The 'new' Aircrew Health News

Hello, and happy new year to everyone.

This post is to let you know that the Aircrew Health News blog has been re-launched at a new address on the web. Go and have a look, and if you have this blog bookmarked, please change to the new address:

http://aircrewhealth.blogspot.com/

We're glad you found us and we hope you will become a regular visitor to the new version of the Aircrew Health News blog.


P.S. The web address of our main website - AircrewHealth.com - remains the same.

Fed up with fad diets

Americans are getting fed up with fad diets. A recent survey found that more than two-thirds of the respondents said that they were less likely to try a fad diet today than they would have been five years ago.

Here is more about that survey, from an article on HealthDay.com:

The poll, released Wednesday by the nonprofit group America On the Move, involved 2,339 adults age 18 or older. It found that many people do understand that eating less and being active is the best way to be healthy. A majority of respondents also believe business and government can play an important role in encouraging people to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Some other survey results:

• Two-thirds of those surveyed said they'd started a new weight-loss or control program or diet at least once within the past five years. Sixty-five percent said those attempts to shed pounds failed, however.
• Seven out of 10 respondents said they're currently doing something to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Of those, 14 percent said their current diet, activity or program isn't working, and they're frustrated with the lack of success. Another 7 percent said their attempts at weight loss/control are working, but they're not optimistic about long-term success.
• One-third said that food and beverage companies need to create more choices and more affordable options for healthier foods.
• Three-quarters of those polled percent said government has a role to play in tackling the obesity problem in the United States and helping people develop healthy lifestyles.

For related information, visit the Dieting and Weight Control page on the AircrewHealth.com website.

Source: Many Americans Fed Up With Fad Diets - HealthDay.com

Technorati Tags: diets, fad diets, weight control, weight loss

16 common myths about breast cancer

Despite the fact that one in seven women will develop breast cancer in her life, many misconceptions about breast cancer persist.

Breast cancer specialists from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have published this list to debunk some of the most common myths about breast cancer:

1. You only get breast cancer if you have a family history. I don't have a family history, so I don't need to worry about it.

Eighty percent to eighty-five percent of women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. Even if no one in your family has ever been diagnosed, that's no excuse to skip your yearly mammogram. "It's important all women over 40 years old be screened for breast cancer," says Mark Helvie, M.D., U-M's director of breast imaging.

2. I'm too young to worry about breast cancer.

Breast cancer can affect women of any age. The disease is more common in post-menopausal women, but 25 percent of women with breast cancer are younger than 50. Younger women should have a yearly breast exam by their doctor and begin mammographic screening at age 40. While a breast mass in a younger woman is much less likely to be cancer than a lump in an older woman, it still needs to be checked out. At the same time, you're never too old to get breast cancer. If you feel a lump - at any age - have it checked out.

3. If I'm diagnosed with breast cancer, it means I'm going to die.

Doctors are doing quite well at treating breast cancer, with 10-year survival rates currently at 85 percent to 90 percent. When caught early, up to 98 percent of women survive at least five years. Breast cancer that has metastasized, or spread to other parts of the body, poses the greatest challenge, although women with metastatic breast cancer often live for years with their disease.

4. I've made it five years as a survivor, so my breast cancer won't return.

Breast cancer can recur at any time, although it is more likely to happen within the first five to 10 years: 75 percent of women who will get a recurrence see it within six years, and 25 percent recur in the 10 years after that. New hormonal therapies, including tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, may be delaying recurrence, so that the cancer is more likely to return after the woman stops taking those drugs.

5. Chemotherapy will make me nauseated and I will be vomiting all the time.

Chemotherapy does cause nausea and vomiting. But in the last 10 years, new drugs have become available that can almost completely control nausea, and very few people have persistent nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy.

6. If I have a breast lump, it's cancer.

Most breast lumps felt are not cancer. They could by cysts or a benign condition called fibrocystic changes or fibroadenoma. Lumps could also be pre-cancerous conditions that will need some treatment. But don't let these facts lull you into complacency. All lumps should be checked thoroughly.

7. Herbal remedies and dietary supplements can help treat breast cancer.

No herbal remedy, dietary supplement or alternative therapy has been scientifically proven to treat breast cancer. Further, doctors do not know how these alternative medicines may interact with established medicines - if they cause their own side effects or interfere with the traditional therapy's effectiveness.

8. I eat a healthy diet, which will make me immune to breast cancer.

Diet does play a role in cancer development, but not by itself. No one food or vitamin will prevent breast cancer. At the same time, no one food is responsible for causing cancer. Eat a healthy, balanced diet and strive to get a variety of nutrients.

9. My mammogram was normal, so I don't have to worry about breast cancer.

While mammography does catch the vast majority of breast cancers, it is only one screening tool. Women should also have a breast exam done by their health care provider each year. If you feel a lump, always get it checked out, even if your last mammogram was clear. Also, it's important to get a mammogram every year. "The power of screening comes with regular annual exams," Helvie says. Doctors will look at previous years' mammograms to assess changes in the breast over time.

10. I was called back for "extra views" after my mammogram. That must mean I have cancer.

Extra views may be necessary because there's a shadow on the image. A mass may turn out to be a benign cyst. Most of the time, no further tests are necessary once the new images are reviewed.

11. Mammograms are painful.

Is it comfortable? No. But it doesn't need to be excruciatingly painful, and most women will say it's not. Pre-menopausal women should schedule their exam for the first two weeks of their menstrual cycle, when their breasts are less tender. If you find mammograms are painful, talk to the technologist performing it. The amount of compression used can vary, so the technologist can ease up on the squishing if it's unbearable. Just keep in mind that more compression leads to a better image for the radiologist to read - so there's a payoff to that bit of discomfort. Don't think having a digital mammogram will get you out of it either. Digital mammography works the same as standard mammography by requiring compression.

12. If I have a breast biopsy, the surgeon might continue during that operation to remove my entire breast without telling me.

Before the biopsy operation, you will sign an informed consent form that explains exactly what procedure will be performed. Many years ago, surgeons would remove a suspicious mass, biopsy it on the spot and proceed to mastectomy if it showed signs of cancer. Today, it does not happen that way. Women have many more treatment options and a surgeon will always discuss these options with patients after a biopsy.

13. My breast lump is painful, so it must not be cancer since cancerous lumps are supposed to be painless.

Generally breast cancers are painless, but pain alone cannot rule out cancer. Some women also believe that a painless lump must not be cancer. Again, not true. There's no correlation between whether the lump is painful and whether it's cancerous. Any lump should be checked by a doctor.

14. If cancer is exposed to air during surgery, it will spread.

Surgery will not cause the cancer to spread. "The only thing that will promote cancer spread is a delay in diagnosis and failure to treat the cancer," says Lisa Newman, M.D., MPH, director of the U-M Breast Care Center.

15. Radiation therapy is dangerous and will burn my heart, ribs and lungs.

Current radiation techniques are safe and effective for treating breast cancer, with few complications. Methods used today minimize exposure to the heart, ribs and lungs. Women may experience a darkening of the skin during the course of treatment or a sunburn-like reddening. This will clear up after treatment is through.

16. Participating in a clinical trial is good for others but not for me.

Clinical research can offer high-quality care for everyone. In all clinical trials, the minimum any woman would receive is standard treatment. In some trials, participants receive standard treatment plus a new approach, such as a new drug or a new way to use an old drug. In other studies, researchers are seeking more answers about the biology of the cancer or the effects of the treatment, so that new ideas can be generated. In these cases, patients' participation may be as simple as having an extra tube of blood drawn or answering a survey.

"I think every woman should ask her doctor, 'What clinical trial can I be on?' At least they should hear the options. Through clinical trials, we will continue to take good care of patients today, and better care of their sisters and daughters in the future," says Daniel Hayes, M.D., clinical director of the U-M breast oncology program. "Studies have shown women who participate in clinical trials do better in the long run than those who do not."

For more information about breast cancer, you can visit Breast Cancer section the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center's website.

The Aircrew Health website also has a page with a Breast Cancer Learning Library, and a section of News About Breast Cancer.

Source: 16 common myths about breast cancer - University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Technorati Tags: breast cancer, cancer, cancer myths, women's health

A salad a day keeps the doc away

Research conducted by the UCLA School of Public Health and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center finds that "those who eat salads and raw vegetables with salad dressing have considerably higher levels of vitamins C, E, B6, and folic acid-key nutrients in promoting a healthy immune system and reducing the risk of obesity, heart disease and other chronic illnesses."

The new study is highlighted in an article on the Medical News Today website.

According to the study, less than 50% of the US population meets the daily recommendation for vegetables necessary for healthy living. Americans do not get enough of the water-soluble vitamins of which salads are a rich source. The raw vegetables in salads also offer the added benefits of fiber for better digestion and antioxidants for boosting immunity.

Interestingly, clinical trials have shown that adding salad dressing to a salad not only adds a delicious flavor, but also increases the absorption of certain nutrients being consumed.

Dr. Lenore Arab, professor of epidemiology at UCLA School of Public Health and lead researcher of the study, says, "It's not just the leafy greens and vegetables that are doing a body good. Some fat can also enhance the absorption of nutrients such as lycopene and alpha- and beta-carotene."

The study has been published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Recent related articles on this blog:

• Roughage and regularity
• Virgin olive oil and the heart

Source: Salad Is Even Healthier Than You Thought - Medical News Today

Technorati Tags: dietary fiber, eating habits, health, health and wellness, healthy diet, nutrition, roughage, salads, salad dressings, vegetables

Soothe stress with black tea

A new study carried out by researchers in England provides scientific evidence that black tea has an effect on levels of stress hormones produced by the body.

Researchers at University College London (UCL) published the results of their study in a recent issue of the journal Psychopharmacology. Among their findings:

...People who drank tea were able to de-stress more quickly than those who drank a fake tea substitute. Furthermore, the study participants - who drank a black tea concoction four times a day for six weeks - were found to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood after a stressful event, compared with a control group who drank the fake or placebo tea for the same period of time.

They also found that blood platelet activation, which is linked to blood clotting and heart attacks, was lower in the tea drinkers in the study. When faced with a stressful task, the tea drinkers were able to relax more quickly afterward.

The lead author of the study was quoted in an article about this research that appeared on the Medical News Today website:

Professor Andrew Steptoe, UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, says: "Drinking tea has traditionally been associated with stress relief, and many people believe that drinking tea helps them relax after facing the stresses of everyday life. However, scientific evidence for the relaxing properties of tea is quite limited. This is one of the first studies to assess tea in a double-blind placebo controlled design - that is, neither we nor the participants knew whether they were drinking real or fake tea. This means that any differences were due to the biological ingredients of tea, and not to the relaxing situations in which people might drink tea, whether they were familiar with the taste and liked it, and so on.

"We do not know what ingredients of tea were responsible for these effects on stress recovery and relaxation. Tea is chemically very complex, with many different ingredients. Ingredients such as catechins, polyphenols, flavonoids and amino acids have been found to have effects on neurotransmitters in the brain, but we cannot tell from this research which ones produced the differences.

"Nevertheless, our study suggests that drinking black tea may speed up our recovery from the daily stresses in life. Although it does not appear to reduce the actual levels of stress we experience, tea does seem to have a greater effect in bringing stress hormone levels back to normal. This has important health implications, because slow recovery following acute stress has been associated with a greater risk of chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease."

And on that note, I think I'll go and brew a cup of tea for myself!

Sources: Black Tea Soothes Stress, UCL Study - Medical News Today

Technorati Tags: health and wellness, health research, stress, stress management, stress research, tea, tea drinking, University College London

Air travel and the spread of flu

This article has been updated and revised. The new version of this article can be found on AircrewBuzz.com:

Airline travel and the spread of flu: Implications for the swine flu outbreak

Virgin olive oil and the heart

A new study shows that virgin olive oil may offer better protection against heart disease than more refined oils. The reason: virgin olive oil contains more polyphenols -- a class of anitoxidants -- than more refined oils.

Olive oil is known to be rich in monounsaturated fatty acids -- the good fatty acids that do not raise blood cholesterol levels. All olive oil is good for you and helps to protect the heart, but virgin olive oil is even better!

Since virgin olive oil is made from the first pressing of the olives it retains higher levels of polyphenols than the more refined oils that come from later pressings. It is this higher level of polyphenols, in addition to the monounsaturated fatty acids, that makes virgin olive oil even better for the heart than refined olive oil.

This finding comes from a recent study in Spain. Researchers there compared the effects of consuming olive oils with varying levels of polyphenols on heart disease risk factors in 200 healthy European men.

Here is a brief summary of what they did and what they found out:

The men were divided into three groups and ate about 1 tablespoon of either virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, or a mixture of the two, every day for three weeks. Then, after a two-week hiatus, they were retested with one of the other types of olive oil.

Researchers found that the virgin olive oil higher in polyphenols increased the level of good, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol more than the other two types of olive oil.

Virgin olive oil also produced another healthy antioxidant effect. It increased the level of substances in the body that prevent the oxidation of bad, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Oxidation of this type of cholesterol is linked to the formation of clots in blood vessels, which could lead to heart attack or stroke.

Researcher Maria-Isabel Covas, Msc, PhD, of the Municipal Institute for Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues say the results show "olive oil is more than a monounsaturated fat.

"The polyphenol content of an olive oil can account for further benefits on HDL cholesterol levels and oxidative damage, in addition to those from its monounsaturated fatty acid content," they write. "Our study provides evidence to recommend the use of polyphenol-rich olive oil, that is, virgin olive oil, as a source of fat to achieve additional benefits against cardiovascular risk factors."

The results of this study are published in the Sept. 5, 2006 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Source: Virgin Olive Oil Better for Heart - WebMD.com

Technorati Tags: antioxidants, cholesterol, dietary fats, fatty acids, health and wellness, health research, healthy diet, heart disease, olive oil, polyphenols