For preterm infants born less than 37 weeks into gestation, the United States ranked lower than most European countries, but the concerning numbers are in later stages of gestation. Infant mortality rates in that group are higher than most other countries, which led to an overall ranking of 30th. Singapore ranked the lowest in infant mortality with 2.1 per every 1,000 live births, and Sweden and Hong Kong were close behind with 2.4. But the U.S. ranked 30th, with only Slovakia coming in with a higher number. Countries in between included Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia, and Cuba.

According to the findings of the NCHS, the main cause of the high infant mortality rate in the U.S. is due to preterm births, as 1 of every 8 babies in the U.S. are born preterm. In comparison, countries like Ireland and Finland only reported 1 in 18 births as preterm. However, if the U.S. had the same gestational age distribution of births as a country like Sweden, the infant mortality rate would decline by approximately 33 percent. Thus, preventing preterm births is the key to lowering the number of infant deaths.

The concern to researchers is the seeming inability to lower the rates. Infant mortality rates in the U.S. have risen by 36 percent since 1984, despite medical advances, though the numbers have stayed somewhat stationary since the year 2000. Thus, the solution lies in the hands of policy makers and the medical industry to prevent preterm births in order to break through and finally lower the infant mortality rates that compare so negatively to that of other medically advanced nations in the world.

Source: HealthNews

The top health threat to women in America is heart disease, though it is also one of the most preventable of all conditions. Most importantly, cigarette smoke should be avoided and alcohol should be consumed in moderation. But also a simple diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber, and fish are important, as well as physical activity to maintain a healthy weight and the monitoring of stress levels.

While all types of cancer are dangerous to women, the most common type tends to be lung cancer, followed directly by breast and colorectal cancer. While a healthy diet, exercise, and the avoidance of tobacco are key, sun exposure should also be limited. In addition, attention paid to exposure to radon, asbestos, radiation, and air pollution can also be helpful by avoiding those substances where and when possible.

Strokes are often hereditary, but lifestyle choices can lead to strokes in younger women. Cigarette smoke, high cholesterol or blood pressure, excessive saturated fat, obesity, and lack of physical activity can lead to higher chances of strokes, and all should be avoided or controlled.

Lung disease can lead to cancer, as mentioned above, but other lung conditions like bronchitis and emphysema are commonly discovered in women who have been exposed to smoke or air pollution. The sometimes deadly lung conditions, generally referred to as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can usually be avoided by not smoking, avoiding secondhand smoke, and staying away from areas that cannot control air pollution.

Alzheimer’s disease erases memories from the brain, sometimes slowly and often in the elderly, and it is generally hereditary though skips a generation. If there is a history of Alzheimer’s in the family, it is important to stay physically and mentally fit, even taking steps to practice mental exercises and continue to learn new things. Head injuries can also lead to Alzheimer’s, as can a personal history high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or high cholesterol.

Injuries are generally results of accidents and may not be able to be avoided. The same can be said of the flu, though there are flu shots, and anyone with chronic health risks should discuss the vaccine with a health professional to determine if it would be beneficial.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease but is highly treatable by monitoring blood sugar. Though it can eventually lead to heart disease, kidney damage, and blindness, the activation of a healthy lifestyle, including weight loss and a very healthy diet, can ease the long-term effects of Type 2.

Hypertension is a result of stress and must be controlled to keep from evolving into more serious health problems like heart disease. Stress is also a contributing factor to kidney disease, as its onset typically results from high blood pressure and sometimes diabetes. Medications can control both hypertension and kidney disease, though the latter may require more extensive treatment as prescribed by a physician.

Blood poisoning, more accurately known as septicemia or sepsis, is an infection brought on by bacteria or toxins in the bloodstream, usually as a result of a lung infection, urinary tract infection, or one originating in the abdomen or pelvis. The only thing that can be done to prevent septicemia is avoiding germs that can lead to infection, specifically by washing hands often, changing tampons regularly, making sure vaccines are up-to-date, and seeking immediate medical attention for anything resembling an infection.

Perinatal conditions are obviously limited to women, which is why pre-natal and post-natal care are both so important surrounding any pregnancy. The weeks before and after childbirth are critical to a mother’s health, and the monitoring of the health of a woman at all stages by a health professional is critical to a woman’s immediate and long-term health.

Source: HealthNews

David Axelrod, President Barack Obama’s senior advisor, reiterated that the administration represented to the public what they were told by the vaccine manufacturers, but said the problem is improving every day and predicted the U.S. will have all the H1N1 vaccine it needs “in very short order.”

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced its decision to include prisoners in the priority groups for the H1N1 vaccine, including those at the detention center for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Their decision was based on U.S. government assessments that people held in detention facilities are at high risk for the pandemic. However, the decision is being criticized by lawmakers in both parties. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” House Minority Leader John Boehner said of giving the shots to the Guantanamo detainees. “The administration probably didn’t think it would be very popular either, that’s why they announced it on Friday night. We have prisoners in my own home county who are going to get H1N1 shots while there are vulnerable populations who want the shots who can’t get them. I just think that’s wrong.”

Sebelius said the U.S. still plans to participate in the 11-nation program to donate 10 percent of its vaccine supply to developing countries, but only after the priority populations here had been vaccinated. “The first priority is to get the vaccine to the American people,” she said. “That’s always been the plan. It continues to be the plan.” She noted, however, that vaccinations are also critical in developing countries and refugee camps, where hundreds of thousands of people could die as a result of the flu.

Worldwide, more than 5,700 deaths associated with H1N1 had been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of October 25. At least 1,300 Americans have died from the virus, including 114 children.

Source: HealthNews

To test their theory, they recruited 40 people, average age 65, with knee osteoarthritis. Half were randomly chosen to take part in hour-long tai chi classes, twice-weekly for three months. These classes included 10 minutes of self-message and review, a half hour of tai chi movements, 10 minutes of breathing techniques and 10 minutes of relaxing. Participants were also asked to practice tai chi for at least 20 minutes a day at home while maintaining their usual physical routine.

The other 20 participants acted as a control group, attending two hour-long classes on osteoarthritis each week for the three months, which included information on diet and nutrition, treatments for osteoarthritis and on how to handle stress. They also did full-body stretching exercises and were encouraged to stretch for 20 minutes at home, while following their regular fitness regimen.

At the end of the study period, those in the tai chi group had a 75 percent reduction in knee pain, on average, and a 72 percent improvement in their ability to perform everyday tasks, such as using stairs. The tai chi group also reported less depression and better overall health status. The control group also reported improvements, but they were much lower than in the tai chi group. “Tai chi is a mind-body approach that appears to be an applicable treatment for older adults with knee osteoarthritis,” Dr. Wang said in a news release. “Our observations emphasize a need to further evaluate the biologic mechanisms and approaches of tai chi to extend its benefits to a broader population.”

Dr. Paul Lam, a Sydney-based family practitioner and tai chi master who designed the Australian arthritis program, says tai chi is an exercise almost anyone who can walk can do safely. Dr. Lam, now 52, began tai chi in his 20s when he developed osteoarthritis in his neck, back and hands. “There’s no doubt that tai chi, done properly, can be a beneficial exercise for people with arthritis,” he said.

Other experts agree. “Given its low impact and evidence that it tends to increase muscle strength and balance and give general pain relief, we think it’s a worthwhile option for arthritis patients,” says Dr. William L. Haskell, deputy director of the Stanford University Center for Research in Disease Prevention in California.

The study appears in the November issue of the journal Arthritis Care and Research.

Source: HealthNews

Three days later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced the introduction of the House bill with its own version, however more conservative, of the public option. Though it would potentially cover 36 million Americans in need of insurance, it would also issue penalties on individuals and small businesses and requires rates to be negotiated just as they would be through private insurers, thus lessening the competitive blow to insurance companies. The House version of health care reform puts more emphasis on reducing the deficit—by $30 billion over the next decade—but does little to curb the effects that private insurance companies have had on the market as a whole.

Some of the specifics of Pelosi’s legislation include requirements that insurance companies across the board offer more comprehensive coverage to members as well as cease discriminatory practices based on pre-existing conditions. It also suggests a form of exchange that will offer subsidies to low- and middle-class households in order to allow them to afford insurance plans.

Most analysts expect that Reid and Pelosi will work together with other members of Congress to find a compromise between the two bills before one is presented for a vote, which is anticipated before November 11th. But there seems to be little consensus among Senators and Representatives on what compromises could actually be met. The vast majority—possibly all—of Republicans are vowing to vote against any plan that even hints of a public option, and some have threatened to filibuster if necessary to stop reform from passing through Congress. Some Democrats have also vowed to vote against the bill for various reasons, and Independent Senantor Joe Lieberman has vowed to filibuster along with Republicans. This opposition has led to concerns that there will be enough votes to pass the legislation out of the House or Senate, specifically the latter, much less avoid a filibuster.

Yet others continue to lobby for a bill that will apply more heavy-handed standards to remove some of the power from insurance companies and give it to the public in the form of a competitive system prompted by a truly progressive public option. Those like Representative Anthony Weiner continue to work diligently for deeper health care reforms, but the knowledge that Congress will have difficulty passing any reforms at all has kept most members of Congress from supporting proposals from the likes of Weiner. And it seems that in order to prevent a filibuster, Congress will be forced to push for an even more conservative plan that what was introduced by Reid or Pelosi.

Expecting action by November 11th, considering the depth of the divide that continues to separate the various proposals thus far, may be a generous prospect. But for the sake of the ever-growing tens of millions of Americans who lack health insurance, lose coverage, and face outrageous rates, the weight remains on the shoulders of Congress to act soon.

Source: HealthNews

Dr. Monica Michell, a child psychiatrist at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York who was not involved with this study, said that these findings caution us and underscores the long-term potential harm that these drugs can cause. She also stated, “For children, who are not psychotic or bipolar, these medicines should be a last resort.”

This study looked at four of the most common antipsychotic medications used in children: Risperdal or risperidone made by Johnson & Johnson, Zyprexa or olanzapine made by Eli Lilly, Abilify or aripiprazole made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Seroquel or quetiapine made by AstraZeneca.

A research team, led by Dr. Christopher Correll from Zucker Hillside Hospital and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York, studied approximately 272 teens and children who were between the ages of 4 to 19 that suffered from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and aggressive or disruptive behavior spectrum disorders.

After approximately 11 weeks, the participants that took Zyprexa gained an average of 18.7 pounds, those who took Seroquel gained 13.4 pounds, those who took Risperdal gained 11.7 pounds and those who took Abilify gained 9.7 pounds. Altogether, 10 to 36 percent of participants became overweight or obese within 11 weeks. Correll stated, “The weight gain is dramatic, rapid and pervasive.” However, he said, not all of the medications performed the same.

The children who took Zyprexa showed to have the most dramatic weight gain and the biggest changes in their metabolic factors such as cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar, which can cause diabetes and heart problems. Abilify, a medication that is usually not linked with weight gain in adults, did cause the kids to gain weight, but was not shown to raise blood sugar levels or cholesterol. Correll hopes to be able to conduct more research to help determine what caused these differences. He said, “We will look at genetics and look at blood samples to see what changed early on that predicted weight gain.

Currently, only two atypical antipsychotics are approved for children to take, Abilify and Risperdal. However, in June, a Food and Drug Administration panel of experts backed the wider use of Seroquel, Zyprexa, and Pfizer’s Geodon for teens and children.

At the time, many of the panel members expressed their concerns about the rising sales of the drugs to young people and the lack of long-term studies for safety. The members were especially worried about the chance that the drugs might be misused to treat other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The FDA has still not acted on the panel’s endorsement.

Last November, a panel of outside experts called on the FDA and other U.S. healthy agencies to help study the long-term effects of prescribing these antipsychotic medications to kids.

Zyprexa is Lilly’s top-selling medication with sales of over $4.7 billion last year. Seroquel is the second-best seller for AstraZeneca with over $4.5 billion for the year 2008.

It is always best to consult with your physician about your child’s disorder and find out what is the best solution, while keeping the immediate and long term effects of the medications in mind.

Source: HealthNews

To gather their data, researchers began by surveying over 10,000 customers at a total of 275 locations during the early months of 2007, and then followed up with another survey of 12,000 customers earlier this year. Findings revealed a significant reduction in calorie intake at four chains including McDonald’s, Au Bon Pain, KFC, and Starbucks. Consumers who observed the posted calorie counts purchased food that contained an average of 106 fewer calories compared to menu items bought by customers who did not did not notice the postings. A total of 56 percent of customers reported seeing calorie information on the menus, while 15 percent of those say they used the calorie information.

The researchers deemed their study more representative of consumer eating habits than the earlier independent study, as it included a much larger number of people and covered a much longer period of time. The government study was also not limited to low-income neighborhoods as was the case with the earlier study conducted by researchers from New York and Yale Universities. That study encompassed only 1,156 consumers and four restaurants chains that included Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s and Wendy’s. The analysis was performed over a period that began just prior to the 2008 mandate and continued to only just after the order was in place.

According to Lynn Silver, assistant commissioner for New York’s Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, the government findings suggest that consumers are both noticing the labels and taking action. In a statement, she said, “Dietary change is likely to come gradually; it will start with consumers interested in making informed, healthy eating decisions and we hope industry will respond by offering more healthier choices and appropriate portion sizes.”

Since the 2008 New York mandate, similar rules have been established elsewhere in an effort to fight the growth of obesity. Such areas include parts the states of New York and California, as well as the cities of Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington.

On the flip side, one recent culprit of calorie intake increase that ironically coincides with the government study period is a marketing promotion launched by the Subway restaurant chain. Although the chain has posted calorie information on some of its menus without any mandate, and has had success with a weight loss and healthy eating campaign in the past, their new campaign promotes their larger 12-inch sandwiches. This had led to the number of calories purchased at Subway having more than doubled during the study period. The calorie gain at Subway alone is about the same as losses at seven other food chains, according to the New York researchers.

Nearly one-third of American adults are obese, which puts them at an increased risk for developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other medical conditions. In addition, another one-third of American adults are overweight.

Source: HealthNews

Vice president of healthcare analytics at Thomson Reuters, Robert Kelley, noted in a statement: “The bad news is that an estimated $700 billion is wasted annually. That’s one-third of the nation’s healthcare bill. The good news is that by attacking waste we can reduce healthcare costs without adversely affecting the quality of care or access to care.”

As reported, some of the most startling findings consisted of actual mishandling of care with either too much of it provided or not enough to prevent certain conditions. Forty percent of the waste found, approximately $250 billion to $325 billion, came in the form of “unwarranted treatment,” such as unnecessary tests run to protect doctors and facilities from possible malpractice or prescriptions for antibiotics without a full diagnosis of the problem. Another 6 percent of waste ($25 billion to $50 billion), on the other hand, was attributed to a lack of care that leads to duplicate tests and erroneous treatments. And yet another 6 percent was found to be spent on hospitalizations for conditions that get out of hand due to insufficient care prior to reaching a dire state that requires immediate care.

Errors by healthcare providers were found to cost between $75 billion and $100 billion, and fraud, such as erroneous Medicare claims and payments awarded for referrals done for the sake of the kickbacks alone, contributed to another $75 billion to $100 billion in wasteful spending.

And finally, the health care system that still relies too heavily on paperwork instead of employing technological advances to streamline the processes adds another $100 to $150 billion to the annual wasteful spending totals. The report cites “redundant paperwork” in the category of administrative inefficiencies that leads to 17 percent of the unnecessary spending. As stated in the Thomson Reuters report, “The average U.S. hospital spends one-quarter of its budget on billing and administration, nearly twice the average in Canada.”

This new information leads directly back to the current health care debate as it stands on the floor of the U.S. House and Senate. If the new reforms can incorporate changes that eliminate some of the wasteful spending and integrate the improvements into a system that can then pay for itself, the health care discussion takes on a new plausibility, not to mention new hope for a better system in the years ahead.

Source: HealthNews

Consisting of 38 indicators of health care access, quality, costs, and outcomes, all of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia were ranked to show which states need improvement and others that can lead the way for the nation by showing what it takes to provide the best health care for its residents. Vermont came out on top of that list, ranking in the top quartile of all categories, with Hawaii, Iowa, and Minnesota in a close second, each of them only ranking in the second quartile in one category.

The absolute worst states on the list were Oklahoma and Mississippi, both finding themselves with the lowest ratings in all five major categories: access, prevention and treatment, avoidable hospital use and costs, equity, and healthy lives. Oklahoma showed no improvement over the 2007 study, and Mississippi actually lost ground in the past two years. Louisiana, Arkansas, and Nevada were close to the bottom of the list, and Texas was the sixth worst state in the nation.

The authors of the study noted that there were some improvements overall, especially in the areas of children’s coverage and hospital and nursing home care, both due to the efforts of the federal government, funding the former and requiring public reports from the latter. But overall, there was no vast improvement in any one state, as many stayed in the same range or dropped as when studied two years prior.

According to the results, the opportunities available by all states achieving the level of any of the top states on the list would be invaluable. Efforts to improve so drastically would grant insurance to 29 million more people, prevent the deaths of 78,000 people who will likely die prematurely from lack of timely and comprehensive care, allow 800,000 more children to receive vaccinations, give preventative care to 9 million more elderly people, and save $5 billion per year by avoiding preventable hospital admissions for the elderly and disabled.

Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis reiterated, “The differences we see among the states translate to real lives and dollars. If we can enact health reforms that give all states the opportunity to do as well as the best states we will save lives, improve quality, and cut costs. And, the good news is that these aren’t pie in the sky goals – we know they are attainable because we see it happening in the states at the top of the pack.”

Overall, the report noted that health care coverage has declined in the past two years while prices rose, and there is a desperate need for comprehensive national reforms to expand coverage, improve quality, and rein in costs. In addition, certain areas of the country, like the southern states, simply cannot currently compete with the northern and northeastern states. The authors feel that the only way to eliminate those drastic disparities is to enact health care reforms on a federal level to ensure compliance and an even playing field for every American citizen.

Source: HealthNews

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas are using the compound resveratrol—found in red grapes—to find out if it can stave off type 2 diabetes in humans. While the research has primarily been done on mice, author Roberto Coppari has hope because the findings have shown his team how the compound affects the brain. Coppari, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas, says that once the brain has been labeled a “major player” in the fight against diabetes, drug companies will then work on a solution to “focus on a drug that will penetrate the brain.”

Resveratrol is a compound found not only in red grapes and, consequently, red wine but also in pomegranates and other similar foods. When given to mice—even ones with a high-fat diet—resveratrol has been found to increase the life span of the tiny rodents by copying the practice of restricting the amount of food the mice eat. Coppari continues that weight loss and longer life can almost always be attributed to eating less which is information that is not new, “You can take the spider, fish, and almost every animal in the planet, and give 70 percent of what the animal would normally eat, and you’ll see beneficial effects,” he also acknowledges how hard it is to stick to a restricted diet, “Of course, calorie restriction is very difficult to impose on people. You will feel hungry all the time.”

Once these mice were injected into the brain with resveratrol, the scientists followed a placebo group and a group of diabetic or limited-diet mice to track their progress. The team looked at the effects against diabetes solely because they were led to believe from previous studies that resveratrol can fend off the disease.

After an observation period of at least five weeks, the mice that were on high-fat diets showed that healthy insulin levels came back in half of the group due to triggers of what the team at University of Texas thinks are brain proteins called sirtuins also called Silent Information Regulator Two (Sir2) proteins, which are thought to influence aging and stress resistance.

Some of the other mice had elevated insulin levels which was conclusive depending on their diets. Even if the foundation for a solution is here, research is not yet closer to a plausible way to administer resveratrol to humans because injection into the brain is not an option. Coppari also rejects the idea that wine can solve your pre-diabetic problems as there is not enough of the compound in each serving, unfortunately.

The study will be published in the December edition of the journal Endocrinology and is supported by the American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, and the American Diabetes Association. Even though it seems that buying a bunch of grapes at the supermarket could keep the diabetes bug away, for now research will have to catch up, but in the meantime eating grapes can never be bad for you.

Source: HealthNews