Issue Date: March 13, 2005
A special health report: Your whole family
Health Briefs: The latest advice on living well
By Peggy J. Noonan & Susan T. Lennon
Heart attack: Deadlines live up to the name
If you dread deadlines and feel crushed by competition and stress, be aware that working under short-term time constraints can trigger a heart attack. An intense deadline can increase your risk sixfold, especially within the first 24 hours after the deadline, says a study of 1,400 heart attack survivors in Sweden.
Researcher Jette Möller, Ph.D., says the danger mounts even higher if people who routinely toil under driven conditions also have other heart attack risk factors, including high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, abdominal obesity and smoking.
On deadline? John P. Reilly, M.D., a cardiologist at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, has advice:
Use stress-reduction techniques such as yoga and meditation. Make cognitive changes -- "see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty."
If you smoke, quit. Watch your cholesterol and weight, exercise, and eat your fruits and veggies.
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Rheumatoid arthritis: It still hurts a lot
Rheumatoid arthritis ...
-- Affects 2.1 million Americans, mostly women.
-- Is an autoimmune disease that damages cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments.
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Despite great progress in treatments, 70% of American adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) still suffer daily joint pain, stiffness and fatigue, says a nationwide survey commissioned by the Arthritis Foundation. Nearly half modify their daily activities because of their arthritis. Asked to rank their quality of life on a scale of 1 to 10, more than a third said it was, at best, a 5.
Visit arthritis.org to access RA Connect, an interactive resource center for people with RA, and to request "Managing Your Activities," a free Arthritis Foundation booklet (or call 800-568-4045).
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ADHD: Nature therapy helps kids
Nature helps the 10% of ADHD kids who don't respond to medicine.
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Green therapy -- exposure to natural settings -- appears to help reduce symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, say researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their study of about 400 boys and girls, ages 5 to 18, assessed the effects of 49 common after-school and weekend activities on ADHD symptoms.
In the study, kids who participated in "green outdoor activities" had significantly reduced symptoms, regardless of geography, urban or rural environment, diagnosis, age, sex or income group.
Simple "exposure to ordinary natural settings in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be widely effective" for kids who don't respond to medicine, says Frances E. Kuo, assistant professor of environmental sciences and lead author of the study, which was published in "American Journal of Public Health."
Suggestions for nature treatments:
-- Find a greener route to and from school, ideally a walk down tree-lined streets or through a park.
-- For play, look for green yards and ball fields.
-- While doing schoolwork indoors, sit near a window that offers at least a partial nature view.
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Fingernails: 5 steps to healthy, strong nails
Advice from a recent Mayo Clinic Health Letter:
1. Moisturize. Fingernails get dry, just as skin does. Rub hand lotion into your nails when you moisturize your hands.
2. Protect. Wear cotton-lined rubber gloves to protect your hands from exposure to soapy water or harsh chemicals.
3. Trim. Use sharp manicure scissors or clippers; bevel or smooth edges with an emery board after trimming. Trim brittle nails after a bath or after soaking your hands in bath oil.
4. Avoid. Don't bite or pick at the skin around your nails. You could damage the nail bed and let in infection-causing bacteria or fungi. Clip hangnails: Tearing them off almost always rips into living tissue, too.
5. Strengthen. Use paint-on nail hardeners; select ones without formaldehyde resins. Use acetone-free polish remover (acetone is drying).
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Anemia: New at-home test
Anemia -- a shortage of red blood cells that can leave sufferers tired, short of breath, dizzy, pale and unable to concentrate -- can be caused by many things. The first at-home anemia test is now offered free to people who are at risk of anemia caused by chronic kidney disease.
The AnemiaPro test, from Ortho Biotech Products, is simple to use. Nick a finger, place a drop of blood on the test device, and wait 20 minutes for the display to show your hemoglobin count. If you're anemic, the next step is to see a doctor to learn why.
For more about the test and the free offer, visit anemiapro.com or call 888-557-2854.
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Children: Check blood pressure from age 3
Blood pressure checks are automatic for adults visiting a doctor's office. Now the checks should be part of a child's routine, too.
That may sound overzealous, but "Pediatrics," the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, reports that a national database of blood pressure information shows that primary hypertension (high blood pressure) is not only detectable in children, but common.
High blood pressure in children poses long-term health risks, the journal says, so the new guidelines recommend yearly blood pressure checks for most children, starting at age 3.
An even earlier start is recommended for children who were premature babies, low-birth-weight babies, or newborns who needed intensive care for health problems, as well as for children who have medical conditions such as congenital heart disease, recurrent urinary tract infections or kidney disease.
Doctors should use a child-sized cuff or, for larger children, a cuff that is appropriate for the child's body size. The new standards for normal or abnormal test ranges are based on the child's sex, age and height. Any child whose blood pressure reading is abnormal should be rechecked on three more occasions to be sure there really is a problem.
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Dentists: Free help in finding a good one
Need to find a dentist or choose one dentist from a group that your insurance covers? The dental referral service offered by the Academy of General Dentistry will give callers the names, addresses and phone numbers of at least three AGD members in their area. Dentists must meet qualification requirements, which include 75 hours of continuing education courses every three years (not all states require continuing education for dentists).
To use the service, call toll-free at 877-292-9327 or click on "Find an AGD Dentist" at agd.org.
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Hepatitis A: Have you been immunized?
Anyone can get hepatitis A, and more than 60,000 Americans become infected each year. Most famously, nearly 600 people contracted it in 2003 after eating contaminated green onions in a Pennsylvania restaurant; three died. Vaccines work well, but state policies on who should be vaccinated vary. Pro-vaccination groups argue that all children and restaurant workers should be protected, and they cite a study predicting that a national childhood vaccination policy could reduce the number of hepatitis A cases by more than half.
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Heart: Alcohol linked to "flutter"
Drinking alcohol is linked to increased risk of developing a heart problem called atrial fibrillation (AF), or flutter, in men, researchers report in the journal "Archives of Internal Medicine." The study tracked the problem in 47,949 Danish men and women. Advice from the cardiologist leading the study: Limit alcohol to two drinks a day.
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Orthotics: Prefab is as good as custom-fitted
Oh, those aching feet! If your doctor prescribes orthotics (shoe inserts) to correct or prevent foot problems, you can get the benefit without dropping a bundle of money. Prefabricated orthotics worked just as well as expensive custom-fitted ones, says a study published in "Foot & Ankle International," the journal of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.
Researchers gave orthotics (custom or prefab, soft or semi-rigid) to 874 healthy, young male Israeli infantry recruits. The recruits wore their orthotics in army boots during 14 weeks of basic training. Every three weeks, the men were evaluated by orthopedists for foot problems. The study found no significant difference in the incidence of stress fractures, ankle sprains or other foot problems between the users of custom and prefab orthotics.
Drivers: Long hours on the road poison your body
If you spend a lot of time cooped up in your car, speeding up and slowing down in traffic, you may be driving your cardiovascular system crazy. A new study of North Carolina state troopers reports that toxic bits from eroding roads, particles from the wear and tear of car parts, and contaminants from fuel combustion all infiltrate deep into the lungs.
Benzene, carbon monoxide, copper, sulfur, aldehydes, titanium, aluminum, silicon, iron, chromium ... cough, cough. Your tissues become inflamed, your blood may clot more easily, your red blood cells rise, your heart skips beats ... and you're at greater risk of cardiac disease and its complications.
So what's a driver to do?
The study's lead researcher, Michael Riediker, suggests drivers take the following precautions:
Use air particle filters inside your car cabin, which is good for you, and at the exhaust, which is good for others. FYI, exhaust filters will be required on new heavy-duty trucks in the United States starting in 2006.
Close the windows and put your air on recycle when in heavy traffic, in a tunnel or near a truck belching black particles.
Avoid rush hour. Try to minimize time on heavily traveled roads.
Don't tailgate. You'll get a full load of pollutants from the vehicle in front.
Keep your car well-maintained and its engine functioning properly.
Consider driving a low-emission car.
Consult your doctor if you have a heart problem and are spending lots of time in the car.
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