How to break the busy cycle

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/how-to-break-the-busy-cycle/art-20269953

Find meaning in the small things

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/find-meaning-in-the-small-things/art-20269949

Philadelphians reeling over city's new sugary drink tax

Philly just became the largest city with the tax, with consumers shelling out an extra 1.5 cents per ounce

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/philadelphians-reeling-over-citys-new-sugary-drink-tax/

Artificial voice box helps throat cancer patient speak

The 56-year-old man is able to breathe normally and speak quietly with the help of a long-term implanted device

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/artifical-voice-box-helps-throat-cancer-patient-speak/

Medical innovations to watch for in 2017

From a much talked-about gene editing tool to the impact of climate change, the coming year will see more big changes in health

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medical-innovations-to-watch-for-in-2017/

Cleveland Browns Cornerback Joe Haden Talks Food, Fitness, and Family

Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden talks food, fitness, and family.

From: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/10-questions-with-nfl-player-joe-haden?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Antibiotics don’t speed recovery from asthma attacks

Does winter in the Northeast make you think of snowmen, warm fires, and hot chocolate? Or, does it instead inspire visions of runny noses, congestion, and cough? Although it is less rosy, I know readers with asthma may be picturing the latter.

People with asthma get respiratory infections more often

In general, people with asthma tend to get sick more easily, and illnesses can trigger asthma attacks. In my practice, we generally start seeing an increase in the number of asthma attacks, or asthma flares, once the ground frosts. If you are fortunate enough not to have asthma, chances are that you know somebody who does. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  reports that rates of asthma in the United States are soaring, such that today, 1 in 12 people has it. Because people with asthma get sick more often, it is logical to suspect that they will often be prescribed antibiotics. But do antibiotics really help? New research is helping to answer this very question.

Do antibiotics help people with asthma get back to normal faster?

A study recently published in the Journal of American Medicine Association looked at the effectiveness of an antibiotic called azithromycin for treating asthma attacks. The trial, nicknamed AZALEA, aimed to look at whether adding azithromycin to the usual treatment helped people recover from asthma attacks more quickly.  This was of interest to the researchers for several reasons: For starters, azithromycin is a very commonly prescribed antibiotic, so it is important to know if it works. Also, studies showed that an older drug called telithromycin actually did help people heal from asthma attacks more quickly. Doctors rarely prescribe telithromycin today because it can cause serious side effects. But azithromycin is similar in many ways, so it might be a good alternative.

Azithromycin did not help the asthma attacks  improve

Participants in the study were separated into two groups. One group was given usual treatment for an asthma attack (a high potency anti-inflammatory pill and breathing treatments), plus azithromycin. The other group was given standard treatment for an asthma attack plus a placebo, or sugar pill. To help reduce confusion, the researchers excluded asthma sufferers who had taken antibiotics — for any reason — during the four weeks prior to the study.. At the end of the study, the researchers concluded that both groups recovered from their asthma attacks at the same speed.

This means  azithromycin did not make people recover any better or any faster, and those that did not receive  azithromycin still got better.

So, should you take antibiotics for asthma? No, but there are rare exceptions

There are several take-aways  from this study. First, azithromycin did not make any difference in making people with asthma attacks feel better. As a clinician, this makes a lot of sense to me. Azithromycin was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic in the U.S. in 2010, and remains heavily prescribed today. But it’s popularity comes at a cost. Many of the bacteria that typically cause respiratory infections in adults have become resistant to it. Furthermore, most adults with asthma attacks will have viral respiratory infections, and antibiotics don’t  kill viruses. That’s why I rarely prescribe an antibiotic for an asthma attack. When I do, I rarely prescribe azithromycin, because it will only work on a small fraction of bacteria. There are certainly some exceptions; smokers, in particular, can be different. But overall, the results of this study make intuitive sense.

A second, and very interesting, conclusion was that 90% of the asthmatics initially considered for  entry into this study had received antibiotics in the preceding month! We don’t know why these antibiotics were prescribed, but the rate of antibiotics prescribed for people with asthma is concerning. Common sense makes me suspect that this is too high a rate of antibiotic prescription. I’ve never yet had the need to give 9 out of 10 patients I see antibiotics. This makes me worry that antibiotics may be over-prescribed in asthmatics, and I would like to know why.

I hope that everyone out there has as healthy a winter as possible, filled only with snowmen, warm fires, and hot chocolate. For the asthma sufferers out there, I hope you know that research like this helps us providers learn how to take care of you better. And that is a very warm thought.

The post Antibiotics don’t speed recovery from asthma attacks appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Nandini Mani, MD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/antibiotics-dont-speed-recovery-asthma-attacks-2017010410941

Many Young Adults Not Treating High Cholesterol

Guidelines suggest statins could help ward off heart trouble, but too many people are missing out, study finds

From: http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/news/20170104/many-young-adults-with-high-cholesterol-not-on-statins-as-recommended?src=RSS_PUBLIC

How to break the busy cycle

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/how-to-break-the-busy-cycle/art-20269953

Find meaning in the small things

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/find-meaning-in-the-small-things/art-20269949

Gun violence research a low priority for federal funding

Gun violence claims 30,000 American lives each year, but critics say gun control foes limit federal funding for research

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gun-violence-research-funding-low-priority-for-us/

FDA probes dangers of exploding e-cigarettes

After dozens of reports of devices that combusted, overheated or caught fire, the agency announced it will further investigate safety risks

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-probes-dangers-of-exploding-e-cigarettes-batteries/

American Medical Association wants GOP to develop Obamacare replacement first

The group backed Trump's pick to lead Health and Human Services, Tom Price, who has helped lead the effort to repeal the law

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-medical-association-wants-gop-to-develop-obamacare-replacement-first/

Struck by an arrow, paralyzed boy makes comeback

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnuUDk6XWmc

Scientists Identify New Organ in Body

Scientists Identify New Organ in Body

From: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20170104/new-organ-identified?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Say hello to your body's newest organ

Scientists say it's time for the mesentery to take its rightful place among other digestive organs

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mesentery-bodys-newest-organ/

"Exciting year" of high-tech medical advances ahead

CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus anticipates a major health tech boom in 2017.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/exciting-year-of-high-tech-medical-advances-ahead/

#MyPlateMyWins for Beverages

From: USDA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNuWUyb6TGI

New Parkinson's Drug May Aid Movement Difficulties

Opicapone, added to standard treatment, appears safe and well-tolerated, researchers say

From: http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/news/20170103/new-parkinsons-drug-may-combat-movement-difficulties?src=RSS_PUBLIC

FDA to Weigh Dangers of Exploding E-Cigarettes

Agency announces 2-day meeting on the safety risks of the lithium batteries that power the devices

From: http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20170103/fda-to-weigh-dangers-of-exploding-e-cigarettes?src=RSS_PUBLIC

January JADA looks at changes in facial profile resulting from orthodontic treatment

No significant difference exists between the changes in patients' facial profiles as a result of orthodontic treatment with and without extraction of four premolars in terms of esthetic outcomes, according to a systematic review published in the January issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/january/january-jada-looks-at-changes-in-facial-profile-resulting-from-orthodontic-treatment

How to break the busy cycle

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/how-to-break-the-busy-cycle/art-20269953

Find meaning in the small things

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/find-meaning-in-the-small-things/art-20269949

U.S. News & World Report Again Ranks the DASH Diet as the Best Overall Diet

For the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranks the DASH diet as the best overall diet.

From: http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20170103/dash-diet-wins-top-spot-again?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Bronchiolitis: What parents of infants need to know

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire

It starts as a runny nose and a slight cough — and quickly makes babies miserable.

Bronchiolitis is a very common illness in babies during the fall, winter, and early spring. It mostly affects children under the age of two, but is most common in babies three to six months old. While the majority of babies who get it do just fine, some can get very sick. So it’s important that parents of infants know what bronchiolitis is, what to watch for, and what to do.

Ultimately, bronchiolitis is just a really bad cold. There are a few different viruses that can cause it. The most common one is Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV. As opposed to most colds that stay in the upper part of the respiratory tract (the nose and throat), bronchiolitis gets down into the lungs. It affects the small airways called the bronchioles (hence the name bronchiolitis) and can cause them to be irritated and swollen. When this happens, it can lead to wheezing and trouble breathing.

For most babies, this is just a bad cough that lasts for a week or so and then gets better. But some babies can get very ill, either from the swelling of the airways, exhaustion from all the coughing, or complications like pneumonia or dehydration. That’s why parents need to be watchful for any of the following, and call the doctor if they happen:

• fever of 102º F or higher (or a fever of 100.4º F or more in a baby less than three months old), or a lower fever that lasts more than two to three days
• rapid or forceful breathing (watch for sucking in of the muscles of the chest)
• a grunting noise or flaring of the nostrils with breathing
• skin that looks pale or bluish (or lips that look bluish)
• refusal or inability to drink (or taking in much less than usual)
• no wet diapers for six hours or more
• sleepiness or irritability that is much more pronounced than usual.

The treatment for bronchiolitis is what we call “supportive,” meaning that we treat the symptoms. There is no good medicine to treat the virus itself. Here’s what’s helpful:

• giving plenty of fluids (breast milk or formula is fine)
• running a cool mist humidifier
• using a bulb syringe to clear the nose (it works better if you use saline nose drops first)
• keeping the head elevated (not with a pillow — fold a blanket under the crib mattress, or have the baby sit in a safe baby seat)
• sitting in a steamy bathroom to loosen secretions.

Sometimes symptoms can linger for weeks. If your baby has been sick for more than a week it’s a good idea to check in with the doctor, just to be on the safe side. Some babies will go on to have asthma, although it’s not clear if it’s the bronchiolitis that causes the asthma, or whether babies that are prone to asthma have a tougher time with bronchiolitis.

For some babies that are at very high risk, such as those with lung or heart disease or problems with the immune system, we give monthly shots to prevent RSV infection. Check with your doctor if your child has one of these problems. For most babies, the best prevention is the simplest: wash your hands, all the time, and do your best to stay away from sick people.

For more information, check out the websites of the National Library of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The post Bronchiolitis: What parents of infants need to know appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Claire McCarthy, MD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/bronchiolitis-what-parents-of-infants-need-to-know-2017010310948