Health News

CPR for 38 Minutes or Longer Chance to Survive Cardiac Arrest

Performing CPR for 38 minutes or longer can improve a patient’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2013.

Sustaining CPR that long also improves the chances that survivors will have normal brain function, researchers said.

Cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, causing it to suddenly stop beating.

About 80 percent of cardiac arrests — nearly 288,000 people — occur outside of a hospital each year, and fewer than 10 percent survive, according to the American Heart Association.

Research has found that early return of spontaneous circulation — the body pumping blood on its own — is important for people to survive cardiac arrest with normal brain function. But little research has focused on the period between cardiac arrest and any return of spontaneous circulation.

Using a massive registry tracking all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Japan in 2005-11, researchers studied how much time passed between survivors’ collapse and the return of spontaneous circulation, and how well brain function was preserved a month later.

Survivors were considered to have fared well neurologically if they were alert and able to return to normal activities or if they had moderate disability but were well enough to work part-time in a sheltered environment or take part in daily activities independently.

The time between collapse and return of spontaneous circulation for those who fared well was 13 minutes compared to about 21 minutes for those who suffered severe brain disability, said Ken Nagao, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director-in-chief of the Department of Cardiology, CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care at Surugadai Nihon University Hospital in Tokyo.

After adjusting for other factors that can affect neurological outcomes, researchers found that the odds of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without severe brain damage dropped 5 percent for every 60 seconds that passed before spontaneous circulation was restored.

Based on the relationship between favorable brain outcomes and the time from collapse to a return of spontaneous circulation, the researchers calculated that CPR lasting 38 minutes or more was advisable.

“It may be appropriate to continue CPR if the return of spontaneous circulation occurs for any period of time,” said Nagao.

The 2010 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC advice bystanders to perform CPR until emergency crews arrive.

Source: Eureka Science News

3 healthy Thanksgiving swaps

Healthy, gluten-free living is an easy endeavor when you consider using “this” instead of “that”. By swapping out less health-conscious ingredients for more nutritious ones, you’re sure to be eating a balanced diet you can smile about.

Try these easy swaps and then check out my gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan Almond Cookies – they’re the perfect guilt-free Thanksgiving dessert!

Apple cobbler

Make your own homemade apple cobbler using almond flour, ground cinnamon and baked apples instead of white flour with refined sugar. It isn’t necessary to use a ton of butter or oil in your holiday baking; use nonstick baking spray to coat the baking dish and bake the apples until tender to ensure they release their natural, sweet juices.

Gravy

Pass on the salty canned gravy. Instead, make your own gravy by saving the drippings from your roasted turkey and adding a bit of fresh herbs, such as 

herbs de Provence, for an extra kick of flavor without the additives in processed gravy.

Potatoes

Swap your white mashed potatoes for sweet potatoes. You can serve mashed sweet potatoes or enjoy sweet potato casserole without the added butter and cream. Simply bake the 

potatoes then mash them together, along with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper for a flavorful side dish without the added saturated fat.

Source: Fox News

 

World Bank Urges Cleaner Stoves to Save Lives, Fight Global Warming

Simple measures to reduce pollution from cooking stoves in developing nations could save a million lives a year and help slow global warming, a World Bank study showed on Monday.

Tighter restrictions on diesel emissions, for instance from car exhausts, could also avert 340,000 premature deaths annually by reining in soot and other heat-trapping pollutants that are also stoking climate change, the report claimed.

The study called for tough limits on pollution from methane and soot, which can settle on snow and ice and hasten a thaw by darkening its surface, in everything from cooking and heating to mining and flaring by the oil and gas industry.

“The damage from indoor cooking smoke alone is horrendous – every year, four million people die from exposure to the smoke,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement of the study “On Thin Ice: How Cutting Pollution can Slow Warming and Save Lives”.

Many people in developing nations cook on open fires with wood or coal, exposing people – mainly women and children – to fumes that cause everything from respiratory problems to heart disease.

“If more clean cook-stoves – stoves that use less or cleaner fuel – would be used it could save one million lives,” the report said.

Permafrost

Mass produced, such stoves can cost a few dollars each.

Monday’s study was co-written by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative – the cryosphere is the world’s ice, snow and permafrost, from Siberia to Antarctica.

New stoves use fans to improve combustion, or less-polluting fuels such as gas from crop waste or manure.

“If we act fast and cut common pollutants like soot and methane we can slow the rate of warming… and if we did so we can save millions of lives,” Rachel Kyte, World Bank vice president for sustainable development, told a telephone news conference.

Tighter controls on pollution could also boost crop growth, the report said. Plant growth can be hampered by a haze of pollution.

A 2011 U.N. study estimated that measures to limit air pollutants such as methane and soot could slow the pace of global warming by 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 Fahrenheit) by mid-century.

A study in August 2013, however, said the benefits would be far less. Temperatures have risen by about 0.8 C (1.4 F) compared to before the Industrial Revolution.

Almost 200 nations will meet in Warsaw from Nov. 11-22 to consider ways to combat global warming. They have agreed to work out by the end of 2015 a deal that will enter into force from 2020.

Source: Voice of America

 

4 minor measures that could save your life

Breathe easy: Simply switching inhalers could prevent more than half of the 2.1 million asthma-related ER trips per year, according to a recently released U.K. study.

What gives? The bulk of asthma-related ER visits result from people losing track of how much medication they have left—or taking breaths from inhalers that are actually empty, researchers say.

But a rescue inhaler—featuring a dose counter that shows how much medicine is left—can cut hospital admissions. The gadgets are widely available, but if you’re insurance doesn’t cover them, companies like Puff Minder offer an attachment that will help you keep track.

Give your airways a break by avoiding these 5 Health Threats to Your Lungs.

Here are three other simple tips or innovations that could save your life:

The right kind of smoke detector

Unlike ionization detectors—the most-common type in the U.S. and great at sensing flames—photoelectric detectors are quicker to recognize the smoldering, toxic smoke released by slow burns from frayed electrical cords or forgotten cigarettes. That’s according to experiments from Texas AM professor B. Don Russell, who recommends ponying up a few extra bucks to buy a dual detector equipped with both technologies. First Alert offers a popular option.

Can’t remember the last time you checked to see if your smoke alarm was working? Know these 4 Dangerous Home Mistakes You don’t know you’re Making.

Car technology

Like airbags and electronic stability control, forward collision assistance—auto-braking—is one of those innovations that works so well it’ll probably be in every car a decade from now. Your risk of ending up in an accident falls 20 percent if your ride has this technology, according to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. If you can afford it, most luxury car brands currently offer these systems.

We drove thousands of miles to find Our Favorite Road Trip Cars that are perfect for any vacation.

Coffee

Swallowing some Joe could counteract some of the airway-closing effects of a severe reaction to allergens like nuts, shows research from Korea. By blocking the release of throat-tightening histamine, coffee’s compounds cut the rate of death among allergy-ridden rodents by half, the research shows. It’s not yet proven to be effective in humans, so never count on it over emergency help—but if you ever find yourself waiting for paramedics or without an epinephrine shot, it’s worth a try.

Don’t fall into the medicine trap! Check out these 5 Allergy Medicines to Avoid.

Source: health Medicine Network

 

Non-surgical nose job offers patients results without commitment

We all have that one thing that we would like to change about ourselves – weight, height, hair color. For 35-year-old Olivia Kraus – it was her nose.

“When I see my nose I’m not satisfied because I see this dent and crack in it,” Kraus said. “I don’t like it.”

Kraus worried that it was a problem that would only worsen with age.

“My father has the crack in his nose and it has drooped as he’s gotten older,” Kraus said. “So I live in fear about how it’s going to progress.”

Kraus said she was always scared to get a nose job because it would be permanent. So when a friend told her about a non-surgical procedure to fix the crack in her nose, she decided to go see Dr. Eric Schweiger, a dermatologist in New York City.

“It’s a procedure that can be done in about 15 minutes,” Schweiger said. “The patient comes in and has an identifiable issue with their nose, like a bump or a downward turning of their nose, and we use filling material to correct that problem.”

After applying a topical anesthetic, Dr. Schweiger injected a filler, called Radiesse, into Kraus’ nose. The filler is made of a protein that commonly found in human bone.

“We can physically mold the filler when it’s under the skin into the place that we want it to be,” Schweiger said. “We also put a little bit of Botox in the muscle that kind of pulls down the nose – and that, in about five days can kind of help push up the nose.”

Not everyone is a candidate for the procedure and possible side effects, which typically go away within five to seven days after the procedure, include bruising and swelling.  The results are not permanent, Schweiger said, which means most patients will have to come back in for touch ups every nine months to a year.

Kraus, however, believed the results were worth it.

“The crack is gone and it looks really good,” Kraus said. “I can’t wait to see how it progresses over the next couple of days. But if it stayed the way it is right now I’d be really happy.”

Source: Airing News

 

Gestational diabetes on the rise: What every mom should know

The percentage of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes is increasing in the United States and the American Diabetes Association estimates that it will occur in up to 18 percent of all pregnancies.

Experts agree that it’s not just a problem during pregnancy; it can actually cause a lifetime of complications in both mothers and their children.

Learn what the latest research on gestational diabetes suggests and what you can do to prevent and manage it.

Are you at risk?

Gestational diabetes is a medical condition that causes blood sugar levels to rise during pregnancy. When you eat, the food is converted to glucose, which the body uses for energy. But the only way glucose gets into the cells is through insulin, and when the cells become resistant to insulin, diabetes occurs.

Gestational diabetes can be genetic and some ethnic groups – American Indian, African American, Asian, and Hispanic – are more prone. Women over the age of 25, and especially those over 35, have a higher risk.

If you had a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds, even if you were never diagnosed with gestational diabetes, chances are you could have it during your next pregnancy.

Some studies show that 50 percent of women who have gestational diabetes have no other risk factors. Yet experts agree that lifestyle is the most important predictor.

“More people are going into pregnancy overweight,” said Dr. Danine Fruge, director of women’s health and family medicine at the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Miami, Fla.

If you’re overweight or obese, your chances of having gestational diabetes is two and four times higher, respectively, than a woman at a normal weight, according to a report in the journal Diabetes Care. If you smoke, your chances double.

Many women who aren’t diabetic going into pregnancy may still have metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance – risk factors they may not have had if they had a normal body mass index (BMI), Fruge said.

Health problems for moms and babies

During pregnancy, moms with gestational diabetes can also have high blood pressure, preeclampsia and eclampsia.

And because babies born to moms with the condition also have elevated blood sugar levels, they’re likely to be overweight, which can cause birth complications, interventions, and can up the chances of having a cesarean section.

After birth, when insulin starts to kick in and the baby’s blood sugar drops, the infant is at risk for seizures, jaundice, polycythemia vera, low calcium and low magnesium, according to Dr. Timothy Morley, medical director for Women’s Healthy Hormones and Founder of BodyLogicMD in New York City.  However, these conditions are very rare.

A lifelong condition

Gestational diabetes goes away after giving birth, but its effects on both mom and baby can last a lifetime.

Women with gestational diabetes are at risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. By age 50, women who had gestational diabetes have a 26 percent higher 10 year-risk for heart disease, according to a recent study in the journal Circulation.

“You are not out of the woods just because you’re not pregnant anymore,” Fruge said.

Your baby may also face high blood pressure, heart problems, and diabetes, and he or she is more likely to be overweight or obese later on in life.

If you’re at risk for gestational diabetes, the good news is that there are things you can do to prevent and manage it now:

Lower your BMI

“Before you’re pregnant, lose weight.” Morley said. If you had a baby that was more than 9 pounds, ask your doctor about pre-family planning for your next pregnancy, which can help you get your weight under control.

Monitor your blood sugar

If you have gestational diabetes, daily blood sugar monitoring at home is what will determine how healthy your pregnancy will be, according to Fruge.

Clean up your diet

Before, during and after pregnancy, limit processed foods, salt and sugar – and focus on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. Your doctor can refer you to a medical nutrition therapist who can help you with a diet plan and set healthy pregnancy weight gain goals.

Exercise

Thirty minutes of exercise five to six days a week before pregnancy is important, but if you have gestational diabetes, you should exercise up it to seven days a week. “Your body is having tremendous difficulty doing its daily work, and exercise is such an incredible helper to using the blood sugar for energy,” Fruge said.  Be sure to talk to your doctor about the type of exercise and intensity that’s right for you

Source: Heal  con

Simple Health Tips That Could Save 200,000 Lives a Year

With heart disease still America’s No. 1 killer, the CDC emphasizes simple health tips to save the lives of people under 65.

Simple changes to Americans’ routines could help prevent 200,000 deaths a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Specifically, better attention to heart and cardiovascular health could drastically improve the health of the nation.

“Nothing is more important than lowering the rate of heart disease and stroke,” Tom Frieden, CDC director, told reporters Tuesday morning. “They are the No. 1 killer in the U.S.”

Heart disease and stroke accounted for an estimated 200,000 preventable deaths—one out of every three—in the U.S. in 2010, according to the CDC’s monthly report on preventable diseases.

As a doctor, Frieden said he finds these statistics heartbreaking.

“One preventable death is one too many,” he said. “These findings are really striking because we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of deaths that don’t have to happen.”

More than half of those deaths occurred in people under the age of 65 and could have been prevented with lifestyle changes, better medical care, or stronger public health policies.

While progress has been made in lowering the rates of death from preventable heart disease in the 64 to 75 age range, the population in that group is increasing, so the numbers have remained unchanged over the last decade. African-Americans and men remain the highest at-risk groups.

Zip Code vs. Genetic Code

For many people, the risk of early death from heart disease and stroke may be “more influenced by your zip code than your genetic code,” Frieden said.

While many people have a genetic disposition for heart disease, many states carry a three- to ten-fold higher risk compared to states and counties with the lowest rates. For instance, Minnesotans average 36.3 deaths per 100,000 people, while Washington D.C. has 99.6 deaths per 100,00 people.

The areas with the highest risk of heart-related premature death are concentrated primarily in southern Appalachia and much of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. States in the West, Midwest, and Northeast regions had much lower rates.

“That difference reflects the improvements we can make overall,” Frieden said.

How to Prevent Death from Heart Disease

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched its “Million Hearts Campaign” to try to prevent 1 million heart disease deaths by 2017 by increasing public knowledge about heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health problems.

Frieden says smoking cessation and better management of blood pressure and cholesterol are the easiest and most effective ways to lower your heart disease risk. Increased exercise and a better diet are a great way to start.

While access to quality preventative healthcare, including access to cholesterol-lowering drugs, has been an issue in the past, Frieden says the new Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, which opens Oct. 1, will hopefully close that coverage gap and offer people the care they need.

To improve the health of its residents, Frieden said local communities should focus on more open spaces for exercise, including places to walk, and fewer places that allow smoking.

“Despite progress against heart disease and stroke, hundreds of thousands of Americans die each year from these preventable causes of death,” Frieden said. “Many of the heart attacks and strokes that will kill people in the coming year could be prevented by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol and stopping smoking.”

Source: health Line

 

 

Why is yoga important for healthy living?

Power yoga and Bikram yoga are popularly followed for weight loss. But there is more to yoga says wellness expert, Santosh Kumar. He goes on to explain the benefits and types of yoga.

Santosh Kumar shares his point of view on the principles of yoga, “There is only one Yoga from my point of view, but there are eight branches of yoga.”

1. YAMA: Discipline and self-control

2. Niyama: Rules and restriction

3. Asana: Positions

4. Pranayama: Breathing

5. Pratyahara: Includes all the above aspects with internal yoga

6. Dhyana: Meditation

7. Dharna: Concentration

8. Samadhi: Absorption

He says, these are the paths or rules to nirvana, “When you follow these you will achieve the ultimate goal. But in present times very few people follow this path.”

Besides these principals, there are different parts of yoga that also improves your well being.

Hatha Yoga: The benefits of hatha yoga are that it keeps you physically fit and makes you aware of your breathing.

Raj Yoga: It incorporates exercise and breathing practices with meditation and study making it ideal for healthy living.

Jana Yoga is associated with wisdom and it is one of the best forms of yoga.

Bhakti yoga is a practice which makes you an ultimate devotee of God.

Karma yoga is based on your day-to-day life, which makes you active in today’s scenario.

Tantra yoga is a way of showing unseen consciousness through specific words, diagrams, and movements. And the last part of yoga is Kashmiri Shaivism, that is rising above your limits.

Santosh Kumar concludes that in order to be happy, free and in good health, just take a deep breathe. “Try and do 30 minutes of deep breathing everyday as this will help you cope with stress.”

Source: Zee news

Roasted Sweet Potato Pie or Flan

I like this as much without a crust as with one. It’s not a flan in the traditional sense, with a caramel component. It’s an irresistibly creamy one. If you use 2 eggs instead of 3 (see variation) the texture will be smoother but it won’t slice as neatly.

2 large sweet potatoes or enough for 1 1/2 cups puréed roasted sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup mild honey, such as clover

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons drained yogurt or crème fraiche

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 gluten-free dessert pastry (or other crust of your choice), fully baked and cooled (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Pierce the sweet potatoes in several places with the tip of a paring knife. Place on the baking sheet and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until soft and oozing. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, peel and place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade (you can also blend the mixture with a hand blender). Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. If not using a crust, butter a round 9-inch baking dish.

2. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of sweet potato purée (store any extra purée in the refrigerator and enjoy with a meal). Place the purée in the food processor, or in a bowl if using a hand blender, add the remaining ingredients (except the crust) and blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape into the baking dish or the crust. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Yield: 1 pie or flan, serving 8 to 12

Advance preparation: These tastes even better the day after it’s made. The roasted sweet potatoes will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. When you blend them, include any of the syrup that has oozed out.

Variation: Use 2 eggs for a creamier flan.

Nutritional information per serving (8 servings): 345 calories; 18 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 140 milligrams cholesterol; 40 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 304 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (12 servings): 230 calories; 12 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 93 milligrams cholesterol; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 202 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein

Source: New York Times

 

More Deaths, Illness Linked to Energy Drinks

The FDA has posted adverse-event reports for two more energy drinks: 40 illnesses and five deaths linked to Monster Energy, and 13 illnesses and two lasting disabilities linked to Rock star Energy.

 The new reports follow this week’s revelation of FDA reports linking 92 illnesses and 13 deaths to 5-Hour Energy shots. The FDA previously said it was investigating the deaths linked to Monster Energy.

These adverse-event reports (AERs) are filed by patients, families, or doctors. They simply warn that the products might have harmed someone — but they do not prove that the product caused harm. The FDA can remove a product from the market only when investigation shows that the product causes harm when used according to the product label.

“If we find a relationship between consumption of the product and harm, FDA will take appropriate action to reduce or eliminate the risk,”  FDA public information officer Shelly Burgess says.

Moreover, the reports do not offer details on any underlying medical conditions that may have led to product-related illnesses.

The reports, some dating back to 2004, are not a complete inventory of all events that product users may have suffered. Most people, and many doctors, do not know how to file these reports or do not get around to filing them. And even when a product actually causes an illness, a user or doctor may not associate the product with the illness.

The new reports detail the events suffered by users of 5-Hour, Monster, and Rockstar energy drinks. These include:

Deaths due to heart attack or suicide linked to 5-Hour Energy

  • A miscarriage linked to 5-Hour Energy
  • Convulsions, life-threatening fear, deafness, and hemorrhage linked to 5-Hour Energy
  • Deaths due to heart attack or loss of consciousness linked to Monster Energy drink
  • Hospitalization due to irregular heartbeat, severe diarrhea, migraine, psychotic disorder, heart attack, and/or vomiting linked to Monster Energy drink
  • Disability from irregular heartbeat or stroke linked to Rockstar Energy drink
  • Hospitalization due to psychotic disorder, increased heart rate, or loss of consciousness linked to Rockstar Energy drink
  • All of these reports are collected by the product manufacturers. Because they market their products as nutritional supplements, they are required to submit them to the FDA.

A recent government report documented a sharp spike in the number of people who need emergency medical care after consuming energy drinks.

Living Essentials, the maker of 5-Hour Energy, said in a statement that the company “takes reports of any potential adverse event tied to our products very seriously.”

But the company maintains that its products are safe when used as directed. Rockstar and Monster Energy did not respond to interview requests by publication time.

Source: Web MD