Sick Fees

It costs to be sick. It costs us all. The problem is that it really is extensive to be sick. As the health care debate rises the news isn't good for things that make us unwell. Whether its age related or lack of exercise or even preventable if we don't smoke or avoid second hand smoke. Sickness cost and the costs are ballooning. CBS News and many news organizations across the pond are reporting on the cost associated with Alzheimer to all of us with this "seventh (7th) leading cause of death."

While the recent news stories have focused on the cost associated with health issues our concern is with the living costs. We're dying every day. The costs to US are the loss of lives. That's the real costs. While US News & World Report focuses on financial costs associated with obesity thanks to the research from our very own George Washington University.

"For those who are overweight, the main cost drivers are direct medical costs – 66% for women and 80% for men. Conversely, while direct medical cost is the primary driver of costs for obese men, only one-third of the overall costs for obese women are medical costs." - (Heavy Burden Report)

The same researchers from George Washington told us that early man (though they don't say how early) ate like apes, monkeys and pigs. According to that research that diet was probably better than our current diet.

"...suggests that early humans consumed large, hard foods such as seeds and nuts and occasionally used high bite forces to do so. "

While this research told us what they ate, it does not say how health this seed nut diet was. It lead to us but if you're like we are we're always looking for the better. We think that (without any source of attribution) that the hard foods may have been more for dental care as well as need. Seeds and nuts don't require refrigeration that soft foods would might require. In our humble opinion.

Prior GW research found that:

"Various public agencies and private corporations have introduced measures that seek to provide financial incentives to those who reduce their weight, and to levy penalties on those who do not. Companies such as Safeway that run their own insurance programs grant up to 20 percent reductions in premiums as “bonuses” to employees who meet certain health standards, which include [4] having what is considered a healthy BMI. Alabama penalizes obese state workers through increased health insurance premiums, and North Carolina does it through moving obese employees to health care plans that cover less of their costs." - Journal of Health Communication (Oct Nov 2009)

The University researchers aren't just pointing to the problem they also offer twenty-four (24) solutions to the problem since 2009. What GW University said back in 2009 was:

"Obesity—The Facts Are Now In—Now What to Do - Currently, there is no clear consensus on a obesity prevention framework, despite the Institute of Medicine convening workshops to develop a systems approach that explicitly takes into account the social contexts in which decisions are made and the multiple interacting determinants of policy and community action." (Page 2) (PDF)

The twenty-four (24) items haven't been done. That's the sadness of their suggestions and their research. They know what to do and know how to have it done - it just hasn't been. For us the good news is - it's not our fault. You should, rather we should, exercise more and eat better. It's difficult to eat healthy in the desert or stranded at sea. Unless we've stocked up its nearly impossible and very unlikely. Thank goodness their suggestions are pointed to other causes rather than at us.

One thing that we can do (for men) - is detection - the key to prevention. However when it comes to prostate cancer this is especially so.

"Prostate cancer affects one in every six men at some point in their lives. Aside from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer found in men. However, with almost nine out of 10 prostate cancers found in the early stages, the survival rate after five years is nearly 100 percent!" - Maryland Gazette

If we can only get men to undergo the invasive procedure that can lead to prostate cancer (PC) detection they'll be one less common cancer to worry about.

"The average age of diagnosis is 69, but men as young as 30 or 40 can also have prostate cancer. "The other major risk factors are race and family history," says Oh. "African-American men are at increased risk, as are men who have a first-degree relative with prostate cancer." Some studies suggest that diets high in animal fat also up your risk, while diets high in vegetables can cut your risk. If you fall into a high-risk category, it’s recommended that you start prostate cancer screening in your 40s. "For everyone else, it’s recommended you start discussing screening by age 50, with annual screenings thereafter." - NY Daily News

We could always return to eating like "apes, monkeys and pigs" and we MIGHT NOT have to worry about the big "PC" - men! It's something to think about before its too late. Otherwise it'll cost ya! Actually it'll cost us all.

It's Better To Look Good...

...than to feel good if you know what I mean. (Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas (Video)

For many people including pseudo celebrities "Speidi" you never really look good until you've had something "fixed" with plastic surgery. The latest trend in research seems to be following that credo. Today's news comes this story from ABC News, LA Times and Wall Street Journal:

Fish Oils May Slow Genetic Aging in Heart Patients - "In the study, Dr. Ramin Farzaneh-Far of the University of California San Francisco and colleagues followed more than 600 men with heart disease and found those taking the most omega-3 appeared "biologically younger" -- that is, the ends of their chromosomes, called telomeres, looked longer and healthier."

The question becomes: What could it hurt? Though if we were heart patients aging wouldn't be so much on our minds as not dying. To be honest you can't age if you're dead. So "younger" appearing wouldn't be our first concern.

The American Heart Association (AHA) understands this and offers us a way of not just looking healthier but staying alive which is a great way of slowing death. AHA doesn't just offer a single solution but seven (7) simple life's steps to live better. Unfortunately it's seven or the familiar blah, blah, blahs as before or to quote Seinfeld: "YADA YADA YADA long story short" we've heard it all before and it doesn't work for the couch obsessed.

The information isn't really news worthy or new. It bears repeating because regardless of the familiar blah, blah, blahs until there's a change in the causes of death not just in country but locally as well. If the AHA wasn't trying to keep us alive we'd be fairly perturbed. From their no news news to their "National Wear Red Day" as a tool of celebration featuring real women to make this a day to remember?!?! It's all so confusing. We mean aren't all women, except maybe for "Speidi," real? We guess they mean not actresses, who are after all real women aren't they? If you're an actress do you lose your gender?

It's purpose seems lost on the organization which only later suggests that purpose is to help raise awareness of cardiovascular disease in women. Our suggestion to raise awareness of something that doesn't sound so medical and isn't so confusing. Maybe we can help raise awareness of not prematurely dying.

Study Shows Regular Exercise Benefits Prostate Cancer Survivors - "even a moderate amount of exercise – taking regular walks, for example – reduced overall mortality rates in men with prostate cancer. The more vigorous the exercise, the greater the benefits, the study found." (23% - 51% - editor's note) "Find an activity you enjoy and get moving. Just be sure to talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program to make sure it's safe for you, especially if you haven't exercised in a long time." (American Cancer Society)

TYPES OF CANCERS By Jurisdiction 1ST 2ND 3RD District of Columbia Maryland Virginia United States North Carolina

Cancer is the number one (1) and number two (2) cause of death in our jurisdiction and the nation falls into several categories. The figures are estimated for 2009 by the ACS. We've charted the top three cancers in our area by ribbons. In the District of Columbia first (1) sky blue for prostate, second (2) pearl (white) is lung and bronchus and third (3) is the familiar pink for breast cancer. Maryland, Virginia and the Nation places places lung first, breast second and prostate third. North Carolina does lung and bronchus first, prostate second and breast third.

In the beginning 51,529 men in health professions participate(d) in the study. This group is composed of 29,683 dentists, 4,185 pharmacists, 3,745 optometrists, 2,220 osteopath physicians, 1,600 podiatrists, and 10,098 veterinarians. Among the study participants are 531 African-Americans and 877 Asian-Americans. (Harvard School of Public Health)

We hesitated to use ribbons as symbols of types of cancer because of the conflict and crossover in colors and causes from the expanded use of the ribbons symbols. Yet no other symbols could consistently be used and understood in our minds.

"For the first time, the American Heart Association has defined poor, intermediate and ideal cardiovascular health -- using seven easy-to-understand measures." (AHA)

We're obviously in the poor category because we're too lazy to find the tools to measure what qualifies as poor but optimistic enough to consider ourselves "intermediate." What's most interesting is that our staff, comprised largely of women, are in the process of losing and while the men are gaining weight.

This is the kind of study we think should be prompted. We call this "couch" research because to do it we don't have to get off the couch to implement and benefit from it.

"Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Stroke Research Center looked at 4,435 people, aged 30 to 75 years, who were participating in ongoing national government health research from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. They found that over a 20-year period, those who had never owned a cat had a 40 percent greater risk of death due to heart attack and a 30 percent higher risk of death due to any sort of cardiovascular disease than previous or current cat owners. Researchers found no such protective effects for dog owners." (ABC News)

Our problem with the ABC report is in an effort to be fair and balanced they included opinions that referenced an older not as well researched study that contradicted this longer and larger study.

Pet ownership, social support, and one-year survival after acute myocardial infarction in the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) - "One year survival data were obtained from 369 patients (87%), of whom 112 (30.4%) owned pets and 20 (5.4%) died..."

Yes compare a one (1) year study with three hundred and sixty-nine individuals to a twenty (20) year study with forty-four hundred individuals. We verify and so now can you.

We can couch study with cats but other study says that we can't nap or rather if we do we'd better be careful.

"Among 2,153 participants in a prospective study with an average follow-up of 2.3 years, the risk of stroke was 2.6 times greater for those classified as doing “some dozing” compared to those with “no dozing.” Those in the “significant dozing” group had a 4.5 times higher risk." (AHA)

So cat in the lap but no cat nap with the cat in the lap! Also we've got to be careful when the cat is not in the lap but somewhere in the house.

Dogs and cats provide comfort and companionship, but it’s important to realize that pets and pet items can cause falls that result in injuries, including fractures. Every day it is estimated that an average of 240 people are treated in emergency departments—about 86,600 each year—for injuries from falls involving dogs and cats. This study examined five years of emergency department data and found that 88 percent of fall injuries involved dogs than cats. Among injuries related to dogs, about 31 percent of persons fell or tripped over dogs and 21 percent fell after being pushed or pulled by dogs. For injuries related to cats, 66 percent fell or tripped over cats. Raising public awareness that pets can cause falls and pets and pet-related items can be fall hazards can help reduce possible injuries. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC)

So as long as we're careful - What could it hurt? Maybe your cat? Did you know your pets can also get strokes? Neither did veterinarians until recently when research showed differently.

"Strokes in cats can be caused by an underlying medical condition, or through an accidental injury or poisoning. Ischemic strokes occur when the blood supply to the brain has been reduced, and hemorrhagic strokes occur when a vessel within the brain breaks." (PETWAVE)

It may be good for us to have our cats in our laps but it could kill your cat! For the solution to that problem we'll leave that up to the PETA scientists. Since cardiovascular disease isn't something that deserves more attention from us in our jurisdiction than the three (3) cancers that actually kills more of our residents we probably won't be wearing red on "National Wear Red Day!" We hope the AHA understands.

More Coffee Please...

It probably comes to late for actor Dennis Hopper, reporter Bryant Gumbel probably won't be helped by the news nor movie star Nick Nolte and we've long since made known the earlier results in our July coffee health benefits story. The story that "Coffee drinking linked to significantly lowered risk of prostate cancer" has been the lead story on CBS News from Boston, Chicago (WATCH), Los Angeles (WATCH), San Antonio to India:

"The research involved 50,000 males over 20 years old. Kathryn Wilson, a scientist at the Channing Laboratory at Harvard, led the study. Her team found out that 5% of the men, who had at least 6 cups of coffee a day, had a 60% lower risk of obtaining the more complex form of the disease than those who had no coffee. Those who consumed 4 to 5 cups a day had a 25% lower risk, while those who drank 1 to 3 cups had a 20% lower risk. This is the first study to disprove the belief that prostate cancer and coffee are not connected in any way. Wilson and her colleagues used a different approach, that is, by looking at the link between the drink and the different stages of prostate cancer, instead of treating them as a single entity. However, more research needs to be done to confirm their findings, she said."

Though India is more associated with tea than coffee. Their reporting dealt with the recent research on prostate cancer in connection with our old "nemesis" exercise:

"[T]he researchers found that men who walked four or more hours a week had a 23 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to men who walked less than 20 minutes per week. Men who walked 90 or more minutes at a normal to brisk pace had a 51 percent lower risk of death from any cause than men who walked less than 90 minutes at an easy walking pace. Walking didn’t show any effect on prostate cancer specific mortality, but more strenuous exercising did. Men who engaged in five or more hours of vigorous physical activity a week were at a decreased risk of dying from their prostate cancer." - IndiaTimes

DNA or no DNA "optimum health" is still and probably will always be related to some amount of strenuous exercise. If you or someone you knows needs treatment for prostate cancer the gold standard for care in the area is with following DC hospitals: "Howard, Providence, and Walter Reed". To see the seven (7) results for the state of Maryland, the seven (7) results for the state of North Carolina, and the thirteen (13) results for the state of Virginia. The Gold Seal is issued by the Joint Commission:

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

So enjoy your extra cup of "joe" just remember how you sweeten it can affect your health though thankfully it might have no effect on your prostate.