Heart Attack Squared

On our way to the office we stumbled on things you really should be aware of while getting away from stories that aren't as important as you might think. The story was that a new drug that might be a better way to prevent a second heart attack in some patients and the chances looked good. The study was presented at an European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. We went to NEJM and couldn't find it searching by the European Society of Cardiology or the University of Sheffeld which was conducting the research and we kept finding shiny articles that did appeal to us though we couldn't find the article on the drug. Then we searched for PLATO (the study's code name) and there were an editorial and an article. The editorial was free hence linked here. And the bad news from the editorial was: "The whole story concerning the adverse effects of ticagrelor may require evaluation in a much larger number of patients, something that may be beyond the capacity of a randomized trial. We should carefully monitor patients receiving this drug to establish the overall impact of its side effects. Finally, efforts to develop new effective and safe antithrombotic drug regimens should not be discouraged by the perception that an increase in antithrombotic efficacy is necessarily associated with a higher risk of bleeding."

Reading the abstract however gives you a different conclusion altogether: "In conclusion, in patients who had an acute coronary syndrome with or without ST-segment elevation, treatment with ticagrelor, as compared with clopidogrel, significantly reduced the rate of death from vascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke, without an increase in the rate of overall major bleeding but with an increase in the rate of non–procedure-related bleeding."

You might die from standard treatment using current drugs but this new drug will kill less people so it's better! So the choice is change your lifestyle or take drugs that might kill you and don't change a thing? Hum? Hard choice to make.

Emergency Life

While searching for the same heart attack prevention drug we discovered from the same University of Sheffield their research on improving emergency room outcomes. "New research seeks to reduce patient deaths in UK emergency care services"

Great but isn't that what every emergency room should do and does do? We yes and no - the difference is according to U of S is that: "Current crude comparisons of outcomes like mortality ignore the construction of the system, the type of population the system serves and the way patients use the system. Any attempt to compare the performance of a system must use a robust and reliable method for adjusting for differences and the way the service is used".

We're going to keep our eyes focused on their website and research as their "Sheffied team to undertake research into Swine Flu that will contribute to the Government´s response to the virus in the coming months." It's the British government but better is better and currently regardless of what you've heard of TV the poorest brit is healthier than a much wealthier American.

When you see items like this at their website it impossible not to smile and feel comfort that someone is doing what needs to be done and that an answer is coming or being sought. Especially when you read this: "To improve older people's lives through better assessment and response to their health and care needs".

Their research is our raison d'etre (reason to exist).

Blood Pressure Pressure

More of the same and nothing new to report. You know lose weight, eat better, exercise more, no smoking, no drinking... Of course they say it the same way and the answer is always we need healthier living habits but we think we are if we eat a salad once or twice a week. Having a fast food lifestyle is the only lifestyle we can have or afford. It's too difficult to eat healthy and well - until someone can suggest a better solution than more of the same this type of analysis goes in one ear and out the other.

In the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) while looking for the top story of the new drug to prevent second heart attacks we found this oldie: "To combat obesity, support from families, schools, community and religious organizations, government, insurers, food and beverage industries, health care providers, and the general public will be essential. Population-wide strategies — such as redesigning of roads and walkways to promote cycling and walking and the expansion of school health education and physical education programs — should be combined with individually targeted interventions to alter dietary intake and increase physical activity. Recent progress provides some cause for optimism: public awareness of the major contributors to childhood obesity and the health risks involved has increased,68 and support has grown for making a number of essential changes, some of which are beginning to be mandated in several states. It is paradoxical that despite the enormous advances in antihypertensive-drug therapy, the number of people with uncontrolled hypertension has continued to rise. The failure to adopt healthy lifestyles has been a critical factor in this increase and must be addressed urgently. To make the necessary changes on a broad basis will be difficult, but the benefits will be well worth the effort."

Blah blah blah blah blah!

Don't Panic - Flu Numbers

They changed the way they count the numbers. They changed the way they report the numbers. Really does it matter if you die from H1N1 or if you die from pneumonia? The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is reporting the deaths regionally. The CDC does acknowledge: "Current visits to doctors for influenza-like illness are down from April, but are higher than what is expected in the summer."

In Washington DC the Department of Health hasn't acknowledged a single death and no longer reports what they thought was so important to acknowledge. They're not alone. Our point is don't count on your local government to keep you informed. Best of the worst is Maryland, as though the swine flu is the only thing that's out to get you - it isn't.

Here are just the facts Jack! We can't link to where we got the info because we want to be able to access the information to report it to you. They say you can find anything on the internet. While we don't know how true that is there is alot of information that can be found. We've also scoured sources to discover who the first canaries were. Of the eight (8) deaths in the District of Columbia we think we've discovered four (4). But without official confirmation we can't do that either.

Pneumonia/FLU	Deaths
District of Columbia	8
Baltimore, MD	519
Richmond / Norfolk, VA	165

Now This is OUR FDA!

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) they're reviewing information from outside the US as well as responding to problem within the US. This is what we want the FDA to do. When we questioned the FDA of the policy for topical Ibproven and suggested that the FDA simply fine someone who doesn't dot their "i"s and cross their "T"s. We were told by the that FDA doesn't have that power. When we saw that the US News and World Report and Wall Street Journal said that the FDA was warning users of the Alli weight loss products we began our search.

What we found was this: "Between 1999 and October 2008, 32 reports of serious liver injury, including 6 cases of liver failure, in patients using orlistat were submitted to FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System. Thirty of the 32 reports occurred outside the United States. The most commonly reported adverse events described in the 32 reports of serious liver injury were jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes), weakness, and abdominal pain. Hospitalization was reported in 27 of the 32 cases."

"...FDA is not advising healthcare professionals to change their prescribing practices with orlistat. Consumers currently taking Xenical should continue to take it as prescribed and those using over-the-counter Alli should continue to use the product as directed. Consumers should consult their health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with the use of orlistat and development of liver injury, particularly weakness or fatigue, fever, jaundice or brown urine. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, itching, or loss of appetite. FDA urges both healthcare professionals and consumers to report side effects from the use of orlistat (Alli and Xenical) to FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program using the information at the bottom of the page."

When the FDA responded to our queries they said they don't have the power to fine companies and that companies need to comply with their rules and regulations. They didn't address the issue of whether or not they received complaints in reference to topical ibproven use which doesn't seem to fit their definition of a new drug in our estimation. We're still waiting and seeing what they're response to those specific questions.

The Last Canaries

We could guess their names since none of our local jurisdictions will tell us. While the department of health hides their deaths and uses the privacy laws to keep them from being recognized it's not hard to determine the names and in some cases the faces of the individuals who like coal mine canaries died to alert us to the coming trouble. Only Maryland is still publicly informing us of the growing numbers but as they reveal only the swine (H1N1) flu deaths it hides the growing pneumonia, influenza or other virus related deaths.

It's not too late and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) if we use the treatment of the vacine on the very sick and dying then they and we survive. As far back as 2000 and in 2006 both UNICEF and WHO said: "Pneumonia is the leading killer of children. Pneumonia kills more children than any other illness -- more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Approximately 2 million children under five die from the disease each year, accounting for nearly one in five child deaths globally. ...It is estimated that 26 per cent of neonatal deaths, and 10 per cent of under-five deaths, are caused by severe infections. And a large proportion of these infections are caused by sepsis/pneumonia. If these deaths were added to the overall estimate, pneumonia could account for up to 3 million, or as many as one-third (29 per cent) of under-five deaths worldwide..." "...immunizing children (especially with measles, Hib and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines), and ensuring adequate nutrition, including zinc intake and breastfeeding. Reducing indoor air pollution may also play a role. But once a child develops pneumonia, prompt treatment with a full course of effective antibiotics is life-saving because most severe cases are caused by bacterial pathogens. And since access to health services is limited in many developing countries, prompt treatment may also require training health workers to diagnose and treat children with pneumonia in the community." "...Studies show that community health workers can effectively manage uncomplicated pneumonia. Case management includes classifying suspected cases based on breathing rates and lower chest wall indrawing (where the chest retracts during inhalation), treating non-severe pneumonia cases with antibiotics, and referring severe pneumonia cases to health facilities, where possible."

Remember to wash your hands often!

Sour Warning on Sugar

From Dallas Texas, The American Heart Association (AHA) see us as patients rather than participants and when you go to their website they separate their information in that category. We only think of ourselves as patients when we're forced to seek medical attention. When we're seeking information we consider ourselves curious. Yet when the reports were that we eat too much sugar we didn't want to hear this information. We've heard it from our parents and friends for decades warning us that we'd get diabetes if we continued to eat and add the sugar to our drinks and food. Thankfully their warning didn't come true. Before we prepared to write this article we finished the bag of sugar candies and ate them all. In their "Scientific Statement" published in Circulation magazine and based on information from 2001 to 2004 the AHA reached this conclusion: "Over the past 30 years, total calorie intake has increased by anaverage of 150 to 300 calories per day, and approximately 50% of this increase comes from liquid calories (primarily sugar-sweetened beverages). At the same time, there has been no apparent change in physical activity. Hence, it is likely that weight gain over the same period must be related in part to increased intake of added sugars, even though research tools thus far have been insufficient to confirm a direct link."

The statement admits to making leaps that research hasn't demonstrated in an effort to allow us couch potatoes to live our lives with less sugar. Given the choice between giving up sugar or more physical activity we'll chose more physical activity. No, really we will. Honestly. This time we really really mean it. So after our nap we're going to take a nice leisurely walk around the neighborhood - all to keep our sweet tooth sweet. Another warning that we hear but we'll chose a different path. The choice is yours. Give up the sweets or walk the walk or use the gym for more than a place to use the bathroom when you're out at the mall.

Flu and You

If you read us more than once you know that we panic about the things the news reports tell us is "not that big a deal" or ignores completely and when the news is "half of U.S." could be infected we now say like the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" in big bold letters DON'T PANIC! The World Health Organization (WHO) has addressed the real issue of the flu and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report stated today: "The issue is not that the virus is more deadly than other flu strains, but rather that it is likely to infect more people than usual because it is a new strain against which few people have immunity. This could mean that doctors’ offices and hospitals may get filled to capacity."

You might get sick, the flu is a seasonal malady but not necessarily a deadly one. What's optimistic is there is currently an available treatment for our swine flu. What caused us concern was that distribution would be too late to save lives. Since it is very likely that we will suffer but survive this flu those that get worse will be able to receive a treatment that WILL prevent their deaths THAT is the assurance we need. We will survive!

WHO good FDA bad

Well maybe. The WHO is not a US based organization and the FDA is. WHO is issuing an "advanced take care of the people and keep them alive policy". The FDA has an "if we haven't approved it and people might die you can't market it policy". Food and Drug Administration has asked the marketers of topical ibuprofen products which aren't FDA approved to remove them from the marketplace. On the surface safe and effective is an important criteria for any medication however if the amounts don't exceed the amounts of oral ibuprofen products why should there be a problem? Have there been consumer or physicians complaints of the products? None of which are addressed in the FDA warning to the producers.

WHO is international so when we sought other international agencies or organization use of topical ibuprofen and lo and behold we discovered that in the UK physicians after a year long study discovered that topical use is cost-effective with less adverse effects. These are what we consider magical words when it comes to health and treatment. Other studies from other countries have been published since 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 demonstrated the use and safety of such products.

These are studies weren't published in industry publications by the producers but was published in the May 2008 journal of Rheumatology as were many of the other cited research in other nations. Should the producers be punished because of the ineffectiveness of the FDA? We think not if the FDA can't keep up and isn't responding to the needs and concerns of the health and welfare of its tax paying owners then the FDA needs a warning. Let this voice be the first to add its timbre to the cry for better and more employee accountability from the FDA.

Here's what the FDA had to say in their warning letter in one of their I don't care what they said its what I say moments: “These companies have an obligation to the public to demonstrate to the FDA that their products are safe and effective, and they have failed to do so,” said Deborah M. Autor, director of the Office of Compliance at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research." "...There are no approved applications for topical ibuprofen products..." "...safety claims for topical ibuprofen have not been reviewed by the FDA, nor has the agency evaluated what side effects might be associated with such products."

When the government is low on funds and personnel are being reduced, in a country where small businesses help the economy grow, warning producers who can contribute to a healthier economy and society is a waste. This use of government authority is an abuse of power. Where is the established danger to individuals where someone has died or been injured? In this country where citizens who are not abusing medication but by using medications are suffering death and injury this kind of oversight is unwarranted, unneccesary and unneeded. If the FDA has the power to fine then fine we need the money. Save the warnings where they are warranted.

Who's On First

We've been using the canary analogy to describe the early deaths from flu and the coming panedmic. The description has been harsh and scary because to use without the necessary treatment, adequate preparations and limited number of drugs still unavailable in these early stages of the season seemed so. Now comes the World Health Organization (WHO) issuing guidelines from their panel of experts with a policy that removes some, the scariest we would say, worry from the big bad coming flu season.

The new drugs (oseltamivir and zanamivir to prevent severe illness and deaths, reduce the need for hospitalization, and reduce the duration of hospital stays) are actual treatments for the swine flu. WHO says: "The pandemic virus is currently susceptible to both of these drugs (known as neuraminidase inhibitors), but resistant to a second class of antivirals (the M2 inhibitors)."

"Worldwide, most patients infected with the pandemic virus continue to experience typical influenza symptoms and fully recover within a week, even without any form of medical treatment. Healthy patients with uncomplicated illness need not be treated with antivirals. On an individual patient basis, initial treatment decisions should be based on clinical assessment and knowledge about the presence of the virus in the community."

This is incredible news. Normally your physician would say that IF you were infected it was too late for the shot to prevent or immunize yourself. These new medicines appear to be able to do what other drugs haven't or couldn't do. Now if only the guidelines are adapted by the CDC the pandemic won't be the disaster to health and resources it's predicted to be. Here's to keeping our candles lit, fingers crossed and knees bent!

Candles of Death!?!?!

Our favorite store, especially in these economically challenging times, is the Dollar Tree when we're on this coast and the even better by far the .99 cent store when we're on the west coast. Our favorite purchases are the scented candles of various sizes and colors. Now those eggheads at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) reveals that this favorite has a very deadly down side - cancer. Not all candles mind you just the cheapest paraffin kind.

On the positive side is our fascination with the new flameless scented candles that our cats aren't likely to swat and set the house on fire. Flameless candles are available from the Dollar Tree and .99 cent stores but they are the little tiny ones with small wicks and no scent. Now back to our bad news.

There is a more expensive work around and those tree hugging 60's types were right again. We do have a membership to a "Cooperative" store (we aren't stupid) but we don't use it because natural is expensive. It's not easy being "green." "In the study, R. Massoudi Ph.D., and Amid Hamidi Vadeghani, Ph.D., said that that candles made from bee’s wax or soy, although more expensive, apparently are healthier. They do not release potentially harmful amounts of indoor air pollutants while retaining all of the warmth, ambience and fragrance of paraffin candles (which are made from petroleum)."

“An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions will not likely affect you,” Hamidi Vadeghani said. “But lighting many paraffin candles every day for years or lighting them frequently in an un-ventilated bathroom around a tub, for example, may cause problems.“ Besides the more serious risks, he also suggested that some people who believe they have an indoor allergy or respiratory irritation may in fact actually be reacting to air pollutants from burning candles."

Thankfully today is the last day of the National Meeting so they'll be no more bad news from the bad news bearers. Information is power but there's also something called information overload when it comes to really bad news saying that everything you do is bad for you.

Live Long & Prosper

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) normally the bearer of the big bad scrary news reported that we're living longer and healthier lives. Though women are still living longer than men (80.4 as compared to 75.3 years) its a narrowing gap. "For the first time, life expectancy for black males reached 70 years..."

"...There were an estimated 11,061 deaths from HIV/AIDS in 2007, and mortality rates from the disease declined 10 percent from 2006, the biggest one-year decline since 1998. HIV remains the sixth leading cause of death among 25-44 year-olds"

Even with a pandemic coming heart disease and cancer are still the two leading causes of death in 2007 while flu and pneumonia was down. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's increased but not significantly. The full report can be found as a PDF at the CDC website. Good news about death and dying - who knew such a thing was even possible?

We did! It's more information not less that can lead us to do things such as change our diets and maybe exercise more. We need to be prepared with more information to make us less afraid in the future and of the future.

Not The Way We Eat It

Two reports at Science Daily hype the benefits of popcorn and pizza two of our favorite foods. What both reports highlight is that its all the extras that we add that negate the health benefits. Oprah, with the help of Dr. Oz, tested her overweight teen audience guests on healthy eating habits. Multigrain doesn't mean whole grain and processed healthier alternative foods aren't necessarily better than our favorite nonprocessed food (between pork bacon or turkey bacon - choose the pork bacon). We have to watch calories, servings per items and doing the math while avoiding sodium and sugars. None which is what we want to do but have to do to stay healthy and be well.

The popcorn revelations were reported at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in the most boring of talking heads report by Dr. Joe Vincent, a professor of chemistry from the University of Scranton. The word popcorn is more exciting than their press briefing but all fourteen minutes and thirty seconds are included here.

What the heads say is that the amounts of "popcorn and many popular breakfast cereals contain "surprisingly large" amounts of healthful antioxidant substances called "polyphenols." So if you can forgo the extra sweetner, cheese, salt and other extras the more you eat the healthier you can be or feel. Maybe, just maybe you can get some extra protection against the come flu and or other nasties. Just make it plain - eat your large amounts without the extras.

You Matter When You Die

The vaccine is coming but until it arrives - you're up feces creek without a paddle. The Boston Public Health Commission has released this scary bit of news: "Cases of swine flu higher among city blacks, Hispanics" according to Boston.com of the BOSTON GLOBE. "But disease specialists cautioned that the preliminary data from Boston provide clues but no definitive answer." "It’s definitely a very important observation that we need to track,’’ said Dr. Alfred DeMaria, top disease tracker at the state Department of Public Health. “But we don’t want to overinterpret it until we have more and better information.’’

"...The Boston disease specialists found that of the 71 city residents hospitalized with swine flu, 49 percent were African-American, and 28 percent were Hispanic. In both cases, the hospitalization rates were double each group’s overall presence in Boston’s population."

Death isn't funny and the loss of your loved one isn't a joking manner. The District of Columbia has lost two individuals to the flu. While none of our jurisdictions are releasing their infection rates only the deaths (the District hasn't officially released the number to the public) the CDC is still releasing the data weekly only showing the Pediatric Deaths in their August 8th report. The CDC's own records show more current information but information this isn't readily available to the public.

Our region (III) is the sixth (6th) most infected region in the nation. Region III is comprised of DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, and WV which also claims no deaths and separates residents from non-residents and only presents "lab confirmed results." There are only two (2) jurisdictions in our region reporting regional or widespread activity. The least infected region is I with only one (1) jursidiction reporting regional or widespread activity and the most infected region is VI with zero (0) jurisdictions reporting regional or widespread activity. We don't understand it either. But that's what the CDC reports and so we report it to you. Region 1 is CT, ME, MA, NH, RI and VT. Region 6 is AR, LA, NM, OK and TX. Again this information is for Last Week.

We don't want you to be afraid but the more we don't learn and the slower we are to learn the facts the more dangerous will be our response to what will be an unbelievably horrible situation. Hence we refer you to the Monty Python scene from The Holy Grail: "Bring Out Your Dead!"

Our solution? There are only 2904 Hospital Beds in the District of which the government expects to use 500 for the epidemic that is expected. This according to their 2005 pandemic plan (PDF).

In an emergency finding an available bed coulod save your life and or the life of your loved one. Boston has already discovered that this pandemic will affect the poor, Black and Hispanic more severly than the general population. In the district the poor, Black and Hispanic IS the general population. Their use of our limited resources creates a situation that drains the resources of our currently stretched and already strained resources. If you can or plan to have a medical procedure now rather than later might be a better consideration.

The biggest problem with new infections - their is no vaccine read real protection against the flu and its over two months prior to the start of the normal flu season (November).

Dead Panels Cost

While the report on the mammogram study is not available to us it did point us in the direction of a controversy we've avoided. Aunt Pearlie made the decision not to continue her life over our objections and despite our protestations to the contrary. It was her decision and again we'll bow out of further discussion. The question posed by the earlier reports isn't whether the government should decide your grandmother's fate. The question is how soon will your hospital and your doctor begin deciding when to withhold information on treatments because of their costs to your HMO or hospital? They have already begun discusing it in public. The question will be decided sooner rather than later.

Association of a Cancer Diagnosis With Vulnerability and Frailty in Older Medicare Beneficiaries: "Few studies have evaluated the independent effect of a cancer diagnosis on vulnerability and frailty, which have been associated with adverse health outcomes in older adults... Conclusion: Diagnosis of a non-skin cancer was associated with increased levels of having disability, having geriatric syndromes, and meeting criteria for vulnerability and frailty."

How much is life worth? The $440 Billion Question: "The decision to use expensive cancer therapies that typically produce only a relatively short extension of survival is a serious ethical dilemma in the U.S. that needs to be addressed by the oncology community, according to a commentary published online June 29 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute... ...Every life is of infinite value, the authors say, but spiraling costs of cancer care makes this dilemma inescapable."
"The current situation cannot continue. We cannot ignore the cumulative costs of the tests and treatments we recommend and prescribe. As the agents of change, professional societies, including their academic and practicing oncologist members, must lead the way," the authors write. "The time to start is now."

One of our arguments to the hospitals who do not release their medical error statistics is: "isn't it better to have more information rather than less when making a choice of medical facilities?" We believe the answer is always yes! The questions the medical community will be asking will be how much will you spend to keep grandma alive? In terms of drugs they've already decided costs (that can be passed on to you) is no object. Treatment that you might declare bankruptcy to avoid - might not get paid. We would have spared no expense to keep Aunt Pearlie alive - she however had a difference of opinion and hers was the only one that mattered.

Mammograms

We love the LA Times and as always they report what others miss or refuse to even investigate. So imagine our surprise when we couldn't verify their story. They got the date and the other info wrong as well, maybe. For now let's just say we can't find the survey and it's something that is of interest to us. It wasn't their regular staff it was a freelance story by Christie Aschwanden so that made sense to us.

Pearlie Leach fears were validated by the survey results which would and may discourage women from seeking treatment for breast cancer and mammograms especially among seniors. Though the survey is of British and their NHS and may be more of an indictment of their system which is highly rated and internationally regarded it may point to problems within our own system as well. Sort of like an early warning system for cancer and the elderly and the need for cancer screening. In an accompanying editorial, Lisa M. Schwartz, M.D., and Steven Woloshin, M.D. of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice in Hanover, N.H., point out that accurate screening messages should be more prominent and include risks associated with overdiagnosis and overtreatment.

The single news reports refers to an August 12 article from Journal of the National Cancer Institute (there are no August 12 articles) and says: "...that 92% of the women surveyed dramatically overestimated the ability of mammography to cut cancer deaths or said they didn't know the magnitude of its benefits. Here's how the benefits and risks stack up. If 1,000 50-year-old women have a yearly mammogram for 10 years:

• One will avoid dying from breast cancer.
• Two to 10 will be treated for a cancer that never would have harmed them.
• Ten to 15 will learn earlier that they have cancer than they would have otherwise, but this earlier diagnosis will not change their prognosis.
• One hundred to 500 will have at least one false alarm.

Early Risers

In the movies The Invasion and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (all science fiction) if you went to sleep you wouldn't wake up but an exact duplicate would appear with all your memories and knowledge. Your body would be covered by a silky cocoon like material until you suffocated to death. The new mutant would be able to communicate with other replacements. Once they took over enough of us then they would hunt the remaining humans down, force them to go to sleep and they would become mutants.

We're sorry to tell you this but its begun. They're here! Thankfully we've got a little time. This "mutation" is genetic (like in the movies) and runs only in families (so far a mother and daughter - that we know about). This mutation makes you able to exists on less sleep than we normal humans.

One of us overslept this morning and the others got up on time so we're probably ok. We're waiting on the discovery of the gene that make humans require more sleep rather than less like these mutants. Then we can make everyone need more rather than less sleep. Until then we'll be afraid - we'll be very afraid.

This is news has been released just in time for the release of the new movie District 9 where we place all aliens in their own ghetto for "the good of mankind." Interestingly enough the discovered gene has been named "DEC2." Discovery is the first step before the gene can be created into a pill or some other way like maybe plastic surgery where we can alter either our genes or the genes of our unborn children to give them the advantage of needing less sleep.

For the really boring and scientific "Supporting Online Material" you can download the PDF yourself it just made us sleepy, very very sleepy, our eye lids were getting heavy, very very heavy. The next thing we knew we were yawning and YAWNNNNN...

Chocolate Heart Health

Chocolate saves a heart from breaking and now every news report is saying the same thing without asking the same question on aspirin - "How much is enough?" The Stockholm/Boston report says that even a little is better than none but with our obese lifestyle any excuse is a good excuse to eat chocolate. Not any candy mind you, the review of the data says it must be chocolate. We're giving "kisses" as our wedding favors and its great to know we're being life savers even if we didn't consciously make the decision.

We can only access the free abstract which says: "Chocolate consumption was associated with lower cardiac mortality in a dose dependent manner in patients free of diabetes surviving their first AMI. Although our findings support increasing evidence that chocolate is a rich source of beneficial bioactive compounds, confirmation of this strong inverse relationship from other observational studies or large-scale, long-term, controlled randomized trials is needed."

From the very same Journal of Internal Medicine is a cautionary article publised earlier in the year: "The epidemic of obesity took off from about 1980 and in almost all countries has been rising inexorably ever since. Only in 1997 did WHO accept that this was a major public health problem and, even then, there was no accepted method for monitoring the problem in children."

While the reference is to Asia, Latin America and others to Swedish men obesity is a local problem with deadly consequences. Chocolate seems an easy solution to us the very lazy. Anything but diet and exercise and anytime the suggestion is adding chocolate to the mix whether it's coffee or candy - its the right perscription. A couple of kisses every other day sounds like just about the right amount IF we were to self medicate and we won't. We do have some extras though. There is a bag on the side of the bed so until their gone - what can it hurt?

While the review was of heart attack survivors the: "(o)bjectives. To assess the long-term effects of chocolate consumption amongst patients with established coronary heart disease. Design. In a population-based inception cohort study, we followed 1169 non-diabetic patients hospitalized with a confirmed first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) between 1992 and 1994 in Stockholm County, Sweden, as part of the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program." The news is reporting this as newest, greatest, latest health information clearly it isn't but we suggest that everyone use caution when following any advice, including ours.

Aspirin Cures Cancer

Another review of prior research finds that the most popular form of cancer can be cured or reduced with one of the cheapest and most popular drug on the market. What the report abstract does not answer is how much or how little is necessary to get the results. The danger is in playing doctor instead of seeing a doctor and as long lines form at the emergency room and longer wait times for scheduling an appointment with our favorite physician we may try to fix ourselves. Or even worse to delay treatment rather than seeking the advice of a qualified professional.

If we answer the question do we risk you the reader making the "self fix it" decision yourself? When the news of aspirin's amazing properties began to surface to the news we would personally supplement our own medical regime with a single aspirin before bed despite prior warnings to the contrary and usually when our own perscriptions had been depleted. As far back as March 2005 the New York Times reported: "Because aspirin carries a risk of bleeding, doctors do not currently advise healthy women or healthy men with no clear risk of heart disease to take aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes. The study results are unlikely to change that practice."

Don't self medicate! Don't self medicate! Don't self medicate! Now how much is enough? The report does not suggest however earlier reports suggest a baby aspirin amount of a single tablet. Our own usage was always in excess of the recommended amount. A single dollar store tablet is 325 mg and the recommended amount in a child dosage is 85mg.

Our use was daily and though aspirin doesn't protect women from heart attacks their studies showed less usage provided an equal amount of results from a less frequent amount of aspirin. "Regular use of low-dose aspirin does not prevent first heart attacks in women younger than 65, as it does in men, a 10-year study of healthy women has found... ...The amount of aspirin taken by subjects in the Women's Health Study - 100 milligrams every other day - is less than the amount one gets from taking a baby aspirin, which contains 81 milligrams, every day. But the researchers noted that the smaller amount still had the intended effect on blood clotting, as evidenced by blood analyses, by reduced risk of stroke and by the greater incidence of bleeding" the March 2008 New York Times reported.

Aspirin is still a medicine and like any medicine its got its up cancer curing side and its bleeding ulcer, suicide pill of choice down side. Lets leave the prescribing to the professionals.

Macho to the End

"Every man ought to be a macho macho man,
To live a life of freedom, machos make a stand,"

- The Village People, Macho Man

When we were children the men were told when we were hurt to shake it off and be a man. Real men don't cry. Stand up and take it like a man when we fell. As women we were told to be a big girl but that it was "OK" to cry. Men who wanted to cry were called girls names because real men didn't show emotions. When Pearlie came home to see her sisters when they greeted each other they cried and when it was time for them to leave they cried saying goodbye. They cried when they were happy and cried when they were sad.

The review of a new report shows that macho men don't usually seek medical attention or help. "Middle-aged men who strongly idealize masculinity are almost 50 percent less likely than other men to seek preventative healthcare services, according to a study—the first population-based analysis of men’s masculinity beliefs and preventative healthcare compliance—to be presented at the 104th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association..."

“For masculine men in blue-collar occupations, this research suggests that the masculinity threat of seeking health care is less concerning than the masculinity threat of not performing their jobs,” Springer said. “However, as job status increases among men who have strong masculinity beliefs, the likelihood that they will obtain preventative healthcare declines significantly. These findings provide some insight into the persistent gender paradox in health whereby men have a lower life expectancy at birth relative to women, despite having higher socioeconomic resources.”

Other than the adoration of women and other men what else does being a macho man get you? Is there no other benefits to being a manly man? There is! An agressive nature help men achieve over others and when men are injured its the most macho of men that fight their way back to fitness. Back in 2007 Science Daily published a report on the upside of the most macho. "It has long been assumed that men are not as concerned and don't take as good of care of their health," Glenn Good, associate professor of educational, school and counseling psychology in MU College of Education, said, "but what we're seeing here is that the same ideas that led to their injuries may actually encourage their recovery." You don't have to be a "Village People" to live a healthy life macho or not.

The Positive on The Negative

The hippie, feel good, new age, "let it all hangout" lifestyle is vindicated once again especially for our targeted concern. US News reported today: "The new research, detailed in the journal Circulation, also found that women with a high degree of cynical hostility — defined as harboring hostile thoughts toward others or having a general mistrust of people — were at a higher risk of dying in general..."

Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association had the facts in abstract form and you are invited to look at their numbers or purchase the full study which involves our subset of diabetic women without the obvious "lose weight" advice. We can do this and we suggest that we all take the advice to watch something funny on TV for thirty (30) minutes each day with surprising results. Begin listening at three minutes and fifty seconds (3:50) into the podcast. "The findings, presented at the Experimental Biology conference in New Orleans, show that after one year the group prescribed laughter saw a 26 per cent rise in their good cholesterol. Patients who took the medication without any extra laughter had just a 3 per cent rise. The group watching comedy programmes also saw a drop of 66 per cent in the amount of harmful C-reactive proteins, which increase the risk of heart disease, in their bodies. While the control group also saw a fall in the amount of the proteins, it was much smaller at 26 per cent over the course of the year."

How do you know what makes a person optimistic? Food Consumer found from the study: "Optimism was described as expecting that good, rather than bad, things will happen. The nearly 100,000 participants were asked such questions as "In unclear times, I usually expect the best," or, conversely, "It is safer to trust no one."

Does it really make that much of a difference? If you asked that question don't count yourself as an "up" person. WebMD translated the figures: "Optimistic African-American women had a 33% lower risk for death than African-American women who were pessimists. Among white women, the survival advantage for optimists was 13%. African-American women who scored highest for hostility and cynicism were 62% more likely to die than African-American women who scored lowest." Don't worry be happy!

Medical Oops

The health care debate continues to demand our attention as town halls become shouting matches and a new report released by the Hearts Newspapers have highlighted our concerns on the number of deaths as a result of medical mistakes. The report named the states where the reporting is open and the information available to the public and the standard "and the District of Columbia" tag was added. When he tried to investigate the information we found it ONLY available from the "Dead By Mistake" website. While the info is collected by DC it isn't collected or distributed by either DC, MD or VA - what it can cost us is our lives.

How do we survive IF we survive the emergency
room and our stay in the hospital? CBS news recommends: looking your doctor in the eye before surgery, writing on your body what should be done where it should be done and writing on your body what shouldn't be done, asking about what medications are being given to you and why. Who knew that Bill Cosby in the 60s and Malcolm in the Middle in the 90s would have the best solution to survive medical oops.

Great suggestions right? Not if you're unconscious or unable to verbally assist in your own recovery. Wouldn't it be better to have the procedure - whatever the procedure as an outpatient rather than in patient hospital care. The price would certainly be less than a day in a hospital bed which would reduce the costs of health care and give us better care. While hospitals would not report their complications the idea of reporting another facilities fatality might be possible.

What we need is a study on outpatient to inpatient survival rates. Lost in the health care debate is the patient and while patients death rates creep up at a one (1) percent increase per year. While it is only 1% it is still an increase and we can be the one. So we will contact the hospitals and evaluate and report which hospitals are opposed and why. What we find could save your life so continue to watch this space.

Nuevo Cancer

The newly American cancer risk has struck the newest immigrants. Hispanics who come to this country get more cancers than those who stay in their native land. According to the latest research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The same information first discovered with first generation Asians some twenty to thirty years ago has been duplicated with another group of new Americans.

One TV's THE VIEW co-host Sherri Shepherd had her big reveal in a bathing suit today. We didn't watch! How does this one thing relate to another? Several shows ago the program has hyped favorite foods, healthy lifestyles, exercises all to promote this event. Although her big reveal has been hyped for at least a month Ms. Shepherd has continued to eat an unhealthy American diet of barbeque ribs, chocolate bacon and other non-dietary fare often being caught on camera "cheating." All while her network is broadcasting how she'll be wearing a bathsuit on camera. With the whole world watching (much like Kristie Alley on OPRAH and Oprah each month on O Magazine) and the big day only days away Sherri continued to eat to taste rather than to waist. With personal trainers and special diets the weak link in the chain of better health is us. It doesn't matter what we learn or what we know what matters is what we do.

The report which is based on how people identified thems found: "Mexicans are a lower risk population compared with Puerto Ricans or Cubans, which are higher risk populations. Moreover, Cubans are a distinct group with respect to cancer incidence among Hispanics, their cancer patterns resembling those of Whites in Florida, particularly for the low incidence of stomach and cervical cancers. Their higher educational attainment and income in relation to Mexicans and Puerto Ricans (17) may be driving their unique cancer profile..."

"...In conclusion, knowledge of cancer patterns in these subpopulations is vital. These data influence public health policy and form the basis of etiologic hypotheses. This study shows that each Hispanic subpopulation has a distinct cancer profile. Puerto Ricans are the most affected by cancer and Mexicans the least. The advantage that Hispanics have over Whites in several health outcomes seems limited, in cancer incidence, to Mexicans. Finally, the higher risk for cancer observed among Hispanics who move to the United States should be further investigated."

These "new" Americans and the old Americans all have bad habits that will result in an unhealthy cancer risky life style. It doesn't matter what we read, how we "workout" or what goals we set. What matters is what and how much we eat.

Cholesterol Confusion

Todays News high cholesterol will lead to later dementia the reports indicate. While we don't suffer from the issue of cholesterol any and all dementia reports hit close to home. Aunt Mamie and probably one of our uncles is a victim (we think) of the early signs of dementia so the subject is one near and dear to our hearts. This is not the story we thought we'd be writing today. We hoped we'd be updating you about the H1N1 (swine flu) virus and the other mutant strains that are now entering into epidemic stages throughout the world.

The New York Times, WebMD, Reuters and the BBC all report that high cholesterol in the "younger than us" can lead to vascular disease (Vad) and or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the "older than us."

We thought we'd read the research and maybe explain or answer questions left unanswered by the report and their reporting. Then something very curious occurred - we saw the following numbers.

Race/ethnic group	No dementia	AD	VaD
(self-reported)	(n = 9,248)	(n = 469)	(n = 127)
Asian	598 (6.5)	17 (3.6)	5 (3.9)
Black	1,387 (15)	109 (23.2)	35 (27.6)
White	6,863 (74,2)	325 (69.3)	85 (66.9)
Other	400 (4.3)	18 (3.8)	2 (1.6)

The new study found this in the discussion of their summary. The entire summary is available online from the New York Times article: "Testing of interaction terms by race/ethnic group and sex showed that effects were not statistically different for men and women or by race/ethnic group." According to the numbers above Blacks are almost double at risk than other ethnic groups. Since Pearlie Leach, a black woman, and her twin sister Mamie who recently succumbed to the effect of dementia we are sensitive to numbers like these.

Are the numbers startling or new - NO! That the numbers are considered NOT statistically different by race/ethnic group is the secondary story and the need for this site. What the report appears to indicate is that a history of bad behavior does significant and long term damage to your health and your mental future. A late term conversion will appear to do little to prevent a lifetime of physical abuse.

IT'S HERE! The Flu is HERE!

The flu is HERE! The vaccine is coming but it's going to be late. The CDC report (issued every Friday at 11AM then but NOT now) what was shown was too plainly understood. The method of reporting and the way the CDC "made it plain" has been removed so you won't and can't understand now bad the situation is and will be.

The Health and Human Services said the programs for our shots should be ready by the time the landlord switches off the air and turns on the heat, in October. That is and will be too late. The fact that the deaths are preventable is the real tragedy. In Virginia the state says that their latest REPORTED death occurred to a female who "had an underlying health condition." We're awaiting a response to our call on what her underlying condition was to which we all might be susceptible to a H1N1 Flu death.

SWINE FLU	Cases	Deaths
District of Columbia OLD	43	0
Maryland	766	4
Virginia	300	2

Can you trust the figures? No! They don't even report the figures anymore. Or if they do they report it its in a way that is not clearly understood. By design? We're not certain. Reporting the numbers and then not when they did and it was clearly understood. That seems strange to us. Well then all it takes is a call to the proper person listed as a contact except the people who answer the phones for the contact person aren't even aware of the current numbers.

We are region three (3) where the CDC reports that has been an over twenty-seven (27.1) per cent increase for this area. Region III consists of: DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV. Only Region IV has a greater rate of infection and consists: AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN.

The definition of an epidemic: "affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time." 36,000 people die EVERY year from the flu which fits the definition of SOME of the worst epidemic in US history. "1942-53 Polio continued to ravage the U.S., peaking in 1952 with about 60,000 cases. Worst epidemic since 1916." This is what is expected when the season starts in October. This is prior to the season with a total deaths so far of 353 preventable lives. In Virginia 1,000 citizens are EXPECTED to die from the flu in a normal year. In Maryland 1,000 citizens are EXPECTED to die as well. Hopefully it won't be us and if the trend continues it'll probably be a child and senior that we know and love. We deserve better with our knowledge and technology we deserve better. Let's "thin the herd" through competition and accomplishments not through neglect and ignorance.

Smokers Oh My

We don't smoke but we share high blood pressure and or diabetes. At our age this makes us susceptible to "lose our minds up in here, up in here." If it weren't for our coffee intake we'd have to make more of an effort to exercise our bodies and our minds. Aunt Pearlie worked crossword puzzles and loved SCRABBLE on the PC and against her friends on a board. She kept her wits about her longer than her twin and drank her MAXWELL HOUSE every morning. Pearlie wasn't big on exercising once she lost the ability to walk. Her twin, Aunt Mamie continued to walk up until her final days though she needed the aid of a cane. She wasn't a walker but outlived Aunt Pearlie.

If we understood the technical research better we'd translate it here but BBC News did a much better job than we could. We are in age range in the study done in conjunction with the UK and from the Universities in America.

"Smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes were all strongly linked with dementia, which the researchers say is not unexpected since these can damage the brain and the small blood vessels that supply it."

"Current smokers were 70% more likely than those who had never smoked to develop dementia, people with high blood pressure were 60% more likely than those without high blood pressure, and people with diabetes were more than twice as likely than those without diabetes to develop it."

The curse of aging is the possibility of losing the thing that we value most, our memories and the knowledge of who we are. Aunt Mamie, the twin, was a remarkable woman desperate to retrieve the fading memories. Wanting to do whatever to get back the ability to remember and to not to forget. Dementia robs you of the ability to remember the things that should be instinctual. You can forget to breathe.

More Vitamin D Please

Once upon a time our parents made us take "One A Day" vitamins every day to get what we didn't get from our foods. Bayer no longer makes that formula. The problem we later learned as an adult is you get too many of one vitamin and not enough of the others. Not enough C or zinc and too much A. As an adult we moved to individual vitamins so we got more of what we needed and less of what we didn't. As we changed so did "One A Day" their current Teen Advantage brand gives just enough of the missing Vitamin D to protect your child. Vitamin D isn't a vitamin at all - it's a hormone!

For our children it could be a matter of life and death. The new report which again is another study of a study found: "Low vitamin D levels were especially common in children who were older, female, African-American, Mexican-American, obese, drank milk less than once a week, or spent more than four hours a day watching TV, playing videogames, or using computers. The researchers also found that low levels of vitamin D deficiency were associated with higher parathyroid hormone levels, a marker of bone health, higher systolic blood pressure, and lower serum calcium and HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which are key risk factors for heart disease."


The report's solution is our suggestion - more One A Day for teens: "Vitamin D supplementation can help. In the study, children who took vitamin D supplements (400 IU/day) were less likely to be deficient in the vitamin. However, only four percent of the study population actually used supplements. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which recently updated its vitamin D guidelines, now recommends that infants, children, and teens should take 400 IU per day in supplement form."

"Supplements are especially important for those living in the country's northern regions where the sun may be too weak to maintain healthy vitamin D levels. Supplements are also critical for infants who are breast-fed, say the researchers. Breast milk contains relatively little vitamin D, while formula is fortified with the vitamin."

Clean Hands - WARNING

The list of hand sanitizers that are being recalled and should be discarded according to the FDA are:

• Citrushield Lotion
• Dermasentials DermaBarrier
• Dermassentials by Clarcon Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer
• Iron Fist Barrier Hand Treatment
• Skin Shield Restaurant
• Skin Shield Industrial
• Skin Shield Beauty Salon Lotion
• Total Skin Care Beauty
• Total Skin Care Work

We use them in the powder room that doesn't have a sink and buy ours from the local dollar store. Our brand? Instant Hand Santizer distributed by Family Dollar and from Garcoa Labs California. The FDA says that Clarcon VOLUNTARILY recalled their products but The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported: "U.S. Marshals Service officers seized all skin sanitizer and skin protectant products, including ingredients, at Clarcon's facility in Roy, Utah, the Associated Press reported. The seizure took place after Clarcon didn't comply with an FDA order to promptly destroy the products."

Organically Nutritional

The news got it wrong again. The report suggests natural isn't better so you were stupid if you thought so. The Americans asked the Britishs to reviews all the studies and write a report. This has been done before by COMOS magazine in 2007 which reached the same conclusion but in a more revealing way. People eat organic food for reasons not in the report which says (though News Reporters don't report this): "This study does not mean that people should not eat organic food. What it shows is that there is little, if any, nutritional difference between organic and conventionally produced food and that there is no evidence of additional health benefits from eating organic food." The Food Standards Agency is an independent Government department set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food.

"The aim of this report (PDF) is to systematically review and compare the composition of organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, focusing only on nutrients and other nutritionally relevant substances (nutrients and other substances). This review specifically does not address contaminant content (such as herbicide, pesticide and fungicide residues) of organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs or the environmental impacts of organic and conventional agricultural practices."

The title organic should mean nothing IF the food is packaged. Like the word natural on a box of anything it doesn't make the product better for you. The report begins with stats from Bristol Soil Association Organic Market Report of 2007 about how much profit is being made by these organic businesses.

We choose organic if we don't want to get sick. When we're ill and or are recovering from some illness I want the freshest chemically free food stuff we can get. Are we willing to pay extra for less - sometimes yes. Most of the time no we aren't. Organic always means more expensive. It also means locally available (largely) with less resources used to produce and transport. Generally it means that in the long run less resources were wasted. That we will pay alittle more for to have less in the future.

The COSMOS writer wrote: "I love my local organic food store. From the moment I enter, I enjoy the aromas that greet me and the folksy look of the place... Popular or not, it's clear that organic food is not necessarily healthier, nor more sustainable or better for the environment. With the Earth's climate changing fast, and the human population heading for nine or 10 billion, we need solutions based on scientific evidence rather than faith and good intentions..." Their conclusions were that organic farming can't feed us all. Again they miss the point of organic foods. They aren't to feed us all. They are to feed each of us. We garden locally and we feed ourselves. What we have in excess we share. We use all we have. Eat all we have and waste nothing.

Your friends will point to the study to prove how stupid you are because you "drank the Kool-Aid." Just smile and let them point. They just don't get it. They're not sensitive enough to understand. Sensitive people need organic and natural products and foods not just to survive but to thrive. This report contradicts a four year study that spent 12 million pounds examining anti-oxidants that fight cancer, minerals and iron while finding significant benefits from organic foods. Here's their response to this recent report.

It's cheaper and better to grill your own hamburger but your kids will always want to go to McDonald's because they believe its better. Like your pointing friends they're wrong. Making your own is always better in the short and long run.