culprits are "milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, soy and wheat." Although it is "easy to control your environment," restaurant food may not be safe. A study the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy, which included "managers, waiters and chefs at 90 restaurants," found that although only 33 percent "said they'd had specific" food allergy training, "81 percent said they still felt confident they could provide a safe meal to a customer with food allergies." Moreover, 38 percent erroneously "believed that people with food allergies could drink water to dilute the allergen and lessen" the allergic reaction severity; and another 23 percent mistakenly thought eating only a "small amount of a food allergen" was safe.

Housebound Elderly and Dementia

Analysis suggests "housebound" elderly may be more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.
HealthDay (4/26, Dotinga) reported that seniors who are "'housebound' seem to have nearly double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease," according to a study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Researchers followed "1,294 seniors from two separate studies of older adults whose health was being tracked over time." Although no seniors "showed signs of dementia" at the beginning of this study, over an average "4.4 years, 180 developed Alzheimer's disease."

Pain Pill Combination

FDA approves pain-relief treatment that reduces arthritis, ulcer risk.
The Chicago Tribune (4/25, Japsen) reported, "The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a Skokie drug maker's pain-relief pill that reduces the risk of stomach ulcers by combining the pain-relief drug ibuprofen with a high dose of famotidine, the active ingredient in the antacid Pepcid." Horizon Pharma said the agency's "approval of Duexis (ibuprofen/ famotidine), a combination of 800 milligrams of ibuprofen and 26.6 milligrams of famotidine should be available in the second half of this year."

Wine and Sea Salt

Many Americans may not be well informed about sea salt, red wine.
HealthDay (4/25, Preidt) reported that "most Americans have heard that red wine has health benefits, but many don't understand the need to limit consumption, finds an American Heart Association survey." Most respondents also "mistakenly believe that sea salt is a low-sodium alternative to table salt," the survey found. Among the "1,000 adults polled, 76 percent agreed with the statement that wine can be good for your heart, but only 30 percent knew the AHA's recommended limits for daily wine consumption."

Obese Teen Risk

Obese teenagers as likely to participate in risky behavior as thinner peers.
The Time (4/25, Melnick) "Healthland" blog reported, "Obese teens tend to be socially outcast, and so researchers had long assumed they were less likely to engage in the kinds of risky social behaviors that mark traditional adolescence: drinking, smoking and hooking up." However, according to a survey published in the May issue of Pediatrics, "obese teens are just as likely to participate in these rites of teenhood as their thinner peers. In some ways, obese teens' behavior is even riskier."
The Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots" blog reported, "Psychologists at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio compared the 'risky' behavior of 410 teens who were extremely obese (body-mass index in the 99th percentile) with 8,669 normal-weight teens (body-mass index within the 5th and 84th percentiles) using the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a national survey of high school students conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey asked how often the teenagers used drugs, tobacco or alcohol, had sexual encounters, and experienced suicidal thoughts or attempts."
WebMD (4/25, Goodman) reported researchers found that "extremely obese girls were about twice as likely as slimmer students as to have ever tried cigarettes or to be current smokers. Extremely obese boys were about 50% more likely than their normal-weight counterparts to have ever tried cigarettes or to have started smoking before age 13." The researchers also found that "although heavy girls were about half as likely as their slimmer peers to have ever had sex, when they did have intercourse, they were nearly five times more likely to do so under the influence of alcohol or drugs." CNN (4/25, Caruso) "The Chart" blog and MedPage Today (4/25, Walsh) also covered the story.