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Health Campaign Calls for 50% Less Salt Consumption

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Because of the modern American diet, most people get too much sodium, though some older adults don’t get enough. How much salt is too much?

More and more evidence points to a need for Americans to decrease their salt intake. To that end, the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and the National Institutes of Health have kicked off a campaign with a goal of reducing individuals’ salt intake to 50% of the current levels.

Amy Schnabel, a clinical nutrition manager at UCLA Medical Center predicts that 90% of Americans will develop high blood pressure if they don’t take positive steps to prevent it.

High salt intake can lead to hypertension and increased risk of stroke or heart attack.
The good news is that there are some simple things that can be done to vastly decrease cardiovascular disease risks.

A recent study in the British Medical Journal showed that reducing salt intake by about 30% can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 25%.

According to experts, the key is improved awareness about what you eat—identifying which foods contain high amounts of sodium.

The FDA recommends no more than 2,400 mg per day, or about 1 teaspoon.

Sources:

  • British Medical Journal (April 19, 2007)
  • Newswise: Belvoir Media Group

What Triggers Heart Attacks and Stroke?

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Strokes, heart attacks, and cardiac arrest are usually the result of cholesterol-rich plaque deposits in the arteries going to the brain and heart.
They occur, when a particular activity triggers them.

Stressful physical exertion, anger, waking up from sleep, and certain infections are some of the triggers that top the list.
While most heart patients perform each of the above activities at one point or another, knowing the triggers can help you take measures to prevent them or control their intensity when they occur.

Trading Prescription Medications Among Teens

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With an increase in the number of psychotropic prescriptions for adolescents there are increased chances of these prescriptions ending up in the wrong hands.

Results of a survey of school students show that 1% of all prescriptions that caregivers write for teenagers are used for non-medical purposes. 6 out 10 students with legitimate psychotropic prescriptions are contacted to redirect their prescriptions. 1% of them agree to do it and some even sell them. As many as 25% have reported that they divert the prescriptions to family and friends.

Critics hold doctors responsible for giving out too many prescriptions to teenagers. However, researchers say that the real problem might be that doctors do not adequately discuss the matter of diverted prescriptions with patients and their families.

Fighting High Cholesterol

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Atherosclerotic heart disease due to high cholesterol is one of the main causes of fatalities and disabilities around the world. However, following a healthy lifestyle goes a long way in lowering LDL cholesterol and preventing heart problems.

To meet healthy cholesterol level goals, there are step-by-step guidelines outlined by the National Cholesterol Education Project. Following a healthy diet that is low in trans and saturated fats and including exercising in your daily routine is the key. For better results, you can go in for effective medicines available today to accomplish the remaining task.

You Can Repay Your Sleep Debt

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6 out of 10 women get less than the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep at night. In due course, sleep debt piles up and affects their health.

A report published in Harvard Women’s Health Watch claims that this debt, however chronic or longstanding, can be repaid.
For instance, if you have a debt of 10 hours sleep, you can repay it by sleeping over the weekend and the week following it. If your sleep debt has piled up over decades, then it is advised that you take a short vacation to a place where you need not have a very busy schedule.

Ensure that you get proper sleep at night and wake up naturally in the morning—no alarm clocks allowed here. During the vacation, determine the amount of sleep you require and ensure that you get the determined amount of sleep everyday.

Source: Harvard Medical School

Menopause Pill Pristiq Fails to Get FDA Approval

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The Federal Drug Administration (FDA), in its letter to Wyeth—the manufacturer of the menopause Pill Pristiq—has outlined the need to perform at least one more year of clinical tests on the drug before it is aproved.

The FDA has called for more data on how Pristiq affects the heart and liver health of patients.
Wyeth, which is the largest manufacturer of hormone treatments today, has developed Pristiq to control menopausal symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes and has forecast an annual revenue of $2 billion from the drug.

Decrease in Hormone Therapies Linked to Decline in Breast Cancer

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Researchers claim that an analysis of patients’ treatment records at a large HMO indicate that reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be the cause behind declining breast cancer rates.
They pointed out that, as some studies suggest, this decline is not due to reduced use of mammography.

The research indicates that one of the main causes of the decline is due to the reduction in post menopausal hormone therapy in 2003, in response to results of Women’s Health Initiative that linked breast cancer to hormone replacement therapy.

Growth of small tumors slows down when hormone replacement therapy is discontinued delaying discovery by almost two years. With the number of post menopausal estrogen and progestin prescriptions reduced to almost half, cancer rates have dropped by 7% in the year 2003.

Second Round High Dose Chemo May Cure Testicular Cancer

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Physicians from Indiana University report that increasing the dosage of anticancer drugs after the failure of first-line chemotherapy may lead to more succesful outcomes for men with testicular cancer.

The report published in the New England Journal of Medicine states that a considerable number of male patients with germ cell tumor are cured when they are treated with a second round of high dosage chemotherapy after the first round of chemotherapy has failed.

Unusual sensitivity of testicular cells to anticancer medicines is assumed to be behind these successful treatments. This treatment, however, cannot be extended to other types of cancers.

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.