rebecca c painter

Thursday, 24 May 2012

IUDs, implants more reliable than birth control pills

While birth control pills are the most commonly used reversible contraceptive in the United States, a new study has found that women who use the pill are actually 20 times more likely to have an unintended pregnancy than women who use longer-acting birth control methods such as intrauterine devices (IUD) or hormonal implants.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted over a period of three years. It involved more than 7,500 sexually active women between the ages of 14 and 45, who did not want to become pregnant within the next 12 months. The women were either not using birth control or were planning to switch birth control methods.
The researchers counseled the women on their birth control options, which included IUDs, implants, pills, patches, rings and injections, then followed up with the women every six months through the remainder of the study. Participants who became pregnant during the study were asked if the pregnancy was intended and what contraceptive method they were using, if any, at the time.
During the course of the study, 334 of the women became pregnant, and 156 of the pregnancies were due to contraceptive failure. Out of those women, 133 (4.5 percent) of the women had been using pills, the patch or ring at the time, compared to 21 women (.27 percent) who had been using IUDS or implants.
For women under 21, the discrepancy was even more pronounced: Adolescents and young adults who used birth control pills, the patch or ring had almost double the risk of having an unplanned pregnancy than older women in the study.
Dr. Jeffery Peipert, senior author of the study, and Robert Terry, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington, told FoxNews.com the study results called for a shift in the way doctors and patients consider and discuss birth control options, and in particular, IUDs – which had less than a 1 percent failure rate in the study but are only chosen by 5.5 percent of women in the U.S.
“When patients talk to their doctors about birth control, their first concern is always efficacy,” Peipert said. “So why don’t we offer the most effective methods first? And if they choose not to have the most effective method [IUDs, implants], then move to second tier methods like the birth control pill, patch and ring.”
While all the birth control methods in the study boasted a 98 to 99 percent effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, the shorter-acting methods are often subject to ‘user error,’ such as forgetting to take pills, which can greatly reduce their effectiveness, Peipert said.
“The pill is 99 percent effective as long as you remember to take it every day, which to me, it’s ridiculous to talk about a ‘perfect’ user rate because that’s not real life,” Peipert said. “In real life, there is user error. The longer-acting methods remove that error. Once they’re in place, you can forget about them.”
Meanwhile, according to Peipert, there are important ramifications to missing the pill as little as once or twice – and nearly 25 percent of women miss two or more pills a month.
“That’s a lot,” he said. “Depending on when the pills are missed in the cycle, it can make a difference as to whether or not a woman makes an egg or ovulates.”
Though IUDs and implants have a much lower failure rate, Peipert said there are three main barriers keeping women from pursuing these forms of birth control: knowledge, cost of the procedure -- which can be upward of $500 -- and access to clinicians who will perform the procedure.
He added it was also important to dispel certain myths surrounding IUDs, such as the beliefs that they can cause infertility or infections or that they do not work well for women who have already had children – all of which are untrue, according to Peipert.
Approximately 3 million – or 50 percent – of pregnancies each year are unplanned in the U.S. The rate of unintended pregnancies is much higher than other developed nations, such as France, which have a higher rate of IUD or implant usage.
“My hope is that some people will say this study will be a game-changer shift in the U.S. to more effective methods,” Peipert said. “Unintended pregnancy is a costly health problem in this country. One dollar invested in family planning can save $3 to $4 down the road.”

Calcium supplements and heart attack : Implications for a nutrient hungry nation

I need to be in the sun often so I can get enough vitamin D

A recent study out of the University of Zurich Wednesday reported the controversial findings that taking calcium supplements is linked with double the risk of heart attack.
After studying over 24,000 men and women, researchers found that those who took calcium supplements were 86 percent more likely to have a heart attack than people who did not – and the risk was more than doubled for those who were only taking calcium supplements.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of dietary supplements is a familiar trend, with over half of the population reported taking them from 2003 to 2006. Calcium supplements in particular have increased in popularity, jumping from 28 percent of use from 1988 to 1994, to 61 percent from 2003 to 2006 in women over 60.
With no prescriptions required and touted for their nutritional benefits to the body, vitamins have been easily accepted as both harmless and helpful add-ons to daily diet routines. However, with findings such as the ones from the University of Zurich and from other similar studies, experts caution people not to be too cavalier with taking supplements.
“Supplements should be treated like any other medication,” Dr. Phil Ragno, the director of cardiovascular health and wellness at Winthrop Hospital in Long Island, N.Y., told FoxNews.com. “It’s important for patients to sit down with their doctors to discuss what they’re taking and does it have an effect on their body as you can see.”
The results from Zurich are not the first of their kind, according to Ragno. For him, it makes perfect sense for there to be cause for concern when it comes to taking extra calcium.
“Calcium is a very important ion that has many effects on the heart and vascular system,” Ragno said. “It helps the electrical conduction of the heart; it helps the contractility of the heart, and there’s always the possibility it can contribute to calcification of the blood vessels – one of the precursors to the clogging of an artery. As our arteries build with plaque, calcium deposits in that plaque, so the calcium itself may have some effect on the clotting mechanism.”
While the possible effect that calcium supplements may have on hearth health may seem staggering, it shouldn’t be a cause for panic among those who are currently taking them.
“Certainly this is a controversial study; however, similar risk associations have been found before with the routine use of calcium supplements,” said Dr. Manny Alvarez, senior managing editor of Fox News Health. “The issue at hand is how to interpret the data. The study could not show cause and effect, and we also do not know what metabolic risk factors the population that was studied had – factors such as existing calcium deposits in the coronary arteries as well as levels of inflammatory mediators like c-reactive proteins.
“Nonetheless, I think that patients should be cautioned about the routine use of calcium pills, especially in older folks,” Alvarez added. “To me, the important thing is that if you are eating a balanced diet, there is no need to take any supplements.”
Ragno agreed that a healthy diet negates the need for such supplements. However, he acknowledged people with calcium deficiencies or bone disorders should continue taking their supplements, under the supervision of a clinician. In the meantime, those who are looking for a calcium boost can turn to plenty of different foods.
“Getting calcium from dietary sources has not been linked to increased cardiovascular risk,” Ragno said. “Dairy products are good of course. Eating fish – sardines, salmon – is good for calcium. For the true vegan, it’s difficult. Vegetables such as spinach can give quite a bit of calcium.”
But according to Ragno, the chances that you are calcium deficient are most likely low.
“In reality, very few Americans have vitamin deficiencies,” he said. “It shouldn’t just be shotgun blast of supplementation – where you take a fistful of supplements at leisure. However, if you need them, you should take them.”

Quick tips to turn your unhealthy home into a healthy one

Your home is a place to show off your sense of style – but it can also have a profound effect on your health and happiness.
Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, a designer and founder of ApartmentTherapy.com, shared some tips on how to rid your place of common ‘unhealthy’ elements.
“Your home is an extension of your body,” Gillingham-Ryan explained. “In fact, it’s the only space you really control because the street, your office – none of that is really your own.”
According to Gillingham-Ryan, clutter is a common problem that can stress you out and overstimulate your eyes.
“What’s going on in the room is what you take inside,” Gillingham-Ryan said. “So if it’s cluttered and disorganized in the room, you’re going to feel cluttered and inside yourself.”
If furniture is getting in your way, or impossible to clean, you may need to re-think the arrangement of the room, he said.
Lack of color can also bring down your mood. If a room is full of neutrals, Gillingham-Ryan recommended adding a pop of color. Only 20 percent more color in a room can make a huge difference.
“Some people love color and they want to put it everywhere,” Gillingham-Ryan said. “For them, I urge to pull back a little bit. A little bit goes a long way.”
Overall, it only takes a few minutes to turn an unhealthy space into a healthy space. Spend a few minutes cleaning each day, and designate areas like shelves or bins to store your belongings. As a final note, Gillingham-Ryan suggested putting an air-purifier in your bedroom to improve breathing conditions.

Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Asthma rates at highest level ever, CDC says

Asthma rates in the United States increased over the past decade to their highest level ever, according to a new government report.
The portion of people in the U.S. with asthma rose from 7.3 percent in 2001 to 8.4 percent in 2010, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That means 25.7 million people had asthma in 2010, including 7 million who were younger than 18.
Over the same period, death rates from the condition dropped 33 percent. For every 10,000 people with asthma, there were 1.4 deaths in 2010, compared with 2.1 deaths in 2001.
The disorder has been linked with poverty, and the new findings showed that 11.2 percent of people living below the poverty level had asthma. However, asthma was also reported by 7.3 percent of those who earn at least twice the poverty level.
The findings also showed 9.2 percent of females had asthma in 2010, whereas the rate among males was 7 percent.
Asthma is a chronic airway disorder that can be triggered by exercise, infections, certain chemicals, airborne irritants such as tobacco smoke, or allergens such as pollen. During an asthma attack, the airway becomes obstructed because of inflammation and constriction of the surrounding muscles. It is not clear how to prevent asthma from developing, and there is no known cure, the CDC says.
The new findings are based on data gathered during the National Health Interview Survey, in which CDC researchers conducted household interviews with a nationally representative sample of participants.

How to breathe easier at home

Having a healthy home isn't necessarily about making every surface spotless. (Phew!) But a bit of strategic cleaning protects you from germs and toxins. In fact, concentrations of some pollutants can be two to five times greater inside our homes than they are outdoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency—a worrisome fact considering we spend, on average, 90 percent of our time indoors.
What's more, ordinary objects like a dirty dish towel or neglected houseplant "can provide just the right environment for harmful microbes to grow," said Kelly Reynolds, PhD, associate professor of environmental sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Fortunately, small changes, whether it's shaking out your welcome mat or installing a water filter, can improve the well-being of your home—and everyone in it. Here, the most important moves to make.
Step up your doormat
About 60 percent of the dust in our home comes from outside—most of it tracked in on the bottom of our shoes, research says. And those tiny particles are made up of a combination of all sorts of icky things like human skin, animal fur, food debris, lead, and even arsenic.
"Fortunately, using the right kind of doormats can help reduce dirt, pesticides, pollen, and other pollutants in your home," said Dr. Oluremi Aliyu, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Pick an abrasive one (it will grab more gunk) made of synthetic fibers like nylon yarn or polypropylene.
Then don't forget to clean it: "Vacuum or shake out your mat once a week," advised Linda Cobb, cleaning expert and author of Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean. Once a month, do a deep clean: Scrub it with a scrub brush and warm, soapy water, then hose it off.

Zinc may shorten common cold but side effects common

A new review of past studies suggests that taking zinc may cut the time adults have to suffer with a common cold, but the alternative treatment will likely come with unpleasant side effects.
The benefits of zinc also appear to be modest, and don't extend to children. But they could add up considering there are about 62 million cases of the common cold in the United States every year that result in 22 million missed days of work, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
For their review, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Michelle Science from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and her colleagues compiled data from clinical trials comparing people who took zinc orally to another group that either took a placebo or received no treatment.
The researchers included only randomized controlled trials -- considered the "gold standard" of medical research -- but cautioned that the quality of the results of those previous trials varied widely.
RELATED: What Is the Common Cold?
Overall, the researchers looked at 17 trials that included 2,121 people from one to 65 years old. In those taking zinc, colds were shortened by a little more than one and a half days, on average, compared to participants in the placebo group.
That changed when the researchers analyzed zinc-takers by age. In adults, zinc shortened the common cold by a little more than two and a half days compared to the placebo. In children, zinc didn't seem to make much of a difference in cold duration.
One possible reason for the difference between adults and kids, according to the authors, is that the adults tended to use a different form of zinc than the children.
Peoples' cold symptoms also seemed to clear up faster if they took a higher dosage of zinc compared to those who took the least. The various studies used different dosages, said Science.
The authors cannot say why zinc stops the rhinovirus, a frequent cause of the common cold, from reproducing. But some believe it acts as an astringent on important facial nerves where viruses tend to congregate.
Although adults who didn't take zinc tended to have colds lasting a week or more, there was no difference in the severity of cold symptoms on day three in any of the groups.
Side effects were more common in the people taking zinc, however. They were 64 percent more likely to experience nausea and 65 percent more likely to detect an unpleasant taste.
Zinc can lead to a person having a metal taste in their mouth, said Dr. Meenu Singh, a pediatrician at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, who was not involved in the new analysis.
Singh led another review published last year by the Cochrane Collaboration -- an international organization that evaluates medical research -- which came to similar conclusions, though (see Reuters Health story of 02/16/2011).
"The findings are more or less the same. The side effects are the same," said Singh, who added that the new review included other studies that were excluded from hers because they did not meet Cochrane standards.
Singh told Reuters Health that people shouldn't be afraid to take zinc, but should always consult their doctor first.
Science and her colleagues also warn that their results are based on studies that varied from one another in their methods and quality. Also, they did not look at zinc nasal sprays that have been linked to the loss of smell or zinc in combination with other vitamins.
"Until further evidence becomes available," they conclude, "there is only a weak rationale for physicians to recommend zinc for the treatment of the common cold."
"Otherwise, for healthy adults… it's probably an individual decision and it's something they can talk to their physician about," Science told Reuters Health.

Herbal supplement may prevent dangerous blood clots

An apple a day may actually keep the doctor away – or even better, keep you from getting a life-threatening blood clot. So might an orange or onion, it turns out. All of these fruits and veggies are high in a flavanoid known as rutin, a natural anti-clotting agent, according to a study published Tuesday.
Each year, approximately one third of all deaths in the United States are caused by a heart attack or stroke.
“It’s not always fully appreciated that the majority of Americans will die as the result of a blood clot in either their heart or their brain,” said the study’s senior author Dr. Robert Flaumenhaft, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Even with the use of existing anti-clotting therapies, such as aspirin, Plavix and warfarin (Coumadin), an estimated 1,255,000 heart attacks and 795,000 strokes occur each year.
Flaumenhaft and his research team at Beth Israel were looking for a compound that could block the action of a clotting agent, a protein called disulfide isomerase (PDI), which they found is rapidly secreted during thrombosis—when a clot forms in a blood vessel.
But because PDI is necessary for the production of certain proteins, they had to hunt for a compound that could block only certain PDI proteins. When the researchers tested more than 5,000 compounds, rutin emerged as the most potent.
Rutin is found in many fruits and vegetables, including apples (especially the peels), berries, citrus fruits and onions, as well as teas and buckwheat. It is also sold as an herbal supplement. Fortunately, studies have shown that flavanoids are well tolerated and safe.
The researchers then tested rutin to see if it would prevent blood clots in a mouse model.
“Rutin proved to be the most potently anti-thrombotic compound that we ever tested in this model,” said Flaumenhaft. In addition, epidemiologic studies have found that a diet high in flavonoids is associated with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke.
Though clinical trials in people still need to be done, the research is promising and clearly demonstrated that targeting PDI is an effective anti-clotting therapy. Because the Food and Drug Administration has already established that rutin is safe, the flavanoid can be tested in a clinical trial relatively quickly.