11 Countries Now Restrict Indoor Tanning Before Age 18

HealthDay – 2 hrs 1 min ago TUESDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Restrictions on young people's use of indoor tanning have been introduced by several countries in recent years, a new study reports.

Research suggests that indoor tanning is linked to skin cancer, the study authors pointed out.

Between 2003 and 2011, the number of countries with nationwide restrictions on the use of indoor tanning by people under 18 increased from two (Brazil and France) to 11 (Austria, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Wales), according to the study released online in advance of print publication in the Archives of Dermatology.

"Since 2003, youth access to indoor tanning has become increasingly restricted throughout the world as accumulating evidence demonstrated an association between melanoma and indoor tanning. Additional countries and states are developing indoor tanning restrictions or making their existing legislation more restrictive," study author Dr. Mary Pawlak, of the Colorado School of Public Health, in Aurora, and colleagues said in a journal news release.

Experts at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City, voiced their opinion on the issue in an accompanying commentary. "Ideally, a ruling at the federal level to restrict tanning will have the most far-reaching impact. However, in the absence of a complete ban in the near future, other strategies to limit UV exposure to minors can be promoted," according to Lucy L. Chen and Dr. Steven Q. Wang.

"As dermatologists, we can play many unique roles in this ongoing health campaign. On a daily basis, dermatologists can educate and discourage patients, especially teenagers, from using tanning beds," the editorialists noted. "On a legislative level, we can provide testimony as health experts and serve as advocates for key legislation in our individual states."

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about the risks of indoor tanning.

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Parkinson's Patients Experience Declines Years Before Diagnosis

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HIV Exposure Before Birth May Raise Kids' Risk of Hearing Loss

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HIV Exposure Before Birth May Raise Kids' Risk of Hearing Loss

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Health Tip: Warm Up Before You Exercise

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago (HealthDay News) -- Taking a few extra minutes to warm up before your workout can offer many health benefits.

The American Council on Exercise mentions these examples:

Increased core body temperature, which leads to more efficient calorie burning.Muscles are able to contract more quickly and forcefully.More oxygen is sent to the working muscles due to increased metabolic rate.Better elasticity in the muscles, which reduces the risk of injury.Improved muscle control and range of motion in the joints.More comfortable, longer workouts and improved psychological preparedness to exercise.

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Excess maternal weight before and during pregnancy can result in larger babies

ScienceDaily (May 22, 2012) — Excess weight in pregnant women, both before pregnancy and gained during pregnancy, is the main predictor of whether mothers will have larger than average babies, which can result in increased risk of cesarean section or trauma during delivery, states a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

See Also:Health & MedicinePregnancy and ChildbirthDiet and Weight LossInfant's HealthDiabetesFitnessGynecologyReferenceBirth weightBlood sugarDiabetic dietStillbirth

Women with diabetes in pregnancy or gestational diabetes are at increased risk of having a large-for-gestational-age baby. Called macrosomia, it is defined as an infant whose weight is above the 90th percentile of Canadian fetal growth curves, or more than 4 kg. Current clinical practice focuses on managing glucose levels in women with these conditions to reduce the risk of having larger babies. Recent studies have shown a link between maternal glucose levels in women without gestational diabetes and the risk of having a larger baby.

Proposed new criteria suggest lowering the glucose levels for diagnosing gestational diabetes to help identify women who might be at risk of having a large-for-gestational-age baby.

To determine the effects of a variety of maternal factors such as obesity, glucose levels and lipid levels on infant birth weight, researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), University of Toronto, and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, conducted a study with 472 women -- 368 with normal glucose tolerance and 104 with impaired glucose tolerance.

They found that excess weight before pregnancy and the amount of weight gain during pregnancy were the strongest metabolic predictors of whether a woman would have a large-for-gestational-age baby. Elevated glucose levels had a relatively modest impact as did lipid levels.

"Gestational impaired glucose tolerance was not a significant independent predictor of having a large-for-gestational-age infant," writes Dr. Ravi Retnakaran, Mount Sinai Hospital, with coauthors. "Similarly, none of the lipid measures was independently associated with birth weight or large-for-gestational-age infant. These data suggest that maternal weight and its associated circulating factors have a greater impact on infant birth weight than do mild glucose intolerance and lipid levels in women without gestational diabetes."

"In the context of the current obesity epidemic, these data support the importance of targeting healthy body weight in young women as a strategy for reducing the risk of excessive fetal growth and infant macrosomia," conclude the authors. "Furthermore, these findings suggest that, in the care of overweight or obese women in pregnancy, closer monitoring of weight gain during pregnancy may be warranted."

In a related commentary, Dr. Edmond Ryan, University of Alberta, writes, "Recently proposed criteria

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Women Can Waive Test Before Incontinence Surgery: Study

HealthDay – 3 hrs ago WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Many women are sent for pricey bladder-function tests before surgery for urinary incontinence. However, a new study suggests that in many cases these tests are not needed.

The tests are designed for patients with stress urinary incontinence -- a leakage of urine caused by muscle weakness in the pelvis and sphincter. But a team from the Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network found that women who had an office visit alone before their operation experienced results that were similar to women who also had these costly and invasive tests.

Bladder function tests assess how well the bladder, sphincter muscles and urethra store and release urine. The tests, however, averaging about $500 and uncomfortable for patients since many involve the insertion of a catheter or filling the bladder with fluid.

In conducting the study, researchers followed 630 women undergoing surgery for stress urinary incontinence. Half of the women had bladder testing and a checkup before their surgery. The others just had a pre-operative visit to their doctor.

The researchers report that the rate of treatment success -- about 77 percent -- was similar for the women regardless of whether or not they got the pre-op test. There was also no significant difference in the women's quality of life, satisfaction, or ability to empty their bladder completely.

The study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), was published online May 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"The findings of our study argue against routine pre-operative testing in cases of uncomplicated stress urinary incontinence, as the tests provide no added benefit for surgical treatment success but are expensive, uncomfortable, and may result in complications such as urinary tract infections," the study's lead author, Dr. Charles Nager, director of urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery at the University of California, San Diego, said in an NIH news release.

However, one expert believes the tests do have real value.

"Leaking of urine or urinary incontinence is a very common problem, affecting about 50 percent of women," said Dr. Peter Finamore, a urogynecologist at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY. "There are different reasons why women leak urine. The reason why we differentiate the types of urinary incontinence is because of how we treat this problem. Some leaking can be treated with physical therapy, some with medication and some with surgery."

These urodynamic screening methods are "a test on the nerve and muscle function of the bladder," Finamore explained. "It is an important test for patients with urinary incontinence that provides a great deal of valuable information that is essential to determine the appropriate treatment options. The test does have a financial cost, but for those of us who treat urinary incontinence that cost is worth it in order to make the appropriate diagnosis and treat patients properly."

Finamore added that, "the risk of complications such as urinary tract infection following urodynamics is very rare and we often give preventative antibiotics at the time of administering this test."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases provides more information on urinary incontinence in women.

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Suicides have Greeks on edge before election

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Health Tip: Talk to Your Doctor Before You Are Pregnant

HealthDay – 57 mins ago (HealthDay News) -- The foods you eat, your health habits and the medicines you take could ultimately harm your unborn baby -- even before you become pregnant.

So, experts recommend discussing your health with a doctor before you try to conceive.

The Womenshealth.gov website mentions these discussion points:

Your birth control options and family planning.Taking folic acid supplements.Any needed screenings or vaccines, as well as managing any chronic health conditions.Options to improve your general health, including losing weight, becoming more active or quitting smoking.Suggestions for staying healthy, avoiding illness and reducing your exposure to potential hazards.Your family history and any problems during previous pregnancies.

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