Black American Men Have High Rates of HIV Infection: Study

HealthDay – 1 hr 41 mins ago MONDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds disturbingly high rates of new HIV infections among American black men who are gay or bisexual, particularly those aged 30 and younger.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

Researchers with the HIV Prevention Trials Network looked at nearly 1,600 black gay and bisexual men in six cities -- Atlanta, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. -- between 2009 and 2011.

The overall rate of new HIV infection among the men was 2.8 percent per year, which is nearly 50 percent higher than in white gay and bisexual men in the United States. The rate among black gay and bisexual men 30 and younger was 5.9 percent per year.

The overall rate of new HIV infection among black gay and bisexual men in the United States is comparable to rates in the general populations of countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have been hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The study was to be presented Monday at the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

"We have known that black

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Black American Men Have High Rates of HIV Infection: Study

HealthDay – 1 hr 40 mins ago MONDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds disturbingly high rates of new HIV infections among American black men who are gay or bisexual, particularly those aged 30 and younger.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

Researchers with the HIV Prevention Trials Network looked at nearly 1,600 black gay and bisexual men in six cities -- Atlanta, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. -- between 2009 and 2011.

The overall rate of new HIV infection among the men was 2.8 percent per year, which is nearly 50 percent higher than in white gay and bisexual men in the United States. The rate among black gay and bisexual men 30 and younger was 5.9 percent per year.

The overall rate of new HIV infection among black gay and bisexual men in the United States is comparable to rates in the general populations of countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have been hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The study was to be presented Monday at the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

"We have known that black

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Alarming Whooping Cough Rates May Hit a Record High

she said, adding that the country may see record high pertussis rates this year. Nine deaths from whooping cough have been reported this year so far among roughly 18,000 cases that have reported to the CDC.

Schuchat said a number of factors are driving the increase. The disease is cyclical, she noted, with peaks and valleys that happen about every three to five years. Immunity to the vaccine could diminish over time. A rise in diagnoses and reporting of cases may influence the data as well.

Schuchat stopped short of blaming vaccine delayers and abstainers for the increase in cases. She said she’s aware of pockets around the country with large numbers of unvaccinated people, but added,

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Bounty mutiny descendants have low rates of myopia: study

"A girl has her eyes checked at a local optician's shop in Singapore in 2000. Descendants of a British mutiny who have lived for generations in the Pacific have among the lowest rates of myopia in the world, according to an Australian study. (AFP Photo/Alex Tan)" title

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Dutch Euthanasia Rates Unchanged After Legalization

HealthDay – 1 hr 2 mins ago TUESDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- The rates of euthanasia and assisted suicide in the Netherlands in 2010 were comparable to the rates before the practices became legal in 2002, a new study finds.

In euthanasia, a doctor administers lethal drugs to a patient who has requested that his or her life be ended. In assisted suicide, a patient self-administers lethal drugs provided by a doctor.

Researchers analyzed the Netherlands' death-registry data and found that the total number of euthanasia and assisted-suicide deaths in 2010 was 4,050, slightly less than 3 percent of all deaths.

The rates of euthanasia and assisted suicide in the Netherlands decreased between 2002 and 2005, but increased between 2005 and 2010. The increase was due largely to a rise in the number of patients requesting to end their lives, the researchers said.

The study was published online July 10 in the journal The Lancet.

Contrary to concerns expressed by critics, these findings show that "the frequency of physicians ending a patient's life in the absence of an explicit request does not seem to be increased in countries where euthanasia is legalized," lead author Bregje Onwuteaka-Philipsen, a professor at the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, said in a journal news release. "In the Netherlands, it decreased significantly."

Euthanasia is legal in three countries: the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Assisted suicide is legal in the aforementioned countries, as well as in Switzerland and the U.S. states of Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Dr. Bernard Lo, director of the program in medical ethics at the University of California, San Francisco, said in an accompanying editorial that the researchers should be commended "for their careful, rigorous study."

"But additional information from in-depth interviews in cases that raise ethical concerns is needed," said Lo, who also is president of the Greenwall Foundation, a bioethics research-funding foundation in New York City.

"How do physicians think through these difficult cases? What key ethical or clinical concepts are uncertain, misunderstood or might need modification? How do doctors talk with patients and families about these cases, and are there missed opportunities to improve such discussions?" Lo said. "By answering these questions, physicians can improve the quality of care for dying patients and their families irrespective of their views on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide."

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging offers a guide on comfort and care for people nearing death.

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Asthma Rates Higher Near Busy Highway

HealthDay – Fri, Jun 29, 2012 FRIDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Residents of homes that are located near congested highways have higher rates of asthma, new research finds.

Living close to a busy highway was not linked to seasonal allergies, which suggests that emissions from cars could increase the risk for inflammatory lung disease, researchers from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in New York said.

Researchers investigated the prevalence of asthma among 62 Brooklyn residents living close to Interstate 278, also known as the Gowanus Expressway, and those living in the same area but farther from the highway. The researchers found higher rates of asthma among the people living closer to the Interstate.

"Our participants were randomly recruited and we observed that the patients who reported asthma live significantly closer to the Gowanus Expressway, compared to the healthy controls who live in the same area, but at a longer distance from the Gowanus," Dr. Maria-Anna Vastardi, of SUNY Downstate, said in a university news release.

The study was to be presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting in Orlando. The research was also published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on asthma.

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Phthalate, environmental chemical is linked to higher rates of childhood obesity

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2012) — Obese children show greater exposure than nonobese children to a phthalate, a chemical used to soften plastics in some children's toys and many household products, according to a new study, which found that the obesity risk increases according to the level of the chemical found in the bloodstream.

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The study will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

The chemical, di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), is a common type of phthalate, a group of industrial chemicals that are suspected endocrine disruptors, or hormone-altering agents.

In the study, children with the highest DEHP levels had nearly five times the odds of being obese compared with children who had the lowest DEHP levels, study co-author Mi Jung Park, MD, PhD, said.

"Although this study cannot prove causality between childhood obesity and phthalate exposure, it alerts the public to recognize the possible harm and make efforts to reduce this exposure, especially in children," said Park, a pediatric endocrinologist in Seoul, Korea, at Sanggye Paik Hospital and professor at Inje University College of Medicine.

Phthalates are found in some pacifiers, plastic food packages, medical equipment and building materials such as vinyl flooring, and even in nonplastic personal care products, including soap, shampoo and nail polish.

Prior research has shown that phthalates may change gene expression associated with fat metabolism, according to Dr. Park. Because past research suggested a link between concentrations of phthalate metabolites and increased waist size in adults, her group studied a possible connection with childhood obesity.

Dr.Park and colleagues measured serum levels of DEHP in 204 children: 105 obese and 99 healthy-weight youth ages 6 to 13 years. The researchers divided these DEHP measurements into four groups from the lowest detectable level (40.2 nanograms per milliliter, or ng/mL) to the highest (69.7 to 177.1 ng/mL).

They found that the obese children had a significantly higher average DEHP level than did the nonobese controls (107 versus 53.8 ng/mL, respectively). In particular, a high DEHP level correlated with body mass index and percentage of fat mass. This increased risk of obesity with elevation of DEHP levels was independent of factors such as physical activity and daily calorie intake, according to the authors.

"More research in people is needed to determine whether DEHP exposure contributes to childhood obesity," Dr.Park said.

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Get Affordable Rates On Dental Emergency Treatment

June 13, 2012 by admin

Dental insurance cover in Edgewater, NJ is one of the most sought after insurances in the United States today. Many companies offer this type of insurance but to get a good deal, you have to shop around. There are a couple of things you need to consider when looking for dental insurance. Some of these are discussed below:

First, you need to know who is in charge of making decisions on your treatments. Is it you and the dentist or is treatment predetermined in the dental insurance policy? Also, find out whether you will get to choose your own dentist or will have to use one in the network stipulated by the insurance company.

Another thing you have to consider is what dental procedures the cover will cater for and which ones you will have to pay for. No dental plan provides a 100% cover but with proper research on the internet, you can get yourself an affordable package. Talk to your dentist in Edgewater if you are looking for recommendations on good insurance firms.

In addition, you need to be conversant with the standard fees charged for different procedures by dentists Edgewater NJ firms. This will protect you from overpaying for the insurance or treatment. When you know the standard fee, you will then have a yardstick to measure whether what you are being charged under the policy is fair.

Other useful things to find out as you choose a plan is whether it covers you alone or with your family. Try to get a policy that also covers your family as this will be cheaper in the long run. Also, find out whether your preferred dentist Edgewater NJ firm offers financing for the procedures you are likely to undertake. You can easily find affordable dentist Edgewater NJ insurance policies on the internet.

Dental

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As Obesity Rates Rise, Cases of Kidney Stones Double: Study

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Night Staffing With Critical Care Docs May Lower ICU Death Rates

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Keeping obesity rates level could save nearly $550 billion over 2 decades

 ShareKeeping Obesity Rates Level Could Save Nearly $550 Billion Over 2 DecadesScienceDaily (May 7, 2012) — Researchers have forecast the cost savings and rise in obesity prevalence over the next two decades in a new public health study.

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"Keeping obesity rates level could yield a savings of nearly $550 billion in medical expenditures over the next two decades," according to lead author Eric Finkelstein, PhD, associate research professor in the Duke Global Health Institute, as well as deputy director in the Health Services Research Program at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore.

The forecasting study also found that 42 percent of the U.S. population could be obese by 2030.

The findings suggest the U.S. health care system could be burdened with 32 million more obese people within two decades. Action is needed to keep rates from increasing further, according to the research from Duke University, RTI International, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The study, based on data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other organizations, was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine on May 7.

The study also forecasts an increase in the number of individuals with severe obesity, with rates rising to 11 percent by 2030. Severe obesity is defined as a body mass index over 40 or roughly 100 pounds overweight.

Severely obese individuals are at highest risk for the health conditions caused by excess weight, resulting in substantially greater medical expenditures and rates of absenteeism.

"Should these forecasts prove accurate, the adverse health and cost consequences of obesity are likely to continue to escalate without a significant intervention," notes senior author Justin Trogdon, PhD, of RTI.

The study was released May 7 at CDC's Weight of the Nation conference in Washington, D.C.

"We know more than ever about the most successful strategies that will help Americans live healthier, more active lives and reduce obesity rates and medical costs," said William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

"People need to make healthy choices, but the healthy choices must first be available and accessible in order to make them," Dietz said. "In the coming days at our Weight of the Nation conference, CDC and its partners will emphasize the proven, effective strategies and solutions that must continue to be applied to help make the healthy choice the easy choice."

On May 8, a set of potential solutions will be released at the CDC conference. The Institute of Medicine will issue a new report, "Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation," which provides the results of a comprehensive review of obesity prevention-related recommendations. The report will identify strategies and action steps that have the greatest potential to speed up progress in combating the obesity crisis.

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Rising Obesity Rates Might Mean More Rheumatoid Arthritis

HealthDay – Fri, May 4, 2012 FRIDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- A new study suggests that severe weight gain might raise the risk for rheumatoid arthritis -- a painful, chronic ailment -- especially among obese women.

The epidemiological research indicated that about half of the increase in rheumatoid arthritis cases in one Minnesota county may be linked to rising obesity rates there over three decades.

"The findings outline yet another disease, or disease group, associated with the current obesity epidemic," said study co-author Dr. Sherine Gabriel. "We are likely to see an increasing incidence of rheumatoid arthritis as a result of the increasing prevalence of obesity if we don't address this health crisis."

Moreover, the research suggested that obesity precedes the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, said Gabriel, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The impact of obesity on rheumatoid arthritis risk appeared greater for women in the study, which may be due to the fact that women get the disease three times more often than men. Men often develop the condition later in life, according to the Arthritis Foundation.

The study, conducted at the Mayo Clinic from 1985 to 2007, appeared online recently in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects about 1.3 million Americans, or 1 percent of the U.S. population, according to Arthritis Foundation figures. The autoimmune disorder attacks joint tissues and sometimes organs, causing swelling, inflammation, fever and fatigue. The condition can develop at any time, but it usually develops between the ages of 30 and 60.

The illness is influenced by both genetics and environmental factors, according to background information in the study.

The new research was focused on Olmsted County, Minn., where records of all medical providers have been collected on every resident in one database for decades, Gabriel said.

Adults who developed rheumatoid arthritis were matched with other people based on age, sex and year of diagnosis. Of the 813 people with the disease and another 813 without it, 68 percent were women and about 30 percent were obese. Their average age was 56.

Researchers reported that during the study the incidence of the disease increased by about nine people per 100,000, and 52 percent of the change was attributable to obesity.

Obesity rates in the United States have risen steadily, from about 10 percent of the population in 1980 to almost 36 percent of adults in 2007, according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 17 percent of children are obese, the agency's data shows.

Commenting on the new findings, one expert expressed concerns about increasing rates of rheumatoid arthritis fueled by rising obesity rates, but agreed with the study's conclusion that more research was needed because the Minnesota group was not racially diverse. Olmsted County is 90 percent white, according to the study.

"The study was pretty well done," said Dr. Olivia Ghaw, a rheumatologist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. But "the population was limited to one county, so I'm not sure the results can be extrapolated to the entire country."

Ghaw said that because rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease and obesity has been linked to inflammation, a connection between rising rates of both seemed likely.

"The increase in rheumatoid arthritis is troubling," she said. "Obesity confers a greater risk of inflammatory disease" because certain chemicals in fat cells promote inflammation in the body.

Ghaw also cautioned that treating obese patients for rheumatoid arthritis might be more difficult because they may not respond as well to the medications due to "a chronic inflammatory state."

On a positive note, she said the research showed that some patients may be able to prevent the disease by keeping their weight down.

Although the study found an association between obesity rates and rheumatoid arthritis, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

To learn more about rheumatoid arthritis, visit the Arthritis Foundation.

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Mental Illness Tied to Higher Rates of Physical Problems: Report

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Tax Day May Drive Up Fatal Crash Rates

HealthDay – 2 mins 43 secs ago TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- The upcoming income tax filing deadline might be taxing in more ways than one for Americans: A new study suggests that fatal crashes jump on Tax Day, possibly as a result of last-minute filers carelessly rushing to the post office to mail their returns.

The study's lead author said the research indicates that "stressful deadlines lead to driver distraction and human error."

"Almost all of these crashes could have been totally avoided by a small change in driver behavior. An awareness of this risk could lead to better road safety," said Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.

But others who study traffic said it's hard to understand what the findings mean since other possibilities, such as more cars on the road, rather than lots of people too revved up to pay attention, could drive up crash statistics on Uncle Sam's big pay day.

"The problem with announcing that any one day has a greater-than-normal number of traffic crashes is that often, when adjusted for the higher number of travelers, the crash rate isn't actually higher than a typical weekend day," said Tom Vanderbilt, author of the book "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)."

For the new study, published in the April 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Redelmeier and a colleague examined a database of fatal U.S. traffic accidents from 1980 to 2009. They looked specifically at crashes on the date taxes were due and the same day the week before and the week after.

While the federal government's typical filing deadline is April 15, it falls on Tuesday, April 17, this year.

Although the risk of dying on Tax Day is extremely small, it's a bit higher than on the other days. The researchers found an average of 226 fatal accidents on annual tax-due days compared to 213 on the other days. The increased risk is about 6 percent.

Increased risk was greatest for people younger than 65, the researchers said.

Redelmeier, who has investigated traffic fatality rates on other special days, said Tax Day is about as risky on the roads as Super Bowl Sunday. In 2008, he also reported that fatal crashes are more likely during polling hours on presidential election days, compared to other Tuesdays around the same time.

He said he thinks stress is the accelerator here. "It doesn't just hold on Tax Day but might also hold to other distinctly stressful times, such as when you're going through a divorce or something is wrong with your child or you've just lost your job," he said.

Chandra Bhat, a professor of transportation engineering at University of Texas at Austin, raised questions about the study. For one thing, he said, the study finds that people under the age of 18 are involved in more fatal crashes on Tax Day. It's not clear if they're passengers or drivers, he said, adding that if they're drivers, it's unlikely the crash increase is related to the tax deadline.

"Traffic accidents are such relatively rare events that a one-day period of observation may be inadequate to make conclusive observations," Bhat cautioned. "While I appreciate that the analysis design followed by the authors is quite good and that the authors have considered several years in their analysis, I still would be somewhat cautious in drawing conclusions."

Since the study didn't account for factors such as sleep deprivation, the authors recommend additional research that would ultimately beef up efforts aimed at prevention.

For now, they said, drivers should be reminded to wear seat belts, drive the posted speed limit and avoid alcohol on April 17.

More information

For more about traffic safety, see the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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Suicide rates rising among Canadian girls: study

Reuters – 15 hrs ago (Reuters) - Suicide rates for female teens and pre-teens in Canada rose over the past few decades even though the overall number of youths who took their own lives was dropping, according to a Canadian study that covered nearly 30 years.

Researchers whose findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal also noted a change in the preferred methods of suicide, from guns or poisons to suffocation by strangulation.

"Our message is that all suicide is a tragedy and the trend is very disturbing," said lead author Robin Skinner, an epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada in Ottawa.

In 1980, 0.6 per 100,000 girls between the ages of 10 to 14 committed suicide, rising to 0.9 per 100,000 in 2008. But among girls 15 to 19 years old, the rate rose from 3.7 per 100,000 in 1980 to 6.2 per 100,000 in 2008.

Overall, suicide is the second leading cause of death for Canadians between 10 and 19 years old, after accidents.

Skinner told Reuters Health there was a small improvement in suicide rates for all Canadians in that age group between 1980 and 2008.

Whereas 6.2 of every 100,000 young Canadians killed themselves in 1980, the rate fell to 5.2 per 100,000 in 2008 -- in general, a 1 percent annual decline over nearly three decades.

The group found there was no significant change in the suicide rate for boys 10 to 14 years old. In 2008, 1.6 per 100,000 committed suicide. But the rate for those aged 15 to 19 fell considerably, from 19 per 100,000 in 1980 to 6.2 per 100,000 in 2008.

The study did not examine why the rates for girls increased over the 28-year period, or why that of boys dropped, but they did point out a steady rise among both sexes in deaths by suffocation.

Previous research has found that young people perceive hanging to be a "clean, quick and painless method" of suicide, according to the authors.

In addition, they write, a so-called "hocking game" has grown in popularity among kids and teens during the study period. It involves either strangling the throat or applying pressure to the chest to achieve euphoria from oxygen deprivation.

"The 'game' can turn deadly if the participant being choked is physiologically susceptible or if the pressure is not released quickly enough after the loss of consciousness," Skinner's team wrote.

"Deaths resulting from the 'choking game' have the potential to be misclassified as suicides, especially when the 'game' is played alone."

A commentary by Laurence Kirmayer, of the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal, that accompanied the study suggested the increase in suicides among girls might be explained by the more lethal methods being used to attempt suicide in general.

"Girls tended to use poisoning not gunshots, hanging is potentially more lethal than poisoning, partly because people often use sublethal doses of pills or other substances," he told Reuters Health in an email. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/HdqVhu and http://bit.ly/Hj1ugM

(Reporting from New York by Andrew Seaman at Reuters Health; Editing by Elaine Lies and Paul Tait)

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Melanoma Rates On the Rise Among Young Adults: Study

HealthDay – 1 hr 44 mins ago SUNDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- New research highlights a dramatic increase in the rates of melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer, among young adults, with young women being hit the hardest.

According to the study, the incidence of melanoma increased eightfold among young women and fourfold among young men from 1970 through 2009.

The findings come from a population-based study by Mayo Clinic researchers using records from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a decades-long database of all patient care in Olmsted County, Minn. The researchers looked for first-time diagnoses of melanoma in patients 18 to 39 from 1970 to 2009.

Dermatologists said these findings mirror what they are seeing in their own practices.

And the study researchers pointed to the rise in the use of indoor tanning beds as one of the main reasons behind the trend, but childhood sunburns and ultraviolet (UV) exposure in adulthood may also contribute to melanoma risk. The findings appear in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Although the rates of melanoma have increased, the study did show that fewer people are dying from skin cancer. Researchers credit early detection of skin cancer and prompt medical care for the improved survival rates.

"People are now more aware of their skin and of the need to see a doctor when they see changes," Mayo Clinic dermatologist Dr. Jerry Brewer said in a statement. "As a result, many cases may be caught before the cancer advances to a deep melanoma, which is harder to treat."

Dr. Jennifer Stein, an assistant professor at the Ronald O. Perelman department of dermatology at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said that she is seeing a lot of young people, especially young women, with melanoma.

"Skin cancer awareness is up, and even though there is lots of information about the dangers of tanning beds, people still use them," Stein said.

Other risks for melanoma include a family or personal history of melanoma and large numbers of unusual looking moles. "People who have had a melanoma are at higher risk for having another," she said. "It is important to check your own skin at home and come in to see a skin doctor if you ever see anything you are worried about it."

How can you tell? Look for moles that follow the ABCD rule, said Dr. Alicia Terando, a surgical oncologist at Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital in Columbus. "'A' stands for asymmetry, meaning that one half of the mole is a different size than the other. 'B' is for border irregularity. 'C' stands for color. Melanomas are often brown, tan and black. The 'D' is for diameter. Most melanomas are greater than 6 millimeters in size. "A melanoma is the mole that stands out," she said. "It's the ugly duckling."

"Prevention is also important," Stein said. "Take precautions when in the sun, including wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sun-protective clothing and applying and reapplying sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays."

Dr. Kavita Mariwalla, director of Mohs and Dermatological Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, is concerned about the rising rates of skin cancer in young women.

"People know they should wear sunscreen and should not get burned, but there is a disconnect between that and tanning bed use," Mariwalla said. Tans are also being glamorized on reality shows like "Jersey Shore," she added.

As it stands, 36 states restrict indoor tanning use by minors. California became the first state to prohibit the use of indoor tanning devices for everyone under the age of 18, and many other states are considering such bans, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association, a trade group based in Washington, D.C., said that indoor tanning bed use shouldn't be singled out as a cause for the rise in skin cancer rates.

"The study itself has almost nothing to do with indoor tanning and the links they cite to indoor tanning are nothing but speculation," he said. "They attempt to make indoor tanning the story while ignoring other possible risk factors such as sunburning outdoors, sunscreens that for several decades did not block UVA, the more deeply penetrating ultraviolet wavelength, and more frequent travel to sunny vacations locations over the last decade where severe sunburns are more likely to occur."

More information

Learn more about melanoma at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

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Weight Loss Surgery Proving a Valuable Tool to Combat Rising Obesity Rates

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Dec
2011 Obesity in adults and children leads to conditions like heart disease, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. With current obesity rates reaching what the American Center for Disease Control (CDC) calls a widespread epidemic, people are finding that diet & exercise alone are not always enough.

(1888PressRelease) December 21, 2011 - With North American obesity numbers on the rise, the number of people looking to weight loss surgery for relief is also on the rise. In Canada, nearly one in four residents are considered obese. That number increases to one in three for the American public.

For the past two decades, obesity rates have increased significantly in Canada and the United States. The rate of increase for men was 10 per cent in Canada and 12 per cent in the United States. It was slightly less for women.

The trend shows no signs of easing as a recent study of 34 OECD countries put the United States and Canada in the top 3 countries with the highest childhood obesity rates. In Canada that number is one in four, with an even higher rate in the United States.

For adults as well as children, being overweight or obese can have a devastating effect on their health. Diabetes, heart disease, metabolic disorders, high blood pressure, joint problems, sleep apnea, and other chronic health problems are common conditions related to being severely overweight. Not to mention the tremendous negative emotional and psychological impact of simply carrying a few extra pounds.

It is clear that an active lifestyle combined with a healthy diet is the key to maintaining a healthy body weight. What isn't clear is how a severely overweight or obese person gets to a BMI or Body Mass Index that can be maintained with diet and exercise.

Losing a large amount of weight in the form of excess body fat is a daunting task. With a large majority of this group already experiencing health problems, the chances of success without surgical intervention are low.

A number of surgical interventions are available. Of these, gastric banding or laparoscopic banding has proven to be the best choice with high success rates and a much lower risk of complications. Laparoscopic banding is a minimally invasive operation with a lower rate of operative complications than gastric bypass. It has demonstrated its effectiveness and is proven to be the best and safest choice for most weight loss surgery candidates.

While there are plenty of clinics offering gastric banding surgery throughout North America, a potential candidate should choose their provider wisely. The experience of the surgeons, effectiveness of the program, aftercare and support should all play a role when you're deciding who to trust with your health.
Leaders in the field like Slimband have performed thousands of gastric banding surgeries. They have experienced surgeons as well as the dedicated support staff needed to ensure success. The whole process from assessment to surgery to aftercare and support needs to be seamlessly delivered to ensure the best results. Weight loss surgery leaders like Slimband should be your first choice when considering your weight loss surgery options. The Slimband surgical weight loss clinic has one of the most active gastric banding programs in the world with over 6,000 surgeries performed to date.

The surgery itself involves the placement of a gastric lap band around the top of the stomach in order to reduce the volume of food the stomach can hold. This reduces the amount of food that can be ingested, curbs hunger, and leads to significant weight loss.

Many studies have been conducted that review the effectiveness and safety of weight loss via gastric banding. The results are promising:

- The average gastric banding patient loses 1 - 2 pounds per week consistently

- The average band patient loses about 50 per cent of their excess weight within a year of undergoing the operation

-Lower mortality rate versus gastric bypass surgery
-Reversible - the stomach will return to normal size if the band is removed
-No cutting or stapling of the stomach
-Outpatient procedure
-Fast recovery
-The band can be easily adjusted (filled)
-Fewer complications versus gastric bypass surgery

As with any surgery there are potential complications, though considerably lower incidence as compared to gastric bypass.

-Standard risks associated with outpatient surgery
-Productive burping
-Ulceration
-Gastritis
-Nausea and vomiting
-Gastric band slippage
-Stoma obstruction

John C. of Toronto had a gastric band inserted 3 years ago by Slimband because of high blood pressure and concerns over diabetes. He dropped over 150 pounds and now maintains his weight with proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

"Slimband gave me the tools that allowed me to build a future that looks brighter than I ever thought possible. The combination of the Slimband, as well as the nutritional and lifestyle coaching they provided has helped me go from 408 pounds all the way down to 258 pounds, and I've kept it off for 2 years! I don't have any more back or joint pain, and my edema, as well as risk for type 2 diabetes, are things of the past. More than ever I feel confident knowing that this time my past struggles with weight will actually stay in the past."

If you are a potential candidate for weight loss surgery, consider your options carefully when choosing your gastric banding clinic. Your weight loss success and higher quality of life are in their hands.

For further information, please contact the Slimband Clinic of Toronto at 1.800.700.7373, or visit their website at www.slimband.com They are located at 64 Prince Arthur Ave.

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M5R 1B4

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Report: US cancer rates continue downward trend

Cancer rates in the U.S. continue to fall, according to a report released Wednesday.

The rate of new cancer cases has been inching down at a rate of about half a percent each year since 1999. And the overall cancer death rate has dropped by 1.5 percent annually in adults and 1.7 percent in children.

"This is good news," said Dr. Marcus Plescia of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of four organizations that worked on the report. "There has been positive momentum for several years now and that continues."

The figures come from a report issued annually since 1998 by a group of government agencies and other organizations, including the CDC and the American Cancer Society. The new report includes nearly every cancer case reported in the United States through 2008.

Health officials say cancer rates have been going down thanks to better screening, treatment advances, and efforts to prevent some cancers by reducing smoking and other unhealthy behaviors.

One pay-off from anti-smoking efforts: In 2008, for the second consecutive year, lung cancer death rates declined for women. Lung cancer death rates for men have been falling since the 1990s.

Prostate cancer death rates continued to fall, and colon cancer death rates for men and women continued to drop. Rates of new cases of those diseases fell, too.

The breast cancer death rate also continues to decline, but the rate of new breast cancer cases

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Obesity Rates Rise Among Mexican-Americans: Report

HealthDay – 39 mins ago WEDNESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- The obesity rate among Mexican-American adults aged 20 to 74 increased from about 21 percent to nearly 35 percent between 1982 and 2006, a new federal report reveals.

In addition, the analysis of data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) and the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that Mexican-American adults born in the United States had a higher rate of obesity than those born outside the country.

And the obesity situation does not seem to be improving, based on the results of a recent NHANES study that reported that obesity prevalence had increased in 2009-2010 to over 40 percent among Mexican-American adults over 20 years of age, according to a news release from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The new findings, published Wednesday in the CDC's National Health Statistics Reports, also revealed that the diabetes rate among Mexican-Americans aged 20 to 74 rose from 9.7 percent to 13.7 percent during the 1982-2006 study period.

Cheryl Fryar, of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, and colleagues noted that women consumed more carbohydrates than men in all the survey years but, overall, the consumption of carbohydrates increased from nearly 46 percent to 51 percent of calories among Mexican-American men and women.

Other findings on dietary and health changes among Mexican-Americans over the 25-year period include:

Protein consumption declined from about 17.3 percent to 15.8 percent of calories, and total fat intake decreased from 35.5 percent to under 32 percent of calories.The prevalence of high blood pressure remained relatively stable during the study period at about 22 percent.The percentage of Mexican-American adults with cavities fell from 90 percent to 83 percent.

"Monitoring trends in diet and health conditions among Mexican-American adults can inform the development of targeted prevention efforts to improve the health of this rapidly increasing population," the authors concluded in the report.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about Mexican American health.

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