Half of urban teenage girls may acquire at least one of three common sexually transmitted infections (STI) within two years of becoming sexually active.

Ok, some might say. STIs can be treated. The rebuttal to that is: yes and no.

Sure, some STIs can be successfully treated. But, there’s a big “but.”

1. The STI has to be identified.
2. The girl has to be willing to have it treated.
3. The girl has to seek treatment.
4. The girl has to be sure that she completes the treatment properly.
5. The girl has to be sure that it has worked.

Oh, and one more step: She has to prevent getting another infection.

Unfortunately, not all girls know they are infected so they don’t get treated. This can, and often does, lead to health problems down the road. Also, we can’t lose sight of the fact that some STIs are *not* curable – like HIV.

According to the study that was published in the most recent issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 381 teen-age girls who were studied had repeated infections with chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis.

“Depending on the organism, within four to six months after treatment of the previous infection, a quarter of the women were re-infected with the same organism,” said Wanzhu Tu, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine and a Regenstrief Institute investigator.

Second infections, sometimes the same one but sometimes different ones, occurred frequently (75%) within two years of the first STI. The number reaches 92% getting a second infection within four years of the first STI.

So, parents, what is happening? How can this be stopped? While the seriousness of STIs may not be obvious to the girls when they get them, we do know how serious they are. If almost all the girls who get one STI as a teen are pretty well sure to get at least a second, then there is something wrong and more has to be done to prevent this from happening again – and again – again.

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Post from: Healthbolt

This time, it’s Solange Magnano, mother to 7-year-old twins and Miss Argentina in 1994. She died this past Sunday from complications arising during a gluteoplasty. She wanted a nicer backside, so she went for a “bum lift,” but she never had a chance to show off her new body. Her death follows the deaths of other women, including celebrities who died after cosmetic surgery. Most recently, Donda West, mother to Kanye West, died during such a procedure. In Canada, Micheline Charest, co-founder of the Cinar animation house, died at age 51, while having a face lift and breast enlargement.

What People Forget

Cosmetic surgery has long been thought of as a simple, risk-free procedure, but all surgery has risk, be it the seemingly simple injection of Botox to a full reshaping of the body (breast, butt, face, etc). These risks include scarring, reactions to anesthetic, blood clots, clots to the lungs (pulmonary embolism), even death, like what happened to Ms Magnano.

Other complications are particular to cosmetic procedures. They include:

An accumulation of clear fluid beneath the incision (seroma), which may need to be drained

A collection of blood beneath the closed incision (hematoma), which may have to be removed

Skin breakdown — a separation from healthy skin caused by poor blood circulation, particularly if you smoke

Bleeding requiring a transfusion

Infection at the site of surgery, which may require additional surgery and lead to bigger scars            (source: MayoClinic.com)

Plastic surgery has its place. There are people every day who are born with severe disfigurements or become disfigured because of accidents or illness. Plastic surgery can help a person breathe properly again or look “presentable,” so he or she can go out in public without being stared at. Plastic surgery can help heal a person and good plastic surgeons change lives. But cosmetic surgery to firm up a butt, to lift breasts, to try to achieve the perfect body, is it worth leaving behind your children – to have them go motherless?

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Post from: Healthbolt

Seriously though, this is so much a concern that one of the Santa groups, the Amalgamated Order of Read Bearded Santas, addressed the issue, urging its Santas to use plenty of hand sanitizers during their Santa days. Adding vitamins to their diet is also recommended.

According to this USA Today article, Better not cough: Santas lobby for swine flu shots, rather than washing their suits weekly, Santas who spend their time with sick children in particular will be washing them daily. Also, by not wearing gloves, they may wash their hands frequently. Other Santas will be wearing gloves, but changing them frequently throughout their shifts or appearances.

So, do you think they should be considered a priority group for the H1N1 vaccine?

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Post from: Healthbolt

Roman Catholics who enter a church usually dip their fingers into a small bowl filled with Holy Water. They make the sign of the cross and then proceed to enter the main part of the church. Many repeat this motion when they leave the church.

Because of the H1N1 fears, many churches have removed their holy water, leaving some Catholics upset, unable to perform this important tradition or ritual. No matter, because an Italian inventor has come to the rescue with an automatic holy water dispenser.

The set up is designed like touchless liquid soap dispensers. Church-goers just wave their hand underneath the device and a preset amount of holy water. This allows the person to perform the ritual without dipping their hand into a communal bowl. According to this news report, the church-goers are pleased with the invention. And the inventor? He may be reaping the benefit of a good idea and good timing.

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Post from: Healthbolt

Take for example a press release from the American Academy of Dental Implants. In August, its members came out in favor of using dental (tooth) implants earlier in dental treatments, stating that root canals and other tooth-saving procedures may be a waste of time and money when people are going to end up losing the tooth in the end anyway.

In all fairness, this is quite possible true in many cases. But, what caught my eye was the wording of the press release:

Minichetti noted that a recent study published in the Journal of Oral Implantology showed that single-tooth dental implants are 98.5 percent successful after seven years and there was no discernable bone loss in almost all the implant sites. First-time root canals fail 5 percent of the time, according to the Academy of General Dentistry, and at much higher rates in repeat procedures. Further, endodontic surgical re-treatments, according to published studies, have success rates ranging from 37 to 87 percent.

Look at the wording. When talking about how good implants are, they use a positive, 98.5% success rate. When comparing it to traditional treatment, they use the more negative term “fail.” But the 5% failure rate the cite is really a 95% success rate. Not that much lower than their 98.5% success rate, is it?

Furthermore, in their comment that success rates range from 37 to 87% for re-treatments is also misleading. Re-treatments can be anything and by definition, if there’s a re-treatment, then there was something wrong, the patient fell into the 5% failure category.

Not unusual

Sadly, it’s not unusual to read pieces written in this way. The writer hopes that the reader reads through the piece so quickly that all that stands out is the failure rate versus the success rate. Those words and numbers are powerful and stick with you.

Stories that are really press releases

Another thing that readers need to keep in mind these days is that many press releases are being written as “stories” and are being used as such. Some on-line news sources reprint the press release in its entirety, presenting it as news.

It used to be that press releases were very obvious. They followed an upside down triangle type of format. They were identified as press releases right off the top, with the name of the contact person and the organization issuing the release.

The formula for the release was like this:

A press release is usually quite short, rarely longer than one page (250 to 500 words)

First paragraph: Big announcement, includes company name, product name, etc. (the who, what, where, when and why)

Second paragraph usually includes a quote from an expert or someone who has something to do with the product or issue.

Third paragraph backs up information and wraps things up.

Fourth paragraph gives the conclusion.

What’s happening now though, is that these so-called press releases are being written in article format, supposedly to make it easier for editors who are stretched thin. Who needs to hire a writer if the companies or associations are already writing the articles for them?

How can you tell?

Sometimes you can’t, but if the news “source” you’re reading is scrupulous, they’ll list a source at the bottom of their “article.” What I do then is go back to that source and check their media archives and press releases. Almost always, I’ll find what I just read, word for word.

Moral of the story?

Don’t believe everything you read. Watch how things are worded and if you’re really interested in the topic, research it a bit more.

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Image: PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Healthbolt

Good health habits start young and we all know that children watch adults very closely. Parents can hardly expect their children to live a healthy lifestyle if they themselves don’t. Yet, despite this, the message of healthy living starts early doesn’t seem to be getting out.
According to a study done by the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA),

The national survey revealed that more than three in five (61%) Americans incorrectly believe that the processes related to heart disease do not begin until adulthood.

Alarmingly, fewer than four in ten (38%) correctly surmise that people should be concerned about living a heart-healthy lifestyle to prevent a future heart attack beginning in childhood, and continuing throughout every life stage.

What more do healthcare professionals have to do to get the message across? Do we need Big Brother to start telling us what to do? There are already pushes to highly tax junk food and soda drinks. Some places are pushing the idea of tax breaks or financial health to promote physical activity. Will parents not do this unless there’s a financial incentive? Going for walks, playing in the park, using stairs instead of escalators or elevators are not cost-intensive.

Here is some of the information the research turned up:

•    Less than a third of Americans follow a heart-healthy diet
•    70% of parents say they wouldn’t want their children to copy their eating habits
•    26% of the time, parents feel they don’t make good food choices, setting a bad example
•    44% say that sometimes they don’t make healthy food choices, setting a bad example

To learn more about this study and its findings, check out this press release: Americans concerned about heart health, but not proactive enough to prevent it.

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Image: Newscom.com

Post from: Healthbolt

The same can be said for foods that we eat for our other meals. So, how do we know what we should and shouldn’t be eating? Well, I’ve never been one to say that you should never eat treats or “forbidden” foods, but this should always be done in moderation. There’s a huge difference between having an occasional evening of ice cream and chips while watching a movie and having them every second night. Or for breakfast.

I found this Analyze My Plate program over at the Centers of Disease Control (CDC). They have lots of great information and you could really get lost looking around that site.

Anyway, what’s great about this particular site is you choose the meal you want to analyze and then click and drag the types of food onto your plate. As you do this, the Nutrition and Serving Totals at the top (cups of fruit, cups of veggies, total calories and total fat) are added up. When you’re done with your plate, you can click on “Analyze my Plate” and you’ll get a quick run down on how you did, particularly if you click on “more detail.”

Maybe this could help you or your kids learn how to judge what you’re eating. What do you think?

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Images: MorgueFile.com

Post from: Healthbolt

First, we need to decide on what is a drink – what drinks are equivalent to each other. Generally, in North America, a standard drink is one that has about 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol. But how much that is in your drink depends on what it is you are drinking. Generally, standard drinks are:

•   12 oz beer
•    5 oz wine
•    3-4 oz of fortified wine (such as port)
•    2-3 oz liqueur or aperatif
•    1.5 oz brandy or hard liquor

Does any of that surprise you?

If you drink mixed drinks and would like to figure out how much alcohol is in them, the National Institutes of Health site has these alcohol calculators that allow you to check out:

•    Drink sizes
•    Cocktail content
•    Alcohol calories
•    Alcohol spending
•    Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

After reading how much alcohol is in your drink, do you think your drinking pattern may be risky? If you’re wondering, the NIH site has a quiz for you: What’s Your Pattern?

How do you rank? Do you think you need to make some changes?

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Post from: Healthbolt

With the H1N1 virus and the Internet, fraudsters have a good venue to find some of these new victims. Products that claim to prevent the virus or claim to heal you are making their way into people’s homes. These products are not only ripping people off of money, they are potentially very dangerous, depending on what they are made of and your health.

If you are trying to find a way to stay healthy or become healthy, there are some things to remember when searching the Internet for help:

• If it sounds too good to be true, it very likely is.
• No-one has any cures for H1N1 virus
• Viruses are not the same thing as bacterial infections, so antibiotics are NOT indicated unless you also have a bacterial infection.

The FDA has made available this widget to help you find out if a product you are interested in is legitimate or a fake. The site, FDA.gov, updates it daily from their end so even though you click on it here, it’s up-to-date.

If this widget doesn’t work for you, you can go directly to the FDA site to access it.

H1N1 Fraudulent Products

H1N1 Fraudulent Products.
Flash Player 9 is required.

Post from: Healthbolt

Researchers studied almost 8000 people who had been hurt in accidents. They were looking to see if alcohol in the body at the time of the accident had any impact on the severity of the injuries. The study findings were published in the most recent issue of the journal American Surgeon.

The researchers weren’t interested in glamorizing alcohol and hope that this study doesn’t get misinterpreted, particularly since many of the trauma victims emergency room physicians see are due to alcohol to begin with. What they were looking for is if there was a connection to alcohol reducing injuries, more research could be directed in that direction to find a way to mimic the effects of alcohol when helping patients recover.

In the end, the results showed that among the people who were drunk when injured, only 1% died, compared with 7% of sober people who died. This is leading the researchers to look to see if there is a chemical reaction that may affect the damage, limiting it somewhat.

It doesn’t seem fair that the one who drinks and causes the accidents walks away, but if this helps further research, I guess something may come out of it.

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Post from: Healthbolt