Welcome to the Health and Fitness News, a weekly diary which is cross-posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette. It is open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.
Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can't, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.
You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.
A Dynamic Duo: Beets and Beet Greens
Use whatever color beet you choose for this week's recipes. The red ones will be higher in anthocyanins, the pigment-based phytonutrients that are believed to have strong antioxidant properties. But yellow and pink beets have a lot going for them nutritionally as well. All beets are rich in folates, potassium and the B-complex vitamins niacin, pantothenic acid and pyridoxine.
~Martha Rose Shulman~
Beet Greens Frittata
Cut the frittata into wedges and serve as a main dish or into smaller diamonds and serve as an hors d'oeuvre. It packs well in a lunchbox too.
Beets and Goat Cheese on a Bed of Spinach
This dish is much less elaborate than Wolfgang Puck's iconic goat cheese and beet napoleon, but it hits all the same delicious notes
Beet and Chickpea Salad With Anchovy Dressing
Canned or home-cooked chickpeas will work in this pungent and flavorful Provençal salad.
Beet and Beet Green Fritters
If you get the oil hot enough before you fry these delicious fritters, much of the oil will remain in the pan.
Beet and Potato Salad
With a yogurt vinaigrette, this dish is a healthier and more piquant version of a French takeout staple known as salade Russe.
General Medicine/Family Medical
Safe Drug Disposal Curbs Drug Abuse
by Jennifer Warner
Get Rid of Prescription Drugs Safely at National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
Sept. 27, 2012 -- If you have prescription drugs that are past their expiration date or that you no longer use, you can get rid of them safely this Saturday at a national prescription drug "take-back" event.
It's important to dispose of expired drugs or medications you no longer use. They pose a serious health risk to children and pets and may be abused if not disposed of properly.
Many medicines can be thrown in the trash after taking a few safety precautions, but some prescription drugs should be flushed down the toilet.
Virus Fights Acne
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Sept. 25, 2012 -- Viruses that kill acne-causing bacteria might make a powerful acne treatment, new research suggests.
A specific species of bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes, is a major cause of the unpleasant, sometimes disfiguring disease doctors call acne vulgaris. The bacteria live inside the pits in the skin that contain hair follicles and sweat glands.
But the acne bug has an enemy: a kind of virus called a bacteriophage, or phage for short. Phages inject their genetic material into bacteria, forcing them to make more and more new phages until they burst.
Warnings/Alerts/Guidelines
One Dead in Meningitis Outbreak Among Men Who Have Sex With Men
by Anemona Hartocollus
One man has died of meningitis and three others have fallen ill, one critically, over the last month in an outbreak of the infection among men who have sex with men, the New York City health department said on Thursday.
The health department said in a written statement that it was investigating "a cluster of invasive meningococcal disease," commonly known as meningitis, a severe bacterial infection with a high fatality rate.
All four cases involve H.I.V.-infected men, who are at a higher risk of getting the infection and of dying from it than is the general population, the department said. The men's ages were reported as 31 to 42 and the cases were in several boroughs.
Recall: Target Dog Treats
by Richard Kearns
Boots & Barkley American Beef Bully Sticks May Carry Salmonella
Sept. 24, 2012 - Kasel Associated Industries is recalling its Boots & Barkley 6-Count 5-Inch American Beef Bully Sticks dog treats because of a possible salmonella contamination.
The product comes in a clear plastic bag, containing six bully sticks, marked with bar code number 647263899189.It has been distributed nationwide through Target retail stores from April through September 2012.
Salmonella can sicken animals that eat these products. It can also sicken people, especially if they have not washed their hands after touching the products or after touching any surfaces exposed to the products.
Peanut Butter Recall Expands
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Popular Brands Named; Salmonella Cases in 19 States So Far
Sept. 26, 2012 -- The nationwide recall of peanut butter has vastly expanded to include dozens of peanut butter, tahini, and other nut butter products, many sold under popular brand names.
All of the products use nuts from Sunland Farms. The New Mexico nut company is the likely source of a salmonella outbreak that so far has sickened 30 people in 19 states.
Women's Health
3 Quick Questions Help ID Ovarian Cancer Risk
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Sept. 25, 2012 -- Screening all women for ovarian cancer does more harm than good. But a three-item questionnaire identifies women most likely to benefit from further tests.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended against routine testing for ovarian cancer. The reason is that two tests -- the CA-125 blood test and ultrasound imaging -- tell too many women they might have cancer when they don't.
The result: far too many unnecessary surgeries.
Now researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington may have a better way to identify women whose ovarian cancer risk justifies more tests: a 90-second questionnaire asking about current ovarian cancer symptoms.
Pediatric Health
Teens Over 1/3 of New Prescription Drug Abusers
by Rita Ruben
Sept. 24, 2012 -- Efforts to lessen prescription drug misuse in the United States may be starting to pay off in young adults, but the continuing problem among teens is worrisome, a new government report shows.
The number of people aged 18 to 25 who said they had used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in the previous month fell 14%, or from 2 million in 2010 to 1.7 million in 2011, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Non-medical use of prescription drugs among children 12 to 17 and adults 26 or older remained unchanged.
Social Bullying Common in TV Shows Kids Watch
by Salynn Boyles
Sept. 27, 2012 -- Social bullying is common on TV, even in shows made for kids, a new study shows.
Insults, taunting, and other forms of nonphysical aggression were found to be especially pervasive in cartoons and situation comedies, but they also showed up in some surprising places, like American Idol.
Physical violence on TV has long been a favorite topic of researchers, but the study is among the first to explore social aggression in television viewed most often by children.
Child Obesity Risks May Be Greater Than Thought
by Salynn Boyles
Sept. 25, 2012 -- Children who are obese may have an even higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other weight-related diseases later in life than has been thought.
Findings from a new review of studies suggest that these studies may have underestimated the effect of obesity during childhood and adolescence on later health.
Aging
Insomnia, Anxiety Drugs May Raise Dementia Risk
by Brenda Goodman, MA
Sept. 27, 2012 -- Seniors who take certain kinds of drugs to treat anxiety or insomnia may be more likely to develop dementia than those who do not, a new study shows.
Seniors are often prescribed benzodiazepines or similar drugs to help with sleeping problems or anxiety. And even though most of these drugs are only meant to be used for a few weeks or months at a time, the drugs can be habit forming. Studies have found that many older adults stay on them longer, sometimes for years.
Mental Health
Leaders Less Stressed Out
by Denise Mann
Sept. 24, 2012 -- It's easy to presume that people in leadership positions are more stressed because of their heavy workloads and increased responsibilities, but a new study suggests that may not be the case.
It turns out that leaders actually report less anxiety and stress than non-leaders. This is likely because leaders have a heightened sense of control. Feeling like you are in control can help buffer the harmful effects of stress.
Fewer Crashes When Docs Report Unfit Drivers
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Sept. 26, 2012 -- Nobody wants to hear that they are unfit to drive -- or have that on their medical records.
Yet people who are officially warned that they are unfit to drive have 45% fewer serious car crashes over the next year, say University of Toronto researcher Donald A. Redelmeier, MD, and colleagues.
"Warning patients who are medically unfit to drive may reduce the risk of road crashes," the researchers conclude.