FEBRUARY HEALTH NEWS TIPS
REPEATED HEARTBURN SHOULD SOUND AN ALARM
Medications usually relieve the heartburn or reflux caused by stress and excess food and alcohol, but adults who suffer repeated episodes of the nagging feeling in the upper abdomen and lower chest may want to rule out a more serious cause: cancer.
"If you take antacid medications regularly and fall into this chronic-reflux category, you may have up to a 40-fold increased risk of developing esophagogastric cancers," says Dr. Samuel Bieligk, assistant professor of surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Statistics show an increasing incidence of cancer that develops at the junction of the stomach and esophagus that is related to reflux, a condition in which food flows back into the esophagus from the stomach.
"A simple outpatient procedure called an upper endoscopy enables physicians to directly see into this area and perform a biopsy," says Bieligk. "This test will pick up pre-malignant as well as early cancerous changes, both of which respond very well to treatment." Media contact: Heather Stieglitz
NAVEL BATTLE REDUCES FAT, RISK FOR HEALTH PROBLEMS
Fat around the abdomen may be a better predictor of disease than fat anywhere else.
"If you pinch around your navel and the skinfold is more than an inch and a quarter, you're more likely to be at risk for obesity-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension or heart disease," says Dr. Abhimanyu Garg, associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Truncal obesity -- commonly called potbellied or apple-shaped -- predisposes people to insulin resistance and disease, says Garg, an investigator in the Center for Human Nutrition.
A 1 1/4-inch pinch generally equals 25 percent body fat in men and 30 percent body fat in women. Research shows it is at that point that health risks rise. Media contact: Bridgette Rose McNeill
PARENTS OF COLICKY BABIES NEED ATTENTION, TOO
Parents of a baby with colic may find they too cry a lot.
Babies with colic cry loudly and continuously without apparent cause. Dr. Robert Squires, associate professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says reducing stress in the new parents may be just as important as fussing over the infant.
Squires says high levels of stress in care givers may correlate with frequent crying in infants. He recommends that parents with colicky babies make a special point to take care of themselves, as well as the infant.
"Go to a museum or just sit outside for a while," he says.
Media contact: Jennifer Haigh Manley
KNOCK YOURSELF OUT WITH FITNESS BOXING
Bored by stepping, spinning and aerobicizing? Try donning boxing gloves.
Fitness-boxing classes feature jab-and-hook-infused cardiovascular training, along with a powerful upper- and lower-body workout.
"Any activity that is going to work a variety of muscles will be useful, particularly if the activity is interesting and varied," says Dr. Peter Snell, assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "The cardiovascular and strength requirements result in great overall conditioning."
The classes incorporate traditional boxing disciplines, such as hand drills, punching-bag routines and jumping rope. Experts say top-notch boxers are in excellent athletic condition because of their varied training. They must be fast on their feet, agile, and have well-developed hand-eye coordination and explosive strength.
"Fitness boxing truly is an effective, knockout workout," says Snell, a former Olympian. Media contact: Jennifer Haigh Manley
ANTIBIOTICS CANNOT CURE ALL EAR INFECTIONS
Symptoms of ear infections are routine enough for some children that their parents begin making the diagnosis. They may telephone the child's doctor in hopes of obtaining an antibiotic prescription without an office visit. Sometimes that works.
Dr. Kathleen Billings, assistant professor of otorhinolaryngology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says parents and even older children may correctly recognize the symptoms of an ear infection. But she says parents should be cautious because antibiotics are not effective or necessary for all otitis mediae, or ear infections.
A doctor must examine the child's ear to determine whether the pain and fussing are caused by acute otitis media (which generally is treated with antibiotics), chronic otitis media with effusion (which may not require antibiotics) or a viral infection.
"Overuse of some antibiotics has made them ineffective against some infections," Billings says. "A physician should determine whether to give a child antibiotics."
Children who suffer from chronic otitis media with effusion may find relief with tubes implanted in their ears to drain fluid buildup. Media contact: Kris Mullen
###
RSS