Daily Health Tips: Trusted Medical Information, Health Tips and Advices

  Researchers Report Some Success Against Advanced Lung Cancer With Epigenetic Drugs A new approach to treating cancer appears to help certain patients with advanced lung cancer, and researchers say they think they may have a way of spotting those who will benefit. The small study is generating big excitement in the world of cancer treatment because it demonstrates that so-called epigenetic drugs may work when traditional chemotherapy has failed. Epigenetic drugs work by controlling gene expression -- the way information from genes is used to create products such as proteins. The study is published in Cancer Discovery . "This is a ... groundbreaking study, showing that by modifying the epigenetics of a cancer cell we can get real responses in lung cancer," said Jeffrey A. Engleman, MD, PhD, director of thoracic oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, in a news briefing. "And getting real responses in lung cancer is actually quite dif

  Study Suggests Double Risk of Childhood Obesity for Kids With Fastest Weight Gain by Age 2 Babies who gain weight most quickly are at highest risk of obesity later in childhood, a Harvard study finds. Infants who gain the most weight at age 1-6 months are most likely to be obese at ages 5 and 10 years. The risk goes up with the child's starting weight-for-length percentile obtained from standard growth charts, find Elsie M. Taveras, MD, MPH, and colleagues. The researchers analyzed health records for 44,622 kids aged 1 month to 11 years from 1980 through 2008. They collected height and weight measurements made during the children's first 24 months, as well as their height and weight at ages 5 and 10. Pediatricians usually monitor a child's growth by measuring weight and length and comparing it to CDC normal growth charts. The child's weight for length will typically fall within percentile lines: 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, 95. Especially in t

Alzheimer's Association Says Insufficient Funding and Inadequate Treatment Are Among the Challenges The Alzheimer's Association in a new report has identified 10 "critical challenges" that need to be addressed by the nation to combat the growth and devastating impact of Alzheimer's disease. The challenges include lack of funding and problems with diagnosing Alzheimer's. An estimated 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's now, and that number is expected to grow to 16 million by the year 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Because of this looming health crisis, President Obama signed into law the National Alzheimer's Project Act on Jan. 4, with the aim of creating a national strategic plan to address what the Alzheimer's Association described as an "escalating crisis." The Alzheimer's Association's report, "Alzheimer's from the Frontlines: Challenges a National Alzheimer's

  Research shows infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii , found in 10-20 per cent of the UK's population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the brain.  Findings from the University of Leeds research group are the first to demonstrate that a parasite found in the brain of mammals can affect dopamine levels. Whilst the work has been carried out with rodents, lead investigator Dr Glenn McConkey of the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences, believes that the findings could ultimately shed new light on treating human neurological disorders that are dopamine-related such as schizophrenia , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , and Parkinson's disease . This research may explain how these parasites, remarkably, manipulate rodents' behaviour for their own advantage. Infected mice and rats lose their innate fear of cats, increasing the chances of being caught and eaten, which enables the pa

Study Suggests a Connection Between a Child's Weight, Sleep Problems, and Learning Ability Children who are overweight and don't get enough sleep may have a harder time learning, and those with learning difficulties may be at higher risk for obesity and sleep problems, new research suggests. The study found that a child's weight, sleep problems, and ability to learn are all connected, with each influencing the other. Although one expert says the study raises some interesting questions about the relationship of obesity, sleep, and intelligence, it's far too soon to even suggest that intelligence levels alone play a role in obesity or sleep problems. It is widely recognized that obesity increases the risk for sleep apnea and related conditions, known collectively as sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Chronic lack of sleep has also been shown to have a negative impact on learning. But the new study is among the first to examine the interaction of obesit

Report Suggests That Many Drinks That Sound Healthy Have Lots of Sugar and Calories It's no surprise that many sodas have a lot of sugar. What may be more surprising is that many fruit drinks, often billed as healthier alternatives, are often loaded with close to the same amount of sugar and calories. That is one of the findings of a new report from Yale University. The report, being presented today at the American Public Health association annual meeting in Washington, D.C., also finds that many beverage companies are marketing their drinks to kids and teens despite a promise to stop. The American Beverage Association, an industry trade group, takes issue with the new findings. It says the beverage companies have taken many positive steps to protect children's health, including advertising only certain types of drinks on programming to children 12 and under. Calories in Drinks Researchers from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity lo

A California lawsuit claiming that fish oil capsules are contaminated with PCBs -- banned chemicals that have been linked to cancer and birth defects -- is producing news stories right out of a blockbuster horror movie. We wouldn't blame you if headlines like Fish Oil Takers Beware inspire you to trash your capsules and give up on these good fats. But take a breath. The last thing we want is for the news media to come between you and your omega-3s. These healthy fats -- found in salmon and trout (the only fish with plentiful omega-3s in the United States), fish oil capsules, and a few other superfoods -- are just too important. They're already credited with protecting hearts against deadly offbeat rhythms, lowering depression risk, cooling inflammation, and helping babies grow healthy brains. Now, omega-3s are also showing promise for encouraging weight loss and discouraging belly fat. So what's up with the lawsuit? A California group tested 10 types of fish

Researchers Say Supplements Contain 'Significant' Amounts of Thyroid Hormone Nine out of 10 "thyroid support" pills tested by Mayo Clinic researchers contain "risky" levels of thyroid hormones. A wide range of supplements that claim to support or improve thyroid function are available online and in retail stores. Some list only herbs as ingredients. Others are capsules filled with dried, ground-up thyroid gland from pigs or cows. People take the supplements because they may feel tired, or for unexplained weight gain -- symptoms they interpret as a sign their bodies are making too little thyroid hormone. When a number of his patients told him they were taking the supplements, endocrinologist Victor Bernet, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla., became curious. Might they contain the same thyroid hormone as Levothroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid, Unithroid and other prescription drugs used to treat thyroid hormone deficiency? Yes, Bernet says

Researchers Say Men Are Often Not Included in Studies About Binge Eating Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are more common among women than men. Binge eating, however, occurs at similar rates among both sexes. Yet men are rarely included in research studies on binge eating and its consequences and treatments, a study shows. The researchers analyzed data from 21,743 men and 24,608 women who participated in a health risk self- assessment. Binge eating in the past month was reported by 7.5% of men and 11.19% of women. The study is published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders . Binge eating disorder is marked by: Frequent episodes of eating large amounts of food in short periods of time Feeling like you have no control over your eating Eating when not hungry Eating in secret Many people feel ashamed and/or disgusted by their binge eating. Health Risks of Binge Eating There are serious health risks associated with binge eating. These includ

Study Suggests Benefits to Taking Blood Pressure Drugs Before Going to Sleep Taking at least one blood pressure medicine at bedtime cuts the risk of heart problems, according to new research. The study also shows that participants taking at least one blood pressure pill at bedtime had lower blood pressure while asleep. Earlier studies have suggested that bedtime dosing of at least one blood pressure medication may help control blood pressure. But the new study is believed to be the first to look at whether the timing makes a difference in terms of heart attacks, strokes, and death. Ramon C. Hermida, PhD, director of the bioengineering and chronobiology labs at the University of Vigo in Spain, studied 661 people with both high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. "Taking blood-pressure-lowering medication at bedtime, compared to [taking] all medication upon awakening, not only improved blood pressure control, but significantly reduced the risk of card

Study Shows Importance of Doctors' Recommendation in Boosting HPV Vaccination Rates Doctors need to recommend the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to help increase the number of girls getting immunized, according to CDC researchers. Two vaccines against human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted infection, were licensed for use in the U.S. in 2006 and 2009. The vaccines target the main types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Each HPV vaccine consists of three doses, with the first two doses given one or two months apart (depending on which vaccine is given), and the third one given six months after the first. In 2006, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that girls get vaccinated at age 11 or 12, before they become sexually active and are exposed to HPV. The committee also recommended that older teens and women up to age 26 who haven't been fully vaccinated receive "catch-up" vaccinations. But an analysis of 2008 and 2

  IQ, the standard measure of intelligence, can increase or fall significantly during our teenage years, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust, and these changes are associated with changes to the structure of our brains. The findings may have implications for testing and streaming of children during their school years. Across our lifetime, our intellectual ability is considered to be stable, with intelligence quotient (IQ) scores taken at one point in time used to predict educational achievement and employment prospects later in life. However, in a study published October 20 in the journal Nature , researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London) and the Centre for Educational Neuroscience show for the first time that, in fact, our IQ is not constant. The researchers, led by Professor Cathy Price, tested 33 healthy adolescents in 2004 when they were between the ages of 12 and 16 years. They then repeated the

Study Shows Benefits of Adding Radiation Therapy to Breast-Conserving Surgery Women with early breast cancer often consider breast-conserving surgery in which a doctor removes the tumor but spares the rest of the breast. But they may worry that their cancer is more likely to come back if they don't remove the entire breast. New research shows that adding radiation therapy to breast-conserving surgery halves the chance that cancer will come back and reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer, when compared to the breast-conserving surgery alone. The study is published in  The Lancet . Breast cancer experts tell WebMD that the new findings should provide some peace of mind for women with early breast cancer who choose breast-conserving surgery plus radiation over mastectomy -- the complete removal of the breast or breasts. In 2011, an estimated 230,480 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. About 39,520 women will die from the dise

Studies Show Flu Vaccine Is Safe and Effective for Pregnant Women Pregnant women are more likely to get a flu shot than they were a few years ago, and for good reason: Evidence continues to mount that the vaccine safely protects both mother and newborn from influenza and its complications. One new study shows that pregnant women who get a flu shot are no more likely to miscarry. A second, small study shows that babies of moms who received the vaccine retain some immunity for two months after birth. In a third study, more than half of the pregnant women surveyed were immunized in the 2010-2011 flu season. Historically, the figure has hovered at a dismal 15%, researchers say. "We're building a large and consistent body of evidence regarding the benefits and safety of flu vaccination in pregnancy," says Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH. She is a member of Infectious Disease Society of America's (IDSA) pandemic influenza task force and director of the influenza vaccine projec

It's a bit early to call but it seems that we finally might have an  effective   vaccine   against malaria ! Joe Cohen , a GlaxoSmithKline research Scientist told reporters that after 24 years of research and trial   they have developed a vaccine that halved the risk of children getting Malaria. Even though this vaccine won't end malaria on it's own, it's a major step forward in conquering this deadly   disease. Malaria is caused by a parasite carried in the saliva of mosquitoes. It kills more than 780,000 people per year, most of them babies or very young children in Africa. Cohen's vaccine goes to work when the parasite enters the bloodstream. By stimulating an immune response, it can prevent the parasite from maturing and multiplying in the liver. Without that immune response, the parasite re-enters the bloodstream and infects red blood cells, leading to fever, body aches and, in some cases, death According to Cohen, if all goes as planned, the new vaccine could

Millions of Americans with restless legs syndrome (RLS) may have an increased risk for high blood pressure, one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. In a new study, middle-aged women with the most frequent RLS episodes were 41% more likely to have high blood pressure than women without the disorder, and the prevalence of high blood pressure increased with RLS symptom frequency. The findings strongly suggest that restless legs syndrome increases the risk for high blood pressure, but more research is needed to confirm the association, says researcher Salma Batool-Anwar, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "We cannot say from this study that restless legs syndrome causes blood pressure to rise, but we did see a significant relationship between the severity of (RLS) symptoms and prevalence of hypertension," she tells WebMD. RLS and the Heart, Studies Mixed More than 5 million people in the United States have modera

A brother-sister team has revealed the top ten things that keep people from attainting their ideal body shape and weight. Dian Griesel, Ph.D. (Nutrition) and Tom Griesel spent 30 years working with scientific researchers while continuously experimenting with various diets, and found certain things that stop people from maintaining their diets. "The best of diet intentions fail in late afternoon and evening because dieters fall for certain traps that sabotage success," Dr. Griesel said. According to the authors, those traps include: 1. Traditional diet and exercise advice that is all wrong. 2. Motivation that is misdirected. The choice needs to be: Which do I value more? A chocolate bar now or a longer and healthier life with my family? 3. Eating when we are really thirsty. 4. Burning the candle too late, is counter productive to fat burning. A good night's sleep burns fat and keeps us from eating. 5. Dieting and aerobic exercising together reduce calories, so primitive s