Yeshiva World News

About one in five children with a cold or other respiratory viral infection develops a middle ear infection that may range from mild to severe, says a new study.

U.S. researchers looked at the number of cases of middle ear infection — acute otitis media — among 294 children, ages 6 months to 3 years. Overall, 22 percent of the children developed a middle ear infection during the first week of respiratory infection.

A diagnosis of acute otitis media was based on the presence of symptoms such as fever and earache, plus inflammation of the eardrum and fluid in the middle ear. Along with the 22 percent of children who developed the ear infection, another 7 percent had inflammation of the eardrum without fluid in the middle ear.

Among the children with the middle ear infection, eardrum inflammation was rated mild in 8 percent, moderate in 59 percent and severe in 35 percent. Of the 126 children who had the infection in both ears, the infection was more pronounced in one ear in 54 percent of the cases.

In general, children with the infection were treated without antibiotics whenever possible. Of the 28 children with mild middle ear infection, 24 improved without antibiotics, four got worse and three of them eventually required antibiotics.

The study appears in the February issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

The findings suggest that many children with mild middle ear infections can be managed without antibiotics, said lead author Dr. Stella U. Kalu, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and colleagues, in a journal news release.

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(Source: HealthFinder.gov /The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, news release, Feb. 15, 2011)

As everyone knows, there’s no cure for the common cold. So most people simply suffer through two or more colds a year, often missing days of work or school in the process.

Scientists still haven’t found a cure, but a new expert review suggests that taking zinc supplements may help ease cold symptoms—and may even prevent the viral infections altogether.

Nearly 30 years of research on zinc and colds has had mixed results and has been marred by iffy studies. To get a sound big-picture assessment of zinc’s benefits, researchers in India sifted through the evidence and analyzed 15 randomized controlled trials—the “gold standard” in medical research—that compared zinc with placebo for the prevention or treatment of the common cold.

When they compiled the evidence, the researchers found that healthy adults and children who took zinc syrup, lozenges, or tablets within 24 hours of their first cough or sniffle experienced shorter and less severe colds than the participants who took a zinc-free placebo. Taking zinc reduced the odds that a person would still be experiencing symptoms at the seven-day mark by more than half.

Zinc—a mineral that occurs naturally in nuts, seeds, meats, fruits, and vegetables—also appeared to help prevent colds. Study participants who took zinc syrup or lozenges daily for at least five months cut their chances of developing a cold by about one-third, on average. As a result, the children in those studies who took zinc missed fewer days of school and took fewer antibiotics than their peers.

“These findings don’t surprise me. We’re learning that zinc can be quite helpful,” says David Rakel, MD, director of integrative medicine at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, who was not involved in the review. “We know it is an important mineral for immune function and that it can inhibit the replication of some viruses.”

Zinc supplements do carry some potential risks. Some of the study participants experienced nausea and a bad taste in their mouths while taking zinc, for instance. And zinc supplements can interfere with the body’s uptake of other key minerals such as copper and calcium, Dr. Rakel says.

The authors of the review, which was published in the Cochrane Library, stopped short of recommending over-the-counter zinc supplements. Because the studies included in the review were so varied, they wrote, it wasn’t possible to identify an ideal dose, a formulation, or a schedule for taking zinc.

Still, Dr. Rakel says, “zinc looks pretty promising. We need to take precautions, particularly with long-term use, but I’d still recommend it to my patients at the first sign of cold symptoms.”

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(Source: CNN)

In the previous YWN article , we examined high cholesterol and diabetes, and the steps we can take to mitigate, and in some instances, eradicate them completely. Now let’s take a look at achieving healthy blood pressure levels, and the role exercise plays in maintaining overall good health.

High Blood Pressure

High Blood pressure, or hypertension, is known as the “silent killer” since sometimes, there are no apparent symptoms until it’s too late.  This very treatable condition is prevalent in more than 20% of the population. Another significant number of people have what is known as “high normal” or “borderline” blood pressure.  That is, they don’t have normal readings and as such, are at risk for being hypertensive. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, undetected and untreated high blood pressure can:  

1) cause the heart to enlarge, which may lead to heart failure.

2) cause aneurysms to form in the brain’s blood vessels, causing stroke.

3) cause blood vessels in the kidneys to narrow, causing kidney failure.

4) enhance hardening of the arteries throughout the body, leading to heart attack, stroke   and kidney failure.

5) lead to loss of cognitive abilities such as memory, problem solving, concentration and judgment.  

In order to help you reduce your blood pressure, try the following:

1. Get your “five a day’ servings of fruits and vegetables, all of which are great sources of potassium. Better yet, shoot for seven to 10 a day. Research indicates that the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the thinner you’ll be and the lower your blood pressure will be.
2. Avoid or limit processed foods. When foods are processed, some of the potassium usually leaches out, and sodium frequently is added for taste. This is one reason that eating foods in their natural state, or as close to it as possible, is a good idea.
3. Load up on legumes. Beans are a very rich source of potassium, ranging from 700 to 800 mg per cup, depending on the type of bean. A “potassium-rich” banana has 450 mg.
4. Don’t forget tofu. Made from soybeans, tofu is rich in potassium, with nearly 600 mg in a cup, as well as calcium – another mineral that helps control blood pressure.
5. Dig into the potatoes. Baked or roasted in the oven, not only are potatoes a yummy side dish, but they’re loaded with potassium – about 800 mg in a one-potato serving.
6. Don’t boil your food. Boiling foods, especially in large amounts of water that you then spill off, leaches out potassium. A boiled potato, for example, loses up to half its potassium, as do most vegetables. Instead, steam, bake, roast or microwave.

A Word about Exercise and the Role It Plays 

Modifying your dietary intake will be very helpful, but not as helpful as combining it with a well-balanced exercise program.  Both aerobic and resistance exercises also have a profound effect upon high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure in a positive way.  Exercise has the following benefits: 

• Lowers Blood Pressure and Stress
• Lowers Blood Sugar
• Increases Your Energy
• Promotes Weight Loss

To recap, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, all of which have the potential to be life-threatening, can, in most instances, be controlled with proper nutrition and exercise.  So what are you waiting for? Committing to an all-around healthier lifestyle is a great way to “…add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.” 
 

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E.* CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 15 years of professional experience. He is the Co-Director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M. Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@loseit.co.il  Check out the Lose It! web site – www.loseit.co.il.  US Line: 516-568-5027.

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They claim to give you that extra boost, but recent studies have shown that energy drinks containing large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, can actually cause major health problems in children, teens and young adults. In fact, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, of the 5,448 U.S. caffeine overdoses reported in 2007, 46% occurred in those younger than 19 years. Now a new report in the journal of Pediatrics warns parents, and doctors that these drinks could be especially dangerous to children with ADHD, diabetes, sleep issues and eating disorders.

Doctors from the University of Miami School of Medicine say that  although caffeine can improve attention spans, it also increases blood pressure and disrupts sleep patterns in young people. And scientists have found the attention span of kids who consumed these drinks on a daily basis eventually decreased. So did their heart rates over the long run, while their blood pressure numbers increased, which could put unnecessary pressure on the heart. Researchers note that could be dangerous for children who are on other medications

“Mixing other drugs with these drinks, could lead to a host of other complications.” says Dr. Steven Lipshultz, a pediatric cardiologist and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. “The problem is, a lot of young people don’t realize what’s in these drinks and the combinations could be serious, even deadly.”

These drinks should not be consumed after long periods of exercise, or mixed with alcohol, study authors added.

“A lot of young people, especially teens and young adults think they are drinking sports drinks,” warned Lipshultz. “So they drink them after practice. But instead of replacing electrolytes in their bodies, they are adding large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can rev up the body and the heart even more. ”

But the American Beverage Association, which represents the manufacturers of these drinks, says there’s plenty of caffeine in lots of drinks that are available to a younger age group. “Young adults getting coffee from popular coffeehouses are getting about twice as much caffeine as they would from a similar size energy drink,” the ABA said in a reaction statement to the Pediatrics paper.

But doctors warn that many people need to be made aware that these are not just cans of “quick energy,” but beverages that contain not only caffeine, but stimulants such as guarana and taurine, that could affect different people in different ways.

What’s inside energy drinks?

“Some kids can handle these substances, but others cannot,” says Lipshultz. “Kids need to be careful of how much they drink.”

Lipshultz and his co-authors stressed that pediatricians need to recognize symptoms and health problems associated with these drinks and should advise parents and young people of their dangers.

“The problem is, when kids come into a doctor’s office with nausea, dizziness, racing hearts and even worse, seizures, pediatricians immediately think some form of drug abuse,” says Lipshultz. “But in many cases, it could be energy drinks that are causing these problems. And doctors need to be on the lookout for that”.

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(Source: CNN)

As many as 75 percent of hospital tests are not followed up and this failure can have serious consequences for patients, including delayed or missed diagnoses and even death, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed 12 international studies and found that between 20 percent and 61 percent of inpatient test results, and between 1 percent and 75 percent of tests on emergency care patients, were not followed up after patients were discharged.

Follow-up was least likely for critical test results and results for patients moving between health care settings, such as from inpatient to outpatient care or to general practice.

Rates of missed results were equally high for paper-based records systems, fully electronic systems and those that used a combination of paper and electronic records.

The study is published Feb. 8 in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety.

“There is evidence to suggest that the proportion of missed test results is a substantial problem, which impacts on patients’ safety,” the researchers concluded in a journal news release.

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(Source: HealthFinder)

The power of healing through proper nutrition is well documented.  In Chinese medicine, it is a discipline that goes back thousands of years.  But even in Western medicine, and even without medications, changes in one’s diet can reap phenomenal results.  As we age, the three common diseases about which we are all worried are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and today’s number one killer, diabetes.  Obviously, exercise plays a key and powerful role in healing, but from the point of view of food intake, try to follow the following suggestions. 

High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all animal products.  The human body makes cholesterol in the liver and absorbs it through the diet.  It is essential for the body and is used to form bile acids for digestion of fats, and build cell membranes.  However, too much cholesterol in the blood can spell trouble in the form of increased risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke.  To decrease your overall cholesterol and to maintain a better ratio of HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL (bad cholesterol), try the following dietary measures:  

Avoid: 

Saturated Fat Limit to less than 7% of calories, or 16 grams on a 2000-calorie diet.  This is the fat that raises LDL – the “bad” cholesterol; it’s found in red meats and in high fat dairy foods like ice cream, whole milk and butter – just two tablespoons of butter would be the maximum limit. 

Trans Fats These are the harmful fats that increase heart disease risk by raising LDL and lowering HDL – the “good” cholesterol. They are found in many baked goods like bourekas, cakes and cookies.

Include:

“Soluble” Fiber  All fiber-rich foods are healthy components of a diet. However, specific fibers known as viscous fibers, or soluble fibers, have heart-healthy properties. These fibers are found in oat bran, oat meal and cereal, barley, fruits such as apples and berries, and vegetables such as okra and eggplant. Soluble fibers may help to lower LDL cholesterol by preventing cholesterol absorption in the body.

Plant Sterols These are plant chemicals found in vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables and nuts. Sterols may help to lower LDL cholesterol levels without adversely affecting HDL cholesterol levels. The body mistakes them for dietary cholesterol, which causes less “real” cholesterol to be absorbed in the blood.

Nuts and Seeds Nuts and seeds are a source of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats; these fats may help to lower cholesterol, especially when they are substituted for the saturated fats found in meat and cheese. Olive oil, vegetable oils, flax seed and avocados are sources of these beneficial fats, too.

Fatty fish Fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel contain omega 3 fatty acids, which decrease LDL and triglycerides. They may also reduce inflammation in blood vessels, decreasing the chance of a heart attack or stroke. The American Heart Association currently recommends eating fish twice a week.

Soy Protein Soy has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels; this is the basis of a FDA claim linking soy protein to heart health. Soy is found in foods such as tofu, soymilk and soy nuts (NOT soy protein powders).

Diabetes

Just what is diabetes?  Diabetes impairs the body’s ability to burn the fuel or glucose that it gets from food for energy.  Glucose is carried through the bloodstream to the body’s cells; however, the cells need insulin, which is made by the pancreas, to allow glucose to move inside.  Insulin is the key that opens the door into the cell. Without it, glucose accumulates in the blood and then is dumped into the urine by the kidneys. High sugar in the blood causes fatigue, irritability and damages nerves. In type II diabetes, beta cells make insulin but, because of insensitivity to the hormone, it is used inefficiently.  This results in insulin resistance and an accumulation of both glucose and insulin in the blood.  To help improve the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, use the following guidelines: 

Eat smaller meals more often. Eating smaller amounts of food 5 or 6 times a day, as opposed to 2 or 3 larger meals, will help prevent insulin spikes.

Eat balanced meals which include complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and vegetables.  Complex carbohydrates include: whole grain breads, whole grain pastas, sweet potatoes, brown rice and whole grain, low-sugar cereals. This will help control blood glucose levels. Examples of lean proteins are fish, breast of chicken, legumes, tofu and low fat dairy products. 

Cut down on fat, particularly saturated fat, as this is linked to heart disease. Use less butter, margarine, cheese and fatty meats. Choose low-fat dairy foods such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt. Grill, steam or bake foods instead of cooking or frying with oil or other fats.

Eat more fruit and vegetables. Aim for at least five portions a day to provide vitamins, minerals and fiber as well as to help balance the overall diet.

Cut down on sugar and sugary foods. This does not mean that you need to eat a totally sugar-free diet. Choose low-sugar or sugar-free fizzy drinks, as sugary drinks can cause blood glucose levels to rise quickly. Simple starches – i.e. white potatoes, white rice and white bread – also cause sharp rises in blood glucose.

Drink alcohol in moderation only. That’s two units a day for women and three units a day for men. Alcohol is a type of sugar and can also cause a rise in blood glucose.

Don’t be tempted by ‘diabetic’ foods or drinks. They are expensive, unnecessary and have no added benefit for people with diabetes.

Our next installment will address healthy blood pressure, and the role exercise plays in maintaining overall good health.

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E.* CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 15 years of professional experience. He is the Co-Director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M. Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@loseit.co.il  Check out the Lose It! web site – www.loseit.co.il.  US Line: 516-568-5027.

(YWN Desk – NYC)

The government is urging half the nation’s population to slash their salt intake to a little more than half a teaspoon daily. The new guideline is for people who are 51 and older, all African-Americans and anyone suffering from hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

That group is most at risk of having higher blood pressure due to sodium intake.

For everyone else, the government recommends about a teaspoon a day. That amounts to 2,300 milligrams or about one-third less than the average person usually consumes.

Several large food companies have already introduced initiatives to cut sodium and introduced low-sodium alternatives, but it’s unclear if the industry will be able to cut enough to satisfy the new guidelines.

The Food and Drug Administration has said it will pressure companies to take voluntary action before it moves to regulate salt intake.

(Source: ABC News)

Fox 5 News is reporting that New York City had six meningitis cases since late December and three of the cases were fatal. The victims ranged in age from 4 to 74.

The cases are not due to a single strain of bacterium and the victims have not been linked in any manner.

The New York City Health Department is asking doctors to immediately report all suspected or confirmed cases because of the higher than expected incidence of the disease.

Meningococcal disease is a serious, potentially fatal bacterial infection that strikes an average of 1,500 Americans annually. In particular, adolescents and young adults are at increased risk of contracting the disease.

It can be spread by coughing, kissing and even small children putting toys in their mouth.

Some of the common symptoms are fever, headache, stiff neck, rash, and possibly an altered mental status.

Early treatment of antibiotics greatly improves the probability of survival and people who come in contact with infected patients should also be treated.

But in three of these recent cases there were delays in reporting the illness. One case apparently wasn’t diagnosed until the medical examiner performed an autopsy.

The known cases include a 22-year-old Manhattan woman who died in December. A January 1, 2011, case killed a 55-year-old Staten Island woman. The next day a 4-year-old Bronx boy was diagnosed. He is still alive.

On January 5, 2011, a 74-year-old Bronx man survived after being diagnosed and the following day a 24-year-old Brooklyn man was diagnosed. He has also survived.

In the most recent case, a 28-year-old Manhattan woman died on January 11.

There are vaccines that government doctors say are safe and highly effective.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends routine vaccination of all persons 11-18 years of age with 1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine at the earliest opportunity. Pre-teens who are 11-12 years old should be routinely vaccinated at the 11-12 year old check-up as recommended by ACIP. This visit is the best time for adolescents to receive meningococcal conjugate vaccine. Also, since the occurrence of meningococcal disease increases during adolescence, health-care providers should vaccinate previously unvaccinated pre-teens and teens 11-18 years of age with meningococcal conjugate vaccine at the earliest possible health-care visit.

(Source: MyFoxNY)

One of the many frustrations of Alzheimer’s disease is the difficulty in pinpointing just who has it. According to published research, as many as one in five people told they have Alzheimer’s are mislabeled. A definitive diagnosis can  be made only after death, by an autopsy that reveals a distinctive buildup – known as amyloid plaques – in the patient’s brain. This week, however, the FDA will consider a new diagnostic test that may be able to identify those plaques through PET scans – a type of brain scan – on living patients.

In a small study run by Avid Radiopharmaceuticals and made public Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association , PET scans identified the telltale plaques in 97 % of patients who actually had them, as determined by a subsequent autopsy. The 35 patients in this part of the study were terminally ill, and agreed to both a brain scan and an autopsy.

The researchers also performed PET scans on presumably healthy people to try to ensure that the test could tell the difference. It could. Of 74 young and healthy people tested, none had scans indicating Alzheimer’s.

Before performing a PET scan, a doctor or technician injects the patient with a radioactive dye that can be detected by the imaging equipment. The particular dye used in this test was developed by Avid and is known as Florbetapir F 18. Chief Executive Officer Dr. Daniel Skovronsky says Florbetapir F 18 binds tightly to the amyloid proteins – making them visible to the scanner – but doesn’t bind to other tissue.

According to Skovronsky, diagnosis of Alzheimer’s still depends on a clinician who can evaluate a patient’s overall condition, but he says the test with Florbetapir could be especially useful as a tool to rule out Alzheimer’s. In that scenario, a patient who shows symptoms of dementia would be given a PET scan; a negative result would push her physician to consider other conditions.

A second paper in JAMA suggests that a simple, low-cost blood test can tell whether a person is at risk for cognitive decline, which is a precursor to Alzheimer’s.

During a span of 10 years, researchers checked the blood of 997 elderly people in Memphis, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, testing for two types of proteins that are associated with Alzheimer’s. They re-tested each person at 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 8-year and 10-year intervals. Patients with lower levels were significantly more likely to suffer cognitive decline over time.

Researchers also found that patients with more “cognitive reserve” while healthy, are less likely to decline. “Cognitive reserve” is measured in various ways – for example, by years of school attended, or performance on intelligence tests.  The researchers say it may be that people with higher intelligence or more education are able to better compensate for functions lost to early cognitive decline.

(Source: CNN Health)

Cigarettes start to destroy a smoker’s DNA within minutes of inhaling, new research indicates, suggesting that the habit causes immediate genetic damage and quickly raises the short-term risk for cancer.

“The results reported here should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes,” lead study author Stephen S. Hecht, from the Masonic Cancer Center and department of pharmacology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, said in a news release from the American Chemical Society.

Hecht and his colleagues reported their observations in the current issue of the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

In their research, the investigators focused on a class of cancer-causing culprits found in cigarette smoke called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.

PAHs are known to inflict damage on DNA and are therefore thought to play a large role in the onset of lung cancer, a disease that the researchers pointed out has been linked to the loss of 3,000 lives a day worldwide, mostly as a consequence of smoking.

To date, however, little had been known about the exact mechanism by which PAH exposure causes disease.

To better understand the risks, Hecht’s team conducted what they called a “unique” analysis, by labeling and tracking a single PAH — phenanthrene — through the bodies of 12 volunteer smokers.

The study authors noted that this approach was “the first to investigate human metabolism of a PAH specifically delivered by inhalation in cigarette smoke, without interference by other sources of exposure such as air pollution or the diet.”

The results: having rapidly transformed in the body into a known toxin, the PAH in question began to cause havoc on the DNA of the smokers within just 15 to 30 minutes after smoking.

The velocity of the cancer-causing process surprised the research team. They said the speed with which the potentially lethal DNA assault began was comparable to having injected the PAH directly into an individual’s bloodstream.

(Source: Health Finder)

Giving babies and toddlers antibiotics when doctors are certain they have ear infections can help speed up their recovery, supporting current treatment guidelines for children between the ages of 6 months and 23 months.

However, antibiotics do come with significant side effects including diarrhea, rashes, yeast infections and vomiting. Overuse of drugs also contributes to antibiotic resistance, so careful selection of who should take antibiotics is necessary according to 2 studies published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

According to one of the studies, ear infection, or acute otitis media, is the most frequently diagnosed illness in children in the United States, and most children with these ear infections are routinely given antibiotics.

But just 2 months ago, a new study confirmed practice guidelines from 2004, which recommend that children older than 2 with a confirmed diagnosis of an acute ear infection do not need to be given antibiotics because the drugs do not significantly speed up recovery.

The foundation for  the “watchful waiting” treatment recommendation instead of taking drugs is based on this and previous studies that  did not have very many children under age 2 in the clinical trials.  This made concluding that the same treatment works in the youngest age group very difficult.

These 2 new studies were designed to provide the research to  fill the gap, and clarify treatment recommendations for babies and toddlers.  The children in these latest trials had their ear infections confirmed by experts (otoscopists).  Researchers found that the youngsters who received a placebo did not recover as quickly as those getting the amoxicillin-clavulanate, an antibiotic that has been shown to be effective for earaches.

However the differences were not huge.  In the United States study, 80% of the children on antibiotics felt better on the seventh day of treatment; 74% of the children taking a placebo also felt better on the seventh day.

Dr. Jerome Klein, a pediatric infectious disease specialist from Boston University’s Medical School, says in an accompanying editorial that these two studies resolve the controversy over giving antibiotics versus watchful waiting in kids with confirmed ear infections.

“More young children with a certain diagnosis of acute otitis media recover more quickly when they are treated with an appropriate antimicrobial agent,” Klein wrote.

Dr. Richard Rosenfeld, who is a professor and chairman of otolaryngology at SUNY Downstate and Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, has been charged with reviewing the 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for treating ear infections.  He, too, has been eagerly awaiting the results of these 2 studies.

One of the strengths of both studies, Rosenfeld said,  is that the researchers took the time to make a solid diagnosis. Only children who really had ear infections were included in the trials.  But Rosenfeld  doesn’t see the results as black and white as Klein.

“Medicine is about gray zones and balancing the risks and benefits,” Rosenfeld says. “Parents and doctors need to understand what the benefits and what the downside of treatments are.”

“If you received a placebo and you have a 74% chance of having symptoms go away or improvement [of illness]” – compared with the 80% in the antibiotic group … “as a parent, how impressed are you about a 6% difference?”  In treatment outcomes for pain, there was no difference, he notes.

In both studies, children taking the real drugs had more side effects.  The study authors caution about the overuse of these drugs and the risk of antibiotic resistance.  The Finnish noted that limiting use of antibiotics may reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and increase the chance the future use of antibiotic will be effective.

Rosenfeld says it’s never wrong to prescribe an antibiotic for a well-diagnosed ear infection. “If the child has high fever, severe ear pain, the child is really miserable, has a fever or draining from the ear or double ear infection and is under 2 years old, then prescribing antibiotic is probably the right thing to do.”

But waiting to take the antibiotic isn’t a bad idea either.  He says he frequently writes a prescription for parents but tells them to hold off from filling it for 3 days.  If the child still has symptoms 3 days later, then they should get the antibiotic and start giving it to their child. If you do that, 2 out of 3 parents don’t fill out the prescription.”

Which is why he says what to do is still not clear-cut.  He also points out that if antibiotics don’t relieve a child’s pain, pain medications will.

Rosenfeld believes these latest studies reinforce an important message: “It’s an opportunity for a conversation with your pediatrician.” Parents need to weigh the benefits of what antibiotics can do in terms of killing the bacteria (if the ear infection is caused by a bacteria and not a virus) and the side effects their child may have to endure, as well as the possibility that exposing bacteria to antimicrobials may make the drugs less effective in the future.

(Source: CNN Health)

It seems simple – almost as easy as the easiest mathematical equation. Eat less, burn more calories through exercise and activity, and we will all be at our ideal weight. If it were as simple as that, then why are more than 60% of people in the western world overweight and more than 25% obese? Why we are so much fatter than our parents were 30 years ago? After all, there are more sports clubs, fitness centers and gyms than ever before. Let’s take a look back to see when and how the overweight epidemic began.

After the 1972 Olympics, road races gained in popularity and physical fitness became popular as well. By 1978, according to U.S. News and World Report, America was in the midst of “fitness mania.” But, it was also about this time that obesity rates began the rise that continues to this day. Yes – there is a genetic predisposition for many, which makes them more prone to being overweight, and some people do have a naturally higher metabolism, but basically weight gain works like this:  if we consume more fuel than we burn, we get fat. Does this happen from the occasional binge, the extra slice of pizza or the extra scoop of ice cream? This is most likely not the case; rather, it is usually a slow and gradual process. Let’s say that you eat 2,300 calories a day and only use 2,000 or so. Everyday you are left with 300 extra calories that turn into extra pounds every few weeks. Aside from this, driving instead of walking 20 minutes on a daily basis is good for gaining 5 pounds per year. Drinking a single can of Coke every other day will add another 4 pounds. As you see, it’s just a few extra grams a day and a few pounds a year, but that’s enough to create the epidemic which includes a wide range of disease and illness, and which kills 325,000 per year just in the United States alone.

It is no accident that about the time that this epidemic started, the low-fat and no-fat phenomena began. People think that just because their food is lower in fat, they can eat as much as they want. Not true! You can get fat on brown rice and whole wheat bread if you eat enough of it, let alone reduced fat cookies, frozen yogurt and dietetic cakes. These foods tend to have more sugar and can even be higher in calories than their non-dietetic counterparts. In fact, the American Heart Association has modified their endorsement of these types of foods, to advise consumers of this information.

What is the alternative? First, learn how to read food labels. Check the number of calories per serving, not just the fat content. Second, eat more fresh produce and other fiber-rich foods. More bulk and fiber tend to reduce the sensation of hunger for a long period of time. But most important, watch the size of your portions! Once upon a time, people would go out to eat and consume normal amounts of food, even though it was the high fat, fast food variety. Today everything is super-sized and oversized. The portions have gotten bigger and so has the public (at large). Consumers are getting more for their money but, as it turn out, more of the wrong stuff – more coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, various cancers and a host of other health problems. What a bargain… NOT!

Learning proper portion control and expending calories through proper exercise and activity are important ways to “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.” 

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 15 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M.Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@loseit.co.il  www.loseit.co.il  US Line 516-568-5027

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Just two weeks ago, on Chanukah, a strange feeling overcame me. With 5 of our children now married and out of the house, and our youngest son studying in a Yeshiva out of town, when we lit our menorah on the first night of Chanukah, it stood there all alone. I quickly remembered times when we needed a large table for all of the menorahs, how candle-lighting took a long time as each child recited the brachos (blessings) and we sang Haneiros Hallalu and Maoz Tur afterwards.  I realized that even though there was less light being generated from Chanukah menorahs in my home these days, it is because less was now more.  There was only one menorah burning in our home because in the homes of my married children, there were many more menorahs burning – those of my children and grandchildren.

A Rabbi who was a personal training client of mine years ago once said to me that when he travels back to the United States (he has been in Israel for more than 40 years now), he notices that the word “better” in America seems to go hand and hand with the “bigger and more.”  Success is translated as more money, more cars, bigger cars, bigger homes, bigger weddings, more food for your money in a restaurant and longer vacations. We strive to build bigger airliners and larger sports stadiums.  Yet, it hit me this past Chanukah, that bigger and more are not necessarily really better.  Many times, less is indeed more.  And then I realized that my entire profession is based on that concept.

We all know and understand that when it comes to weight, more is harmful and less is best.  Less translates into good health and a happy life.  As the co-director of the Lose It! Weight Loss Center and Lose It! Online, I spend my days working with people who want more out of life, and need to learn how to do with less in order to achieve their goals. 

Carrying too much weight causes an array of life-threatening health problems such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease.  In addition, problems that affect our quality of life such as osteoarthritis, digestive issues, depression and problems of self-esteem and self-confidence are prevalent in the overweight and obese.  However, having seen success after success in my clinic, I also see how less is more.  I watch week after week as people come in with new blood tests showing better sugar numbers and lower cholesterol.  They ask me to check their blood pressure just to make sure they heard their doctor right, they are shocked that for the first time in years they are not hypertensive.  And just as important, the clinic staff watches people transform over the three months they are with us in terms of attitude and stress.  The same techniques we use to get people to lose weight – a proper food program, proper exercise and behavioral changes – are easily applied in other aspects of their life.

Less is indeed more, but it can’t happen in one day or one week.  This learning process takes time – months for most people.  But the rewards you gain (and the weight you lose!), both in terms of physical health and mental well-being, are the “more” here.  Those who succeed find it hard to believe that they were ever in the “more and bigger is better” mode. 

There is a great sense of accomplishment that you feel at the end of this road. Here are a few tips for you to consider to get started on your weight loss journey to good health:

1)      Diets are not good. They  initiate a fleeting process at best, only to be abandoned ultimately. The better option is to learn how to eat healthfully, control your portion sizes and don’t let yourself get hungry. Also, maintain good hydration with water. 

2)      Learn the difference between real hunger and desiring food for other reasons.

3)      Exercise must be part of your life, and a priority.  Learn what a balanced exercise program is and fit it into you day.

4)      Learn how to prioritize.  Don’t be afraid to put yourself first when you have to.  It is a great mitzvah to help others, but helping yourself is crucial too.

5)      Write it all down!  Track your food and your exercise and even your sabotaging thoughts.  And when you do something great, write that down too!  Giving yourself credit for your accomplishments is just as important.

Remember that in spite of what we see around us, LESS is indeed MORE, just like the menorah burning in your home or your scale trending down.  And when it comes to your health, losing weight in a careful and healthy manner is without a doubt much, much MORE. 

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 15 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M.Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@loseit.co.il

Saccharin is in a lot of products you might use everyday.  It’s in items like sugar-free gum, diet soda and mouthwash.  It’s even in some of your pills. But now there’s one less place where you can find the popular artificial sweetener. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking saccharin and its salts off its list of hazardous substances. According to the agency, the crystalline powder “is no longer considered a potential hazard to human health.”

Saccharin was first listed as a hazardous waste in 1980 after studies in rats showed the sweetener caused higher rates of bladder cancer. The EPA subsequently determined it to be a “potential human carcinogen”. Yet two decades later, the National Toxicology Program and International Agency for Research on Cancer reversed that classification after scientists failed to link saccharin consumption to cancer in humans.

Saccharin was removed from their listings of hazardous substances. The EPA has now followed suit, after a petition was filed earlier this year by the Calorie Control Council, an advocacy association that claims to represent the low-calorie food and beverage industry.

According to the EPA, saccharin is three hundred times sweeter than sugar. Today’s decision is not expected to impact consumers. Indeed, the EPA says the only anticipated change will be in how waste from saccharin and its salts are managed, now that they are not considered to be hazardous.

The very high levels of vitamin D that are often recommended by doctors and testing laboratories — and can be achieved only by taking supplements — are unnecessary and could be harmful, an expert committee says. It also concludes that calcium supplements are not needed.

The group said most people have adequate amounts of vitamin D in their blood supplied by their diets and natural sources like sunshine, the committee says in a report that is to be released on Tuesday.

“For most people, taking extra calcium and vitamin D supplements is not indicated,” said Dr. Clifford J. Rosen, a member of the panel and an osteoporosis expert at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute.

Dr. J. Christopher Gallagher, director of the bone metabolism unit at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb., agreed, adding, “The onus is on the people who propose extra calcium and vitamin D to show it is safe before they push it on people.”

Over the past few years, the idea that nearly everyone needs extra calcium and vitamin D — especially vitamin D — has swept the nation.

With calcium, adolescent girls may be the only group that is getting too little, the panel found. Older women, on the other hand, may take too much, putting themselves at risk for kidney stones. And there is evidence that excess calcium can increase the risk of heart disease, the group wrote.

As for vitamin D, some prominent doctors have said that most people need supplements or they will be at increased risk for a wide variety of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer and autoimmune diseases.

And these days more and more people know their vitamin D levels because they are being tested for it as part of routine physical exams.

The 14-member expert committee was convened by the Institute of Medicine, an independent nonprofit scientific body, at the request of the United States and Canadian governments. It was asked to examine the available data — nearly 1,000 publications — to determine how much vitamin D and calcium people were getting, how much was needed for optimal health and how much was too much.

The two nutrients work together for bone health.

Bone health, though, is only one of the benefits that have been attributed to vitamin D, and there is not enough good evidence to support most other claims, the committee said.

Some labs have started reporting levels of less than 30 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood as a deficiency. With that as a standard, 80 percent of the population would be deemed deficient of vitamin D, Dr. Rosen said. Most people need to take supplements to reach levels above 30 nanograms per milliliter, he added.

But, the committee concluded, a level of 20 to 30 nanograms is all that is needed for bone health, and nearly everyone is in that range.

Read More At NY Times