Health News - Daily News Central:Daily News Central- Health News provides news geared toward health consumers, along with links to informative sites. Coverage includes conditions/diseases, food/fitness, alternative health, mental health, sexual health, insurance, and other health categories.http://health.dailynewscentral.com2008-12-03T22:57:57+00:00FeedCreator 1.6Book Review: <i>Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven</i>2008-11-30T19:50:59+00:002008-11-30T19:50:59+00:002008-11-30T19:50:59+00:00/content/view/2668/syn@dailynewscentral.com
By Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
Reviewed by Rita Jenkins
Pregnant women are vulnerable -- especially first-time mothers. They're filled with excitement, hope, optimism, and a little panic around the edges. Their bodies are changing in ways that make them feel they no longer know who they are. They've probably heard a hundred different versions of what to expect, and they still don't really have a clue what childbirth and motherhood are all about..Less Than 7 Hours Sleep May Hike Cancer Risk in Women2008-11-22T23:11:19+00:002008-11-22T23:11:19+00:002008-11-22T23:11:19+00:00/content/view/2667/rjenkins@dailynewscentral.com
Regular physical activity can reduce a woman's risk of developing cancer, but there's a catch. She must also get adequate sleep on a regular basis, according to a new study presented at a conference of the
American Association for Cancer Research..It's Medicare Part D Plan Selection Time Again2008-11-17T01:46:27+00:002008-11-17T01:46:27+00:002008-11-17T01:46:27+00:00/content/view/2666/syn@dailynewscentral.com
The six-week annual Medicare Part D plan selection window is open again, and participants in the government-run prescription drug program will have to go through the onerous process of determining which plan best fits their needs. For many, the
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder (http://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF/Public/Include/DataSection/Questions/MPDPFIntro.asp?version=default&browser=Firefox%7C2%7CWinXP&language=English&defaultstatus=0&pagelist=Home&ViewType=Public&PDPYear=2009&MAPDYear=2009&MPDPF%5FMPPF%5FIntegrate=N) is a good place to start..Study: Vitamin C,E Supplements Don't Improve Odds Against Cancer2008-11-17T01:13:39+00:002008-11-17T01:13:39+00:002008-11-17T01:13:39+00:00/content/view/2665/syn@dailynewscentral.com
Neither vitamin C nor vitamin E showed any protective benefits against cancer in a 10-year study following 14,641 male doctors, researchers have concluded. Earlier studies had suggested that these antioxidants might be effective in warding off cancer, but it's possible that obtaining them as part of a balanced, healthy diet might offer more advantages than taking them in pill form..Chinese Herb Could Be Potent Weapon Against HIV2008-11-10T12:32:52+00:002008-11-10T12:32:52+00:002008-11-10T12:32:52+00:00/content/view/2664/rjenkins@dailynewscentral.comAn herb used in Chinese medicine -- the Astragalus root -- contains a chemical that could be used to complement antiretroviral therapy or possibly even replace it, suggested Rita Effros, a member of the
UCLA AIDS Institute, which made the finding. Effros, co-author of the study, is a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA..Bullying and the Pleasure Principle2008-11-08T20:15:26+00:002008-11-08T20:15:26+00:002008-11-08T20:15:26+00:00/content/view/2663/rjenkins@dailynewscentral.com
A new study suggests that
bullying (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying) makes people feel good. Now, this may not come as a huge surprise, given the stereotypical images in films and TV shows of bullies ganging up on their targets, laughing wickedly as they torture them with physical or verbal insults. But most depictions suggest fairly simple explanations for bullying behavior: the desire for power, wealth, etc., with little or no regard for morality..Obesity Fuels Soaring Diabetes Numbers2008-11-02T19:59:03+00:002008-11-02T19:59:03+00:002008-11-02T19:59:03+00:00/content/view/2662/syn@dailynewscentral.com
Twice as many new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in the US than 10 years ago, according to the latest government statistics, which covered 2005-2007. The alarming trend, which researchers blame on the obesity epidemic, has struck hardest in the South. In West Virginia, the state with the highest incidence, about 13 in 1,000 cases were diagnosed in adults. Minnesota had the fewest cases, 5 in 1,000..Falling Back to Normal Time Is Easier on the Heart2008-11-01T20:17:37+00:002008-11-01T20:17:37+00:002008-11-01T20:17:37+00:00/content/view/2661/rjenkins@dailynewscentral.com
Now that the jack-o-lanterns have gone dark and their sharp-edged features are beginning to soften, it's time to hunker down for the coming winter. That means, among other things, losing the sun an hour earlier. For some, the advancing twilight puts a nostalgic period on the end of Indian summer. For others, it may literally be life-saving: Setting the clock back an hour may lower the risk of a heart attack..Genetically Modified Purple Tomato Helps Mice Resist Cancer2008-10-27T01:12:46+00:002008-10-27T01:12:46+00:002008-10-27T01:12:46+00:00/content/view/2660/syn@dailynewscentral.com
With a little help from snapdragons, purple tomatoes may open a new chapter in the debate over genetically modified foods. Such products, often developed to improve crop yields by building in resistance to pests and disease, have been the center of controversy. Opponents point to uncertainty over how they might alter the environment, how they might affect food chains, and how they might differ nutritionally from their natural counterparts..Physicians and the Placebo Effect: An Ethical Thicket2008-10-25T20:41:59+00:002008-10-25T20:41:59+00:002008-10-25T20:41:59+00:00/content/view/2659/rjenkins@dailynewscentral.com
A new study published in the
British Medical Journal (http://www.bmj.com) has sparked new debate over doctors' use of
placebos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo) in treating their patients. The research found that many doctors prescribe vitamins, sedatives or nonprescription painkillers to treat chronic medical conditions such as arthritis. In most cases, the doctors do not plainly tell their patients that they are being given placebos..Obama, McCain, Medicare and Those Precious Old Folk Votes2008-10-18T16:49:02+00:002008-10-18T16:49:02+00:002008-10-18T16:49:02+00:00/content/view/2658/rjenkins@dailynewscentral.com
As the 2009 presidential campaign locomotive hurtles toward decision day, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is launching a new attack on Sen. John McCain's policy proposals that seems designed to upset undecided old folks into swinging the younger senator's way. Trouble is, the campaign may be counting on the brains of those seniors being a lot fuzzier than they actually are..High Blood Pressure in Americans: Numbers Are Up2008-10-15T02:59:48+00:002008-10-15T02:59:48+00:002008-10-15T02:59:48+00:00/content/view/2657/rjenkins@dailynewscentral.com
High blood pressure affects more Americans than ever, according to a new report in the medical journal
Hypertension (http://hyper.ahajournals.org/). Although one might be tempted to blame the current economic crisis, the increasing trend toward hypertension correlates with another trend that's been building far longer than the financial meltdown: the obesity epidemic. As unsettling as that news is, though, it's somewhat mitigated by the fact that the number of people who are getting treatment for the condition is also on the upswing..An Anticancer Diet2008-10-12T23:01:15+00:002008-10-12T23:01:15+00:002008-10-12T23:01:15+00:00/content/view/2656/syn@dailynewscentral.com
By David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD,Author of Anticancer: A New Way of Life
.Beyond Statistics: Getting to the Long Tail2008-10-12T22:52:26+00:002008-10-12T22:52:26+00:002008-10-12T22:52:26+00:00/content/view/2655/syn@dailynewscentral.com
By David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD,Author of Anticancer: A New Way of Life
The "median survival" associated with any given cancer is just that: a median. We can all learn how to boost our physiology to do better than the median, and, hopefully, reach the (very) "long tail" of the survival curve..Breaking Through Isolation2008-10-12T22:38:18+00:002008-10-12T22:38:18+00:002008-10-12T22:38:18+00:00/content/view/2654/syn@dailynewscentral.com
By David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD,Author of Anticancer: A New Way of Life
Stress does not cause cancer, but helplessness and social isolation are associated with faster cancer progression. Learning to break through isolation is a key factor in a comprehensive plan to defeat cancer..