Month: March 2014

Woman faked quintuplet pregnancy for months

 

Barbara Bienvenue told Paul Servat that she became pregnant one month after they connected through an online dating site. She later told him she was going to have five babies. A visit to the doctor eventually exposed her.

A Quebec woman somehow duped her boyfriend into believing she was going to have quintuplets until the ninth month of her “pregnancy.”

Paul Servat said he was devastated when he found out that Barbara Bienvenue had never been pregnant when they went to the doctor last week.  “I lost everything, it was my whole life,” Servat told

Servat said Bienvenue told him she was pregnant about one month after they met  through an online dating site last summer. She told him they were expecting twins, and and eventually the baby number swelled to five.

Bienvenue not only fooled her boyfriend, but the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu  community, who showered them with gifts.

“I gave her tips on how to handle it, where to get financial support, where to get sponsors for diapers,” Geneviève Laflamme, a mother of triplets herself, told. Unbelievably, Bienvenue apparently had some practice.

“This isn’t the first time she’s done it,” a relative told QMI Agency. “But honestly, we never would have thought she was sick enough to do it again.”

The 37-year-old Bienvenue may have been suffering from pseudocyesis, which is  “the belief that you are expecting a baby when you are not really carrying a child,”.  Women with this condition have many of the symptoms of pregnancy except the actual fetus itself.

Bienvenue is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. Servat says on Facebook that he is not seeing Bienvenue anymore and that he is returning all gifts from the faux pregnancy, according to CTV News.

“She let me choose the names,” Servat told QMI Agency. “We were so happy. Even my parents, they were so looking forward to having grandchildren.”

Source: Daily news

Scientists create stem cells from a drop of blood

Scientists at A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have developed a method to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from a single drop of finger-pricked blood.

The method also enables donors to collect their own blood samples, which they can then send to a laboratory for further processing. The easy access to blood samples using the new technique could potentially boost the recruitment of greater numbers and diversities of donors, and could lead to the establishment of large-scale hiPSC banks.

By genetic reprogramming, matured human cells, usually blood cells, can be transformed into hiPSCs. As hiPSCs exhibit properties remarkably similar to human embryonic stem cells, they are invaluable resources for basic research, drug discovery and cell therapy.

In countries like Japan, USA and UK, a number of hiPSC bank initiatives have sprung up to make hiPSCs available for stem cell research and medical studies.

Current sample collection for reprogramming into hiPSCs include invasive measures such as collecting cells from the bone marrow or skin, which may put off many potential donors. Although hiPSCs may also be generated from blood cells, large quantities of blood are usually required.

In a paper published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, scientists at IMCB showed for the first time that single-drop volumes of blood are sufficient for reprogramming into hiPSCs. The finger-prick technique is the world’s first to use only a drop of finger-pricked blood to yield hiPSCs with high efficiency. A patent has been filed for the innovation.

The accessibility of the new technique is further enhanced with a DIY sample collection approach. Donors may collect their own finger-pricked blood, which they can then store and send it to a laboratory for reprogramming.

The blood sample remains stable for 48 hours and can be expanded for 12 days in culture, which therefore extends the finger-prick technique to a wide range of geographical regions for recruitment of donors with varied ethnicities, genotypes and diseases.

By integrating it with the hiPSC bank initiatives, the finger-prick technique paves the way for establishing diverse and fully characterised hiPSC banking for stem cell research.

The potential access to a wide range of hiPSCs could also replace the use of embryonic stem cells, which are less accessible. It could also facilitate the set-up of a small hiPSC bank in Singapore to study targeted local diseases.

Loh Yuin Han Jonathan, principal investigator at IMCB and lead scientist for the finger-prick hiPSC technique, said, “It all began when we wondered if we could reduce the volume of blood used for reprogramming. We then tested if donors could collect their own blood sample in a normal room environment and store it. Our finger-prick technique, in fact, utilised less than a drop of finger-pricked blood. The remaining blood could even be used for DNA sequencing and other blood tests.”

Stuart Alexander Cook, senior consultant at the National Heart Centre Singapore and co-author of the paper, said, “We were able to differentiate the hiPSCs reprogrammed from Jonathan’s finger-prick technique, into functional heart cells. This is a well-designed, applicable technique that can unlock unrealized potential of biobanks around the world for hiPSC studies at a scale that was previously not possible.”

Hong Wanjin, executive director at IMCB, said, “Research on hiPSCs is now highly sought-after, given its potential to be used as a model for studying human diseases and for regenerative medicine. Translational research and technology innovations are constantly encouraged at IMCB and this new technique is very timely. We hope to eventually help the scientific community gain greater accessibility to hiPSCs for stem cell research through this innovation.”

Source: India medical Times

Violent video games may be tied to aggressive thoughts

Playing violent video games may be linked to violent thoughts and behavior among kids, according to a new study.

The report, based on data from Singapore, found that kids who often play violent video games end up showing more aggression later on, and more often believe hitting is acceptable, than kids who don’t play them.

Parental monitoring of gaming didn’t seem to lessen the association.

“Just like children’s bodies can be affected by what they eat, their brains can be affected by what they repeatedly do,” Douglas A. Gentile told Reuters Health in an email. He worked on the study at Iowa State University in Ames.

Experts still debate whether there is a connection between violent video games and later aggressive behavior, and if so, how the connection works.

The three-year study included about 3,000 kids ages eight to 17. Each year, researchers asked the kids how often they played video games on weekdays and weekends, what three games were their favorites and how much violence was in those games.

They also asked the kids if they would hit someone else when provoked.

Another set of questions addressed the kids’ feelings about violence in general, whether they thought hitting was okay in some situations or if they ever daydreamed about hurting people.

Kids also reported how much their parents were involved in controlling video game time.

Children who played more violent video games tended to have more fantasies about violence and to think violence in real life was more acceptable, according to results published in JAMA Pediatrics.

The effect was statistically small, but might be a serious issue for individual parents worried about their kids, Gentile said.

The relationship seemed to be the same for boys and girls, for kids with and without a history of aggression and for kids with involved and uninvolved parents.

In studies conducted in the U.S., parental involvement has made a difference, so the culture of Singapore may have something to do with these results, Michele Ybarra, of the Center for Innovative Public Health Research in San Clemente, California, told Reuters Health.

“One reason may be that Singaporean parents don’t vary as much as Americans – they all tend to be involved, so it’s harder for our statistical processes to see what effect it has,” Gentile said.

Younger children seemed to have a larger increase in aggressive thoughts linked to video game play than older kids.

It’s tough for parents to know what to do based on this report, according to Christopher Ferguson, who researches the effects of media on behavior at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

“This is not a very good study,” Ferguson told Reuters Health. “This data set has been criticized before.”

The study design, which followed kids over time and relied on their own reports, is similar to a study that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected in 2011 as part of its ruling against banning the sale of violent games to minors, he said.

When researchers ask kids to report their own feelings and actions over time, certain kids may be more likely to admit to thoughts or actions, and that can skew the data, he said. He was surprised that for kids of such a young age, their parents weren’t factored into the study.

“The research we have now has been very inconsistent,” in terms of video games and aggression, Ferguson said. “There may be a connection to relatively minor acts of aggression, the equivalent of kids sticking their tongues out at each other.”

There is no evidence of a connection to bullying, fighting or school shootings, he said.

But violent video games are a divisive area of research, said Ybarra. She thinks the new study does accurately characterize the relationship between video games, thoughts and actions, even though it relies on kids’ self-reports.

“It depends on who you talk to,” Ybarra said. “Some people think that there’s a growing consensus (on video game-related violence), others think there’s growing debate.”

She believes there is a growing consensus that violent games may be tied to aggression, and that violent thoughts might be the intermediate step in the relationship.

“It seems odd to me that you would say there’s no problem with showing kids violent media,” she said.

Ybarra agreed that it’s hard to draw any real recommendations from this particular study. But, “it’s probably a good idea to do what you can to limit your kids’ exposure to violent video games,” she said.

Source: Reuters

Carrots – Health Benefits And Nutrition Facts

Carrots are rich in nutrients with beneficial impact on the organism, especially on the eyesight. Raw carrots can be difficult to consume, so it is recommended to shred or dice them before eating. Taking in consider carrots grow in soil, it is important to remove (peel) the outer layer.

Nutrients

  • Vitamin K
  • Beta-carotene
  • Folate
  • Calcium
  • Chromium
  • Zinc
  • Iron
  • Fiber

Carrots Nutrition Facts

Carrots are one of the richest natural sources of beta-carotene, important provitamin, which after consuming, turns into one of the most powerful antioxidants in the body – vitamin A.

Vitamin A helps cells strengthen and fight against viruses, supports the fight against cancer and prevents cardiovascular diseases.Vitamin A also takes part in the processes of producing eye pigment, so it is generally known that carrots are good for the eyesight.

As part of the nutritive group found in carrots we will also mention vitamin K, which has influence on blood coagulation and wound healing. Fiber help digestion, and also prevent colon cancer.

Fiber and chromium, contained in this healthy root vegetable play important role in stabilization of glycemia. This combination is particularly necessary when it comes to dealing with hunger attacks and diabetes control.

Health Benefits Of Carrots

  • Sweet and juicy, carrots are extremely rich in antioxidants, vitamins and fiber, and 100 grams contain only 41 calories, negligible amounts of fat and no cholesterol .
  • Carrots are extremely rich source of vitamin A and carotene. 100 grams of fresh carrots contain 8285 micrograms beta-carotene and 16,706 international units of vitamin A. Studies have shown that flavonoid compounds in carrots help preventing skin, lung and oral cavity cancer.
  • Carotenes are transformed into vitamin A in the liver. Beta-carotene is the main carotene contained in these roots. Beta-carotene is one of the powerful, natural antioxidants that protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals.
  • Additionally, it has all the functions of vitamin A, and the most important are: maintaining healthy eyesight, maintaining reproductive health (sperm production), maintenance of epithelial integrity, growth and proper development.
  • Carrots are rich in polyacetylene antioxidant falcarinol. Scientific research conducted at the University of Newcastle on laboratory animals showed that falcarinol in carrots may help in the fight against cancer, destroying pre-cancer cells in tumors.
  • Fresh roots also contain a certain amount of vitamin C, ie provide about 9 percent of the recommended daily intake. Vitamin C is a water soluble antioxidant.
  • It helps the body to maintain the health of the connective tissue, teeth and gums. Its antioxidant properties help the body protect itself from diseases and cancers, collecting harmful free radicals
  • This root vegetable contains a solid amount of B vitamins, such as folic acid, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid, etc. These substances are important because they function as cofactors of enzymes in metabolic processes in the body.
  • Carrots also contain a healthy amount of minerals, including copper, calcium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus.
  • Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids and helps controlling the rhythm of the heart, by neutralising the effects of sodium. The body uses manganese as a cofactor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase.

carrot juice

Surprise your partner and prepare the following fresh recipe for two.
You need:

  • 8 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 4 green apples, chopped into pieces
  • Some fresh ginger

Source; Healthy food house

Active mums have active children

The more active a mother is, the more physically active her child will be, suggests a UK study of 500 mums and four-year-olds. But many mothers’ exercise levels fell way below recommended levels, it said.

Researchers from Cambridge and Southampton universities used heart-rate monitors to measure activity levels over seven days. The study, published in Pediatrics, said policies to improve children’s health should be aimed at mothers.

Children are not “just naturally active”, it concluded, and parents have an important role to play in developing healthy exercise habits early on in life.

Run around
As part of the study, 554 four-year-olds and their mothers from Southampton wore a lightweight combined heart-rate monitor and accelerometer on their chests, for up to seven days.

Participants wore it continuously, including while sleeping and doing water-based activities. Kathryn Hesketh, now a research associate at the Institute of Child Health at University College London, co-led the study and said the data from mothers and children showed a direct, positive association between physical activity in children and their mothers.

“The more activity a mother did, the more active her child. Although it is not possible to tell from this study whether active children were making their mothers run around after them, it is likely that activity in one of the pair influences activity in the other.”

She said that for every minute of moderate-to-vigorous activity a mother engaged in, her child was more likely to engage in 10% more of the same level of activity.

So if a mother spends one hour being more active per day, her child may spend 10 minutes being more active per day. These small differences may seem trivial but over the course of a month or a year they could be significant, she added.

Factors which influenced a mother’s activity levels included whether she worked or not and whether the child had brothers or sisters.

Co-study author Dr Esther van Sluijs, from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research at the University of Cambridge, said the link between a mother and child’s activity levels was stronger for mothers who left school at 16, compared to those who left at 18.

Changes in motherhood
The study recognised that once women become mothers their activity levels fell and often failed to return to previous levels. This lack of activity could then influence their young children, it said.

Miss Hesketh said: “There are many competing priorities for new parents and making time to be active may not always be top of the list. However, small increases in maternal activity levels may lead to benefits for mothers and children.”

Simply walking and moving more each day can be all it takes to create these benefits. Dr Ann Hoskins, director of children, young people and families at Public Health England, said it was committed to increasing physical activity in families and children to improve overall health.

“Active play is an important way to develop coordination and motor function skills in the pre-school early years and there are lots of activities like parent and toddler swims, buggy fit and baby gym which provide opportunities for mums to socialise, be active and support their child’s development.”

Their Change4Life campaign encourages families to eat well, move more and live longer. For children, that means being active for an hour a day and two and a half hours a week for adults.

Source: BBC news

Study suggests breast gene may be linked to high-risk uterine cancer

Women with a faulty breast cancer gene might face a greater chance of rare but deadly uterine tumors despite having their ovaries removed to lower their main cancer risks, doctors are reporting.

A study of nearly 300 women with bad BRCA1 genes found four cases of aggressive uterine cancers years after they had preventive surgery to remove their ovaries. That rate is 26 times greater than expected.

“One can happen. Two all of a sudden raises eyebrows,” and four is highly suspicious, said Dr. Noah Kauff of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

His study, reported Monday at a cancer conference in Florida, is the first to make this link. Although it’s not enough evidence to change practice now, doctors say women with these gene mutations should be told of the results and consider having their uterus removed along with their ovaries.

“It’s important for women to have that information … but I think it’s too early to strongly recommend to patients that they undergo a hysterectomy” until more research confirms the finding, said Dr. Karen Lu, a specialist in women’s cancers at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

She plans to study similar patients at her own hospital, the nation’s largest cancer center, to see if they, too, have higher uterine cancer risks.

About 1 in 400 women in the U.S., and more of eastern European descent, have faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes that greatly raise their risks for breast and ovarian cancer. Doctors advise them to be screened early and often for breast cancer, and to have their ovaries out as soon as they have finished having children to help prevent ovarian and breast cancer, because ovarian hormones affect breast cancer as well.

But the role of BRCA genes in uterine cancer isn’t known, Kauff said.

His study looked at 1,200 women diagnosed with BRCA gene mutations since 1995 at Sloan Kettering. Doctors were able to track 525 of them for many years after they had surgery that removed their ovaries but left the uterus intact.

The vast majority of uterine cancers are low-risk types usually cured with surgery alone. Aggressive forms account for only 10 to 15 percent of cases but more than half of uterine cancer deaths.

Researchers were alarmed to see four of these cases among the 296 women with BRCA1 mutations. None were seen in women with BRCA2 mutations, Kauff said.

The study was discussed Monday at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s annual meeting in Tampa, Fla.

Last year, the actress Angelina Jolie revealed she had preventive surgery to remove both breasts because of a BRCA1 mutation. Her mother had breast cancer and died of ovarian cancer, and her maternal grandmother also had ovarian cancer.

Source: Oneida daily dispatch

Want gorgeous glow on skin? Eat and apply the right vitamins

Are you eating all the right veggies and fruits but your face still lacks the luminescent glow? Believe it or not the skin care regime is missing some essential vitamins.

The aging signs can be reversed by the help of nutrients. Even if a balanced diet holds the key to a gorgeous skin , according to Mary Lupo, MD, clinical professor of dermatology, “the body delivers only a certain percentage of vitamins to your skin, no matter how much you ingest.” The diet does keep the skin superfine but it may not do the needful for the blemishes, under eye skin and facial marks. This means that we have to topically apply the vitamins in the skin to make it glow and look better.

Vitamin A- the age fighter

This is an important part of the night creams and OTC lotions. They contribute greatly to the removal of blemishes like brown spots and reduction of the wrinkles; they also help in smoothening the rough skin. They help in reducing age lines and thus make the person look younger. Make sure that you apply the cream at night as the sunlight works negatively on the vitamin and neutralize its action. The creams with retinoids may cause irritation and redness so apply in very little quantities, every alternate day in the beginning.

Vitamin B3 to reduce redness

The skin is protected by an outer barrier made up of fatty acids and ceramides. This helps the skin retain moisture and ward off substances that cause skin irritations. So if the skin is sensitive and prone to dryness then use Vitamin B3 creams for reducing skin redness and keeping the skin hydrated. It also helps in minimizing the dark spots if used in morning and night. Mixing a retinoid cream with niacinamide or Vitamin B3 provides great anti aging benefits.

Vitamin C- the all around vitamin that keeps age at bay

Skin care benefit is maximum from the creams that show a concentration of more than 5% of vitamin C and are stored in air tight containers. Vitamin C helps ward off the sagging skin by making it firm and also helps in treating brown spots. Discolorations and fine lines lighten up tremendously with the regular use of Vitamin C.

Moisturize the skin with Vitamin E

Generally all after sun products and the sunscreens contain this Vitamin and help the skin retain the hydration and also quell dryness. It helps neutralize the harmful and damaging free radicals keeping it less dry and inflamed. It’s best used before heading out to the sun and also after sun exposure. Vitamin E in the skin is destroyed by UV light or sun exposure so just pick the right cream and slather it on generously.

Vitamin K for brighter eyes

Brighten the under eye skin with creams containing Vitamin K. The capillaries below the eyes are very fragile and the blood in them sometimes leaks into the skin causing the dark eyes. The Vitamin helps in lighten the under eye skin by lightening the melanin. Generally the Vitamin K is complemented by the retinol, says Dr. Baumann, “the retinol may enhance K’s ability to penetrate skin and knock out darkness.”

Source: the med guru

Polluted air linked to 7 million deaths in 2012: WHO

Air pollution killed about 7 million people in 2012, making it the world`s single biggest environmental health risk, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The toll, a doubling of previous estimates, means one in eight of all global deaths in 2012 was linked to polluted air and shows how reducing pollution inside and outside of people`s homes could save millions of lives in future, the United Nations health agency said.

Air pollution deaths are most commonly from heart disease, strokes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is also linked to deaths from lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

“The evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe,” said Maria Neira, head of the WHO`s environmental and social public health department.

“The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes,” she said.

Poor and middle-income countries in southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region had the largest air pollution-related burden in 2012, with 3.3 million deaths linked to indoor air pollution and 2.6 million deaths to outdoor air pollution.

Indoor pollution is mostly caused by cooking over coal, wood and biomass stoves. The WHO estimates that around 2.9 billion people worldwide live in homes using wood, coal or dung as their primary cooking fuel.

Flavia Bustreo, a WHO family health expert, said women and children – especially those living in poor countries – often bear the brunt of the risks from indoor pollution “since they spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood cooking stoves.”

Outdoors, air is mainly polluted by transport, power generation, industrial and agricultural emissions and residential heating and cooking.

Research suggests outdoor air pollution exposure levels have risen significantly in some parts of the world, particularly in countries with large populations going through rapid industrialisation, such as China and India.

The WHO`s cancer research agency IARC published a report last year warning that the air we breathe is laced with cancer-causing substances and should be officially classified as carcinogenic to humans.

Carlos Dora, a WHO public health expert, called on governments and health agencies to act on the evidence and devise policies to reduce air pollution, which in turn would improve health and reduce humans` impact on climate change

“Excessive air pollution is often a by-product of unsustainable policies in sectors such as transport, energy, waste management and industry,” he said.

“In most cases, healthier strategies will also be more economical in the long term due to healthcare cost savings as well as climate gains.”

Source: Zee news

Avocado – Fruit With Amazing Health Benefits

Scientists claim avocado, or alligator pear, is a fruit with highest nutritive value.

This irresistible tropical fruit can be found in more than 80 types, divided in three groups: Mexican avocado, Guatemalan avocado and west Indian avocado. In this article we present you all the health benefits avocado provides.

There are numerous legends and stories related to avocado. In ancient times this fruit had been named as “Great”, “royal” or “magic”. It originated in Middle and South America, where people believed it has magical power, and served it on royal feasts, and every princess had to consume it.

Nutritive Value Of Avocado

  • 100 g avocado have 160 kcal (669 kJ) energy value, including:
  • 2% protein
  • 14.6% fat
  • 8.5% carbohydrates
  • 0.6% sugar

Avocado is an excellent source of copper, calcium, magnesium, and it contains small amounts of sodium. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, and it contains some of the B vitamins, mostly pantothenic acid. Avocado also contains small amounts of riboflavin, niacin and vitamin E.

Health Benefits of Avocado

  • Before anything, we must mention that avocado provides powerful protection for heart and blood vessels. It regulates blood pressure and heart function, and it also has power in reducing blood cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Nutritionists claim avocado is on the top of anti-cancer products, because of the many antioxidant nutrients it contains and it is proven to have effective impact on reducing the risk of developing breast and prostate cancer.
  • Numerous studies have proven that avocado provides amazing protection for prostate, and besides being double effective in reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer, avocado has great effect in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia.
  • Avocado has positive effect on almost every body system, but mostly on the digestive system, because researches showed that avocado improves digestion, stool formation, protects against colon cancer and hemorrhoids. After listing all the above, we must get to a conclusion that avocado has a royal value for our organism.
  • Speaking of avocado we must not forget about avocado oil. It is as healthy as olive oil and can be used in preparing various delicious salads and other specialties. Avocado oil is ideal for massages, wound treatments and other treatments. It has antibacterial effect, goes deeper in skin, and makes it young and soft.
  • Masseurs and cosmeticians which have been using avocado oil in their massages and cosmetic treatments for years say their clients believe that massaging skin with avocado oil makes it smooth and moisturized.

We can write about avocado as much as we can and we will not find any negative effect for both avocado and avocado oil as its product. Avocado is a tropical fruit, but you can find it in any bigger market. So hurry up and buy avocado today and enjoy its benefits!

Source: Health care above all

Texas Girl Recovering After Obesity Surgery Switch

Texas pre-teen with rare, medically induced obesity was sedated and on a ventilator late Friday after Cincinnati doctors suddenly had to switch plans during her weight-loss surgery.

Alexis Shapiro, 12, was stable and comfortable but expected to remain in the intensive care unit at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center at least through the weekend, said Dr. Thomas Inge and colleagues monitoring the child whose metabolism went haywire after brain surgery two years ago.

“Ultimately, I don’t think this will change her prognosis,” said Inge, who expects Alexis to lose weight and resolve many health problems such as type 2 diabetes and pulmonary issues caused by the condition that sent her weight past 200 pounds on her 4-foot-7 frame.

Instead of the gastric bypass operation and procedure to cut part of her vagus nerve they expected to perform, Inge and his crew had to adjust their plans because Alexis’ liver was bigger and fattier than anticipated. Instead, they performed a sleeve gastrectomy to remove up to 80 percent of her stomach.

He said it wasn’t a medical complication, but a clinical decision to alter plans. Doctors knew her liver was large, but couldn’t tell how difficult it would be to manipulate it until they got into surgery.

“It’s not disappointing at all,” Inge told reporters. “Our goal is do to a safe operation under circumstances that are not always 100 percent predictable.”

Alexis’ parents, Jenny and Ian Shapiro, agreed.

“Yes, unexpected. But it’s OK,” Jenny Shapiro told NBC News in an email Friday. “We are OK with it. And it was what’s best for her.”

The Cibolo, Texas, couple backed out of the press conference Friday because they had signed a contract with the television show “The Doctors,” which plans to air a segment about Alexis in April.

In a statement, they expressed gratitude to the thousands of people who have sent cards and emails and raised more than $84,000 for the family since NBC News first reported the story in December.

“We are appreciative of all of the prayers and thoughts of all of the people who have shown support of us over recent months and we will continue to be focused on Alexis getting better,” they wrote.

“We have an exclusive contractual relationship with the guest and her family which is being honored by the family,” Marc Grossmann, a senior publicist with The Doctors, said in an email. Show officials would not disclose whether or how they compensated the family to stop talking to other media.

Inge said doctors will wait to see how Alexis responds to the surgery before deciding whether to go ahead with the gastric bypass and vagus nerve operations. Patients sometimes lose less weight with the sleeve procedure than with gastric bypass, Inge said. However, it’s very common to perform bypass surgery after a sleeve gastrectomy, he added.

“I think she will have a new normal,” Inge said. “The new normal for her will be at a healthier weight perhaps with less damaging conditions.”

Alexis will remain hospitalized for about a week and could return to Texas in two weeks.

Source: NBC news