Articles filed under Health & Fitness

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Women have new options for breast cancer surgery May 14, 2013 12:00 AM
Treating breast cancer almost always involves surgery, and for years the choice was just having the lump or the whole breast removed. Now, new approaches are dramatically changing the way these operations are done, giving women more options, faster treatment, smaller scars, fewer long-term side effects and better cosmetic results.
How and why of Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy May 14, 2013 12:00 AM
Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie announced on Tuesday that she had a preventive mastectomy after learning she had a gene that significantly raised her risk of breast cancer. Here's a crash course in the procedure Jolie had and why.
Angelina Jolie says she had double mastectomy May 14, 2013 12:00 AM
Angelina Jolie says that she has had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried a gene that made it extremely likely she would get breast cancer. "My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56," Jolie writes in a New York Times Op-Ed piece. "She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was."
Avoid that thrill ride to the ER May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Kids and their folks may see thrills in the making, but some recent research holds up a caution flag on injury risks from some common amusement pastimes that can take a toll on summer fun. Not to siphon all the fun out of childhood, but even something that seems like a benign "kiddie ride" can be dangerous. Tumbling from a much tamer ride in a mall or arcade can do serious damage if a kid falls onto or off a bucking, rocking ride.
Certain genes may protect infants born to addicted mothers May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Genes tied to addiction in adults may help guide doctors to better treatments for infants born withdrawing from narcotics, according to researchers who identified the genetic link. Certain variations to two genes had less severe withdrawal symptoms than those without the variants, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Cancer patient gets back on the bike May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Nearing the end of chemotherapy for breast cancer, I peppered my oncologist with questions about how to prevent a recurrence. My doctor gently interrupted and said plainly, "If you want to prevent a recurrence, you need to get your weight into a healthy range and get an hour of vigorous exercise every day." I'd once been a runner. I ran as many as 40 miles a week and competed in races as long as 10 miles. But over the years, work, parenthood and home obligations had taken their toll, and I could no longer devote the time I once had to my own fitness. Eventually, I started commuting to work by bike.
Air pollution may have a link to brain damage May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Scientists in 2004 studied the brain tissue of children and young adults in Mexico who had died of accidents and were stunned by what they found — a discovery that rocked the world of neuroscience and has gone largely untested until now. Almost all the young people had evidence of Alzheimer's protein plaques scattered throughout their brain tissue.
New study explains post-menopause belly fat May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Scientists have long known that lower estrogen levels after menopause can cause fat storage to shift from the hips and thighs to the abdomen. Now, a groundbreaking study, co-authored by the Mayo Clinic, has determined why: Proteins, revved up by the estrogen drop, cause fat cells to store more fat. And it gets worse: These cellular changes also slow down fat burning by the body.
Problem child? Early puberty may not be the cause May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Puberty has always been a time of stress and emotional turmoil for adolescents and for their parents. And scientists have long recognized that kids who start puberty ahead of their peers are particularly likely to have trouble getting along with other children and with adults. New research suggests that those difficulties can be traced back to even earlier ages, indicating that early puberty may not be the root cause.
Unclear link between aluminium, Alzheimer’s May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
The connection between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease is less a myth than a longstanding scientific controversy. It began in 1965, when researchers discovered that injecting rabbits' brains with aluminum caused them to develop neurofibrillary tangles, the twisted proteins found in brain cells of patients with Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain disorder that destroys memory and cognition.
Misdiagnosis can have huge impact on patients May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Until it happened to him, Itzhak Brook, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Georgetown University School of Medicine, didn't think much about the problem of misdiagnosis. That was before doctors at a Maryland hospital repeatedly told Brook his throat pain was the result of acid reflux, not cancer. Patient safety experts say Brook's experience is far from rare. Diagnoses that are missed, incorrect or delayed are believed to affect 10 percent to 20 percent of cases, far exceeding drug errors and surgery on the wrong patient or body part, both of which have received considerably more attention.
BOSU adds extra challenge to workout May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
The BOSU is a great tool for improving balance, stability and proprioception due to its unstable shape. A BOSU is basically a stability ball sliced in half with one domed side and one flat side. The BOSU can be used on either side, which adds to its versatility.
Flawed study leads to some wrong impressions May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
There are times when the reporting of a news item may infer a conclusion quite different than reality. Unfortunately this happens not infrequently in the reporting of medical research. A case in point is the recent release of the medical study suggesting that the consumption of red meat, specifically one component of red meat — carnitine, may increase the production of a compound linked with heart disease.
Teens help each other pay for cancer treatment May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
In a normal school setting, Tony Colton and Ashley Krueger probably wouldn't cross paths. He's 13. She's 18. He's in middle school, she's thinking about college. But where they met — All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg — nothing is normal. Here they both faced a deadly cancer diagnosis. And now they've both launched online campaigns to help each other raise money to pay for their medical bills.
All of us yawn, and no one knows why May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Most of us yawn more often in the early morning and late evening. Does it mean you're tired? Bored? Not getting enough oxygen? It turns out that we actually know very little about why we yawn.
Your health: Diapers vs. natural toilet training May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Decide if going diaper-free is for your baby, and more importantly you. And learn about an app that makes it easier to communicate with your doctor.
Monday last day for morning-after pill appeal May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
The government is running out of time to try to halt implementation of a federal judge's ruling that would lift age restrictions for women and girls wanting to buy the morning-after pill. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn last week refused to delay enforcement of his month-old decision while the government challenges his ruling, but said it would have until Monday to appeal to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.
It took a team to save this baby and his mom May 12, 2013 12:00 AM
As a pregnant teenager, Sofia Espinoza lugged her backpack and extra weight up and down the stairs at Addison Trail High School. She took advantage of pregnancy advice from school counselors, graduated early and married her boyfriend, Juan Carlos Guzman. Even with the 12 hours of labor, becoming a mom was almost a breeze.“I wanted a girl, so I even accomplished that. It was great,” Espinoza says of that pregnancy resulting in the birth of their daughter, Emily Jaylin Guzman, now 2 years old. “It was so easy.” That experience didn't prepare her for the birth of her son.
Experts: CO2 record illustrates ‘scary’ trend May 11, 2013 12:00 AM
Carbon Dioxide was measured Thursday at 400 parts per million in Hawaii, a monitoring site that sets the world's benchmark. It's a symbolic mark that scientists and environmentalists have been anticipating for years.
Drowsy driving kills, but remains an elusive dilemma May 11, 2013 12:00 AM
New Jersey is the only state that has successfully passed legislation addressing drowsy driving, according to Dan Brown, an Atlanta attorney and member of the National Sleep Foundation board of directors. But he noted that "Maggie's Law" doesn't fully solve the problem because prosecutors must show that a driver had been awake for 24 consecutive hours to prove possible recklessness, which is often a difficult proposition.