KCHealth.info | Longevity, Health, & Wellness in the 21st Century

Text messaging may not seem a safety concern, but the American College of Emergency Physicians has warned that being distracted by text messaging at inappropriate times can result in serious injury or death.

Teens and young adults in particular are arriving in emergency departments with serious and sometimes fatal injuries, because they were not paying attention while texting.

More serious injuries occur when people who are busy texting collide with cyclists, rollerbladers and others.

A Virginia man yesterday filed the first personal injury lawsuit stemming from injuries associated with the use of the diabetes medication Byetta. Victor Deleon alleges that the manufacturer and marketers of the drug, Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly, failed to adequately test and monitor the side effects of Byetta and didn't warn doctors or patients of the risk of developing pancreatitis. Deleon was hospitalized in December of 2007 after developing the sometimes-deadly condition.

The lawsuit comes only two days after the FDA announced that it has received six reports of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta since October of 2007. Two of the six patients died.

Deleon's lawsuit claims that Amylin "failed to adequately warn prescribing physicians of the risk of pancreatitis, of measures needed to properly assess the appropriateness of prescribing the drug to certain categories of patients, and of measures doctors and patients could and should take to minimize the risk."

This headline certainly sounds paradoxical. But while all the choices available to you nowadays may offer more freedom than ever before, they may also exact quite a cost on your psyche, according to psychologist Barry Schwartz in this compelling video.

Schwartz, the author of The Paradox of Choice, believes, rightly, that the "freedom of choice" provided by limitless options escalates expectations, and therefore introduces indecision and unhappiness into the equation.

Most medical organizations have strongly advocated using the HPV vaccine Gardasil for girls 11 and 12 years old. But an editorial to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine has outlined some serious concerns about the vaccine.

First, Gardasil's long-term effectiveness is unclear. And because cervical cancer takes years to develop, critics say the current information is insufficient to determine whether Gardasil works.

Gardasil is also expensive, costing about $400 to $1,000 for the necessary three doses of the vaccine, and the vaccine only protects against some of the viruses that cause cervical cancer.

There is also the issue of side effects. FDA records reveal that, since Gardasil's approval, nearly 9,000 girls had "bad health events" after receiving their shots.

Monsanto's top retail product is RoundUp, a broad-spectrum herbicide. Millions of pounds of RoundUp are used every year on U.S. gardens, lawns and farms. Home Depot is a major vendor of RoundUp.

RoundUp has been linked to numerous environmental and human health problems:

• Increased risks of the cancer non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, miscarriages, and attention deficit disorder
• Reduced production of sex hormones
• Genetic damage and damage to the immune system in fish, and genetic damage and abnormal development in frogs

To sign a petition asking Home Depot to dump RoundUp from its inventory, click the link below.

A study has shown that dogs have become more intelligent, and even developed a sense of right and wrong, through spending time with humans.

Because of the way owners have selected smarter and more empathic dogs over generations, these pets now appear to have a limited capacity to understand the desires, motivations and intentions of others.

A decade ago, most scientists would have dismissed the claims of dog owners that their precious pets could "human emotions". Now that dismissive view has been challenged by a remarkable experiment to probe canine cognition. Researchers put dogs through a classic experiment normally done with children, in which an instructor demonstrates to a toddler how to turn off a light using her forehead, once with her hands clearly visible and once when wrapped in a shawl, so that she can't use them. When invited to turn the light off for themselves, toddlers who were shown the first version use their heads, but those shown the second use their hands.

The standard interpretation is that the first group conclude that there must be a good but non-obvious reason for using the forehead method, as otherwise the instructor would have used her hands. As it turns out, dogs do the same thing, demonstrating that they have developed empathy.

Others have argued that since rough-and-tumble dog play rarely escalates into full-blown fighting, the animals must abide by rules and expect others to do the same. In other words, they know right from wrong.

The U.S. government will allow food producers to irradiate fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce in order to kill organisms like E. coli and salmonella. It is the first time that the FDA has allowed any produce to be irradiated at these levels.

Advocates for food safety condemned the agency’s decision, and asserted that irradiation lowers nutritional value, creates unsafe chemicals and ruins flavor.

The government already allows food processors to irradiate beef, eggs, poultry, oysters and spices, but the market for irradiated foods is small because the government also requires that these foods be labeled as irradiated, and these labels scare away most consumers. The FDA is considering a proposal to weaken or change the labeling requirement.

Tens of millions of girls and young women have been vaccinated against human pappilomavirus (HPV) in the United States and Europe in the two years since two vaccines were given government approval in many countries. One of the vaccines, Merck’s Gardasil, has been made available to the poorest girls in the country, up to age 18, at a potential cost to the United States government of more than $1 billion, and proposals to mandate the vaccine for girls in middle schools have been offered in 24 states.

The lightning-fast transition from newly minted vaccine to must-have injection in the represents a triumph of what the manufacturers call education -- but their critics are calling it a triumph of marketing.

Award-winning advertising has promoted the vaccines, including ads that ran before the film “Sex and the City,” on YouTube, and during popular shows like “Law and Order.” The vaccine makers have also provided money for activities by patients’ and women’s groups, doctors and medical experts, lobbyists and political organizations interested in the disease, sometimes in ways that skirt disclosure requirements or obscure the companies’ involvement.

Some experts are worrying about the consequences of the rapid rollout of the new vaccines without more medical evidence. Because of the aggressive marketing, even parents of girls who are far from being sexually active may feel pressured into giving them a vaccine that is not yet needed and whose long-term impact is still unclear.

In the United States, hundreds of doctors have been recruited and trained to give talks about Gardasil, at $4,500 for a lecture. Some have made hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As backyard vegetable gardens become more common, environmental officials and scientists are warning homeowners that there may be lead in the soil. Flakes of lead paint from old homes often create contamination around houses that vegetables can take up. Remnants of leaded gasoline might also be in the soil near busy roads.

While the problem is pervasive in urban areas, suburban homes that were built near apple orchards are also at risk, because lead arsenate was once used regularly as a pesticide.

Soil around homes can contain everything from arsenic to motor oil, but lead is one of the most common contaminants, and to children, one of the most dangerous. Even tiny amounts of lead in the blood can cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems. In adults, lead can contribute to high blood pressure, reproductive problems, and memory loss.

A new understanding of brown fat cells -- the "good" kind of fat that burns energy and keeps you warm -- could lead to new treatments for obesity.

Researchers managed to use a single molecular switch to turn immature muscle cells into brown fat cells in the lab, suggesting that brown fat may be more akin to muscle cells than conventional white fat cells. Another team has discovered that a protein important for bone growth helped promote the development of brown fat tissue in mice.

Both teams said their new findings lend understanding about the origins of brown fat, which releases energy, in contrast to conventional white fat, which stores energy.

Researchers believe that if they can coax the body into making more calorie-burning brown fat, this might help people obese people lose weight.

Is a person’s weight really a reliable indicator of overall health?

Some medical research is showing that it isn’t. Last week a report in The Archives of Internal Medicine compared weight and cardiovascular risk factors among a representative sample of more than 5,400 adults. Half of the overweight people and one-third of obese people in the study were “metabolically healthy.” That means that many overweight and obese adults may have healthy levels of “good” cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose.

At the same time, about one out of four slim people in the study actually had at least two cardiovascular risk factors typically associated with obesity.

Being overweight or obese is definitely linked with numerous health problems. Nonetheless, researchers found the proportion of overweight and obese people who are metabolically healthy surprising.

Several studies have shown that fitness, as determined by how a person performs on a treadmill, is a far better indicator of health than body mass index. Some research has indicated that people who are fat but can still keep up on treadmill tests have much lower heart risk than people who are slim and unfit.

The FDA today plans to strengthen warnings about life-threatening pancreas problems linked to the type 2 diabetes drug Byetta, after receiving two reports of deaths and four other hospitalizations in Byetta users.

All six patients had hemorrhagic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas with bleeding) or necrotizing pancreatitis (in which the inflamed pancreas destroys itself).

The four survivors were still recovering at the time that the FDA learned of their illness.

The price of oil is up, and everyone is worried about the potential economic consequences. But what if the price of oil wasn’t really up? What if it were just an illusion?

The American Geological Institute (AGI) recently released a report looking at the price of crude oil in relation to the U.S. dollar and the price per ounce of gold. They found that the price of oil has been going up in relation to currency only. This means that the value of oil has not been increasing in real terms; instead, currency has just been decreasing in value.

In other words, if U.S. currency were still based on gold, as it was until 1971, then the price of oil would be stable.

If oil is worth the same, and the US dollar is just worth less, maybe the U.S. needs to shift its focus away from drilling and towards a better economic policy at home.

The U.S. war on cancer has been fought for almost four decades now, since it was officially launched in 1971. It may be time to admit that the effort has often targeted the wrong enemies and used the wrong weapons.

Throughout the industrial world, the war on cancer remains focused on commercially fueled efforts to develop drugs and technologies that can find and treat the disease. Bit this struggle essentially ignores most of the things known to cause cancer, such as tobacco, radiation, benzene, asbestos, solvents, and some drugs and hormones. Many modern cancer-causing agents, such as gasoline exhaust, pesticides and other air pollutants, are simply deemed the inevitable price of progress.

Most cancer is not born, but made. Both public health and social justice demand a greater focus on the causes of cancer, rather than treatment. But the FDA and EPA often lack the authority and resources to monitor and control tobacco smoke, asbestos, and the cancer-causing agents in food, water and the everyday products. Under antiquated laws, chemical and radiation hazards are examined one at a time, if at all. Of the nearly 80,000 chemicals regularly bought and sold today, fewer than 10 percent have been tested for their capacity to cause cancer or do other damage.

A recent analysis by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) indicates that employers pay out almost $1.5 billion each year to cover the costs incurred from preventable adverse medical events in surgical patients.

The costs of surgical errors were estimated by analyzing data from a nationwide sample of more than 161,000 adult patients who underwent surgery in 2001 and 2002.

Preventable errors included technical problems, infections, pulmonary and vascular problems, acute respiratory failure, metabolic problems, wound problems, and events related to nursing care. Respiratory failure and infections were particularly costly adverse events; insurers paid over $28,000 and over $19,000 extra for a surgical patient who had respiratory failure or an infection, respectively.

Other added costs included more than $12,000 for episodes related to nursing care, more than $11,500 for metabolic problems, close to $8,000 for pulmonary and vascular problems, and nearly $1,500 for wound problems.

A Canadian researcher is getting ready to publish a groundbreaking study that links MSG to reduced growth in the brain cells of snails -- work that could have major implications for children's health. And the researcher in question, Michelle Ah-Seng, is only 17 years old.

Ah-Seng is a high school student from Cochrane, just west of Calgary, but she's also the lead researcher on a University of Calgary study that offers the first solid proof that high concentrations of MSG, an additive used to boost flavor in many foods, can stunt the growth of brain cells.

Ah-Seng is one of 22 Grade 11 students spending six weeks of their summer vacation in labs and clinics at the University of Calgary as part of the 2008 Heritage Youth Researcher Summer Program. Her project involved directly dosing brain cells culled from snails with a concentration of monosodium glutamate equal to what might commonly be found in human blood or cerebral spinal fluid after eating a meal containing the additive, such as a bag of potato chips.

Not only did the MSG inhibit growth of the snail's brain cells, it also limited communication between them.

Scientists are still trying to unravel the many mysteries of the brain. But although there is still a lot to learn, several studies have indicated a few ways to help keep your thinking organ in shape, now and as you age.

1. Eat Your Brain Food

A diet of junk food can also junk up your brain. Fake “foods” like trans fats can negatively affect the brain's synapses. But a balanced diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can give the synapses a boost and help fight against mental disorders from depression to dementia.

2. Hit the Gym

Since exercise is a mild stressor to your body, eating up the energy needed by your brain, it triggers the release of chemicals called growth factors that make the brain's neurons stronger and healthier. Half an hour every other day will do it, according to experts.

3. Mind Benders

Give your brain a workout, too, with brainteasers, crossword puzzles and memory games. Studies have shown that using these tools to stay mentally active can reduce the risks of developing dementia by building and maintaining a reserve of stimulation in your brain.

4. Memory Tricks

Keeping information stored in your memory banks and retaining that memory with age may also be a simple matter of mind control. Confidence in your cognitive abilities could actually affect how well your memory functions, particularly for the elderly.

5. Give it a Rest

Sleep gives your brain a chance to replay the memories of the day and consolidate them for long-term storage. One study suggested that the brain can do its reviewing much faster when you're asleep than when you're wide awake.

Young horses may be easier to train if they temporarily lay off sweets foods. A commercial mixture of corn, oats, barley and molasses, sometimes "sweet feed," gives horses a glossy coat and lively spirit. But the extra energy provided by sweet grain during can also make the horses more disobedient and fearful than horses that only eat hay.

In a recent study, horses fed on “sweet feed” spent more time resisting the saddle, startled more easily, and bucked and ran more during training.

The study involved 12 closely-related quarter horses that came from one Idaho ranch. The horses were trained for three weeks, five days a week. Half the horses ate only hay, a mixture of grass and alfalfa. The other horses ate five pounds of sweet grain a day in addition to the hay. Both groups ate as much hay and drank as much water as they wanted.

Soy is no health food. In fact, it’s bad for your body, your thyroid, and your child’s development.

Despite what flight attendants say, making a call probably won't send your plane crashing to the ground. So why can’t you use it?

Your cell phone can interfere with avionics in theory. But in practice, it's not very likely. Cockpits and communications systems have been shielded against electromagnetic interference since the 1960's.

What’s really going on it resistance from the call carriers. When phones ping for signals at 35,000 feet, they can hit hundreds of towers at once, necessitating complicated roaming agreements. The technical problem is not insurmountable, but there isn’t enough demand for action. Only 16 percent of U.S. fliers are interested in using cell phones on planes; most people are vehemently opposed.