News
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Seasonal allergies
can lead to more problems
Whether you call it hay fever, rose fever, or allergic rhinitis,
a runny nose and itchy eyes are a sure sign of spring.
For millions of seasonal allergy sufferers, spring can be a miserable
season. Deciding to "tough it out" and forego treatment
or reaching for an over-the-counter product can diminish quality
of life and, even worse, predispose sufferers to chronic respiratory
disorder. Researchers are now confirming that chronic respiratory
disorders such as sinus infections and asthma are directly linked
to allergies.
A visit to the doctor can be an invaluable first step toward
effective allergy control. Tests can determine what triggers
the allergies, and effective medication to control their symptoms
can be determined.
The Task Force on Allergic Disorders has compiled the first summary
of information from 21 diverse health-professional organizations
on the care of patients with allergic disorders. The Allergy
Report offers standardized recommendations for diagnosis and
treatment, while recognizing the connection between allergies
and asthma, sinusitis, and middle-ear disease.
The information is primarily for doctors, insurance companies,
and HMOs, but anyone interested can get the information over
the Internet at www.aaaai.org.
Or individuals can contact the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma
and Immunology at (800) 822-2762 for more information
Good news about gray matter
For many years, doctors thought the brain matured in the first
years of life and didn't change much after that. But new discoveries
show that the brain continually reorganizes itself. Called "neuroplasticity,"
it means you create your brain from the input you get, and you
can continually re-create and upgrade it, according to the Center
for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University
in Newark, N.J.
In addition to learning implications, doctors may be able to
use these discoveries to relieve depression, rehabilitate stroke
victims, and treat Alzheimer's disease.
New sickle-cell treatment
Sickle-cell anemia is an inherited disorder in which red blood
cells take on a sickle shape. The result is painful and usually
fatal. Now doctors at Emory University in Atlanta have cured
a 13-year-old boy by transplanting stem cells from the cord blood
of a newborn infant. The patient had to first undergo nine days
of chemotherapy to kill the source of his sickled blood cells
and neutralize his immune system so it would accept the new cells.
He was hospitalized several times in the following year, but
by year-end the patient was pronounced cured and well.
Spinal compression fractures
A new procedure for spinal compression fractures relieves pain
and stabilizes the backbone. Vertebroplasty involves injecting
bone cement into fractured vertebrae. It's an outpatient treatment.
Lyme time comes again
Cases of Lyme disease have increased dramatically, reports the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease, which is carried and communicated by tick bites,
is spreading geographically here and around the world. While
most U.S. cases are reported in the Northeast and upper Midwest,
it has been found in 48 states and is considerably underreported
in many areas of the country. Because it can imitate such illnesses
as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, it is difficult
to detect. And blood tests may not always confirm its presence.
Though people can be infected with Lyme disease at any time of
year, the majority of cases occur from late spring through summer.
The disease starts with a skin rash, and if untreated may spread
to the joints, nervous system, heart, and eyes.
In regions where the incidence is high, vaccines are recommended
for at-risk persons aged 15 to 70.
Those who are not often in these areas may get some protection
from wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long pants tucked into
socks. The clothing should be washed upon returning from a wooded
area.
Early treatment is most successful. Symptoms include a spreading
rash at the site of a tick bite, fever and/or chills, headache,
and aching of muscles or joints.
Lyme disease cannot be caught from another person.
Sugar has its place, but in small
amounts
Dietitians today say that no food should be entirely off limits,
but some foods should be eaten judiciously. Sugar is one of these.
Refined sugar and other simple carbohydrates are turned into
glucose very rapidly. They quickly can cause you to have a high
"glycemic index."
The pancreas responds to an elevated glucose level by releasing
large quantities of insulin, which can cause a couple of problems.
First, insulin stimulates the liver to make triglycerides, a
form of fat that is toxic to the heart and as dangerous as high
cholesterol levels.
Second, over the long term, a high-sugar diet can lead to pancreatic
"burnout," an inability to keep up with the body's
demand for insulin. This reduces your ability to keep blood sugar
under control.
Dr. Richard Podell, author of The G-Index Diet (Warner), says
elevated levels of insulin can be especially dangerous for people
who suffer from insulin resistance, a "prediabetic"
condition. For them, a meal or snack forces the pancreas to produce
insulin at two or more times the level that would ordinarily
be required. And a diet rich in high-glycemic foods promotes
obesity, which promotes insulin resistance.
All of us would be healthier if we cut back on refined sugar
and other high-glycemic foods such as candy and cookies. High-glycemic
vegetables include potatoes, white rice, carrots, beets, and
corn. Focus instead on low-glycemic foods such as pasta, whole
grains, peas, beans, and broccoli.
Sugar in liquor is absorbed more slowly when drinks are consumed
with food. Then they have a smaller effect on insulin levels.
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