October health briefs

 

Children’s flu shots benefit family
If half the American kids between six months and five years old got flu shots, more than 2,000 hospitalizations and as many as 650,000 outpatient visits could be prevented, a study published in a recent issue of Pediatrics shows. Researchers based their findings on a moderate flu season and a good match between vaccine and strain of flu. “This is a very conservative estimate,” said senior researcher Dr. Katherine Poehling of Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. “We only account for direct protection by the flu shot. We do not account for the indirect protection to other children and adults who are less likely to be exposed to flu when persons around them are vaccinated. This tells us that flu shots are an effective means to prevent illness and doctor visits from the flu each winter.”

Clean fresh vegetables and fruit
Healthy eating includes a daily diet rich in fresh fruit and veggies, but produce should be thoroughly washed first, warns the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. It offered these tips:

1. Wash raw produce before peeling, eating or cooking
2. Try a fruit and vegetable wash designed to remove pesticides and bacteria
3. Soak and wash produce in distilled water for one to two minutes
4. Use a vegetable brush to scrub produce with a thick skin
5. Wash hands and cutting or preparation surfaces prior to preparing fresh produce

Cataract surgery is cost-effective for aging eyes
Replacing a lens clouded by age is one of the most cost-effective surgical procedures for seniors with vision problems, researcher David B. Rein says. “It gives a great amount of benefit in terms of years of unimpaired vision, compared with dollars spent,” said Rein, the author of a study on economic costs of vision disorders. By 80 years of age, more than half of all Americans have had a cataract or have had cataract surgery, according to the U.S. National Eye Institute. The primary way to treat the condition is to remove the affected lens and replace it with an artificial one. Thanks to surgical advances, 95 percent of patients report impressive improvement in their vision and go home the same day as surgery. The treatment helps reduce blindness and visual impairment and allows seniors to continue active, engaged lifestyles.

Banish bruises with blueberries
The flavonoids and vitamin C packed into blueberries improve blood circulation, which reduces swelling. Further, adds Prevention magazine, the nutrient-rich fuits also help form collagen, the tissue that holds skin together. Blueberries contain a type of flavonoid called proanthocynanidins, which are known to strengthen the walls of capillaries weakened by bruising. Along with the tartly sweet taste of fresh blueberries, you’ll also get a healthy dose of antioxidants. Sprinkle them in muffin makings, hot or cold cereal, smoothies, yogurt and pancake batter.

Meditation eases rheumatoid arthritis suffering
Researchers report that meditation can help patients with painful rheumatoid arthritis decrease stress, depression, anxiety and pain. Elizabeth Pradham of the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine’s Center for Integrative Medicine, said techniques from the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course helped patients experience a 35 percent reduction in psychological stress. Other ways to calm and energize patients, researchers said, include electronic monitoring techniques such as biofeedback; guided imagery and hypnosis; and physical activities such as yoga and tai chi.

“It doesn’t really change disease status,” acknowledged Pradhan. “But in terms of ability to cope with a chronic and debilitating condition, meditation did appear to be quite helpful. And there was really high satisfaction with the intervention.”

 

Women at risk of birth defects from prescription drugs
American women of childbearing age commonly take prescription drugs that can cause birth defects, yet only around half receive counseling regarding the risk from healthcare providers, warn researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “We found that over the course of a year, one in six women of reproductive age filled a prescription for a medication labeled by the Food and Drug Administration as increasing risk of fetal abnormalities,” reported Dr. Eleanor Schwartz. “Unfortunately, many women filling prescriptions that can increase the risk of birth defects remain at risk of pregnancy.” She and her research team called for increased awareness of prescription medication-associated dangers among physicians and women who may become pregnant.

“While efforts are needed to ensure that women get information about birth control and the risk of medication-related birth defects, it is also important to realize that different birth control methods are not equally effective,” Schwartz added. “Women who were using the most effective methods of contraception, such as the intrauterine device or IUD, were least likely to have a positive pregnancy test after filling a prescription for a potentially dangerous medication.”

Control appetite with visual cues
To cut down on overeating, try keeping dirty dishes in view, suggest Cornell University researchers. When they treated graduate students to a free chicken-wing buffet, those whose dishes piled up ate 28 percent less than those whose tables were continually bused. The people who ate more lacked a visual cue to keep their appetite in check. “Whether you’re eating chicken wings or cookies, you’ll have less if you see evidence of what you’ve already eaten,” says Brian Wansink, director of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab and author of Mindless Eating.

Mental “to do” lists interfere with sleep
“If you are a `to do’ list maker, one thing to do is leave your list in a drawer in your desk,” advises Ralph Downey, chief of sleep medicine at the Sleep Disorders Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California. “Make your `to do’ list early in the evening. Put your completed list in a drawer and close it. This gives you a sense of closure – the `to do’ list is done.”

Those who find their minds still churning about things that need to be done should use the 20/20 method for sleep, he continued. “If you lie in bed for 20 minutes but haven’t fallen asleep yet, get out of bed,” he said. “Create a ‘safe room.’ Your room should be a comfortable haven. It should have dim lighting and not have any distractions like a computer, Internet or TV. You give your brain a time-out from the tension of trying to relax into sleep. Once about 20 minutes has passed, go back to bed and try to fall back asleep. Repeat as necessary. I don’t recommend more than two or three times per night, because that becomes exhausting.” Simply lying in bed trying to force sleep to come doesn’t work, he said.

Sweeten breath with yogurt
Japanese research has shown live bacteria in yogurt can reduce bacteria that cause bad breath. Microbiologists at Tsurumi University checked breath samples of volunteers who snacked on yogurt containing two common bacteria, streptococcus thermophilus and lactobacillus bulgaris. Among the volunteers with confirmed halitosis, levels of smell-inducing bacteria dropped by more than half in most cases. Scientists theorized that “good” bacteria crowded out the odiferous bugs.