Health Headlines - January 2

Art Therapy Eases Cancer Patients' Anxieties: Research

Drawing, painting or doing pottery appears to help cancer patients feel less tired and anxious, according to new U.S. research.

A group of 50 cancer sufferers who underwent art therapy also reported less pain, depression, drowsiness, loss of appetite and breathlessness immediately after their sessions, the Telegram reported.

Dr Judith Paice, director of the Cancer Pain Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and one of the study's authors, said: "Our study provides beginning evidence for the important role art therapy can play in reducing symptoms. It provides a distraction that allows patients to focus on something positive instead of their health.

The researchers, whose study is published in the American Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, used one-hour art therapy sessions to measure nine symptoms on a 0-10 scale -- pain, tiredness, nausea, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, lack of appetite, shortness of breath and overall well-being.

Participants could choose from activities that included pottery, collage, drawing, painting and making jewelry. Those who were unable to use their hands or were not comfortable using the art materials were able to direct an art therapist to do the work for them.

All the patients showed statistically significant improvements in eight out of the nine symptom categories: The level of tiredness across the group dropped from 4.4 out of 10 to 2.9. Anxiety levels fell from 3.1 to 1.8. Pain, depression, drowsiness, loss of appetite and breathlessness all dropped by between six and 10 per cent, while overall well-being went up from 2.7 out of 10 to 3.7.

Medicare Drug Benefit Starts

Medicare's long-awaited "Plan D" drug benefit program has started. The program works with private plans to supplement drug costs, and is especially designed to help low-income elderly get the medications they need.

Yet many potential beneficiaries still find the program confusing, with seniors forced to choose from up to 60 competing plans, depending on their locale.

While everyone agrees the plan could save seniors thousands of dollars in drug costs, a survey released in November found that low-income elderly are the least likely to understand it.

And a survey done jointly by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health showed that half of the people who make less than $15,000 a year didn't know about the program or didn't think they were eligible.

Compounding the problem is the fact that the Internet is the most highly touted source of information on the new plan -- even though 76 percent of seniors polled admitted they had never surfed the Web.

Accutane Registry Created to Help Prevent Birth Defects

A long-awaited national registry has begun accepting the names of Americans who take the acne-fighting drug Accutane, part of a federal effort to limit its use by pregnant women because the medication has a high risk of birth defects.

Doctors, wholesalers and pharmacies had until Friday to register with the computerized "iPledge" registry if they want to continue prescribing or selling Accutane and any of the three generic versions of the drug, known as isotretinoin. Generic versions are sold as Amnesteem, Claravis or Sotret, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has tried for more than 20 years to limit fetal exposure to the drug. The reason: If a woman uses Accutane during pregnancy -- or becomes pregnant within a month of taking the drug -- her baby runs a high risk of brain and heart defects or mental retardation, the AP said.

The drug is prescribed to about 100,000 Americans a month; patients typically take it for five to six months.

To receive the drug, Accutane users must now enroll by telephone at (866) 495-0654 or through the Internet at http://www.ipledgeprogram.com. They also must sign a document that tells them of the drug's risks, which also includes the chance of depression or suicidal thoughts, the AP said.

And women of childbearing age must undergo two pregnancy tests before they can be prescribed the drug, along with a monthly follow-up test before each refill. They also must agree to use two different forms of birth control at the same time or not to have intercourse for one month before starting the drug, during treatment and for one month after treatment has ended, according to the news service.

Some Canned Tuna Could Be Checked by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will investigate a newspaper report that some canned light tuna contains a species of the popular fish that has higher mercury levels, the Associated Press reported.

The review was prompted by a recent series in the Chicago Tribune that found that, instead of the skipjack tuna commonly used, the yellowfin variety was present in some cans of light tuna even though the labeling did not say so.

Yellowfin tuna is considered by many in the fishing industry to have mercury levels that match those of albacore tuna. The U.S. government has advised high-risk people, such as young children, pregnant women and women of childbearing age, not to eat albacore tuna in large amounts, the Tribune reported. High mercury levels might cause learning disabilities and developmental problems in children, and damage to the kidneys, heart and nervous systems in adults.

FDA spokeswoman Julie Zawisza told the AP that the agency will review the newspaper report to see if further action is warranted.

The tuna industry would work with the FDA on any inquiry, David Burney, executive director of the U.S. Tuna Foundation, told the AP. The foundation lobbies for StarKist, Bumblebee and Chicken of the Sea, the major producers of canned tuna in the United States.

Food Fact:
Protect your baby!

Moms-to-be need to keep certain foods off-limits. Alcohol, caffeine and artificial sweeteners top the list; take a timeout until after your pregnancy. Ditto for soft cheeses (feta, goat, brie, camembert, blue-veined cheeses such as Roquefort, and all cheeses with unpasteurized milk or milk products; raw, rare or smoked fish, poultry or meat (sushi, tartar, carpaccio, smoked salmon); deli meats and cold cuts; and fish with high mercury levels.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Supermarket sweep.

Put exercise on your shopping list -- it's easy to burn calories right where you buy 'em. Carry two bags of groceries home for an impromptu workout. Or, carry your child instead of using a stroller. These are just two ways to fit fitness into your day without blocking out over an hour to get to the gym. Squeeze in bits of activity whenever you have an opportunity, and it can add up to a big difference in how you look and feel. And even moderate physical activity can reduce the risk of heart disease and early death.

FAQ of the day:
How does dairy fit into a diet?

They can make it easier -- or make it harder. The key is dairy fat, which, like all fat, has lots of calories. An 8-oz. glass of whole milk has 150 calories, while the same amount of fat-free milk has only 85. Similarly, a 1/4 cup of regular sour cream has 100 calories, while the same amount of fat-free sour cream has only 70. Your best bet is to make sure all your diary products are low-fat (no more than 3 grams total per serving) or fat-free.