Category Archives: Cancer

Burn more calories walking

Learn how to burn more calories when you walk by adding intervals and aerobic moves in this three-week plan.  Week 1: Squeeze In More Steps Time per walk: 25 to 40 minutes Walks this week: 4 Your goal this week is to get going. Star by increasing your step count. Every 5 minutes that you walk at a brisk pace (15 to 17 minutes per mile) translates to 500 more steps, or 21 to 28 more calories burned, than you achieve at a slower pace.  Related: 12 Healthy Reasons to Lose Weight Moving more also improves your aerobic conditioning, so you'll be ready for the workout's later challenges. You pace is brisk if you speak fairly easily but are slightly breathless. (On a scale of 1 to 10, your effort should be a 5 or 6.) Add 5 more minutes: If you normally walk for 20 minutes, aim for 25 on your first walk. By your final workout this week, you should be up to 40. Add a quarter mile: Walk on a track or in another area where you can tell how far youve gone (you can also check your route's mile-age at gmap-pedometer.com). Increase you distance with each workout. At week's end, you should have added a whole mile. Related: Diet Breakfast Ideas That Taste Delicious Week 2: Go Faster Time per walk: 30 minutes Walks this week: 4 Now it's time to incorporate intervals. Research shows that this technique can improve overall fitness, increase fat burn and spike metabolism with as little as 6 minutes of high-intensity effort per week. Related: Low-Calorie Desserts You Have to Taste to Believe During the fast portion, push yourself to the point where you almost feel like it's easier to run (but keep to a very fast walk, which is actually harder to maintain than an easy job). On a scale of 1 to 10, it should feel like an 8 or a 9 (talking is very difficult). Then slow down to a 4 or 5 effort level (you can breathe a little easier).  During the first two walks below, the recovery is twice as long as the fast interval; during the second two walks, you have slightly less recovery time and a longer fast interval. Workouts 1 and 2: Warm-Up: 10 minutes at an effort level of 4 or 5 Intervals: Increase speed for 20 seconds to level 8 or 9 (as fast as you can walk without running). Recover for 40 seconds at level 4 or 5. Repeat 12 times. Cooldown: 8 minutes Follow-Up: Take tomorrow off, then repeat workout the next day. Workouts 3 and 4: Warm-Up: 10 minutes Intervals: Increase speed for 30 seconds, then recover for 30 seconds. Repeat 12 times. Cooldown: 8 minutes Follow-Up: Take tomorrow off, then repeat workout the next day. Week 3: Mix In Moves Time per walk: 30 minutes Walks this week: 4 Blending agility and balance exercises into your walks this week helps you tone up while you burn calories. After a 10-minute warm-up, perform one of the following moves for about 30 seconds, then walk for 90 seconds. Do about 5 of those 2-minute drills; add a few more if you're feeling up to it. Finish your workout with a 10-minute brisk walk, gradually slowing to a cooldown at the end. Try this routine: Warm-up (10 minutes):   Walk at a brisk pace, effort level 5 or 6 Crossovers (30 seconds):   Turn to right. Cross right for over left, then step left with left food. Repeat 5 times, then switch directions, crossing left food over right and stepping right with right foot. Walk (90 seconds) Sidewalk Hops (30 seconds): Stand with left side facing a line or crack in a sidewalk. Jump both feet over line and back again. Repeat 7 times. Next, lift right foor and hop left foot over line and back. Turn to right and hop on right foot over line and back. Repeat 7 times. Walk (90 seconds) Skip (30 seconds):  Bouncing off balls of feet, skip straight ahead, or go slightly out to the left, then right (moving back and forth across path). Pump arms and lift knees for a more intense cardo workout. Walk (90 seconds) Around-the-Clock Lunges with Leaf Pickup (30 seconds):  Do around-the-clock lunges (see below for directions), but with each lunch, lift back leg and lean forward, as if picking a leaf off the ground. Walk (90 seconds) Side Step-Ups (30 seconds):  Stand with left side facing a curb (or set of stairs). Cross right foot over left leg to step up onto curb (left food hovers above ground). Step down with left foot, then right and repeat. Do 8 to 12 step-ups on each side. Walk (90 seconds) Walk (10 minutes): Slow the pace to cool down for the last few minutes Total time: 30 minutessource : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/burn-more-calories-with-this-3-week-walking-plan/

Doctors should dress sharp in the name of hygiene, doc says

Doctors who wear casual and even “scruffy” clothes to work not only look unprofessional, but they also convey a lackluster attitude toward personal hygiene, which could have implications for hospital infections, one doctor argues. Dr. Stephanie Dancer, a consultant microbiologist at Hairmyres Hospital in Scotland, says that after the United Kingdom's Department of Health recommended in 2007 that doctors not wear ties, many younger doctors started to dress very informally. There was even a report at one hospital of doctors wearing ripped jeans. “I hear that patients complain that they do not know who the doctor is no tie, no white coat, no jacket and no presence,” Dancer said. “Untidiness erodes the image of doctors as responsible and competent.” Although some studies suggest that men's ties contribute to the spread of bacteria between doctors and patients, Dancer pointed out that diseases are spread in many ways. “Hand-touch contact, airborne delivery, environmental reservoirs and human carriage are all implicated in transmission,” Dancer said. Scruffiness in appearance also suggests “a lack of personal hygiene, and correspondingly lower standards of hygienic behavior,” Dancer said. “It could be argued that ditching the white coat and tie for hygiene purposes has had the converse effect,” in that informal attitude could encourage less-rigorous practice of infection control, Dancer said. “Before the antibiotics run out, we need to revisit the hygiene values of the past, and we need to communicate those values to the doctors of the future,” Dancer said. Dancer's view was published June 13 in the British Medical Journal. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/doctors-should-dress-sharp-in-name-hygiene-doc-says/

Giving birth at home looks safe, study finds

Among women with low-risk pregnancies, those who plan to give birth at home may face less of a risk from dangerous complications than women who plan a hospital birth, a new Dutch study suggests. For women in the study who had a low risk of complications and had given birth at least once previously, 1 in 1,000 home births resulted in severe problems, such as admission to an intensive care unit or requiring heavy blood transfusion. The rate of such complications for planned hospital births was 2.3 in 1,000 births. Home births also had a lower risk of certain less severe complications, such as bleeding after birth, and the need to remove the placenta manually. The rate of bleeding, or postpartum hemorrhage, was 19.6 in 1,000 for a planned home birth, compared with 37.6 in 1,000 for a planned hospital birth. The safety of giving birth at home versus the hospital is a topic of debate. While some worry that in case of an emergency, the time needed to transport a woman or baby from home to a hospital might worsen the problems, others have questioned whether it is wise to routinely recommend hospital births for low-risk women, where they could receive medical interventions they don't need that have potentially harmful effects. The new study sought to compare the rate of serious complications in home and hospital births in a large group of low-risk women in the Netherlands, a country that has one of the highest percentages of home births among Western countries. The researchers identified more than 146,000 low-risk pregnant women. Among these women, 92,333 (63 percent) had planned to give birth at home, and 54,419 (37 percent) were planning a hospital birth. The researchers found that the risk of complications was small in both groups, and there was no evidence that home birth would lead to an increased risk of severe complications.The difference between the groups was significant only in women who had given birth before. The results held when the researchers accounted for factors that can raise the risk of birth complications, such as the mother's age and ethnicity, as well as C-sections and augmentation of labor. The researchers noted that it is possible that women who previously had a relatively difficult birth may have been more likely to plan a hospital birth next time, even if there was no official medical indication. These findings likely only apply to areas where midwives are well trained to help women at home births, and where facilities for transportation in case of emergencies are adequate, the researchers said. The fact that the study did not find higher rates of severe complications among planned home births should not lead to complacency, the researchers said. “Every avoidable adverse maternal outcome is one too many,” they said. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/giving-birth-at-home-looks-safe-study-finds/

8 germiest public places

An average adult can touch as many as 30 objects within a minute, including germ-harboring, high-traffic surfaces such as light switches, doorknobs, phone receivers, and remote controls. At home, you do all that you can to keep the germs at bay. But what happens when you step out the door to go to dinner, do some grocery shopping, or visit the doctor's office? …

Are probiotics miracle food?

Probiotics claim to support immunity and fix everything from bloat to skin trouble, and they're popping up in all kinds of foods and drinks—more than 500 new products in the last decade. Clearly lots of people are on board: Sales of anything touting the probiotic promise increased by $1 billion in the United States in the past two years alone. So should you stock up? Well, it's complicated. Related: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes Under 400 Calories Yes, probiotics do have some awesome health powers. But to really get how they work, you first need to understand a few things about your body and, well, bugs.  From the time you're born, millions of bacteria (those bugs) from your mom, food, air and the things you touch start setting up camp in and on your body.  Related: Tone Up Your Trouble Spots The mix is called the microbiome, and most of it lives in your colon (happily), where it helps signal your body to digest food, fight pathogens, break down cholesterol and more, Gregor Reid, director of the Canadian Research & Development Centre for Probiotics, said. Animal studies suggest the microbiome may affect blood pressure and even behavior. Related: 6 Moves To Resize Your Butt and Thighs Can't believe we're actually saying this, but the microbiome is very trendy right now. There's tons of new research on it: Scientists say it's the next frontier in understanding the human body.  Certain “good” bacteria strains (aka probiotics) seem to help the body function more efficiently, while “bad” bacteria tax it. And when the balance of the gastrointestinal system is off (blame stress, illness, a poor diet or taking antibiotics), we may be left susceptible to disease-causing organisms and diarrhea.  So the theory makes sense: If you have microbiome imbalance, ingesting extra good bacteria—found naturally in certain foods like yogurt and sauerkraut and added to others like tea—might help make you healthier. But you need to make sure you're eating the right stuff. Research suggests taking large doses of certain probiotics—several strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacteria found in fortified yogurts and pills, specifically—may help prevent colds and soothe digestive problems. Plenty of docs recommend these products as natural meds, and they seem to be generally safe for most people. But there's a catch: The FDA doesn't regulate most probiotics the way it does drugs. Some reports suggest claims about the amount and type of bacteria on product labels aren't always accurate. And many products are never clinically tested for efficacy. So sketchy pills—like ones that combine a bunch of strains experts don't know much about—are on store shelves.  “A lot of things called probiotics shouldn't be, because they've never been tested in humans,” Reid said. The bottom line: Probiotic supplements may help prevent colds and ease GI issues, but no need to pop pills every day to balance your microbiome when your diet can do it, too, Dr. David Rakel, director of the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program. said.  Have at least three weekly servings of fermented foods—yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi—which contain probiotics naturally, Dr. Rakel said. (There's no guarantee fortified sources like cereals and teas will help, so it might not be worth it to shell out the cash.) Finally, fill up on fiber from veggies and whole grains: It helps create a more probiotic-friendly environment in your gut.  We'll take food over pills any day. This article originally appeared on Self.com. source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/14/are-probiotics-miracle-food/

Air pollution can trigger heart arrhythmias, study shows

For people with existing heart problems, exposure to high levels of air pollution can trigger the irregular heartbeats that may lead to a stroke or heart attack, according to a new study. Past research has linked air pollution to ventricular fibrillation, electrical confusion in the lower chambers of the heart which can cause sudden death. The new study also finds an association with atrial fibrillation (AF), erratic quivering in the heart's upper chambers and the most common type of irregular heartbeat. “As in all epidemiological studies we do not prove causation, but rather an association,” said lead author Dr. Mark Link, a cardiologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. His study included people with so-called implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), which record when the heart's electrical activity is abnormal and deliver shocks to try to right the rhythm. Link and his colleagues analyzed data from the ICDs of 176 heart patients and compared it to air quality data collected in the region. Over about two years, 49 of those people had a total of 328 AF episodes. The researchers found that the level of air pollution, including soot-like particles, on a given day was directly tied to heart rhythm problems. With every 6 microgram per cubic meter increase in fine particulate pollution, for example, people were 26 percent more likely to have an AF episode in the next two hours, the study team reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. That extra risk is greater than the 1 percent increased risk of death from heart attack and the 18 percent increased risk of stroke seen with each 10 microgram per cubic meter rise in pollution in other studies, Link noted. The daily average particulate pollution level in Massachusetts, where the study took place, was 8.4 micrograms per cubic meter, well below the upper limit of 35 set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). More than two million Americans have AF, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although it can cause rapid heartbeat, lightheadedness and fatigue, AF doesn't always come with symptoms. “This study does show that there is an increased association, especially within two hours of air pollutant levels being high, with a person having an irregular heart rhythm,” said Dr. Comilla Sasson, who studies community-wide risk for cardiac arrest at the University of Colorado in Denver. But it does not look at how often those irregular rhythms lead to more deadly problems such as heart attack or sudden death, she added. “Although this is interesting, it still leaves a lot more questions than providing answers,” Sasson said in an email. She questioned whether or not the EPA should reevaluate its air quality standards and if doctors should be talking to patients about increased risks on pollution-heavy days. “There is much more research that will need to be done, especially in other cities, to see if these results hold true,” she said. Although the study focused on people at unusually high risk already, an increase in the chance of AF could have implications for anyone, Link said. “Unfortunately, all of us are at risk for AF, especially as we age. It is by far the most common arrhythmia in the U.S. and for that matter, the entire world,” he said. Boston has relatively clean air, which makes the results all the more troubling, Link said. “Imagine what the effect of air pollution is in cities without the clean air of Boston,” he said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/14/air-pollution-can-trigger-heart-arrhythmias-study-shows/

Major hurdle cleared to diabetes transplants

Efforts to make this treatment possible have been limited by a dearth of insulin-producing beta cells that can be removed from donors after death, and by the stubborn refusal of human beta cells to proliferate in the laboratory after harvesting. The new technique uses a cell conditioning solution originally developed to trigger reproduction of cells from the lining of the intestine. "Until now, there didn’t seem to be a way to reliably make the limited supply of human beta cells proliferate in the laboratory and remain functional," said Michael McDaniel, PhD, professor of pathology and immunology…

odors from human skin cells can be used to identify melanoma

Melanoma is a tumor affecting melanocytes, skin cells that produce the dark pigment that gives skin its color. The disease is responsible for approximately 75 percent of skin cancer deaths, with chances of survival directly related to how early the cancer is detected. Current detection methods most commonly rely on visual inspection of the skin, which is highly dependent on individual self-examination and clinical skill. The current study took advantage of the fact that human skin produces numerous airborne chemical molecules known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, many of which are odorous. …

After successful lung transplant, challenging recovery awaits girl with cystic fibrosis

Sarah Murnaghan, the 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl at the middle of an organ transplant battle, finally underwent her long-awaited lung transplant on Wednesday. I am so happy that this little girl got a new chance at life.  All of us who have been following this case so closely realize just how critical this child has been for the future of organ transplantation. On Tuesday night, Sarah’s mother, Janet, said they had found a match for her daughter.  And with the great skill of her surgeons and nurses, along with the support of everyone involved in her care, the technical part of her surgery has been successful.   Throughout this whole ordeal, I never lost hope that Sarah would become a candidate for transplant surgery. And I think it speaks volumes about the spirit of the American people who stood behind her and demanded she get a fair shot at life. But the doctor in me tells me we have to be cautiously optimistic because there are still major hurdles that Sarah has to overcome. From a medical standpoint, in cases like this one, there is always the worry about infection.  Organ transplants require large complex surgeries with organs that are very prone to infection – especially the lungs.  And moving forward, Sarah has to undergo immunosuppressive therapy, which predisposes her to the development of infection. There are also significant issues of metabolism.  The function of the lungs is to oxygenate the blood, but this oxygenation contributes to the overall metabolic stability of the body.  Right now, it’s too soon to tell whether her metabolic condition can be stabilized through these new lungs. Finally, with any organ transplant surgery, you also have the possibility of organ rejection, which could theoretically develop over the course of the next few days.  The good news is that she is young, and she is receiving the best health care possible.   I spoke to Dr. Donald McCain, chief of surgical oncology and the vice chairman of the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center in N.J., about other potential obstacles Sarah faces.  He noted that because the donor was an adult, resizing the lungs may also create medical issues. “The size of the lungs are much too great, which is why they don’t use adult lungs in general (for pediatric patients),” McCain said.  “They must remove part of lung tissue, and…you have to do that surgically, creating a surgical line that didn’t exist before.  That surgical line normally will not have the same strength as obviously a non-surgical line.  That creates a potential weak point that is risky for an air leak.” McCain also added that even if Sarah overcomes these hurdles, there is a long road of recovery ahead. “Lung transplants are some of the sickest patients you wind up having, unlike liver and kidney transplant patients, who usually do quite well,” McCain said.  “With lung transplants, these patients are in the hospital a very long time and are usually very sick.” To me, the aggravating part of this story is that this sweet girl only got her chance at life at the last minute.  Had she been placed on the adult organ transplant list earlier, perhaps her condition would have been a little bit stronger when she received her new lungs. But I’m still very optimistic that Sarah will have a good recovery. It saddens me that it finally took a judge to see the common sense and force HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius into doing the right thing.  I just hope that other children under similar circumstances get the justice they deserve in enough time.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/after-successful-lung-transplant-challenging-recovery-awaits-girl-with-cystic/