Risk of Harmone therapy for Menopause problems and Lung Cancer

New Warning on Hormone Replacement
COURTESY: NEW YORK TIMES.ORLANDO, Fla. — Hormone therapy taken by women to counter the effects of menopause can increase the risk of dying from lung cancer, researchers reported here on Saturday.

The findings represent the latest black mark against a therapy already being used much more sparingly than it once was. But researchers said the new data should serve as a caution to women who did continue to take hormones not to smoke.

“We shouldn’t be using both combined hormone therapy and tobacco at the same time,” said Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of the Harbor-U.C.L.A. Medical Center in California and lead author of the study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Chlebowski said there was one avoidable lung cancer death over eight years for every 100 women who both smoked and took hormone therapy.

The new analysis used data from the Women’s Health Initiative study, in which women took either Prempro, a drug combining estrogen and progestin, or a placebo. The study was discontinued in 2002 after it was found that the hormone therapy increased the risk of breast cancer.

The new analysis looked specifically at lung cancer for the five and a half years that the women took either the drug or the placebo and for more than two years afterward.

There were 96 cases of non-small-cell lung cancer, the most common type of the disease, among the roughly 8,000 women who used hormone therapy, compared with 72 cases among the nearly equal number who took the placebo. That difference was not statistically significant, meaning it could have occurred by chance.

But there were 67 deaths from lung cancer among the hormone users versus 39 among those who took the placebo, a result that was statistically significant.

Among smokers, 3.4 percent of hormone users died from lung cancer, compared with 2.3 percent of those who got the placebo. Among women who never smoked, 0.2 percent of hormone users died from lung cancer, compared with 0.1 percent of those who got the placebo.

Dr. Otis Brawley, the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said he was not convinced that the results were not due to chance, given that there was a meaningful difference in deaths but not in number of cases.

In another study presented here, researchers reported that the drug Avastin showed signs that it could help prevent the recurrence of colon cancer, but the effect wore off after patients stopped taking it.

Avastin, which blocks the flow of blood to tumors, has been a best-selling cancer drug that is used for late-stage cancers. But the new study, involving 2,700 patients, looked at whether the drug could be given earlier, immediately after a colon tumor was removed by surgery. The idea was to keep cancer from coming back and effectively “cure” the patient.

Genentech, the manufacturer of the drug, announced in April that the drug had failed to prevent recurrence, though it provided no details at that time.

The data released here on Saturday showed that after three years, 77.4 percent of those who received a year of Avastin along with six months of standard chemotherapy were alive and disease free. That compared with 75.5 percent of those who got the chemotherapy alone, an insignificant difference.

After only the first year, however, when patients were taking Avastin, 94.3 percent of those who got the drug were cancer-free and alive compared with 90.7 percent of those who got chemotherapy alone, a difference that was statistically significant.

“It was effective, but that efficacy disappeared after the year in which bevacizumab was given,” said Dr. Norman Wolmark, chairman of the group of researchers, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, who conducted the trial. Bevacizumab is the generic name for Avastin.

Dr. Wolmark said the research group hoped now to conduct a trial in which the drug would be given for two or more years.

But the prospect of giving Avastin for such a long duration is already raising concerns among doctors, not least because the drug costs about $50,000 a year when used to treat colon cancer. Moreover, the majority of patients with early colon cancer are already kept from relapsing by surgery and chemotherapy alone. So Avastin might have to be given for a long time to a lot of people to prevent a relatively few relapses.

“We have to think hard about long-term chemotherapy in our patients due to the impact on quality of life and the costs,” said Dr. Jennifer C. Obel, a gastrointestinal oncologist at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicago. “Are we going to be giving bevacizumab for three years, four years?”

Dr. Hal V. Barron, chief medical officer for Genentech, which is now owned by the Swiss drug company Roche, said the results “suggest promise for future trials.” He said the company offered programs to help patients obtain its drugs.

A version of this article appeared in print on May 31, 2009, on page A23 of the New York edition.

What if , when the doctor says U have a vision of 20/50 ?

Whenever U and I go to the eye doctor, we are told that we are having short sight or if we are old enough, long sight.
Occasionally, we are told that we have astigmatism. Sometimes, when we age, doctors tell us that we have cataract. A more serious ailment is glaucoma. A common ailment working in dusty occoupations is blepharitis, or even inflammations of the eye lids.

As we read the prescription card, we read something like 6/6 or if u are in a Western country, 20/40 or 20/50 etc.,
What do all these mean?

Here is answers to your doubts and questions:
Please read fully.
http://www.websystem2.com/articles/13w_Eye_Exams_Part_1.asp?Doctor=drsmith

Gum Disease and Heart Disease _ A genetic Link

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/dent/627365.html

Courtesy: www.ajc.com

TUESDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) --

"A genetic link between gum disease (periodontitis) and heart disease has been discovered by German scientists.

The association between periodontitis and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been known for years, but a genetic link between the conditions hadn't been confirmed. The University of Kiel team found that the two diseases share a genetic variant on chromosome 9.

"We studied a genetic locus on chromosome 9p21.3 that had previously been identified to be associated with myocardial infarction [heart attack], in a group of 151 patients suffering from the most aggressive, early-onset forms of periodontitis, and a group of 1,097 CHD patients who had already had a heart attack. The genetic variation associated with the clinical pictures of both diseases was identical," Dr. Arne Schaefer said in a European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) news release.

He and his colleagues verified this genetic association in additional groups of 180 periodontitis patients and 1,100 CHD patients.

The study was presented May 25 at the annual ESHG conference, in Vienna, Austria.

Because of the link between periodontitis and CHD, "we think that periodontitis should be taken very seriously by dentists and diagnosed and treated as early as possible," Schaefer said. He noted that periodontitis and CHD share risk factors such as smoking, diabetes and obesity.

"Now that we know for sure that there is a strong genetic link, patients with periodontitis should try to reduce their risk factors and take preventive measures at an early stage," he said. "We hope that our findings will make it easier to diagnose the disease at an early stage, and that in future, a greater insight into the specific pathophysiology might open the way to effective treatment before the disease can take hold."

More information

The American Academy of Periodontology has more about periodontitis."

காக்க... காக்க... இருதயம் காக்க...

Courtesy: www.dinamalar.com


காக்க... காக்க... இருதயம் காக்க...

* எனக்கு ட்ரெட் மில் டெஸ்ட் செய்து பார்த்ததில் பரிசோதனை முடிவு பாசிட்டிவ்வாக வந்தது. உடனே ஆஞ்சியோ கிராம் எடுக்க வேண்டும் என்று கூறினர். ஆனால் ஆஞ்சியோ கிராம் டெஸ்ட் நார்மலாக வந்துள்ளது. இது எப்படி சாத்தியம்?


- எம். சசிதரன், மூணாறு


ட்ரெட் மில் டெஸ்ட் என்பது ஒருவர் நடந்து கொண்டிருக்கும்போது இ.சி.ஜி.,யை பதிவு செய்யும் டெஸ்ட் ஆகும். நடக்கும்போது ஒவ்வொரு 3 நிமிடங்களுக்கும் இக்கருவியின் வேகம் அதிகரிக்கும். இதை ஸ்கிரீனிங் டெஸ்ட் என்று கூற வேண்டும். இந்த ட்ரெட் மில் டெஸ்ட் முடிவு பாசிட்டிவ்வாக வந்தால் இருதயத்தில் ரத்தநாளங்களில் அடைப்பு இருப்பதற்கான வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. ஆனால் இந்த டெஸ்ட்டின் முடிவு நூறு சதவீதம் நோயின் தன்மையை துல்லியமாக கூறும் என்று கூற முடியாது. 75 சதவீதம்தான் சரியானதாக வர வாய்ப்புள்ளது. ட்ரெட்மில் டெஸ்ட் பாசிட்டிவ்வாக இருந்தால் ஆஞ்சியோகிராம் எடுப்பது அவசியம். நவீன மருத்துவ பரிசோதனையில் இருதய ரத்தநாளங்களின் அடைப்பை துல்லியமாக கூறுவது ஆஞ்சியோகிராம் டெஸ்ட் மட்டுமே.


* நான் பல ஆண்டுகளாக வைட்டமின் இ மாத்திரையை தினமும் எடுத்து வருகிறேன். இது மாரடைப்பை தடுக்கும் என்கிறார்கள். உண்மைதானா?

- கோ. அருணாதேவி, திருவாடனை.

இன்றைய மருத்துவ வழிகாட்டுதலின்படி, பல நோயாளிகளை பரிசோதித்து பார்த்ததில் வைட்டமின் இ மாத்திரையால் மாரடைப்பிற்கோ, பக்கவாதத்திற்கோ அல்லது வேறு ரத்தக்குழாய் நோய்களுக்கோ எவ்வித பயனும் இல்லை. நீங்கள் அவசியம் ஒரு வைட்டமின் மாத்திரை எடுக்க வேண்டும் என்று நினைத்தால் போலிக் ஆசிட் (ஒரு மி.கி.) எடுத்துக் கொள்வது நல்லது. இந்த மாத்திரை ரத்தக்குழாய் நோய்களுக்கு பல வழிகளில் உபயோகம் உள்ளதாக தெரியவந்துள்ளது.

* ஆஞ்சியோ கிராம் டெஸ்ட் செய்தால் அவசியம் பைபாஸ் சர்ஜரி சிகிச்சையில் முடியும் என்கிறார்கள் சரிதானா?

- கே.கவிதா, சாத்தூர்.


தவறான கருத்து. ஆஞ்சியோகிராம் டெஸ்ட் என்பது இருதயத்தில் உள்ள ரத்தநாளங்களில் அடைப்பு உள்ளதா என்பதை கண்டறியும் டெஸ்ட். அடைப்பு இருந்தால் எந்த இடத்தில் எத்தனை சதவீதம் உள்ளது என கண்டறியலாம். ஆஞ்சியோகிராம் பரிசோதனையில் 70 சதவீதத்திற்கு மேல் அடைப்பு இருந்தால் மட்டுமே பலூன் ஆஞ்சியோ பிளாஸ்டி சிகிச்சையோ, பைபாஸ் சர்ஜரி சிகிச்சையோ தேவைப்படுகிறது. அதற்கு கீழாக இருந்தால் மருந்து, மாத்திரை மூலம் நோயை கட்டுப்பாட்டில் வைக்க முடியும்.

* நான் ஸ்ட்ரெஸ்நில் மாத்திரை சாப்பிட்டு வருகிறேன். தற்போது உணவுக்குழாயில் வலி ஏற்படுகிறது. நான் மாத்திரையை நிறுத்த வேண்டுமா?

- ஆர்.பொன்னுச்சாமி, தேவக்கோட்டை.

ஸ்ட்ரெஸ்நில் மாத்திரைக்கும், உணவுக்குழாய்க்கும் எந்த சம்பந்தமும் கிடையாது. அது ஒரு லேசான தூக்க மாத்திரை. உங்களுக்கு உணவு குழாயில வலி ஏற்படுகிறது என்றால் பான் 40 மி.கி. என்ற மாத்திரையை ஒரு மாதம் எடுத்தால் வலி குறைவதற்கான வாய்ப்புள்ளது. இதன்பிறகும் குறையவில்லை என்றால் குடல் நோய் நிபுணரை பார்ப்பது நல்லது.

- டாக்டர் விவேக் போஸ், மதுரை.

Your Kids Need Milk..To avoid OSTEOPOROSIS AT A LATER AGE.

It's Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, and when most people think of osteoporosis, the think the disease only affects older people.


However, that's not always the case. Registered dietitian Carolyn O'Neil says it's important for parents to think about strong bones at an early age because osteoporosis is a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences.

She says, "Prime bone building years is during our childhood, during our teen years, during young adulthood." Because of that, mothers and fathers should make sure their children get plenty of calcium at a young age.

O'Neil says mothers need to be strong role models so children have strong bones. According to O'Neil, research shows that mothers who are milk drinkers have children who drink milk, too.

O'Neil has five tips to strong bones:

- Can the sodas. Drinking too many sugary sodas in place of milk can rob your daughter of the calcium she needs during these prime bone-building years. There’s been an epidemic of stress fractures and broken bones during adolescence because of severe calcium shortages.

- Nourish your bones. People forget that bones are living tissue and they need a steady supply of nutrients to grow and strengthen. Three glasses of low fat milk a day provides an ideal package of nutrients for bones: calcium, vitamin D, protein, phosphorus and potassium. These are all important nutrients for strong, sturdy bones.

- Be a role model. Several studies have found that mothers who drink milk are more likely to have daughters who drink milk, and research suggests that milk-drinking teens have stronger bones compared to their peers who drink little or no milk.

- Get moving. Bones not only need the right nourishment, they need the right type of exercise too. The type of activity that helps stimulate bone growth is called weight-bearing exercise. Get the entire family moving together with weight training, walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, tennis or dancing.

- Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol. Smoking and alcohol abuse are bad for bones and can increase the bone loss.

courtesy:
www.whsv.com

Meditation May Increase Gray Matter

COURTESY:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512134655.htm

Meditation May Increase Gray Matter

The right orbito-frontal cortex, shown here, is one of the areas of the brain that appears to be enlarged due to meditation. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of California - Los Angeles)ScienceDaily (May 13, 2009) — Push-ups, crunches, gyms, personal trainers — people have many strategies for building bigger muscles and stronger bones. But what can one do to build a bigger brain?

Meditate.

That's the finding from a group of researchers at UCLA who used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of people who meditate. In a study published in the journal NeuroImage and currently available online (by subscription), the researchers report that certain regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger than in a similar control group.

Specifically, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus — all regions known for regulating emotions.

"We know that people who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behavior," said Eileen Luders, lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging. "The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities."

Research has confirmed the beneficial aspects of meditation. In addition to having better focus and control over their emotions, many people who meditate regularly have reduced levels of stress and bolstered immune systems. But less is known about the link between meditation and brain structure.

In the study, Luders and her colleagues examined 44 people — 22 control subjects and 22 who had practiced various forms of meditation, including Zazen, Samatha and Vipassana, among others. The amount of time they had practiced ranged from five to 46 years, with an average of 24 years.

More than half of all the meditators said that deep concentration was an essential part of their practice, and most meditated between 10 and 90 minutes every day.

The researchers used a high-resolution, three-dimensional form of MRI and two different approaches to measure differences in brain structure. One approach automatically divides the brain into several regions of interest, allowing researchers to compare the size of certain brain structures. The other segments the brain into different tissue types, allowing researchers to compare the amount of gray matter within specific regions of the brain.

The researchers found significantly larger cerebral measurements in meditators compared with controls, including larger volumes of the right hippocampus and increased gray matter in the right orbito-frontal cortex, the right thalamus and the left inferior temporal lobe. There were no regions where controls had significantly larger volumes or more gray matter than meditators.

Because these areas of the brain are closely linked to emotion, Luders said, "these might be the neuronal underpinnings that give meditators' the outstanding ability to regulate their emotions and allow for well-adjusted responses to whatever life throws their way."

What's not known, she said, and will require further study, are what the specific correlates are on a microscopic level — that is, whether it's an increased number of neurons, the larger size of the neurons or a particular "wiring" pattern meditators may develop that other people don't.

Because this was not a longitudinal study — which would have tracked meditators from the time they began meditating onward — it's possible that the meditators already had more regional gray matter and volume in specific areas; that may have attracted them to meditation in the first place, Luders said.

However, she also noted that numerous previous studies have pointed to the brain's remarkable plasticity and how environmental enrichment has been shown to change brain structure.

Other authors of the study included Arthur Toga, director of UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging; Natasha Lepore of UCLA; and Christian Gaser of the University of Jena in Germany. Funding for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health. The authors report no conflicts of interest.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
University of California - Los Angeles (2009, May 13). Meditation May Increase Gray Matter. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 15, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/05/090512134655.htm

How can we avoid salt in our diet?

How can we avoid salt in our diet?

Courtesy: pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com

Posted: 10:50 AM ET
As a new feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers’ questions. Here’s a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Arthur
Birmingham, Alabama

“I saw your report earlier in the week the about high salt content in restaurant foods. I end up consuming salty foods at home too! My wife adds it to everything – even to the water she boils our pasta in. What are some alternatives I can suggest?”

Answer

Arthur, thanks for writing in! Sodium content is often not something people look for on labels, or consciously think about when preparing their meals. Even many low-fat, low-calorie items have very high levels of sodium. Then, of course, the salt shaker sitting on most kitchen tables doesn’t help the matter. You see we’re all creatures of habit. If a person grows up always adding salt and pepper to each meal, it becomes second nature. Before even tasting a meal, many people add salt to without thinking twice.

Our bodies do need some sodium. It helps regulate your body’s fluid, aids in muscle function. But too much sodium can cause a siren to go off internally. When excess salt flows through your bloodstream, your kidneys get defensive. They release a hormone that triggers blood vessels to contract, which causes your blood pressure to rise. From there it’s a ripple effect on your health. High blood pressure can cause a heart attack or stroke among other conditions. Something as seemingly small as reducing sodium levels in your diet could save your life. In fact, the American Medical Association estimates that 150,000 lives could be saved in the United States annually if people cut their salt intake in half.

There are ways to cut back when cooking at home without losing flavor. Start by getting the salt shaker off the dinner table. As I mentioned earlier, people often add it to meals just because it’s there, not because the food needs it. Keep the shaker in the cabinet, and odds are your whole family will inadvertently use it less.

Also limit your intake of processed foods and canned vegetables. An estimated 77 percent of a person’s daily sodium intake comes from these items. One serving of canned food may have up to 1,000 milligrams of sodium! Fresh fruits and vegetables have a muchlower count by nature. Find out where the local farmer’s market is in your area and bring the family to pick out favorite fresh items each week. You’ll save money too. Local markets often have lower prices.

Have you been down the herb and spice isle at the grocery store lately? There are hundred of options to add flavor to meals with little to no sodium count. You and your wife will have fun experimenting with different spices to your favorite recipes – sans salt!

Arthur, the best advice is being mindful of “hidden” sources of sodium. The American Heart Association recommends 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day for the average person. Sounds like a lot but it adds up quickly. A 12-oz glass of tomato juice has 1,000 mg of salt. One tablespoon of relish has about 250 mg. One hot dog has up to 800 mg. Many salad dressings – including fat free – have 500 mg of sodium in just two tablespoons.

Bottom line, salt is everywhere. Read the labels, look for low-sodium products and eat fresh food when possible.

Posted by: Dr. Sanjay Gupta - CNN Chief Medical Correspondent
Filed under: Dr. Gupta • Expert Q&A

PandemicFlu.gov

Swine Flu .. What and Why we are so concerned?

The Swine Flu now labelled as h1n1 virus has spread panic around the world.
Everyone is concerned, anxious and possibly panicky.
Every Administration and Every Government possibly is doing all well within its knowledge and power to arrest its spread.

In the meantime, awareness of what this H1N1 VIRUS is and HOW we can protect ourselves is more important.

Please log to www.cnnhealth.com

Dr.Sanjaya Guptha gives the answers you need most.

Kindly log on to:
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/