07/10/17

Monday, July 10, 2017

Two studies link coffee to longer life

New research suggests that coffee may protect people from problems like diabetes and liver disease, and might even lead to longer life. Compared with drinking no coffee, people drinking one cup daily had a 12 percent lower risk of dying. Dr. Jon LaPook has more.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/two-studies-link-coffee-to-longer-life/

Can 'Love Hormone' Help Kids With Autism?

Researchers seek to boost social abilities in small study

From: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20170710/can-a-spritz-of-love-hormone-help-kids-with-autism?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Alabama Warns About Flesh-Eating Disease

From: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20170710/health-highlights-july-10-2017?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Could drinking coffee help you live longer?

Two new large studies take a closer look at the potential health benefits of coffee

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/could-drinking-coffee-help-you-live-longer/

New clues linking poor sleep and Alzheimer's

Poor sleep in middle age increases levels of certain proteins linked with Alzheimer's disease

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alzheimers-sleep-problems-study/

Suicides alarm northern Ontario First Nations

There have been 18 suicides recorded this year in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, a community spokesperson says

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/northern-ontario-first-nations-suicides-pikangikum-nibinamik-fort-severn-first-nations/

10 Questions for 'Born This Way' Star Megan Bomgaars

'Born This Way' star Megan Bomgaars talks fashion, fitness, and future projects.

From: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/megan-bomgaars-10-questions?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Kathy Bates Reflects on Life With Lymphedema

Award-winning actor and cancer survivor Kathy Bates shares her new outlook on life.

From: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/features/kathy-bates-life-with-lymphedema?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Daily Jolt of Java May Bring Longer Life

Two large studies boost potential benefits of coffee, and one looked at consumption in all races

From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20170710/daily-jolt-of-java-may-bring-longer-life?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Sleep Disturbances Linked to Alzheimer’s Risk

New research shows people with poor sleep habits have higher levels of proteins tied to Alzheimer's.

From: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20170710/sleep-disturbances-linked-to-alzheimers-risk?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Senate GOP tries for revamped health care bill by the end of week

Congress has about three weeks left until its annual August recess

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-gop-tries-for-revamped-health-care-bill-by-the-end-of-week/

More patients are recording their doctor visits

At least 1 in 10 patients now records their discussions at medical appointments – but is it legal?

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/patients-are-tape-recording-their-doctor-visits/

Brain-Trainer Didn't Boost Thinking Skills: Study

Young adults who took the program performed no better than those who played video games

From: http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20170710/brain-trainer-didnt-boost-thinking-skills-study?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Dental, medical, pharmacy students learn the meaning of teamwork at San Francisco clinic

Once a month, University of California San Francisco students studying medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and other health care-related fields arrive at the Mabuhay Health Center.

From: By Kimber Solana http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/july/in-san-francisco-clinic-students-learn-teamwork

Getting Jake back in the game! - Mayo Clinic

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfHa2JEimQA

Goal of nation's first opioid court: Keep users alive

Buffalo, New York, is experimenting with the nation's first opioid crisis intervention court to get users into treatment faster

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nations-first-opioid-court-drug-users-treatment/

Terminally ill baby's case scores a win in court

Parents of terminally ill Charlie Gard want 11-month-old to receive experimental treatment

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/charlie-gard-parents-new-chance-argue-experimental-treatment/

Toxic drugs, snake bites, secret agents: Survival tips if you've been poisoned

"Almost anything in our lives can be a poison if we are exposed to too much of it, or in a way that wasn't intended," one expert warns

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poisons-toxins-venom-survival-tips/

Medication mistakes are on the rise

Three types of drugs are often to blame for at-home medication errors

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medication-mistakes-causing-more-health-problems-overdoses/

Senator calls for regulation of "snortable chocolate"

"I can't think of a single parent who thinks it is a good idea for their children to be snorting over-the-counter stimulants"

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/snorting-chocolate-coco-loko-senator-asked-fda-to-investigate/

Mayo Clinic Minute: How much calcium and vitamin D do we need?

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TppBBhIYyQ

More evidence that exercise helps keep your brain fit

I often prescribe exercise for my patients, sometimes more than once in the same visit — exercise for cardiovascular health, weight loss, stress management, lifting mood. Scientific evidence strongly supports the benefits of activity for all of these things. Plus, it’s free, and there are few side effects or medication interactions.

So, is there an “exercise prescription” for boosting your brain?

Mounting evidence also suggests that exercise can boost brain function and protect against dementia. This makes great physiologic sense: increased blood flow to the brain means more oxygen and nutrients in, and toxins out. But questions remain. Will exercise help older adults? What about those who already have some cognitive impairment, even early dementia? What type of exercise, how much, and for how long?

A group of exercise physiologists in Australia scoured the research to try to answer those questions.

They examined over 10,000 quality studies of exercise and brain function. By “quality” we mean randomized, controlled clinical trials (RCTs), which are experiments designed to test a specific hypothesis. The authors then limited their scope to published studies of people over 50 years old that tested at least four weeks of supervised exercise intervention, and included a validated measure of brain function at the beginning and end of each study. The research examined included healthy subjects or those with mild cognitive impairment, but excluded people with neurological or psychiatric diagnoses like strokes or depression. After all that, the list was whittled down to 39 studies.

They then took the data from all those studies and applied complex statistical analyses to evaluate:

the types of exercise (cardio, resistance training like weights, both, yoga, or tai chi)
the exercise intensity (low, medium, high)
the duration, in minutes
frequency (how often) and length (1 to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, or over 6 months)
various brain functions (general cognition, attention, executive function, and memory).

So, if you’re 50 or over, what workouts really help your brain?

The gist of it is: any moderate cardio exercise performed regularly for at least 45 minutes, regardless of frequency or length, improved multiple cognitive functions, as did resistance training. Tai chi improved memory. These results were seen regardless of baseline cognition, meaning even people with early dementia saw benefits. Yoga did not have a statistically significant effect, but the authors point out that there were fewer articles testing tai chi and yoga interventions.

So what does this mean? The authors expressed high confidence that many types of exercise can improve memory, and that we should focus on developing specific exercise prescriptions tailored to improving specific cognitive functions. In addition, more research is needed for activities well-suited for people with mobility issues (for example, yoga and tai chi).

My opinion? This study provides further evidence supporting an active lifestyle generally, and an exercise plan specifically. Do you want to boost your brain function? You now know that you can walk briskly, jog, hike, cycle, do aerobics, or dance around for about 45 minutes to help keep your brain in shape. Or, take a Pilates class, lift some weights, perhaps even get some yard work or home improvements done, and see a benefit.

Take-away: If you want to feel and function better, do something, just about anything, active.

Sources

Exercise interventions for cognitive function in adults older than 50: a systematic review with meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, March 2017.

University of Canberra. The Truth About: Exercise

The post More evidence that exercise helps keep your brain fit appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Monique Tello, MD, MPH http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/evidence-exercise-helps-keep-brain-fit-2017071011997

Sugary Drinks in Pregnancy Tied to Heavier Kids

2 or more sweet drinks a day in second trimester linked to an extra 2 pounds in 8-year-olds

From: http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20170710/sugary-drinks-in-pregnancy-tied-to-heavier-kids?src=RSS_PUBLIC

OMS : Une lutte efficace contre une épidémie du virus Ebola

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6wLGxhhrbg

WHO: Save LIVES Road Safety Technical Package: Enforcement of traffic laws

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRdLmabsc2w

WHO: Save LIVES Road Safety Technical Package: Vehicle safety standards.

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QILJexbnpzc

WHO: Save LIVES Road Safety Technical Package: Infrastructure design and improvement

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVo-MG8CVnk

WHO: Save LIVES Road Safety Technical Package: Leadership

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCeRJ-iy-Gc

WHO: Save LIVES Road Safety Technical Package: Survival after a crash

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2lvyVh0fFE

Update on Senate Healthcare Bill

Since passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in the House, all eyes have been on the Senate as they consider legislation to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). As you may have seen recently in the news, Senators returned home for their annual July 4th recess without passing legislation to repeal and replace the ACA. However, the Senate returns to Washington on July 10, and a vote on ACA repeal could happen within their first week of session.

Earlier this year, we published a blog post highlighting our efforts around the AHCA. Here is an update of the actions we have taken as the Senate considers their legislation:

1. The Senate bill

In June, Senate leadership released their draft legislation entitled the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). In many ways, the BCRA is worse than the bill passed by the House. The BCRA would make drastic cuts to Medicaid coverage and benefits. It would change the essential health benefits rule, which would put people with diabetes at risk of being unable to get the care and services necessary to successfully manage their disease. The BCRA would also allow insurance companies to charge older Americans five times more than younger Americans for coverage. Finally, the BCRA would repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides funding for proven prevention initiatives like the National Diabetes Prevention Program, and would be a drastic step backward for type 2 diabetes prevention.

Equally troubling was the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the Senate legislation. The CBO, a nonpartisan federal agency that provides legislative analysis, estimated that the BCRA would cause 22 million people to lose their insurance coverage over the next decade. The CBO analysis also projected increased premiums and deductibles for those Americas who rely on insurance coverage through the ACA’s marketplace exchanges.

2. Raising our voices on Capitol Hill and across America

After careful analysis, we determined that the Senate bill would negatively impact people with or at risk for diabetes. Prior to the scheduled vote in the Senate, we issued a statement expressing our opposition to the BCRA and urged all Senators to vote no. On June 26th, when CBO released its analysis of the bill, we joined 11 other patient organizations in a joint statement expressing our concern that this misguided legislation would cause 22 million Americans to lose health coverage in a decade. We also joined other leading healthcare organizations in a series of local events around the country to highlight the dangerous changes proposed in this legislation. We participated in town hall events in Cleveland, Ohio and Denver, Colorado to address how this bill would impact people in those states, and to urge Senators from those states to oppose the BCRA. You can read more about the Cleveland event here, and the Denver event here. Finally, we have continued to activate our advocates to contact their Senators and ask them to oppose the bill.

The day before the Senate was scheduled to debate their proposed bill, Association advocacy volunteers Gina Gavlak and Greg Paul joined volunteers from over a dozen other patient groups in Washington, D.C. to meet with their Senators and advocate for people with diabetes. Gina also appeared on a panel on the local CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C. to discuss how damaging the proposed legislation would be for people with diabetes. You can watch Gina’s interview here.

On June 27th, the same day that our volunteers met with their Senators, it was announced that a vote on the BCRA would be delayed. It was clear that the bill did not have enough support to pass the Senate and that our efforts made a difference in the decision to postpone the vote.

3. What happens next?

The Senate’s announcement to postpone the vote is a temporary victory–there will likely be a vote on the bill in July. Senators have announced their intention to continue negotiating the draft legislation until they have secured enough votes for passage. Recent news reports have indicated that they are working to hash out an agreement that could include harsh penalties for those who do not maintain continuous insurance coverage, and rolling back protections for those with pre-existing conditions like diabetes.

While the ACA is not perfect, it is imperative that our Senators do not rush through a proposal that would roll back the clock to a time when people with diabetes could be denied health care coverage or forced to pay outrageously high premiums.

This is why you, your family and your friends must continue to raise your voices and reach out to your representatives in Congress. Tell them what access to health care means to you. If you haven’t already, please sign up (and ask your networks to sign up) to become an advocate and stand up for health care for people living with diabetes—and all Americans.

From: American Diabetes Association http://diabetesstopshere.org/2017/07/07/update-on-senate-healthcare-bill/

Health and Nutrition News, Latest Headlines Source