Health Tip: Heed the Warning Signs of Heat Exhaustion

HealthDay – 2 hrs 2 mins ago (HealthDay News) -- Some people, including seniors, have a harder-than-average time adjusting to rapid changes in weather.

Chronic medical conditions can make it more difficult for their bodies to adjust to extreme cold or extreme heat. So the elderly should be closely monitored for potential symptoms of heat exhaustion.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this list of possible warning signs:

Sweating heavily or appearing pale.Muscle cramps, headache, vomiting or nausea.Dizziness, weakness, fatigue or fainting.Moist skin that's quite cool to the touch.A weak and fast pulse, or fast and shallow breathing.

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FDA Issues Warning on Controversial MS Treatment

HealthDay – 1 hr 34 mins ago THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors and patients need to be aware of the potential risk of injuries and death associated with an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis called liberation therapy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in an alert issued Thursday.

Liberation therapy is used to treat chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) -- a narrowing of veins in the neck and chest -- believed by some to cause multiple sclerosis (MS) or worsen the disease. They think it does so by impairing blood drainage from the brain and upper spinal cord.

The controversial procedure uses balloon angioplasty devices or stents to widen narrowed veins in the chest and neck. But the FDA has not approved this treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, and the agency said it has learned of deaths, strokes, damage to the treated vein, blood clots, cranial nerve damage, abdominal bleeding, and migration of stents in the body as a result of the treatment.

Also, studies examining a possible link between the two conditions are inconclusive, and the criteria used to diagnose chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency have not been adequately established, the FDA said.

"Because there is no reliable evidence from controlled clinical trials that this procedure is effective in treating MS, FDA encourages rigorously conducted, properly targeted research to evaluate the relationship between CCSVI and MS," Dr. William Maisel, chief scientist and deputy director for science in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in an agency news release.

"Patients are encouraged to discuss the potential risks and benefits of this procedure with a neurologist or other physician who is familiar with MS and CCSVI, including the CCSVI procedures and their outcomes," he added.

MS is a progressive autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system. Its underlying cause is unknown.

The FDA also is notifying doctors and clinical investigators who are planning or conducting clinical trials using medical devices to treat chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency that they must comply with FDA regulations for investigational devices.

Dr. Fred Lublin, director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, welcomed the alert. "The FDA's action is well-founded and provides an important safeguard for individuals with MS," he said.

"There are safety issues with the procedures associated with CCSVI, as detailed in the FDA alert," Lublin said. He also said the very existence of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency is unclear. And, "whether there is any relationship between CCSVI and MS, as either a cause or consequence, is unproven," he added.

Without scientific studies supporting the treatment of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in patients with MS, the procedure cannot be recommended, Lublin said.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about multiple sclerosis.

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Health Tip: Warning Signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

HealthDay – 39 mins ago (HealthDay News) -- Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when inflammation affects tissue and a nerve that runs from the forearm to the fingers through a tunnel-like formation of bones in the wrist.

Long-term repetitive use of the hand can play a role in developing carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as person's age, heredity, hormonal changes and certain medical conditions.

How do you know if you have carpal tunnel? The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers this list of classic symptoms:

Numbness, tingling or pain, especially on the thumb side of the hand.A false feeling of being shocked, especially affecting the thumb and nearby fingers.Pain that radiates toward the shoulder.In severe cases, muscles at the base of the thumb become noticeably distorted.

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