Health Headlines - May 21

Some Eating Disorder Web Sites Discourage Recovery: Study

A visit to a typical "pro-ana" Web site -- an online forum for anorexics -- tells a disturbing story. Photos of rake-thin women are everywhere; a shot of one emaciated model, her bones protruding, is emblazoned "Feel Sexy, Join [the] ProAna Movement."

Was Ear Disorder's Link to Pregnancy a Nazi Plot?

For the last 66 years, doctors have been taught that pregnancy can worsen a hearing-loss disease in women.

Booze, Smoking Open Lungs to Pneumonia

Heavy-drinking smokers have a new reason to kick both habits: A study in rats finds that exposure to cigarette smoke exacerbates alcohol's effect in speeding the dangerous bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae toward the lungs.

Narcotic Painkillers Work Best on Elderly

Daily aches and discomfort may become more common with age, but elderly Americans shouldn't have to increase their dosage of narcotic pain relievers to keep up with the pain, researchers report.

Tracking the Lyme Bug's Every Move

Scientists have gleaned new insights into how the Lyme disease bacteria invades the human body.

High-Risk Types Not Heeding Skin Cancer Warnings

People at high risk for deadly melanoma skin cancer are no more likely to protect themselves against the sun than other people, Canadian researchers report.

Chickens to Be Used to Detect West Nile

Sentinel chickens will be used throughout North Dakota as a warning system for West Nile virus, the state Health Department says.

Arizona Declares Whooping Cough Outbreak

The Arizona Department of Health Services has declared a statewide outbreak of whooping cough and has requested money to buy booster vaccines and antibiotics to fight the contagious disease.

Miss. Patients Face Transplant Obstacles

Adult Mississippi Medicaid patients who need liver or lung transplants are being told they might not get the lifesaving organs they need unless they move to another state and sign up for Medicaid there.

Surgeon Goes From 'Brilliant' to Banned

As a young surgeon in upstate New York, Jayant Patel was a rising star, called "brilliant" by the doctors who trained him.

Nearly 1 in 10 Ga. Deaths Obesity-Related

Being overweight contributes to nearly one in 10 deaths in Georgia, a state health study found. Obesity has been climbing about 3 percent each year among Georgia adults and nearly 60 percent of adults were either overweight or obese in 2002, according to the study by the Georgia Division of Public Health.

Bush would veto House bill on stem cells

President Bush threatened on Friday to veto legislation that would loosen restrictions on government funding of embryonic stem cell research and expressed concern about human cloning research in South Korea.

Rifaximin protects against Montezuma's revenge

The antibiotic rifaximin seems to be effective for preventing travelers' diarrhea, not just for treating the problem, according to a new report.

Food Fact:
Go with the grain.

Older women who eat the right amount of whole grains cut their risk of a fatal heart attack significantly. At ages 55 - 69, women who eat whole grains for at least three of their daily carbohydrate servings were found to be in better heart health during the next 10 years. Whole grain breads, crackers and cereals -- made from grains that have not been stripped of their bran and germ -- protect against heart disease and diabetes. It's unclear which part of the whole grain -- the fiber, the vitamin E, the folate, the magnesium or some of the health-protective phytochemicals -- provides the health benefits. Read labels carefully. Look for "whole-grain" or "whole-wheat flour" as the first or second ingredient.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Prestretch routines.

Do you know the one thing you should always do before stretching? To prevent injury you should perform at least 10-15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (walking, biking) prior to stretching. Never stretch a "cold muscle" -- one that does not have sufficient blood flowing through the tissue to be stretched.

FAQ of the day:
Does fiber prevent colon cancer?

Many studies find a link between higher fiber intake and lower colon cancer risk, but not all do. It's possible that it's the cancer-fighting phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables rather than the fiber that are most protective. But one thing seems clear: People who eat more fiber-rich fruits and vegetables have much lower risk of colon cancer.