Health News Blog

Breast Cancer Survival May Run in Families

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- Women can look to their mothers and sisters to help determine their chances of survival from breast cancer, new research suggests.

This Swedish study, published in the online issue of Breast Cancer Research, found that if a woman succumbs to breast cancer, her daughters or sisters have a 60 percent increased risk of dying from the disease if they develop it.

Led by Mikael Hartman from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. a team of researchers used Sweden's Multi-Generation Register to identify 2,787 mother-daughter pairs and 831 sister pairs of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1961 and 2001.

How to prevent "Nintendo thumb"

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

Exercises, posture — and breaks — can protect kids from repetitive, strain injuries

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U.S. Stocks Edge Lower Ahead of Open

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stock futures indicated a slightly lower opening on Friday as investors digested the Federal Reserve's latest move and took positions ahead of a report on consumer spending. Policymakers said Thursday the economy appeared to be growing at a "moderate" pace but offered a cautious reading on inflation. Stocks finished essentially flat after the Fed left rates unchanged, and Wall Street is now looking for further economic data to determine if inflation is easing. The Comme...

It's Never Too Late to Get Healthy

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- Adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle makes a difference, even if the change doesn't come until middle age.

In fact, people who eat right and exercise more can substantially reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease and death even if they're in their 50s or 60s, researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina report.

Consuming at least five fruits and vegetables daily, exercising at least 2.5 hours per week, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking can lessen your chances of heart trouble by 35 percent, and your risk of dying by 40 percent, compared to people with less healthy lifestyles, according to the report in the July issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

Businesses help workers to lose weight

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

CHICAGO (AP) -- A burgeoning industry of wellness advisers, counselors and consultants is booming as corporate America tries to increase productivity and control insurance costs by helping its employees get healthy and shed pounds. The change is fueled by well-meaning, cost-conscious executives who are looking for ways to trim bottom lines along with waist lines. "The truth is CEOs are the ones that have to address it," said Mike Huckabee, the Republican presidential candidate and former gov...

Global Warming Will Cause Rise in Death Rates

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- Sizzling temperatures brought on by global warming will kill more people in the summer months, a new study suggests, and that toll won't be offset by fewer deaths during milder winters.

"The results suggest that mortality [from hot temperatures] won't be compensated by a reduction in mortality in winter," said study author Mercedes Medina-Ramon, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health's department of environmental health.

According to the study, global warming is expected to increase the average temperature of Earth between 1.7 and 4.9 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. It is also expected to result in more scorching summer days and fewer freezing winter ones.

Cats, Humans Share Ancient Bond

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- Painstaking genetic research shows that the cat first became domesticated soon after humans began farming and building the first civilizations, somewhere in the ancient Near East.

And, in typical feline fashion, the decision to take up residence was theirs.

"Cats weren't domesticated on purpose, they just kind of invited themselves in," said study lead author Carlos Driscoll, a doctoral fellow at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. He conducted the research while at the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, in Frederick, Md.

Pregnancy and Antidepressants: Small Risk of Birth Defects

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- When women being treated for depression get pregnant, worries of fetal harm may convince them to stop taking antidepressants. Two studies reveal the risk of birth defects is virtually non-existent, except in the case of a few selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center report the SSRIs they tested do not appear to increase the risk for most kinds of birth defects. However, they discovered setraline (Zoloft) could be linked to omphalocele (where intestines or other abdominal organs protrude from the naval) and septal defects (defects in the walls that separate the chambers of the heart). They also linked paroxetine (Paxil) to certain heart defects that interfere with blood flow to the lungs.

"I don't think it's really something to be alarmed about," lead author Carol Louik, Sc.D., an assistant professor at the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, told Ivanhoe. "I think our study is more reassuring than alarming, but we can't lose sight of the fact that there were some associations and we can't dismiss those."

School Nurses Key to Preventing Heart Disease

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- School nurses are crucial to promoting heart health among children and youth, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).

Starting efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease risk during childhood is an important part of preventing the illness, according to Laura Hayman, head of the statement writing group and a professor of nursing in the department of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University.

"Identifying risk factors for cardiovascular disease is a key component of primary prevention; thus, schools, preschools and other community-based settings where child care is provided are important places to begin educating children and families about cardiovascular disease risk," she said in a prepared statement.

Health Tip: Understanding Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:10 +0000

(HealthDay News) -- Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when ketones -- a byproduct of fats when broken down -- begin to build up in the body. It occurs when glucose, a sugar typically used as the body's energy source, isn't available and the body begins to use fat instead.

Left untreated, ketoacidosis can lead to serious cell damage, heart attack, kidney failure, and even death.

Here are some warning signs of the condition, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

Squash grown 10,000 years ago in Peru