Posts
She’s definitely pregnant, that’s for sure. Kim Kardashian gave good bump in an embellished jersey outfit as she attended an event in New York yesterdayContinue reading...
Friday, July 5, 2013
Kim Kardashian at an event in New York
She’s definitely pregnant, that’s for sure. Kim Kardashian gave good bump in an embellished jersey outfit as she attended an event in New York yesterdayContinue reading...
How much protein?
How much protein should I eat to burn fat/gain muscle. Does anyone know a way to figure it out. Thanks!
'Bigorexics' Want to Boost Their Masculinity
But anorexic guys may identify with more feminine stereotypes, study suggests
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay ReporterTHURSDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Men obsessed with muscle-building lean toward traditional ideas of masculinity, while men fixated on being thin likely associate with more feminine stereotypes, according to new research.
Guys consumed by the idea that they are not muscular enough have a disorder called muscle dysmorphia, popularly known as "bigorexia."
It had been believed that sexuality was one of the main factors behind muscle dysmorphia in men, but this study suggests that how men view themselves is more important, according to the Australian researchers, whose study results are published in the March 27 issue of the Journal of Eating Disorders.
The researchers had a group of men complete a questionnaire designed to find out how they viewed themselves in comparison to common stereotypes of masculine thoughts and behaviors.
Men with a strong desire for being muscular had a greater preference for traditional masculinity, while those with a high drive for thinness (as in anorexia nervosa) leaned more toward feminine roles, the study found.
"This does not mean that that the men with anorexia were any less masculine, nor that the men with muscle dysmorphia were less feminine than the control subjects we recruited," study leader Stuart Murray, a clinical psychologist, said in a journal news release. "It is, however, an indication of the increasing pressures men are under to define their masculinity in the modern world."
He and his colleagues noted that research over the past several decades has shown that a growing number of men say they are unhappy with their body image. This may show itself in either a desire to lose weight and become thinner or to gain weight and build muscle.
This can lead to problems if a person abuses steroids or adopts unhealthy eating habits, or if the compulsion to exercise overwhelms normal life and leads to loss of sleep, reduced quality of life or even an inability to hold a normal job, the researchers said.
Insanity - HELP!
I just started Insanity and I am on day 4. I have read numerous posts and reviews about it and I am starting to get discouraged. I started this program because I used to work out Muay Thai and was in great shape. But I went through a bad divorce and gained 30+ pounds.
I am 5'5 and 171 pounds. I want to lose weight and be healthy for my kids. I am following the meal plan to the tee and also quit drinking. I feel as though I am eating too much. I calculated what I am supposed to consume and working through the workouts.
Is this program for weight loss? or is it just to tone up? My goal is to be at 145 and I know it is not about the weight, it is about inches, but any advice would be helpful!!
Valley Fever Fungal Infection on Rise in Southwest
Title: Valley Fever Fungal Infection on Rise in Southwest
Category: Health News
Created: 3/28/2013 4:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/29/2013 12:00:00 AM
Category: Health News
Created: 3/28/2013 4:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/29/2013 12:00:00 AM
Autism, ADHD Often Occur Together, Research Shows
Study finds nearly one-third of kids with autism also have problems with attention and hyperactivity
By Brenda Goodman
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 6 (HealthDay News) -- Almost 30 percent of young children with autism also show signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a rate that's three times higher than it is in the general population, a new study shows.
"We don't know the cause for ADHD in most cases. We don't know the cause of autism in most cases. It's not surprising that something that's going to affect the brain and cause one developmental outcome may also cause a second developmental outcome," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center in Lake Success, N.Y. He was not involved in the study.
Kids in the study who had both problems together also tended to have more difficulty learning and socializing than children who had autism alone.
The researchers noted that the treatment of ADHD may benefit children with autism if they aren't making progress with autism treatment programs, which often require sustained focus on specific skills.
"In a child [with autism] who has great difficulties with attention, or hyperactivity or both, you really have to layer in another level of intervention strategies for them," said study author Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.
For the study, which is published in the June 5 online issue of the journal Autism, researchers asked parents of kids enrolled in a community-based study of child development about symptoms of attention and hyperactivity -- whether or not children could wait their turn, interrupted others who were speaking, fiddled with things during meals or could not slow down, for example. All the children in the study were between the ages of 4 and 8.
Out of 62 children diagnosed with autism, 18 (29 percent) also showed signs of ADHD.
A previous study of slightly older children found that 31 percent of children had the two disorders together.
"It's not surprising," said Dr. Patty Manning-Courtney, director of the Kelly O'Leary Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
"What's good about this study is that they went to the trouble to look at who met diagnostic criteria and what was different about those children," said Manning-Courtney, who was not involved in the research.
All the children who had both problems together were boys. Boys have higher rates of autism and ADHD than girls, research shows.
One limitation of the study was that researchers had to rely on questionnaires that are meant to spot ADHD in typical children. There really aren't good tests for attention and hyperactivity developed for kids with autism, and their problems may look different than those seen in typical school-aged children.
Researchers Test Implanted Brain Stimulator for Alzheimer's
They hope the device will restore some thinking ability and improve focus, attention
By Barbara Bronson Gray
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers are testing whether applying electrical stimulation directly to the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease might improve thinking, focus and alertness.
The process, called direct brain stimulation, or deep brain stimulation (DBS), has been used to treat Parkinson's disease and is being tested as a treatment for other conditions, including traumatic brain injuries and obesity, according to the researchers.
Two women have had the electronic brain stimulators implanted, and eight more patients will participate in this initial research.
"There are a lot of studies out there that say physical or mental stimulation may reduce the risk or impact of Alzheimer's disease, so we wondered if increasing stimulation to certain parts of the brain may be protective," explained study co-author Dr. Douglas Scharre, director of the division of cognitive neurology at Ohio State University.
Scharre said that while Alzheimer's tends to affect the temporal, parietal and frontal lobes of the brain, he wanted to focus particularly on the frontal lobe for two reasons: it's typically the last brain area to degenerate, and its functions -- decision-making, problem-solving, focus and alertness -- are necessary for a person to be independent.
Placing the DBS system involves two steps. First, in a surgical procedure that requires about a three-day hospital stay, the patient has tiny holes made in each side of the skull, and hair-thin wires are placed in precise spots of the brain using computer-guided technology. The wires are fed through the neck -- in the subcutaneous tissue just under the skin -- and left there for about a week while the burr holes heal, explained Scharre.
Then, in an outpatient surgery, the patient has two battery packs that look like heart pacemakers placed on each side of the chest. The wires placed the week before are then connected to the batteries.
Six weeks after the second surgery, the stimulator is turned on. "My job [as the neurologist] is to find the right settings to get the maximum benefit," said Scharre. Each wire has four contacts, providing a wide range of different voltage combinations, and the challenge is to determine the right amount to produce the best benefit, he explained.
The research could potentially be of value to millions of Americans: a recent report from the Alzheimer's Association found that one in every three seniors now dies while suffering from Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. Alzheimer's disease becomes progressively disabling with loss of memory, thinking skills, the ability to socialize and independence.
To assess the effects of DBS, the researchers give short tests to the patients, starting about two months after the surgeries, to evaluate their level of attention and alertness, and to see how fast they can complete a particular task. For example, one test shows a variety of different geometric shapes all over the page, and [the patient] is asked to pick out all the stars in a 30-second timeframe.
Ollie Locke at the launch of new book in London
Browse through Glamour's extensive daily celebrity photo gallery online today. Check out what your favourite celebrity has been up to!Continue reading...
Better Sleep for Baby –- and You
Kara Cantrell knew she was in trouble by the second night after her son was born. "He screamed through the night," remembers the 41-year-old actor from Atlanta. "I'd
had a 4-day labor and C-section and was just a mess. And there was this screaming creature and I didn't know what to do."
A couple months later, things weren't much better. Just when her son seemed to be settling into a sleep pattern, he'd switch things up. "Suddenly he'd get up six times a night, or he'd sleep miraculously for 10 hours," Cantrell says.
About the only thing parents can predict about their newborn's sleep cycles is that they'll be unpredictable. "When babies are first born they're all over the place," says Jodi Mindell, PhD, associate director of the Sleep Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep. Hunger -- or a lack of it -- usually determines when a newborn sleeps and wakes. By around 3 months, babies start making the hormone melatonin, which puts their sleep cycle into a more regular rhythm.
Every baby's sleep needs are different. Newborns can sleep 10 to 18 hours a day. From 4 months to about 1 year of age, they'll sleep 9 to 12 hours at night, with a couple added naps during the day. But remember, most babies will sleep only about 5 to 6 hours at a time to start. Still, even a 5-hour interval will give you some rest.
After your baby is about 4 months old, running into the nursery at every whimper can set a pattern that's hard to break.
"You really want to start having your child fall asleep independently so that they're not dependent on rocking, nursing, going in the stroller," Mindell advises. "Then when they wake up in the middle of the night, they can fall asleep on their own."
Wrapping your baby in a blanket can help him feel secure enough to drift off to sleep. When you swaddle, make sure your baby's legs can bend at the hips, to avoid hip problems later. Also, make sure you only swaddle when you're awake and watching him. If your baby is alone in the crib, no blankets should be on or around him (you want to lower the risk of SIDS).
"Unless you plan on having a family bed indefinitely, don't co-sleep with your baby, thinking you'll transition them to their own crib at some point in the future." -- Sara DuMond, MD
Find more articles, browse back issues, and read the current issue of "WebMD Magazine."
MERS Virus May Never Become Big Threat in U.S., Experts Say
New strain will most likely weaken over time, infection specialists explain
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay ReporterTHURSDAY, June 6 (HealthDay News) -- Anyone who has watched the movie "Contagion" has seen how fast a virus can spread and how deadly it can be, but is it reality?
Much like the film, a new emerging virus called the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which kills half the people it infects, has spread from the Middle East to Europe. Since September, there have been 54 reported cases and 30 deaths, making some consider it a worldwide threat.
"Looking at the overall global situation, my greatest concern right now is the novel coronavirus," Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, told delegates at a recent meeting. "The novel coronavirus is a threat to the entire world."
Experts, however, aren't sure the virus is as big a threat as Chan believes.
"Anytime there is a new virus that has the potential to kill people, we ought to take it seriously," said Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
But while Siegel believes the virus's spread should be tracked and studied, he doubts it will ever become a real threat.
"Fear is the biggest virus going," he said. "The amount of concern is already outweighing the risk. People have seen 'Contagion' too many times."
MERS-CoV is one of many viruses that can cause everything from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). This virus, however, is new and it's not SARS.
Comparing this virus to the 2003 SARS outbreak is a mistake, Siegel said. "The SARS outbreak, although it was also a coronavirus, was overly hyped. You ended with 8,000 cases around the world and only about 700 deaths."
Every year, the flu kills more than 30,000 people in the United States alone and 500,000 around the world, he said, to put things in perspective.
When a new virus like MERS-CoV comes along, it is often very deadly, but as it spreads it becomes less so, Siegel explained.
"The fact that it has a 50 percent mortality rate means it's a very serious virus, but as viruses get out in the world more, the mortality rate usually goes down," he explained. "With SARS, it started at 50 percent and ended up at 10 percent."
The reason viruses get less deadly is simply that a virus that kills its host can't survive to infect others. "If the virus kills its host, it's much harder to spread," Siegel said.
The key question is how easily does the virus travel from one person to another. "Right now, it does not look that transmissible. Otherwise, it would have spread already more than it has," he said.
Valley Fever Fungal Infection on Rise in Southwest
Flu-like symptoms can last weeks or months, CDC researchers say
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Cases of a fungal lung infection called Valley Fever increased sharply in several southwestern states since the late 1990s, according to a report released Thursday.
In Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, the number of cases climbed from less than 2,300 in 1998 to more than 22,000 in 2011, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
During that time, Arizona and California had the largest average increases in Valley Fever incidence, at 66 percent and 31 percent per year, respectively.
Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) is caused by inhaling a fungus called Coccidioides, which lives in the soil in southwestern states. Not everyone who is exposed to the fungus gets sick, but those who do become ill typically have flu-like symptoms that can last for weeks or months.
More than 40 percent of patients who get sick may require hospitalization, with an average cost of nearly $50,000 per visit. And research has shown that 75 percent of those who get sick miss work or school for about two weeks, the CDC said.
Between 1998 and 2011, nearly 112,000 cases of Valley Fever were reported in 28 states and Washington, D.C., but 66 percent of the cases were in Arizona, 31 percent were in California, 1 percent were in Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, and about 1 percent were in all other states combined.
More research is needed to determine what is causing the increase in Valley Fever and how to reduce its effects, the CDC said. Possible reasons could be population growth, weather changes that could affect where the fungus grows and how much of it is circulating, or changes in the way the disease is detected and reported to the CDC.
"Valley Fever is causing real health problems for many people living in the southwestern United States," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, said in an agency news release. "Because fungus particles spread through the air, it's nearly impossible to completely avoid exposure to this fungus in these hardest-hit states. It's important that people be aware of Valley Fever if they live in or have traveled to the southwest United States."
Doctors and patients need to be aware that the symptoms of Valley Fever are very similar to flu or pneumonia symptoms, the CDC said. A lab test is the only way to diagnosis Valley Fever.
Not everyone who gets Valley Fever requires treatment, but early diagnosis and treatment are important for those at risk for the more severe forms of the disease. Those at higher risk for severe disease include people of Asian descent (particularly Filipino), blacks, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC website.
Scientists ID Gene Behind Early Onset Puberty
Discovery could help children with 'central precocious puberty,' give insights to development
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay ReporterWEDNESDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists say they've identified a gene mutation behind a condition that causes children to undergo puberty before the age of 9.
The condition, known as central precocious puberty, appears to be inherited via a gene passed along by fathers, say researchers reporting online June 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Besides helping children with central precocious puberty, "these findings will open the door for a new understanding of what controls the timing of puberty" generally, co-senior study author Dr. Ursula Kaiser, chief of the endocrinology, diabetes and hypertension division at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said in a hospital news release.
According to the authors, the mutation leads to the start of puberty before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys. That's earlier than the typical onset of puberty, which begins in girls between ages 8 and 13 and in boys between ages 9 and 14.
The study included genetic analyses of 40 people from 15 families with a history of early puberty. In five of the 15 families, the researchers discovered four mutations in the MKRN3 gene. A mutation in the MKRN3 gene can lead to premature activation of reproductive hormones and trigger early puberty, the study authors explained in the news release.
All of the people with the MKRN3 mutations inherited them from their fathers.
One expert who reviewed the research said the finding should be a great advance for children with central precocious puberty.
Testing children for the MKRN3 mutation "may help in the diagnosis, preventing the use of extensive testing and procedures such as MRI of the head," explained Dr. Patricia Vuguin, pediatric endocrinologist at Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
She said better diagnostic tests would help spot patients at risk for early puberty and problems that often accompany it, such as short stature, psychological issues and other possible health issues. More generally, "the diagnosis will also help understand the role of this gene and other associated genes on how and when kids go into puberty, an area that is currently not clear," Vuguin said.
The findings will also be presented June 17 at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
Rubella in Pregnancy Rare in U.S., But Can Be Devastating for Baby
Title: Rubella in Pregnancy Rare in U.S., But Can Be Devastating for Baby
Category: Health News
Created: 3/28/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/29/2013 12:00:00 AM
Category: Health News
Created: 3/28/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/29/2013 12:00:00 AM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)