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Get Rid of Sun Spots

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Are sun spots on your skin becoming unwelcome reminders of aging? Today there are treatments available that can help you get rid of them.

Sun spots usually start appearing after the age of 40 and are common in people with light skin. They start spreading more once you cross 50. Long hours or days spent in the sun during your early years are one of the most likely causes of sun spots.

While sunspots are medically harmless, many seniors seek to hide sun spots for cosmetic reasons.

Sun spots can occur both in males and females, but women are more likely to opt for a treatment to get rid of them. Today, a wide variety of remedies, from bleach to laser therapy, are available to treat sun spots.

Fraxel laser treatments—costing up to $1,000 per treatment—are one of the most effective, though also expensive. After the treatment it’s necessary to avoid the sun by wearing protective clothing and using sunscreens in order to prevent these spots from reappearing.

FDA Panels to Evaluate Avandia Heart Risks

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Two Food and Drug Administration advisory panels will meet to discuss the results of a study done by Cleveland Clinic cardiovascular medicine chairman and a leading author, Steven Nissen, claiming that the popular diabetes drug "Avandia" may increase the risk of heart attack in patients.

Nissen’s study is based on 42 clinical trials. Results showed that people on Avandia were at 43% higher risk of having a heart attack.

Glaxo, the drug maker, reported a fall of 23% in Avandia sales after the study was published.
The advisory panel may recommend anything from no action to a black box label. However, Glaxo spokeswoman Mary Anne Rhyne maintains that these drugs are safe and the decline in sales is only in new prescriptions.

Study Claiming Cannabis – Schizophrenia Link Fuels Debate

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A controversy has been sparked by a Swiss study, which claims that a link has been established between smoking canabis and developing schizophrenia.

The study concludes that there was an increase in occurrences of schizophrenia during the 90s, which is considered to be a liberal period, and corresponds to higher canabis usage. The critics, however, have pointed out that the study is inconclusive as it is does not take into consideration the individual patients’ drug usage.

Researchers claim that there is a direct relationship between the development of the disease and the rate of canabis consumption. They add that regular smokers of cannabis are at increased risk of developing schizophrenia by two to three times.

Experts on drug issues have welcomed the report, but they also remain cautious. They believe that the hypothesis may indeed be true, but that the results are not conclusive.

Simvastatin Halves Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Risks

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The statin, Simvastatin, has been found to cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease by 50 percent.

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine analyzed diagnostic, pharmaceutical, and demographic data of around 4.5 million people. This data was collected from various medical centers across the country.
To analyze the effects, researchers used three different models and examined the effects of the statins simvastatin, lovastatin, and atorvastatin on people.

They found a considerable decline in the occurrence of Alzheimer’s as well as Parkinson’s disease in people on simvastatin in each of the three models.
It is speculated that simvastatin is more beneficial as it possesses both high potency and the capability to enter the brain.

Source: Boston University 

Lithium Evaluated for Treating Bipolar Disorder in Children

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University of Illinois at Chicago is performing a national study to assess the benefits of lithium in treating children and adolescents with bipolar disorders.

Lithium is already proven to be effective in the treatment of adults suffering from bipolar disorders. This study will help in determining if Lithium has the same beneficial effect on pediatric patients.

The study involves evaluating efficiency of the drug, its dosage strategies, and the short-term and long-term tolerance and safety of the drug.
Bipolar disorder in children is usually referred as the pediatric bipolar disorder or manic depressive disorder. It is diagnosed when severe mood swings are noticed in a child.

The disorder hampers the normal behavior of the child and may give rise to suicidal tendencies. A child suffering from this disorder may exhibit poor school attendance and might show risk-taking behavior, such as substance abuse and involvement in risky sexual activities.

Source: University of Illinois at Chicago

US Presidential Candidates Plan to Cure Diabetes

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US Presidential Candidates, Senator Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) and former Governor Bill Richardson (D-New Mexico) seem to be showing a lot of interest in finding a permanent cure to diabetes.

Both of them indicated their intentions during Monday night’s debate.
While answering a question on fixing Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, Richardson responded that almost 33% of Medicare money is spent only on diabetes. He added that they need to put in bipartisan efforts to prevent diabetes and to find a cure for it.
Dodd although made his statement by mistake—while speaking about a video related to Alzheimer’s—he said that he will promote stem cell research to find a cure for diabetes.

Richardson, who made a stronger statement, has not included any plan about combating diabetes on his campaign website.

Source: Wired

Steroids of No Help to Babies with Breathing Problems

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According to a report by the New England Journal of Medicine, a steroid popularly prescribed to babies with breathing problems—particularly lower respiratory infections or Bronchiolitis—is not helpful.

One of the main causes of infant hospitalization is lower respiratory tract infection. During the study, one half of the babies were given steroids and the other half was treated with placebo medicine. None of the two treatments gave good results and 40 percent of babies from both the groups had to be hospitalized again.

Obesity May be a “Contagious” Disease

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According to researchers at Harbard University, obesity is socially contagious. And, it can spread through your social ties. The research is actually inclined toward finding methods that can help in controlling the obesity and overweight epidemic.

The study reports that obesity cannot be cured just by treating the person suffering from it. For more effective treatment, it’s necessary to  treat the entire social network of the patient.
This is because people have a natural inclination of being influenced by the habits and appearance of those who are around them. Therefore, weight gain of one person in a particular social circle may encourage weight gain in others within the same group.

This new revelation supports the efforts to promote and educate people about the benefits of a nutritional diet in a workplace where many of us find social circles.

Source: Washington Post (7/25/07) 

Annual MRI Recommended for Some Women at Risk for Breast Cancer

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For some women who are at higher risk for breast cancer, the American Cancer Society’s has new guidelines that recommend those women get an MRI scan along with their annual mammogram.

While MRI’s are more sensitive and is likely to show more spots in the breast, it is often difficult to know if those spots are cancerous, and biopsy may be required. This is why the MRI is only recommended for high-risk women.

According to the American Cancer Society, an MRI screening in addition to mammograms is recommended for women who meet at least one of the following conditions:

  • they have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation
  • they have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, child) with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, even if they have yet to be tested themselves
  • their lifetime risk of breast cancer has been scored at 20%-25% or greater, based on one of several accepted risk assessment tools that look at family history and other factors
  • they had radiation to the chest between the ages of 10 and 30
  • they have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome, or may have one of these syndromes based on a history in a first-degree relative.