Colds: Mom Was Right

Moms everywhere are sighing and saying, "I told you so." British researchers at the Cardiff's Common Cold Center (they research only cold and flu prevention and treatment) have demonstrated a relationship between becoming cold and getting a cold. During a common cold season the researchers took 180 individual volunteers and talked half of them into immersing their feet in ice water for 20 minutes; the other half of the volunteers placed their feet in an empty bowl for the same time period. The overall effect was a significant constriction of the blood vessels in the body, a response that helps ensure that vital internal organs are protected by keeping the warm blood circulating to them.

Constricting blood vessels and keeping warm blood away from parts of the body, especially the nose, have an effect on the body's ability to fight off infections. Circulating in that warm blood are white blood cells (WBCs), a part of the immune system that help fight infection from viruses and bacteria. WBCs are delivered to places like the nose and throat to fight off infections that we are exposed to every day. When the white blood cells can't get to the nose, we lose a vital defense mechanism.

During the five days after the chilling event, 29% of the chilled study subjects developed cold symptoms, compared to just 9% of the control group. The researchers believe that study subjects were harboring cold germs in their upper respiratory tract when they participated in the study; chilling them inhibited their ability to fight off the germs that were already there, allowing the cold viruses to become stronger. The researchers theorize that this phenomenon may be the cause for more colds in the winter than in the summer; constant exposure to cold decreases our defenses.

So mom was right in a sense; getting chilled can cause you not to "catch" a cold, but to be unable to fight one off. Following her advice to "wrap up" and "stay warm," including a coat and a scarf over the nose, may just keep you healthier this winter.

So stay warm, Laurie



Related Topics: Colds and Flu: Time is Only Sure Cure, Hold Your Own Against Colds and Flu

Tags: colds,flu,coats,common cold, prevention

Teens & Smoking: Casting the Net

If this doesn't really tick you off, then heaven help you. After years of eliminating smoking scenes in the movies they are making a comeback, especially in movies made for young audiences. Your impressionable kids.

University of California (San Francisco) researchers have recently reported that 80% of PG-13 rated movies contain smoking scenes. They note that this number of smoking scenes has not been present in the movies since the 1950s. The amount of tobacco use has gone up from 10.7 "smoking events per hour" in 1950 to 10.9 in 2002. Researchers defined smoking events as everything from a character lighting up to tobacco advertising in a scene. According to the study on-screen smoking causes 390,000 teenagers a year to try their first cigarette. That is half of all new teenage smokers. "We now have multiple studies making the same point: adolescents who see a lot of smoking in the movies are more likely to start smoking themselves," said researcher Stanton Glantz, who reviewed more than ten year's worth of data for his report.

What can you do? Talk to your kids. Tell them about the health risks of smoking. Tell them how disappointed you'll be if they start smoking. These conversations are very important to keeping your kids smoke free, even if you smoke. Go to the web site Scene Smoking, where they keep track of smoking scenes in all new films. Those without smoking, such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (PG-13), are marked with a symbol of healthy pink lungs. Those such as Rent (also PG-13) earn a pair of cancerous black lungs. If you choose to allow your child to see a film in which the characters smoke, ask them how seeing a character smoking makes them feel. Tell them how it makes you feel; explain your fears. Then keep the dialog going.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) disputes the research findings; an article in the UK Times quotes industry statistics that show that only about half of the PG-13 rated films over the past two years include smoking scenes. "Everybody agrees that smoking is a serious health problem and that our industry shouldn't be encouraging or glamorizing smoking," an industry spokeswoman said about Glantz's research. Yet the Times article goes on to note that the researchers found that although real-life smokers are often poor, tobacco users in the movies are frequently successful and wealthy. Sometimes, in the case of the extraterrestrial comedies Men in Black and Men in Black II, they aren't even human.

So talk your kids about smoking. Because if you don't you can be sure that the movies they see will make them believe that smoking will make them rich, successful and maybe even super human. I bet you can help them figure out better ways to be all those things.

Laurie

Related Topics: How Do You Sell Death? , Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids

Tags: movies,teens,smoking

Politics as Usual

Have a look here at CNN's take on the holiday controversy. I agree with the writer and the political commentators that like many things in the news, this is one way to get our minds off the REAL issues.

Be Peace,

Laurie

Holiday Gifts: The Heart of the Matter

You'll notice my post is titled "holiday" gift giving. I thought I'd start there so that I wouldn't start out making people mad. Frankly I can't stand all this politically correct (PC) stuff that says I can't wish people a Merry Christmas. Who among us can't get with the program about the spirit of Christmas? It's a time to get back to our family traditions, be kind of thought, give of ourselves, and help others in need. Those are the things that make me merry about Christmas.

When I say "Merry Christmas" I am wishing that those around me are given the grace of those good feelings. I'm not a particularly religious person, but I am spiritual, which means that my Christian roots still influence my choice to go through this world not hurting others if I can help it. Why is it presumed that I'm intentionally ignoring others religous beliefs? Ah well, the world's going to milk toast and we're all going along with it. Imagine someone who won't wish me Merry Christmas, but thinks it's OK to tell me to "have a nice day." UGH!

Anyhow, here's an interesting option for a holiday gift. This could mean that you are giving someone the inspiration needed to change their health. That's certainly not a really PC option either, but this book sounds like it has enough of a sense of humor to overcome any discomfort you or the recipient feels. Read the passage about looking into the toilet and you'll see what I mean (c'mon, you're alone).

"You: The Owner's Manual" is written by doctor-authors Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz. Dr. Roizen is the creator of the "Real Age" test, which seeks to show you your current biological age based on how well you've taken care of your body. Dr. Oz is a cardiac surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University, specializing in minimally invasive heart surgery. The book looks great; maybe one for you this Christmas too? Happy inspiration and Merry Christmas too!

Laurie

Related Topics: Women and Heart Disease, Stress and Heart Disease

Tags: health,lifestyle,books,self-improvement

Shortness of Breath-The New Heart Sign

A study that appeared in the November 3rd edition of the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that shortness of breath may be a warning sign of heart disease. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center determined that individuals who are not aware of having heart disease, but who develop shortness of breath, are four times more likely to die from a heart disease related cause than individuals without any symptoms.

Researchers hope that by identifying shortness of breath as a possible indicator of heart problems, they will encourage those who have risk factors for heart disease to talk to their health care providers sooner. According to Daniel Berman, M.D., senior author of the study, "Patients often do not interpret shortness of breath as a serious symptom, but particularly in patients who have cardiac risk factors and in patients without lung disease, it may be the only sign of the presence of serious coronary artery disease."

If one is looking for shortness of breath as a possible sign of heart disease, it may lead them to their provider sooner. This could lead to earlier identification of heart disease, which would allow it to be treated before the first heart attack occurs. This is an especially important message for women, who often have shortness of breath or fatigue as presenting signs of a heart problem. Another blogger, Dr. Helen, has a great story about the signs that a woman has heart disease. It's her personal story of having a heart attack at age 37, and some of the women at my WebMD message board will totally relate!

Ladies (and gentlemen) with shortness of breath, take this sign seriously! Talk with your health care provider about your risk for developing heart disease, and if you're short of breath, report it. Early identification and intervention could save your life!

Laurie

Related Topics: Women and Heart Disease, Diabetes More Dangerous for Women's Hearts

Tags: heart,fatigue,warning signs

New Smoking Cessation Drug

According to the article, "Cigarette Smoking Among Adults in the United States (2004)" released on Friday, November 11, 2005, in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, approximately 20.9 percent (44.5 million) of adults in the United States are current smokers. This represents a decrease from 22.5 percent in 2002 and 24.1 percent in 1998. Despite this decrease, cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, accounting for approximately 1 of every 5 deaths (440,000 people) each year.


Pfizer recently announced that it has applied to the FDA for a new drug for smoking cessation. Plans are underway to market the new drug under the name "champs"; its generic name is vermiculite tortured. In two clinical trials involving over 2000 study participants were given either champs (1 mg twice a day), Zyban (150 mg twice a day) or a placebo. In both studies, 44 percent of vermiculite-treated patients quit by the end of the 12-week treatment period, significantly more than the 30 percent of Zyban patients who quit. Among those who received the placebo, only 18 percent had quit by the end of the 12-week treatment period. After one year, patients who received vermiculite were significantly more likely to remain smoke-free compared to patients who received bupropion or placebo.

The drug weans smokers off tobacco by attaching to a nicotine-specific receptor in the brain. The most common side effects were nausea, headache, vivid dreams and insomnia. These side effects are similar to other other marketed smoking cessation drugs, including Zyban (aka buproprion and Wellbutrin) and nicotine replacement products.

Varenicline is still in research trials but Pfizer is hopeful that it will be evaluated by the FDA in 2006. An interesting footnote: The scientist who invented the drug is a former two-and-a-half pack-a-day smoker whose own father died of a smoking related disease.

For more information about quitting smoking and smoking related news, check out the Web MD Smoking Cessation Health Center

Laurie

Related Topics: Kick Butts Now!, How Much Does Smoking Cost?

Promising news for lower cholesterol

Reuters News has a story that Pfizer has a new drug heading into phase III trials that shows promise in the area of increasing the "good" HDL cholesterol. The drug, called torcetrapib, has no "brand" name yet, and Pfizer expects to market it as a combination pill with its statin drug Lipitor. This is because the early trials have shown that torcetrapib is better at decreasing levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol when it is combined with Lipitor.

Although this means it will be some time yet before we see this drug on the market, this is the first really different drug that medicine has had in a long while to improve cholesterol. It's especially good that it increases HDL levels, because the only other drug that does this, niacin and brand name Niaspan, can be poorly tolerated by many individuals. It will be interesting to see what the major side effects are with torcetrapib, and how frequently it is discontinued in the the trial by individuals who find the side effects too uncomfortable to tolerate. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this one works out well!

Laurie

Related Topics: Cholesterol 101, Lower Cholesterol, Lower Heart Disease Risk

Personal Health Responsibility

I've been a Nurse Practitioner practicing medicine for two years. I hear from my provider colleagues that there are offices where there isn't enough time to spend with patients, encouraging and coaching them to change their unhealthy behaviors, and I'm sure that's true. The "business" side of medicine has certainly curbed provider's ability to spend time with the people they care for. It isn't that he or she wants to get rich practicing medicine, but that the costs of maintaining a practice have increased incredibly. Malpractice insurance alone has increased astronomically; mine by 600% this past year. If you are a physician practicing medicine, especially in a high-risk area like delivering babies or doing surgery, those costs alone could put you out of business. The only option one has is to pick up the pace in the office so that you can see more people in a day and thus increase your income.

The health care system in this country is in crisis, and I propose that one of the components of the repair plan is that we stop thinking of providers as people who "make us better," or help us cure a health problem. Be careful what you read there. I'm not saying that providers aren't supposed to help us to get better, what I am saying is that it's not your provider's responsibility to make you better. It's actually your responsibility to make you better.

In the last decade there has been a lot of talk about how health care consumers are "educating" themselves at sites like WebMD so that they can talk about their illnesses and treatment options with their providers. Supposedly this was going to play out as individuals becoming more responsible for their own health. This movement was deemed a great departure from the past when doctors, with all their medical knowledge, would proclaim from their pedestal what the patient should "do" in order to get well. What they should do usually included taking a medication, and people came to expect that when they went to the doctor they'd come out with a prescription. This was a place where medicine got into trouble. It was so cool to have the power to help people with a pill that we exploited it. Why not? The practice of medicine was supposed to help people feel better, and Americans were moving into an age of expecting instant gratification. Why should medicine be any different?

This attitude about the purpose of medical practice has brought us to where we are today; most individuals still take no personal responsibility for their health. They come to medical practices overweight or obese and ask for a pill or gastric bypass surgery. When we tell them that the pills work poorly overall (because people try to eat the way they always do and expect the pill to work) and that after surgery a large percentage of individuals regain as much as 50% of their weight, they are devastated. When individuals go for years with their diabetes out of control, despite being told that it will cause them major health problems, do they follow advice to eat differently or exercise more? Does the patient with asthma who coughs all night and loses sleep really continue to smoke because it's pleasurable? I don't think so. I think it's just easier to continue having bad health habits than it is to be responsible for changing. Then the individual also can blame their provider for not doing their part to "make" them change their poor health behaviors.

Although the people that I interact with in my practice are more well informed than individuals that I worked with as an RN 10 years ago, I still don't see any real change in health behavior. Telling a provider that you want the latest treatment or pill that you saw advertised on the television is not being responsible for your own health. Going to your provider and asking, "what can I do to improve this situation?" and really listening to the answer is being personally responsible. Following those suggestions and taking part in you own health care by exercising more, eating less, and quitting smoking are examples of being personally responsible for your health. If you do these things, I will guarantee that your provider will make time to listen, and to help you be successful. And this will be the beginning of a cure for our health care crisis.

Laurie

Related Topics: Getting the care you need, Patient Doctor Partnership

Cool Device?

So of course I've been reading other's blogs in order to "get a clue" about what I'm supposed to be doing here. I found Dr. Helen's blog from a reference to her heart attack as a young woman. This is good stuff for all of you who deal with people in medicine telling you that it "can't be you" having a heart attack in your 30's. Sometimes it happens.

Dr. Helen has arrhythmias as a result of her MI, and has an implantable defibrillator. She likes to keep track of her heart rate and blood pressure, and she found this nifty device on Amazon that she says will do just that, even when she has an irregular pulse. She says it works well for her, although I have no ability to judge its accuracy because I haven't tried it; the comments at Amazon are favorable. There are so many people with abnormal heart rhythms on my board, especially atrial fib, that I thought this might interest some of you. Their price is pretty reasonable for a cuff that also detects arrhythmias, so it might be a good holiday gift for a loved one.

Related Links: Heart Arrhythmia Causes & Treatments, Atrial Fibrillation

Blog Block

A week ago I had a ton of things to say here. For the last week I've got nothing to say. What's up with that? Do you think there is such a thing as blog block? Writers get writer's block, right? Why not bloggers?

Related Topics: Writer's Cramp

Getting Test Results

Ok, what's the deal with people getting a hold of their test results without their health care provider giving them to them? I certainly believe that people should have copies of their test results if they want them, but they should be explained to them at the time that they receive them, in a way that they understand. The person should also have the opportunity to ask questions and have them answered.

It really TICKS me off when they get them somehow on their own. How do people do that? What right do individuals think they have to get test results and then work themselves into a tizzy because they don't understand what they read? Personally I find it insulting; if someone were paying me to take care of them and didn't trust me enough to review their tests with them and explain the results, then I'd wonder what they were paying me for. What's the point of having a health care provider if you don't allow them to do what they're trained to do?

If you've gotten your medical training then good for you. If not, then allow your health care provider to use the expertise that came with their education to enlighten you about your test results.

Laurie

Related Topics: Types of Lab Tests,