A Reason for Thanks: Cancer Rates, Deaths Drop

Here’s something to be thankful for: a recent report suggests that the rate of new cancer diagnoses and deaths related to the disease have dropped for the first time.

Overall cancer death rates have been dropping recently, but this is the first time researchers have noted that the number of new cases fell as well. Cancer rates for men and women both were down, including the most common forms (lung, colorectal and prostate for men; breast and colorectal for women).

In an article on CNN.com, a physician from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas noted that the results of the report could indicate that advancements in treatment, as well as increased efforts at preventing cancer and detecting it earlier through screenings, are becoming more effective.

But the fight is far from over. While the rates may have dropped overall, some types of cancer have gone up, such as liver cancer. And while preventative tactics – such as quitting smoking – and catching cancer earlier seem to be working, not everyone is able to accomplish those goals.

It’s important that people have access to and utilize screening tests such as mammograms for breast cancer, prostate exams for men, or colonoscopies to detect colon cancer. At the same time, modification of risk factors that people can control may help continue to reduce the rates of cancer across the United States.

It’s a good start. But there’s still a lot of work to do.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Health News You Can’t Always Use

Part of my job is sitting at the computer, tooling around the Internet looking to see what’s going on in the world of health.

Some days, the reports and information that hit the news are downright fascinating. Like this blurb that appeared on MSNBC.com today.

“Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman said swimming in Australian Outback waterfalls may promote fertility and might have contributed to her unexpected pregnancy over the past year.”

Seriously? Swimming around in magical Aussie waterfalls helps you get pregnant? Glad to see Hollywood once again is solving the mysteries of the scientific universe.

Here’s another one that showed up on NPR.org.

“Researchers are calling for warning labels on energy drinks. The drinks contain substantial amounts of caffeine, which could lead to symptoms associated with a caffeine overdose, including heart palpitations and insomnia. The energy drinks are marketed to adolescents, who haven’t developed a tolerance to caffeine.”

Does it come as anything of a shock to people that energy drinks contain caffeine? Lots of it? And really, will a warning label do much to convince people – especially kids – that they better not do it? People are still smoking cigarettes, right?

And finally, some good news for those exercisers who sweat a lot while they’re working out: you may have less chance of having exercise-induced asthma. According to a study that appeared in September issue of the journal Chest, researchers indicate that people who sweat less are at higher risk for exercise-induced asthma.

So don’t be afraid to drip on that treadmill – just make sure you clean it off when you’re done.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

This Just In: Breastfeeding Good for Kids

This time a year ago, a new study coming out about the benefits of breastfeeding kids wouldn’t have caused me to raise an eyebrow. I just assumed a woman had a kid, she breastfed it for awhile, then started spooning strained peas down its throat when it got older. Who knew there were other ways of doing it?

Times – and circumstances – have changed. This fall, my wife and I are expecting our first child. Which means suddenly I actually care about things like what kinds of effects breastfeeding or not breastfeeding can have on the little tyke.

My wife, an inquisitive type, has read volumes of information on the topic. And it seems like every day there’s another story coming out touting the benefits of breastfeeding. This study indicates that breastfed children tend to be smarter. Other studies suggest kids will be healthier overall in the long run if they receive mother’s milk. And if those reasons aren’t enough, here’s a study that any fan of peer pressure will enjoy – everyone else is doing it.

The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that children should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months and for a year or longer if the mother and baby so desire.

But not every woman is able to breastfeed, even if they want to. Sometimes there are physical issues, with the child or the mother, or logistic concerns that make it difficult or impossible. It’s an issue for enough women that a cottage industry has been launched to help provide practical solutions for moms – this woman is so good they call her “The Breast Whisperer.”

Fortunately, there are some resources out there for new moms who want information and help with breastfeeding.

Martin Memorial’s maternal-child department has a lactation consultant for new moms and offers classes that can help provide the tools they need to successfully breastfeed. And La Leche League is an organization dedicated to providing information and support on the topic.

Now if they’d just come out with a study on how to prevent sympathy weight gain in new fathers to be, I’d be most appreciative.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Rock-a-bye Baby – or Else!

Parents of young kids have plenty of stress on them (or so I’ve heard). The formative years from conception to age 30 – when they finally move out of the house – are crucial to the development of good, decent, tax-paying members of society.

There are so many things to consider. Make sure you take prenatal vitamins. Read to the kid in the womb. Baby Einstein or Barney? Organic strained carrots or the regular stuff? Cloth or Pampers? Day care or stay-at-home parent?

Now a new study suggests another possibility for worry. The recently published Harvard study suggests that babies and toddlers who get less than 12 hours of sleep a day have a higher risk for being overweight by the time they get to preschool.

Preschool. Now we’re worrying about kids being overweight in preschool. Who ever used to think of that? I carried a lot of chunk around when I was in preschool – and elementary, junior high, high school, college and on up until today. But back then, it wasn’t viewed as anything more than a slice or two of Velveeta too many.

Now a study comes out that shows lack of sleep for kids in this age group means the likelihood of the kid growing up “husky” (as my mom used to call it) jumps as much as 12 percent.

Throw in watching television and the number balloons to 17 percent. So now it seems that nearly two out of every 10 non-sleeping, TV-watching babies has a higher likelihood of being overweight. And they haven’t even had the option of making their own bad judgments, like a Dr Pepper and Hostess Cupcake lunch in the school cafeteria.

The bottom line, experts say, is to get kids on a regular sleeping schedule. Make sure they get exercise. Don’t let them watch too much TV. All of which is good advice that should help you have a healthier kid.

I just wonder if we’re spooking ourselves too much with these studies. I wonder sometimes why parents just don’t lock their kids into hermetically sealed rooms and leave them there until they’ve passed the FCAT.

The fact is, simply by being born we’re exposing them to danger. Are we really helping things by worrying about every single thing that may or may not occur, based on a study? Probably not.

So don’t worry if your kid sleeps 11 hours instead of 12. If he gains a few extra pounds, make whatever adjustments you can. But losing sleep over every health study that comes down the pike won’t do anybody any good.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Nothing but ’Net

One of my favorite things to do on a Monday is surf the Internet to see what wonderful new health discoveries are being made and what trends are hot right now. Because while anyone can try to find a cure for cancer, there are plenty of other scientific niches that need to be filled.

Here are a couple quick samples of news items that grabbed my attention on today’s spin ’round the World Wide Web.

Goodbye Toupee, Hello Baldness Drugs: According to a Reuters story out of London, researchers have found a gene the causes hair loss. The discovery may lead to new drugs that could cure baldness. Granted, the discovery is aimed at a rare hereditary condition and not necessarily your regular male-pattern baldness, but it’s a first step toward putting that rug away.

Give These People a Hand: For people who feel their hands aren’t exactly as pretty as they should be, new cosmetic procedures are available to provide them with a “hand lift.” That can include treatments to get rid of age spots, bony hands and other maladies that occur as we get older. According to an MSNBC.com story, new techniques to beautify old hands have created a market for cosmetic procedures. Surely retired hand models out there are giving them a thumbs up.

Dialing Up Infertility: If you’re a guy and you’re thinking about having kids, perhaps you shouldn’t answer that cell phone next time it rings. A new study, which you can read about in USA Today, suggests that cell phones could cause lower sperm count, as well as, and I quote, “more poor ‘swimmers’ and abnormally formed sperm.” The study authors are quick to point out that the data are “quite preliminary” but if you’re thinking about procreating soon, perhaps you should just use a land line.

There’s more, much more. Some of it is actually valuable information, some of it not so much. It does make you wonder why there are clinical trials on genetic hair loss when there seem to be much more important health issues that the money could be used for.

Still, I’m waiting for some intrepid scientist to discover the magic pill that gives me six-pack abs and Tiger Woods’ golf swing. Now that would be a medical miracle.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Is Work Making You Sick?

So I’m watching the NFL playoffs with my wife yesterday, steaming bowls of Grampa’s homemade chili and hunks of cornbread sitting in front of us, when an ad comes on for Monster.com.

In it, dawn is approaching. Anonymous suburbanites, sluggish and unshaven, disheveled and distraught, take up whatever weapons are at hand (satellite dishes, for example) to wage battle against an unseen foe. It seems to be a horrible, fiendish creature and the battle promises to be epic.

The hideous foe? The sunrise. And what does it bring? Monday morning.

The tag line for the employment Web site is, “Don’t fight Monday,” implying that it can help you find a job you’ll like so much that you won’t dread going to work.

But what if there were good reasons not to go to work? What if work was making us sick, instead of simply making us sick of work? The good folks at CNN.com were kind enough to give us some proof that our jobs can, in fact, make us ill.

The story suggests that everywhere you look, cold and flu germs are lurking, waiting for the chance to infect you.

Your computer keyboard? A haven for germs. Your telephone? Might as well call the doctor right now. It even suggests that you use a knuckle on certain frequently touched surfaces such as the “copy” button on a photocopier or the buttons on an elevator.

As is so often the case when the conversation steers to germs, the best defense is hand washing. The expert quoted in the CNN story also suggests wiping down your desk and work surfaces with disinfectant to kill the germs before they get you.

However, if that important report is past due or your boss insists on moving up a project deadline, maybe a little cold and flu isn’t that bad.

--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator

Look Out! Stuff is Trying to Make You Sick!

You there! With the fluffy, dark eyelashes! Drop that mascara! It’s probably loaded with mercury and ready to give you some kind of neurological damage.

What’s more important, luscious eyelashes that make you look like a young Marilyn Monroe or a mercury-free body? And don’t you dare bring that health hazard to Minnesota – the state recently banned any mercury-laden cosmetics in the interest of public safety.

Hey! What in the name of General Tso’s chicken do you think you’re doing buying a toy made in China for the holidays? Have you not read a newspaper recently? Are you trying to kill little Jimmy with that Transformer?

Dozens of toys have been recalled because they contain lead, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is a well known health hazard. Everything from “The First Years 3-in-1 Flush and Sounds Potty Seats” to “Curious George Plush Dolls” have been recalled this year.

Oh, for the love of…you are not about to eat that double bacon cheeseburger are you? Didn’t you just have steak and eggs for breakfast and a Philly cheese steak for lunch? Did you not read the study that links a diet high in red and processed meats to every kind of cancer except fingernail cancer?

Apparently, the culprits – including all types of beef, pork and lamb, as well as bacon, sausage, lunch meats, cold cuts, ham and hot dogs – can cause your DNA to mutate and create cancer. DNA mutation is cool when it happens to the Incredible Hulk but less cool when it happens to you.

What’s that you say? You’re feeling fine, despite the fact your lashes are coated in mascara, you’ve been playing with toys slathered in lead and you just finished your second helping of baby back ribs?

Oh really? You think maybe I’ve been reading too many of the health studies and stories that flood the airwaves and the Internet and the papers? You think I may make myself sick worrying over getting sick?

What’s that? I should go to a Website like http://www.mediadoctor.org.au/, an Australian site that evaluates recent studies to determine their usefulness, or its American counterpart, http://www.healthnewsreview.org/?

Fine, fine. But did you read the study about how abdominal fat is a risk factor for heart disease? Hey, I’m just saying…those bacon cheeseburgers look like they’re going straight to your stomach.

--Scott Samples

These Foods Are Made for Walkin'

The other day a co-worker sent a rather disturbing e-mail – a checklist of traditional holiday foods, along with their caloric content. As you go down the list, checking off one delectable goodie after another, the site adds up the grim total and provides your walking papers – an estimation of how many miles you’d have to walk to burn all those calories.

So being a curious sort, I figured I’d play along. Knowledge is power, they say, so it might help to know what exactly we’re getting ourselves into as we bounce to a party here, a gathering there.

I opened the Holiday Calorie Calculator and imagined I was at a festive party, the foods and beverages spread before me. I felt a little drool escape as visions of eggnog and stuffing, of turkey and cookies, of pies and green been casserole danced in my head.

So I began clicking down the list, checking off the most likely culinary culprits. Eggnog? You bet. Glass of wine? Sure, why not. Mixed raw vegetables? Probably not, but I’ll feel better if I say yes. Mixed nuts, chips, dips, crackers and cheese, a handful of Chex mix? You have to have appetizers, right? It’s rude not to, really.

I assumed I’d have a salad with dinner, just to balance everything out. Then came the main course: turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes (hold the gravy; I’m watching my calories, here), green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and a dinner roll.

Dessert? Well, I’m pretty full, but what the heck. So I took a piece of pecan pie, had a snickerdoodle cookie and cleansed my palate with a candy cane. Heck, I’m as sophisticated as the next guy.

The final damage was, to put it mildly, unsettling. I had consumed 3,436 virtual calories, which, according to the calculator, meant that I had to walk 34.36 miles to get them off. That means I’d have to walk from Stuart to Vero Beach just to burn those calories.

Should I care that much? I can always buy bigger pants, right? Besides, an article on msnbc.com cited a New England Journal of Medicine study that suggests we may not gain as much weight as we think during the six-week holiday stretch.

The problem is, according to the study, we often don’t take those pounds off which leads to further problems down the road. That’s why we’re better off trying to limit the damage now, rather than walking all the way to Maine later.

For some helpful tips on how to do just that, listen to Rosemarie Lembo James, clinical director of nutrition at Martin Memorial, on this week’s Martin Memorial Healthcast.

--Scott Samples

Drink a Day Keeps the Doctor Away?

For those so inclined, the holidays are often a time when spirits are plentiful – and I’m not talking about the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Alcohol flows freely around the holidays, whether it’s champagne on New Year’s Eve, or wine with Thanksgiving dinner, or a shot of Jack Daniels to help calm frazzled nerves when visiting relatives have overstayed their welcome.

Finally, scientists are finding that it’s not only OK to down a couple martinis to get you through the office holiday party, but it could be good for your health.

An article that appeared recently on msnbc.com from SELF Magazine suggests that alcohol can help your heart, your pancreas and your joints. The article also suggests women who down a few drinks have better overall health than women who don’t. In other words, you’re cheating yourself if you turn down a glass of merlot.

With alcohol being considered as a preventative medicine, America’s bartenders and liquor store owners may soon be considered primary care providers. People who hate going to the doctor will be more than willing to go for their annual checkup at the neighborhood pub. There may also be a tremendous sigh of relief from holiday imbibers who can tell chiding spouses that they’re simply following doctor’s orders when having another spiked egg nog.

Of course, like any of the other seemingly endless scientific health studies that are printed each year, there are caveats. The key to all of this is moderation, which generally is considered to be just a drink a day.

That means going to the bar isn’t considered a workout. It also means that just because one drink might be healthy, chugging a six-pack after work won’t make you a health nut.

So as the onslaught of holiday parties, family get-togethers or tailgating for college football bowl games reaches a crescendo, keep in mind that too much health can be a bad thing.
--Scott Samples

A Weighty Study

Feeling guilty about eating that third burrito from Taco Bell? Don’t! Gut bursting from one too many slices of greasy sausage pizza? Relax!

After years of being advised to eat healthy, get exercise and reduce our weight, along comes a scientific study conducted for all of us who’ve been fattening up like grizzly bears ready for hibernation feel just a little better about ourselves.

The study, which came out last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that carrying a few extra pounds may not be catastrophic to your health and can actually protect you against some diseases.

While being overweight can contribute to things like diabetes and kidney disease, it may not have any correlation with heart disease or cancer. (That’s not the case, however, for people who are obese.)

Some health experts instantly disputed the new findings. Others supported it. Still others couldn’t comment, their mouths filled with chicken wings.

I found the findings to be fantastic news as I crammed my face into a platter of cookies (visual evidence at left) that one of my coworkers brought in – all in the name of health, of course.

Granted, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a new study that claims to have all the answers to all our health questions. Picking and choosing which study to believe just because you want to keep doing the things you’re already doing isn’t necessarily a sound health strategy.

And really, just because you might be OK with a few extra pounds doesn’t mean you’d be better off without that additional weight. Besides, in a couple more days another study will come along discounting the previous one, and we’ll be freaking out about the five pounds we gained after believing heart and soul in the previous study.

Until then, however, I’ve got a plate of nachos calling my name. I think I can still fit a couple more pounds under my belt.
--Scott Samples