Marion County Medical Center

Health Shorts

January 2003

Headaches To Worry About
A headache can be caused by tension, dilation of blood vessels (migraine or cluster) or inflammation of the sinuses. Most are nothing to worry about. Some headaches, however, are warning signs and require immediate medical attention.

A headache worse than any you've ever had may indicate a ruptured aneurysm or subarachnoid hemorrhage in the head.
A headache that is accompanied by weakness or numbness on one side of the body, visual loss or difficulty speaking could be a sign of a stroke.
A headache that just keeps getting worse over a period of six months or so is often a symptom of a brain tumor, especially if it is worse in the morning and accompanied by other neurological symptoms.
A severe headache that comes on suddenly along with fever and a stiff neck could indicate meningitis.
[SOURCE: Julia Barrett, "Headache," Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 1999]

Information about Headaches
For information about headaches, try the following web sites:

American Council for Headache Education, www.achenet.org
National Headache Foundation, www.headaches.org
Headache Care, www.headachecare.com
World Headache Alliance, www.w-h-a.org
American Headache Society, www.ahsnet.org
JAMA Migraine Information Center, www.ama-assn.org/special/migraine/migraine.htm
Migraine Awareness Group, www.migraines.org

Humming To Relieve Sinusitis?
"If you could hum your way through the day, you would not get sinusitis," wrote Swedish researcher Dr. John Lundberg. Sinusitis occurs when bacteria become trapped in a stale air environment within the sinuses because of blocked nasal passages, usually associated with a cold or allergy. Humming, according to the Swedish scientists, keeps fresh air flowing in the nasal and sinus passages, clearing the openings and helping kill off bacteria.
[SOURCE: "Research Briefs: Humming Could Cure Sinusitis," GP, August 5, 2002; American Thoracic society Journal, July, 2002]

Fiber Is Your Friend
Although some recent studies have called into question the previously held belief that dietary fiber offers protection against colon and rectal cancer, there are many good reasons to continue eating fruits, vegetables and whole grain cereals. Fiber lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of heart disease, keeps bowels regular and protects against gastrointestinal disorders such as diverticulitis.
[SOURCE: Joel Groover, "Fight Cancer with Fiber: Five Servings of Fruits and Vegetables a Day Is Another Excellent Way To Boost Fiber Intake," Vibrant Life, September-October, 2002]

Colorectal Screening Saves Lives
Fecal occult blood testing (FOB), the least expensive and invasive screening test for colorectal cancer, has been found to reduce colorectal cancer deaths by 15 to 33 percent. That's similar to the rate by which mammography reduces breast cancer deaths. Screening with sigmoidoscopy reduces colorectal cancer deaths by 30 percent. Because it examines the entire colon, colonoscopy can be assumed to be more effective than sigmoidoscopy, but it's also more expensive and risky. Colon perforation occurs in about two of every thousand procedures, compared to one of every thousand for sigmoidoscopy.
[SOURCE: "Screening for Colorectal Cancer," Internal Medicine Alert, January 29, 2002; D.F. Ransohoff and R.S. Sandier, NEJM, 2002:346:40-44]

Obesity Increases Women's Risk
A premenopausal woman who is clinically obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more is twice as likely to get colorectal cancer as a woman with a lower BMI, according to data from the Canadian National Breast Screening Study of 89,835 women. After menopause, the risk for obese and non-obese women is about the same.
[SOURCE: "Obese Women Face Higher Colorectal Cancer Risk," Cancer Weekly, October 15, 2002; "Obesity in Women Can Double Risk of Cancer," GP, July 22, 2002]

New Screening Test Being Evaluated
Among new screening methods for colon and rectal cancer being evaluated by researchers is a test involving molecular analysis of a stool sample. The new test has shown promising results in early clinical studies presented at the annual Digest Disease Week meetings. It's still too early to say if and when the test might be available in practice.
[SOURCE: Bruce Jancin, "New Stool Tests for Colon Cancer Being Evaluated," Internal Medicine News, September 15, 2002]

Calcium Good for Bones and Colon
Known to be beneficial for strong bones, calcium may also help keep your colon healthy. A recent study found that individuals who had precancerous polyps removed from their colon lowered their risk of recurrence by 15 to 20 percent when they took 1,200 milligrams of calcium supplements a day. New practice guidelines of the American College of Gastroenterology advise member physicians to consider recommending calcium supplements for patients who have had polyps removed. While taking calcium may be good preventive practice, doctors point out, it is no substitute for regular screening tests such as fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
[SOURCE:"Considering Calcium for Colon Cancer Prevention," Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, January, 2003]

Don't Fall for Weight Loss Fraud
Everyone is looking for a fast, easy way to lose weight, and that's why there are so many fraudulent weight loss products touted on the Internet and elsewhere. Unfortunately, there is no known way to lose weight effortlessly. Products that produce weight loss by speeding your metabolism or inducing water loss may threaten your health and should be taken only if prescribed by a physician. Beware of ads based on testimonials; they are no substitute for solid scientific evidence. And the fact that a product is "all natural" does not mean it is either safe or effective.
[SOURCE: Paul R. Thomas, Ed.D., R.D., "10 Weight Loss Promises That Spell F-R-A-U-D," Yahoo Health, December 23, 2002]

The High Cost of Eating Out
Subjects opting for restaurant or takeout meals at least five days a week consumed about 300 calories a day more than subjects eating out less frequently, according to one study. Over a year, those excess calories could add up to a weight gain of 15 to 20 pounds.
[SOURCE: Susan D. Moores, R.D., "Best Brown-Bag Lunches," Yahoo Health, December 24, 2002]

Native Climate Influences Metabolism
If your ancestors came from chilly Scandinavia your metabolism may differ from that of a person who hails from a tropical clime. A recent study concluded that persons whose ancestral roots are from cold climates have gene adaptations that allow their bodies to produce more heat while burning calories compared to those from warm regions, who make more efficient use of energy, producing little heat. Other studies have shown that native people living in arctic regions have a higher resting metabolism. These differences in genetic makeup "could be contributing to modern bioenergetic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases as people move to new regions and adopt new lifestyles," the authors wrote.
[SOURCE: Douglas C. Wallace, et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2002;10,1073; "Native Climate May Influence How Body Burns Energy," Reuters Health, December 24, 2002]

Join the Slow Food Movement
The Slow Food movement, started in 1986 by a group of Italians protesting the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Rome, is now a worldwide organization with 65,000 members. The goal is to preserve local food and wine traditions against international "standardization," but there are also health benefits. When you eat on the run, you may choose an "extra value" meal that is poor value nutritionally. You are also likely to eat fast without paying attention to the flavors and textures and without getting full pleasure from what you eat. To compensate, you're tempted to load up on snacks later. Once you've had enough to eat, it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get that message to your stomach. In the meantime, you may have wolfed down several hundred extra calories.
[SOURCE: "Entering a 'Slow Food' State of Mind," Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, February, 2003; Slowfood.com]

Gastric Bypass: Not for Everybody
Al Roker of the Today Show is one of increasing numbers of Americans opting for gastric bypass surgery-recommended only for individuals who are at least 100 pounds overweight. The procedure involves stapling the stomach so that food can enter only a small compartment, about the size of an egg. About 80,000 gastric bypasses are performed each year, but the fatality rate is 1 in 200. With time, the stomach pouch gets bigger again, so it's essential that the patient establish a regimen of healthy eating and exercise to maintain the weight loss.
[SOURCE: Michelle Tauber, "100 & Counting: A New Day Dawns for Today's Al Roker, Who Speaks Candidly about the Gastric Bypass surgery That Transformed His Life," People Weekly, November 18, 2002]

Health Shorts

January 2003

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