As of today, 74 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed on to a discharge petition in an effort to force a vote to repeal the federal health care reform law.

The lawmakers are pretty far off from the needed 218 names and repeal is a longshot. But the move is getting praise from various conservative groups, including the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth. They promise to make this a campaign issue.

“The American people are looking for bold leadership,” said Heritage Action Chief Exective Michael A. Needham in a statement.  “These thirty Members of Congress are providing that leadership and deserve to be praised for getting out in front on this issue.  I fully expect more members to sign the discharge petition as the pressure for repeal continues to build.”
 
The groups believe the law will become far too costly, especially during such tough economic times.

The bill aims to provide coverage for 30 million uninsured Americans and guarantee coverage and standards of care for everone else -- so if you lose your job and become uninsured you'll be able to find affordable insurance.

No Maryland lawmaker has signed on to the repeal effort. The list of those on the petition are on the next page.

So, should the law stay on the books? Will it increase, rather than decrease, the deficit as promised? Will it be worth it? Will this be the major campaign issue?

Here are the lawmakers who have signed on to the repeal petition:

Jo Bonner (R-Alabama)
John Boozman (R-Arkansas)
Trent Franks (R-Arizona)
Gary G. Miller (R-California)
Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado)
Connie Mack (R-Florida)
Paul C. Broun (R-Georgia)
Tom Graves (R-Georgia)
Tom Price (R-Georgia)
Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-Georgia)
Judy Biggert (R-Illinois)
  Steve King (R-Iowa)
Jerry Moran (R-Kansas)
Todd Tiahrt (R-Kansas)
Dan Burton (R-Indiana)
Mike Pence (R-Indiana)
Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota)
Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma)
Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)
Robert E. Latta (R-Ohio)
Joseph R. Pitts (R-Pennsylvania)
 
  Glenn Thompson (R-Pennsylvania)
Rob Bishop (R-Utah) 
Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)
Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee)
K. Michael Conaway (R-Texas)
Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)
Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas)
Kenny Marchant (R-Texas)
Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia)
 
 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Health care reform
        

No one ever called Smith Island Cake a health food. But now Health magazine is giving the official state dessert a negative dietary superlative that may be outsized even for this multi-layer chocolate creation.

Health says the cake is Maryland’s contribution to the Nation’s 50 Fattiest Foods.

Its 26 grams of fat make it worse than bacon wrapped meatloaf in Alabama (17 grams of fat) but not as bad as Eskimo Ice Cream made from frozen animal fat in Alaska (91 grams of fat).

The cake is named for the only inhabited island in the Chesapeake Bay and, as the magazine notes, “became so popular the governor signed the cake into law.” That was in 2008.

And indeed it is popular, says Kristen Smith, manager and a baker at Smith Island Baking Co., which in its first year of business shipped 3,000 cakes – to all 50 states.

Smith said she recent got married and served the cake at the wedding to friend and family, and there wasn’t much left over, she said.

“We never said it was a low-fat dessert,” she said. “It’s not only made with a lot love, but a lot of butter.”

Since the baking company’s version is homemade, she couldn’t give an exact calorie or fat count.
Health didn’t say where it got its sample, but the article points out that the cake, made of nine or 10 layers of yellow cake slathered in chocolate icing, has enough fat per serving for an entire day.
But no one said you have to eat cheese or cake every day, not even the governor.

“I suppose one of the perks to being governor is the ability to eat the state food and call it official business,” said Shaun Adamec, a spokesman. “Governor O'Malley does enjoy some occasional Smith Island Cake - everything in moderation."

Compared to these triple threats, the cake doesn’t look so decadent:

+In Tennessee, home to Ruby Tuesday’s, there is the Triple Prime Bacon Cheddar Burger, with 115 grams of fat.

+In Michigan, you can order a BLT with over a pound of bacon at Tony’s 1-75 that will give you 192 grams of fat.

+In New York, there is something called the garbage plate, with involves potatoes, beans, meat and sauce. Its estimated fat content is 203 grams.

+In West Virginia, where 31 percent of the adult population is obese, there is a place called Hillbilly Hotdogs, where you can score a 10-pound burger. It’s the list topper at 800 grams of fat – an entire day’s worth of fat for 22 people, not counting the cheese.

Photo courtesy of Health magazine/Jane Thomas

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Diet and exercise
        

In 2009, a couple of state lawmakers thought that area nonprofit hospitals should have to disclose their compensation of top executives directly to the Maryland board that sets the rates they can charge.

The bill passed (House Bill 487, sponsored by Del. Karen Montgomery, and Sen. George Della on the Senate side) and the hospital began sending their IRS form 990s to the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission.

Well, Della and Montgomery recently decided that the public should get an easy look at that information, too. So they wrote a letter to the comission, and the commission put up the infomation.

If you go on the commission's website now, you can get a listing of all of those 990s in one place -- complete with big salaries, as well as some other interesting tidbits, like how much the hospitals make off their cafeterias.

It may be interesting reading, especially for those who recenlty got a bill from one of these institutions.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Health care professionals
        

While most parts of a sweeping national health care reform won’t take effect until 2014, the government is giving small businesses incentives this year to get people on the insurance rolls.

Many employers are already taking advantage of a tax credit they can get for 2010 if they offer their employees insurance, according to small business advocates.

The employers have to have fewer than 25 full-time employees with annual salaries of less than $50,000 to qualify. They also must contribute at least 50 percent of each employee’s premium.

The smallest businesses often struggle the hardest to offer their employees health insurance — even if they’d like to. In Maryland, just 56 percent of firms with fewer than 50 employees offer workers health benefits, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The subject was part of the discussion during a health care forum held last week at Johns Hopkins University. Among the representatives fielding questions was the group Small Business Majority, which advocates for firms with fewer than 100 employees.

"Small businesses want their workers to have health insurance," said Terry Gardiner, national policy director for Small Business Majority. "They just have to be able to afford to do it."

The tax credit for small businesses is one of the first pieces of the reform law to take effect. The credit is offered on a sliding scale basis of up to 35 percent of the employer’s eligible premium expenses through 2013. The credit will be taken on the annual tax return.

Small Business Majority has a nifty tax credit calculator on their website: http://smallbusinessmajority.org/tax-credit-calculator/

After 2014, the maximum credit increases to 50 percent of premium expenses, but coverage must be purchased from state health insurance exchanges.

Small businesses will pool their buying power in these exchanges to negotiate better rates. Right now small businesses pay premiums that on average are 18 percent higher than large businesses, and the smaller firms pay administrative costs built into their health plans that can be three to four times as much, according to the Small Business Administration. All because they don't have enough clout with insurers.

Nearly 13 percent of workers at U.S. firms with fewer than 10 employees paid annual premiums of $7,200 or more for coverage for a single person in 2008, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The national average was about $4,700.

The new law also will prohibit insurers from charging higher rates to small businesses with sick employees or raising rates when somebody gets sick.

Advocates of health reform also believe more people may be willing to work for small companies after the changes. Small businesses may not have been able to compete for the top workers because they can't offer competitive health benefits.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Health care reform
        

Need a good stretch?

Charm City Yoga and the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore are offering free Seva Yoga classes at West Shore Park (between the Visitor's Center and the Maryland Science Center) on the Inner Harbor Promenade several times this summer. 

The first class has passed, but there was others July 10, 17 and 24 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., weather permitting.

The classes will be led by Charm City Yoga’s Sarah Cook.
 
The studio describes Seva Yoga as a donation-based yoga class where people can participate for free but are encouraged to make a donation of either time or money to the cause or charity of their choice.

The classes are suitable for all levels. For more information, call 410-528-1523.

AFP/Getty photo of yoga in Central Park, New York

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Diet and exercise
        

Young children who see someone close to them in handcuffs are in danger of mental health issues, according to a recent study.

A University of Illinois at Chicago study found that children in the nation's child welfare system who witnessed the arrest of a household member may have been psychologically traumatized by the event.

Susan D. Phillips, assistant professor of social work and the study's lead author, found that children who saw the arrest of a household member had elevated symptoms of posttraumatic stress or PTS -- a psychological response to witnessing a traumatic or life-threatening event.

The psychological response was found even after accounting for other factors that might explain the condition, such as maltreatment or child abuse, the study found.

Phillips suggests mental health professionals should be regularly screening to see if children have witnessed an arrest of someone they lived with and get them the help they need.

Data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being was used to examine the experiences of children ages 8 and up who were suspected victims of child abuse and neglect.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Mental health
        

Got questions about health care reform? 

A panel of experts will discuss the new health care reform law and its impacts on Marylanders today from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during a public forum at Johns Hopkins University's Turner Auditorium, 720 Rutland Ave.

The forum will also be webcast at www.jhsph.edu/maphtc, if you can't get over there.

There will be representatives from the AARP, Families USA, the Small Business Majority, Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Maryland Health Care for All! and the MidAtlantic Public Health Training Center.

They'll talk about the law and take questions on consumer protections in the insurance market, the new insurance exchanges, prevention and wellness, employer requirements, Medicare, and Medicaid.

The title of the forum is: “What Does Health Reform Mean for You, Your Business, or Nonprofit?”

For more information, go to http://www.healthcareforall.com.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Health care reform
        

Do love ballands put you in the mood?

Some French researchers believe they do. They say picking the right soundtrack could improve the odds women will hand out their phone number to an "average" looking guy.

The study appears in the journal Psychology of Music, published by SAGE.

The researchers point to studies showing that violent video games or music with aggressive lyrics may increase the agressive behaviour. So they set out to see about the impact of love songs. (They had already studied the effect on males in a flower shop. The romantic music made them spend more.)

Researchers Nicolas Guéguen and Céline Jacob from the Université de Bretagne-Sud along with Lubomir Lamy from Université de Paris-Sud tested out romantic lyrics on 18-20 year old single females.

They first found agreed upon romantic French songs.  They had a group of women rate a group of men, and picked out the most average one. Then they had 87 females spend time in a waiting room with the music playing. They went to a second room and were told to discuss food products.

Then they were told to wait. At that point, the average male chatted them up. Then he asked for their phone number.

The love song in the waiting room almost doubled Average Guy's chances: 52 percent of the women said yes. Only 28 percent said yes if they heard a non-romantic song instead.  

The researcher say more studies are needed, but they concluded that prosocial media prosocial media may foster prosocial outcomes. And if you're a hopeful single, a little lovely music wouldn't hurt.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Women's health
        

My colleague Hanah Cho just started writing the Charm City Moms blog.

Hanah, who has the most adorable six-month old ever, writes a lot about the obstacles of working and raising kids.

She found a study that said when companies provide child care benefits for their employees, they have less stressed, healthier workers.

Check out her post.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 6:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: General Health
        

Among the many medical professionals from the region putting themselves in harms way, in a war zone or in a disaster zone, is Jenny Boyle, an operating room nurse at Mercy Medical Center .

She's heading to Afghanistan at the request of the Pentagon. But she won't be putting her medical skills to work. She'll be singing for the troops.

She often performs in the area, so be on the look out for her. But today, she leaves for the Middle East. Here's some comments from her from her web page:

We are honored to have been invited to the Middle East on our 8th tour to entertain our troops, leaving Baltimore on June 23rd, 2010!  We can think of nowhere else that we would rather be spending the 4th of July than with our troops in Doha Qatar, many on R&R directly from the battlefields.  Jenny will be traveling with an awesome band featuring Mike Kuhl on drums, Josh Burgess on guitar and sound, Anthony DiMenna on bass, Russell Kirk on guitar and sax, Jacob Yoffee on keyboard and sax, and Kevin Gillespie on support, sound and video.  Our troops are in for a real treat.....we can't wait!! 

Please remember these men and women as you enjoy the picnics and fireworks this 4th of July celebrating our county's freedom.  Without the sacrifices of our troops through our history, we might not have something to celebrate!   And a quick shout out to our employers for allowing us the time away from our jobs to serve our troops. 

The band and I will continue to enjoy playing as much we as we can this summer upon our return home.  I love working as a nurse in the Operating Room, but my passion really is my music.  So when you see we have booked a show on our schedule, know that there is going to be a party happening at that location!!

Be sure to check out our upcoming shows in the area before we leave.  Friday June 11th we will be at Ram's Head Live!  We hit the stage at 10pm, plenty of time to have dinner and then join us!  June 19th we will be at Seacrets in Ocean City....always a fun time at the beach!   We will celebrate our return home at Slaine's in Baltimore on July 10th.  We hope to see you at all of our upcoming shows...we very much appreciate all the support you give us all the time!

If you did not get a chance to check out the February issue of OR Today Magazine, please check it out! They did a very nice cover story. You can acess it by clicking here and going to page 36.

There was also a very nice article in the Catholic Review here in Baltimore. You can read this article by clicking here.

Every day we are grateful for each and every one of you and for your support. We will continue to bring you the best possible music we can every single time we play!! See you soon!

Jenny and the Band

Photo courtesy of Jenny Boyle 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Health care professionals
        

Remember in February when there was two feet of snow on the ground and we were all longing for hot weather.

Well, it's here folks. The next two days are supposed to be sweltering. The kind of heat where you sweat just by standing outside.

It is the kind of heat that can also be dangerous if you don't take the right precautions.

Here are some tips I gathered from the Centers for Disease Control, the American Red Cross and the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to stay cool and healthy during the heatwave.

1. Drink more fluids and don't wait until you're thirsty to do it.

2. Wear light-colored, lightweight, loose-fitting clothing

3. Limit activity, such as exercise, to early morning and evening hours

4. If you do exercise, drink two to four glasses of fluids per hour

5. Eat small meals and aovid high protein foods, which increase metabolic heat

6. If outside, try to rest often in shady areas

Posted by Andrea Walker at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: General Health
        

Former U.S. House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt was in town today to push a movement underway to increase medical research.

Gephardt and others believe that pumping more dollars into finding cures for diseases and creating new drugs could provide a much needed engine to boost the economy and job growth.

Gephardt is chairman of the Council for American Medical Innovation, a group that is pushing for changes in federal policy that would encourage more medical research.

My colleague, political reporter Annie Linskey, also found that Gephardt's lobbying for the group is funded in part by Pharma, the group that represents drug companies.

Healthcare makes up about 17 percent of the country's GDP today and is expected to make up as much as 25 percent in coming years, Gephardt told a group of business leaders gathered at the World Trade Center in downtown Baltimore.

The former Congressman was joined by Gov. Martin O'Malley who talked about how Maryland is already ahead of the game with its robust bioscience industry, much of it headquartered in Montgomery County. There was no mention of creating new state policies to further the industry.

The two politicians were also joined by Fred Mason, president of the Maryland AFL-CIO, who said he believes medical innovation would create stable jobs.

Gephardt proposes several ways to encourage medical innovation including:

1. Creating public/private partnerships to better the chances of bringing research to market

2. Increasing and making permanent the research and development tax credit

3. Overhauling the FDA regulatory process

4. Improving bioscience education at the primary and secondary school level

Click here to hear part of Gephardt's presentation and here for O'Malley.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: General Health
        

With summer officially in full swing -- and the 90 degree heat we'll be experiencing all week -- now is a good time to talk about sun exposure and skin cancer. Anne Arundel Medical Center dermatologist Dr. Lisa Renfro will be taking reader questions about skin cancer and other conditions. Dr. Renfro is a board-certified dermatologist, and is also a dermatologic surgeon who specializes in MOHS micrographic surgery and surgical excisions for skin cancer. She has extensive experience with basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, as well as a host of other cancerous and non-cancerous skin conditions.

Feel free to post questions now and we'll get to them at our noon discussion. Questions submitted Monday and earlier today will be added.

Posted by Kim Walker at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Cancer
        

Hospitals and nursing homes in Maryland are banding together to reduce the number of painful bed sores patients can form from lying in beds too long.

The state’s prevalence of patients with bed sores is a little higher than the national average, prompting those in the health care field to respond.

Bed sores occurred among 14 percent of patients staying in Maryland nursing homes in the second quarter of 2009, according to the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel. The national average for the same period was 11 percent.

When patients develop bed sores, their stay in the hospital can double and, in some cases, even triple, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The cost of treating a severe bed sore can reach as much as $55,000.

Hospitals often don’t get reimbursed by insurers when they have to keep a patient for a longer stay because of bed sores.

But bed sores are also preventable.

 The Health Facilities Association of Maryland and the Maryland Hospital Association recently entered into a partnership to reduce the occurrence of bed sores at skilled nursing facilities and hospitals by offering educational program to train healthcare workers.

Participants in the training program developed by the two groups will learn how to best classify, measure and document bed sore wounds. They’ll also be able to better identify bed sores in patients with complex skin conditions that make such sores hard to spot.

The two groups say the training will provide patients with better hospital stays. But it could also help save Maryland’s health care system millions of dollars, particularly as the state prepares to add thousands of people to the rolls of public health care under national reform.

The Wound Care Education Institute will hold two one-week sessions on bed sores in 2011, under the partnership between the hospital and nursing home associations.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: General Health
        

Some local health and consumer groups are presenting two lawmakers with a "Children's Health Advocate of the Year" award for their work in passing a ban on bisphenol-A, or BPA, from baby bottles and sippy cups.

Maryland PIRG, Maryland Nurses Association, Black Nurses Association and MomsRising.org plan to present the award today at 11 a.m. on Lawyers' Mall in Annapolis to Sen. Brian Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat, and Del. James Hubbard, a Prince George's Democrat, for their efforts.

They helped the state become the fourth state to restrict the use of the chemical BPA.

The chemical has been linked to several problems with miscarriage, early puberty, birth defects and cancer. The federal government is currently studying the issue but has not acted, prompting several states to take action.

The bills are HB 33 and SB 213, signed by Gov. O’Malley on April 13.         

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Healthy Living
        

Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and generally thought of as the official start of the season, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about sunscreen again.

Here's a link to an earlier post on an Environmental Working Group study of sunscreens. Take a look at see where yours ranks.  

The advocacy and research group looked at harmful ingredients and effectiveness in 500 beach and sports sunscreens. In the end, officials recommended only 8 percent. They didn't like anything that promised SPF over 50 or anything with oxybenzone, which the group says is linked ot cancer and reproductive problems. They also didn't like anything with vitamin A, linked to accelerated development of skin tumors.

SPF of 50 or higher, and others contained oxybenzone, which the group says is linked to cancer and reproductive problems, or vitamin A, which has recently been linked to accelerated development of skin tumors and lesions.

In general, the group said to wear a hat and shirts, choose lotions over sprays and powders, choose SPF 30+ over SPF 50+ and pick zinc or titanium dioxide over oxybenzone.

My colleage Liz Kay also wrote Sunday on the subject. Read her findings here. She also had some tips, including avoiding prime hours outside in the sun, applying sunscreen 15 minutes before you go outside and reapplying often.

AP photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cancer
        

Crayfish are surprisingly complex decision makers, according to a new study from University of Maryland researchers, who believe the information may help the understanding human brains.

The Maryland psychologists say it's tough to study the human brain this way. And they have concluded that they may be able to adapt what they learn about the neural circuitry and neurochemistry of decision making in the crayfish.

Specifically they took a look at individual crayfish neurons invovled in value-based decisions by presenting a food source and a predator that was either very threatening or less threatening.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

"Matching individual neurons to the decision making processes in the human brain is simply impractical for now," said University of Maryland psychologist Jens Herberholz, the study's senior author, in a statement. "History has shown that findings made in the invertebrate nervous systems often translate to more complex organisms. It's unlikely to be exactly the same, but it can inform our understanding of the human brain, nonetheless.

He said the researcher may inform other studies in rodents and primates.

In the crayfish study, the tanks were wired to pick up electrical signals that allowed researchers to identify activation patterns of specific neurons as the crayfish made decisions.

A presence of a strong predator overrode the crayfish's desire for its next meal, showing that the crayfish actually consider the circumstances. A judgement, just like a human.

Photo courtesy of David D. Yager/Jens Herberholz

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Medical studies
        

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. And during the summer, sun exposure is of particular concern. At noon Tuesday, Anne Arundel Medical Center dermatologist Dr. Lisa Renfro will be taking reader questions about skin cancer and other conditions here at Picture of Health. Feel free to post questions in our comments field now to be used during Tuesday's chat.

Updated: The link for the chat is here. Questions submitted earlier are already in the system.

Posted by Kim Walker at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Cancer
        

At the same time Baltimore City Council was voting down the controversial bottle tax , out comes a study that confirms sales would drop -- but it also says making sugary sodas a little more expensive could mean a dip in the nation's alarmingly high obesity rate.

According to a study in the June 17 American Journal of Public Health, soft drinks are the nation's biggest contributor to caloric intake, accounting for 7 percent of all calories consumed each day from 1999 to 2001. That's up from 2.8 percent from 1977 throught 1978.

The study set out to see just how much consumption would go down as the price went up. Researchers from Harvard set up shop in hospital cafeterias in Boston. They increased the price by 35 percent on regular soft drinks. Sales dropped by 26 percent. They dropped another 18 percent during a time when researchers initiated an effort to educate consumers about the ill effects of the drinks. 

They found education had no independent effect on sales. It was all price.

The researchers concluded that price increases may be an effective means to cut consumption of  potentially harmful beverages.  

Public health officials have believed this for a while, and have called for higher taxes on sodas. There have even been other studies that have had similar results -- on snake foods and on cigarettes.

And there have also been studies on the effects of sugary soda on health. This study cited, for example, a Nurses’ Health Study on women who increased the number of soft drinks they consumed from one or fewer a week to one or more a day. The women gained a mean of 10 pounds over 4 years and increased their risk of developing diabetes by 83 percent.

City Council members still could change their votes on the bottle tax. Should they? Should government seek to influence public health through taxation? 

Associated Press photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Diet and exercise
        

It's no news that the doctor ranks are going to be squeezed when millions of new patients have access to insurance under federal health care reform.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced this week $250 million in investments to increase the number of doctors, particularly primary care physicians, in hopes of easing the problem. The ranks of primary care doctors are already low because many medical students choose specialties that pay more.

But will the funding be enough?

The money will help to create 16,000 new primary care providers over the next 15 years. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortage of 21,000 primary physicians by 2015.

Here is an allocation of the $250 million:

 - 168 million to train 500 new primary care physicians by 2015

 - $32 million to support the development of 600 new physicians assistants

- $30 million to help more than 600 nursing students attend school full-time instead of part-time 

- $15 million to opearaten 10 nurse-managed healtch centers to train nurse practitioners

- $5 million for states to develop plans to increase the primary care workforce 10 to 25 percent in the next decade

What do doctors and others out there think? Is this a step in the right direction? Is it going to solve the doctor shortage? What else can be done?

Posted by Andrea Walker at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Health care reform
        

Researchers have long considered the possibility that Vitamin D might be used to prevent cancer, but a new study shows that is not the case.

The large-scale study looked at whether increased Vitamin D would reduce the risk in seven cancers - non-Hodgkin lymphoma and cancers of the endometrium, esophagus, stomach, kidney, ovary or pancreas.

 Kathy J. Helzlsouer, director of the Prevention & Research Center at Mercy Medical Center, chaired the study. Other institutitions, including the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute, were also involved. Details will appear in the July 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Researchers took samples of Vitamin D levels from about 12,000 men and women before they were diagnosed with cancer. They followed the people for more than three decades.

They then compared the samples to those participants who were eventually diagnosed with cancer during that time period to those who didn't get the disease. There was no significant variation of Vitamin D levels between the two groups, meaning higher levels didn't make a difference in cancer risk.

Vitamin D is made naturally by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. It can also be obtained by the body in foods, fortified foods and nutritional supplements. The vitamin is used for healthy bones, calcium absorption and immune function.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Cancer
        

The Food and Drug Administration said this week that a pill that is to be the female equivalent of the male sex enhancement drug Viagra isn't working so great for women.

The drug, flibanserin, only improved sex drive slightly in premenopausal women, the FDA said. It called results of the drug "not compelling."

An FDA committee will vote on the effectiveness and safety of the drug Friday. The drug is being produced by German drug company Boehringer Ingelheim.

So, all you women out there, would you buy a female drug to help your sex drive?

Posted by Andrea Walker at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Women's health
        

A new study has discovered that there is a biological reason why women have more stress-related problems then men.

Women suffer from more depression and stress-related disorders and researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia took a look at animals to understand why.

They studied stress signaling systems in rat brains and found that females are more sensitive to low levels of a hormone called corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), which organizes stress responses in mammals.

“This is the first evidence for sex differences in how neurotransmitter receptors traffic signals,” said study leader Rita J. Valentino, a behavioral neuroscientist at hospital, in a statement.  “Although more research is certainly necessary to determine whether this translates to humans, this may help to explain why women are twice as vulnerable as men to stress-related disorders.”

The research was published online Wednesday in Molecular Psychiatry.

Rats were given a swim test, and researchers discovered that in female rats were not only more responsive to the hormone but after exposure to stress, male rats had more of an adaptive response in their brain cells.

Past stress studies focused on males and this response may have gone unnoticed. Treatment may in the future consider the sex of the patient, researchers said. 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Medical studies
        

As reform prepares to provide more people with access to healthcare, the number of people who are uninsured continues to grow.

There were 46.3 million people nationwide, or 15 percent of the population, without health insurance in 2009, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 33 million people had been uninsured for more than a year.

In 2008, 43.8 million people were uninsured.

Massachusetts, which has passed its own version of universal health care coverage, had the lowest percentage of uninsured residents at 3.4 percent. Texas had the highest with 22.9 percent of the population without health coverage.

In Maryland, 1.6 million people, or 13.2 percent of the population were uninsured.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Health care reform
        

There's been a lot of interest in the story today in The Sun about mold growing in the fancy Harborview apartment building.

That had me take a look back at our coverage of mold, allergens and chemicals that can make people sick in their own homes.

I found some tips that may help:

+Keep the basement dry to keep mold from growing. Wipe up moisture and use your shower vent to control moisture. If you see moisture near a vent or smell it, have your duct work inspected. Carpeting and wallboard that get moldly can't effectively be cleaned and must be removed -- and quickly so mold doesn't spread. Soap and water or vinegar, not bleach, will clean up most mold you can see on hard surfaces.  

+Make sure the house is properly ventilated to improve air quality. Change your house air filter monthly, or whenever it looks dirty.

+Humidity should be at about 40 percent. Too much promotes mold growth, and too little moisture can be irritating. If there's moisture on the window, humidity is too high. Use the exhaust fan for 10 minutes after a shower and air conditioning to cut humidity and a whole house humidifier to raise humidity.

+Keep use of household cleaners and sprays made from chemicals to a minimum because they can irritate and poison. Use a mop dampened with water once a week to lift ordinary dirt and allergens.

+Air out new carpeting, stain-treated furniture, or anything with that new smell outdoors because they probably contain formaldeyhde or volitile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be irritating or make people sick.  

+Have a professional check for carbon monixide when servicing furnaces because it's odorless and can kill. Intall a detector for it and for radon, another odorless gas, which can cause lung cancer at high levels.

+Vacuum frequently to cut down on allergens such as dust mites that feed on skill cells humans shed and thrive in pillows, mattresses and carpeting. Consider allergen covers for your pillows and mattresses and wash linens in hot water once a week. Reduce clutter such as stuffed animals that house dust mites.  

+Keep insulation in good shape because indoor air quality can be compromised by deteriorated insulation

Baltimore Sun file photo of mold/Elizabeth Malby                        

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Allergies
        

Scientists at the University of Maryland have discovered a hormone that regulates blood sugar also may connect to people's sense of sweetness.

The discovery means it may be possible to adjust how food tastes to people, and how much they enjoy it. That could lead to additives that help treat obesity, metabolic disorders and diabetes, according to the study published online June 14 in the Federation for American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.

“An interesting possibility resulting from our research is that the development of new food additives could change the way you perceive your food, making it taste more or less sweet,” said senior author Steven D. Munger, associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in a statement.

“From a food industry perspective, such additives could be used to enhance flavor. From a therapeutic perspective, they could be used to treat patients who under-eat or overeat.”

How would you like to just turn off your ability to taste sweet foods? Would that help your diet?

Baltimore Sun file photo/Kim Hairston

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Medical studies
        

The nation's medical schools are not all producing doctors to meet the country's growing health care needs, according to a study by researchers at the George Washington Univeristy published in the June 15 Annals of Internal Medicine.  

On the heels of health care reform legislation that will put millions more people into the ranks of the insured, the study ranked all U.S. medical schools based on their contributions of primary care physicians, doctors serving in underserved areas and minority physicians -- or their ability to meet a social mission.

The researchers found at 141 medical schools:
--Those in the Northeast generally performed poorly on all three measures.
--Public schools graduated higher proportions of primary care physicians than private schools.
--Schools with substantial National Institutes of Health research funding generally produced fewer primary care physicians and physicians practicing in underserved areas. 
--Several large research institutions (University of Minnesota and University of Washington) defied the trend.
--Historically black schools had the highest social mission rankings.
--Osteopathic schools produced more primary care physicians than allopathic schools but trained fewer minorities.
--Schools in progressively smaller cities produced more primary care physicians and physicians who practiced in underserved communities but graduated fewer minorities.

Medical schools are expanding for the first time in three decades, researchers said. And the study shows how they can determine the make-up of the physician workforce.

“Where doctors choose to work, and what specialty they select, are heavily influenced by medical school,” says lead author Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, professor of health policy at George Washington University. “By recruiting minority students and prioritizing the training of primary care physicians and promoting practice in underserved areas, medical schools will help deliver the health care that Americans desperately need.” 

The study was funded with a grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation. The researchers looked at physicians in practice after the completion of all training and national obligations rather than initial residency to get a better picture of where doctors ended up. Data was for graduates from 1999 to 2001.

See the rankings on the next page (Hint: Hopkins didn't rank so high).

The 20 schools with the highest social mission scores (ranked from highest to lowest):
 
1. Morehouse College
2. Meharry Medical College
3. Howard University
4. Wright State University Boonshoft  School of Medicine
5. University of Kansas
6. Michigan State University
7. East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine
8. University of South Alabama, Ponce Medical College
9. University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine 10. Oregon Health & Sciences University
11. East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine
12. University of Mississippi
13. University of Kentucky
14. Southern Illinois University
15. Marshall University
16. Joan C. Edwards University
17. University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester
18. University of Illinois
19. University of New Mexico
20. University of Wisconsin 
 
The 20 schools with the lowest social mission scores (ranked from highest to lowest):
 
122. Johns Hopkins University
123. Stanford University
124. Duke University
125. Texas A&M University
126. Columbia University
127. Albany Medical College, Columbia University
128. Medical College of Wisconsin
129. University of Pennsylvania
130. Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine
131. Boston University 132. Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
133. Stony Brook University
134. Thomas Jefferson University
135. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
136. University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey
137. New York University
138. University of California Irvine
139. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
140. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
141. Vanderbilt University 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Health care reform
        

Microsoft unveiled its newest version of its Xbox 360 gaming system Monday and users will actually have to get off the couch to play.

The new system, called Kinect, is controller-free, meaning players will have to use their bodies to play the games.

"It makes the user the controller," Mike Delman, the company's vice president of global marketing for Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, said in a statement.

The gaming system shows the reach of technology. But in more simplistic terms it gets people moving.

Many say video games are one of the things contributing to obesity. Kids - and grown men too if you really look at the demographics of gamers - spend hours in front of the television performing little physical activity other than the tap, tap, tap of their fingers against the controller. And sometimes they may get up to go to the bathroom.

With the new system, players will be able to score soccer goals with their heads and "use their entire bodies to steer racing carts around turns and over jumps," according to the Microsoft statement.

I know, I know. It's not the same as riding a bike or rollerskating for hours on end like many of us did as kids. And I'm not even sure Microsoft was thinking of physical fitness when creating this game. But it sure is a start to curbing the couch potato mentality adopted by so many of our kids. Look at the kids playing the game in the picture above.

What do you think? Are we talking video game fitness here?

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Posted by Andrea Walker at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Attention coffee lovers! That habit may not be so bad.

Drinking coffee, a lots of it, may help prevent type 2 diabetes, a disease affecting millions and on the rise across the globe, according to a new study published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

It's the caffine, say scientists from Nagoya University in Japan.

The scientists fed either water or coffee to a group of lab mice, a common stand-in for people in such studies. The coffee consumption prevented development of high-blood sugar and improved insulin sensitivity in the mice. That mean lower risk of diabetes.

There were also other benefits from drinking coffee, including improvements in fatty liver, which is a disorder where fat builds up in liver cells, primarily in obese people. That further reduces the risk of diabetes, the scientists said. 

Other studies in the lab showed that caffeine may be “one of the most effective anti-diabetic compounds in coffee,” according to the scientists.

Keep sipping, there's more study to come.

Photo courtesy of the American Chemical Soceity

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Diet and exercise
        

Two of the company's biggeset drug companies are closer to commercializing a drug that would reduce the risk of stroke for people with irregular heartbeats by preventing blood clots.

Pfizer Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said they had stopped a joint clinical trial on the drug, named apixaban, because there was enough evidence to prove it worked.

The drug companies have been testing the drug on 5,600 patients in 36 countries since September. The study was coordinated by the Population Health Research Institute.

About 2.3 million people in the United States suffer from irregular heartbeats, according to the companies. Nearly 2 million people develop blood clots in large veins of the body that can break free and lodge in the lungs, potentially resulting in death.

Current drugs to prevent blood clots don't work on all patients with the heart condition.

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Major League Baseball pitchers who are 'morning types' generally perform better than the 'night owls,' according to a paper presented at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC, a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.

In general, the study (abstract here) showed that sleep preferences can predict performance during games, said the principal investigator and lead author W. Christopher Winter, MD, medical director of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Va.

Statistically, the study indicated the morning types did better in games before 7 p.m. and night owls did better in night games, but not as much better:  In early games, the earned run average (ERA) of pitchers who were morning types (3.06) was lower than the average ERA of pitchers who were evening types (3.49); and in games that started at 7 p.m. or later, pitchers who were evening types performed slightly better (4.07 ERA) than morning types (4.15 ERA).

"We were surprised to see that chronotype did affect pitching," Winter said in a statement. "We were also surprised to see that pitchers who were more 'morning type' seemed to do better overall."

The study supported other research that showed peak performance for most athletes is between mid-afternoon and early evening.

This study looked at 2009 stats from 18 pitchers from five MLB teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays. Ten were found to be evening types and 8 morning types.

The researchers said managers could use the information to decide when a pitcher would perform his best.

Perhaps the Orioles need only to get the right pitchers in at the right times? 

Baltimore Sun photo of Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman/Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Medical studies
        

As if people who ride their bikes to work through downtown Baltimore, or downtown anywhere, don't have enough to worry about:

A report in the U.K. Times says that bikers in urban areas inhale tens of millions of toxic nanoparticles every time they take a breath. That's five times more than drivers or walkers.

We read about this on the website Grist and had to take a look. The research was done by outfitting the bikers with masks that measured pollution going in. The researchers at Belgium's Hassalt University say it's a first-of-its-kind study, which was just published in Atmospheric Environment.

Not surprisingly, bikers breath more deeply so they take in a lot more pollution. Bearthing such nanoparticles, mainly containing car exhaust, can cause heart disease and respiratory problems.

The researchers compared the findings from bikers in Brussels and a small town called Mol and found the city cyclers inhaled about five times the pollution. They also compared the pollution inhaled by car drivers on the same route and found that the bikers inhaled four to five times more particles. They expected the results would be similar in any big city.

The researchers said it was hard to directly link the pollution to health problems because of the lag time in developing illnesses. They noted it took decades to link smoking with cancer.

Still, they said a recent study in London was expected to show high levels of nanoparticles can be linked to a higher risk of heart disease. The particles are so small that they can penetrate the lungs and get into the blood stream and gather in organs, according to the story. Other studies have shown that particulate pollution can cause asthma attacks and other more immediate problems.

Masks won't stop the small particles.

The researchers say biking groups are not too happy about the results, but they point out that there are many health benefits to biking. (The lead researcher said he was a biker, but also a scientist.)

So, the researchers didn't say it was less healthy to ride a bike than drive to work -- maybe because they don't know. Would this stop you?

Baltimore Sun file photo of Bike to Work Day in Baltimore/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Diet and exercise
        

Got back pain? Lots of American do, but they also have misconceptions about proper posture, according to Esther Gokhale, author of 8 Steps to a Pain Free Back.  

Here are a few of those myths, in her words:

--Myth #1 – I just have to remember to straighten up: “Just straighten up” is usually accompanied by muscle tension and distortion of the spine. It quickly leads to discomfort and fatigue, causing most of us to return to slouching.

--Myth #2 – The pelvis should be tucked to protect the back: Nearly everyone from fitness instructors and dance teachers to medical professionals makes the mistake of recommending a tucked pelvis. However, this is discordant with our natural structure; anteverting (tipping) the pelvis preserves the natural shape and protects from disc damage.

--Myth #3 – Chin up and chest out constitutes good posture: Not only does this create tension, it exaggerates the cervical and lumbar curves, hindering circulation to these areas and potentially pinching nerve roots.

--Myth #4 – Good posture takes mental and physical effort: The body wants to heal, and good posture feels good. As you practice new movements, they will become increasingly natural to your body. You also do not need to be young, strong, flexible or physically fit to have good posture.

--Myth #5 – It’s too late to change my posture: It is never too late to change your posture. The body is resilient and adaptable.

So, in sort, don't tuck your bum, don't stick out your chest and don't concentrate tension in your back while you're trying not to slump. Anything here surprising? Anyone been doing these things?

See a few more myths on the next page.

Photos of bad alignment and good alignment courtesy of Esther Gokhale

Myth: Posture is a trivial thing my moth use to pester me about only so that I would look presentable: Actually, posture is key to optimal health. Just as a building needs a solid foundation and structure to remain strong in wind, rain, and earthquakes, so does your body. Proper alignment of the organs, bones and muscles improves circulation and breathing, boots the nervous system, supports organ functions, promotes muscle relaxation and stress reduction, enhances athletic performance, reduces risk of injury, and accelerates healing from injury

--Myth: Belly breathing is good breathing; chest breathing is bad breathing: Different kinds of breathing are needed for different kinds of movement. Belly breathing is appropriate when you have an elevated need for oxygen (as when you are running) or breath control (as when you are playing the saxophone). Otherwise, when at rest, your inhalations should primarily expand your chest cavity and lengthen your back, and only slightly move your belly. The movement in the chest and back is crucial for maintaining normal rib cage size and shape and for fostering healthy circulation around the spine.

--Myth: A normal spine is an “S” shaped spine: Doctors have mistaken the average in the population for normal and even ideal. A normal spine actually has a very light curvature (except at the final spinal disc, L5-S1).

--Myth: Good posture naturally comes from being physically fit and active: If you have poor posture, increased activity is not an efficient way to arrive at better posture and can even result in injuries instead of improvement. It is better to focus on posture in its own right, or on posture alongside increased activity.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: General Health
        

About 38 percent of U.S. adults and approximately 12 percent of children use some form of complementary medicine, according to a 2007 National Health Interview Survey. Ever wondered if homeopathy, osteopathy and other forms of holistic medicine would be right for you?

Join us at noon today for a live chat with Dr. Joyce Frye of the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Medicine or add questions below starting now.

Posted by Carla Correa at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Chocolate milk may be a good alternative for post-exercise hydration, according to two studies presented a the American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting in Baltimore last week.

The studies were funded by a grant from the National Dairy Council and National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board, but the research was conducted by researchers came up with some interesting findings.

Researchers in one study found that drinking chocolate milk after a run helped the muscles repair. They measured the responses in eight male runners in good training shape. They all consumed healthy diets, and then after runs drank fat-free chocolate milk or the same amount of calories of a carbohydrate-oriented beverage.

They took muscle biopsies during a three-hour recovery period and those of the chocolate milk drinkers had "heightened markers of muscle protein repair" compared with those who had the carb drink (which is a standard sports drink). 

The researchers said the milk is relatively cheap and easy to make at home, and may be a good option post activity.

The second study measured glycogen stores in muscles. That the source of fuel during during prolonged exercise. The milk drinkers had more 30 and 60 minutes after drinking milk verses the carb drinks.

The studies were conducted in the lab of Nancy Rodriguez, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut.

Will you give chocolate milk a try or stick with Gatorade?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Medical studies
        

A Canadian researcher has begun looking into those pesky "earworms," the songs that just won't get out of your head.

The University of Montreal study found that 98 to 99 percent of the population has gotten "infected" at one time or another. 

Andréane McNally-Gagnon, a PhD student at the University of Montreal Department of Psychology, found in most cases the earworms disappear after a few minutes.

As many of you probably know, they can last hours or days.

The researcher asked French-speaking Internet uses to rank 100 pop songs according to their ability to repeat the lyrics. Even though they are French, you'll probably recognize the top songs (full list here):

Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly; Live Is Life by Opus; Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin; and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. 

She's also found that earworms lasted longer in musicians, and they usually happened when people were in positive moods and busy with non-intellectual, low-concentration activities such as walking.  

The researcher plans to keep studying the phenomenon. Perhaps she'll come up with a cure.

AP photo of Gloria Gaynor

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Categories: Medical studies
        

About 38 percent of U.S. adults and approximately 12 percent of children use some form of complementary medicine, according to a 2007 National Health Interview Survey. Ever wondered if homeopathy, osteopathy and other forms of holistic medicine would be right for you?

Join us at noon Tuesday for a live chat with Dr. Joyce Frye of the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Medicine. According to her university bio, Dr. Frye welcomes problems in women's health care from infertility to menopause. Additionally, she will see men, women, and children for infections, recovery from trauma, and for peri-operative and cancer support.

Start sharing your questions now for a chance to win one of three books (winner's choice): "The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth" by Jonny Bowden, "Yoga: Your Home Practice Companion" from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, or "The Yoga Body Diet" by Kristen Schultz Dollard and John Douillard.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Posted by Kim Walker at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: General Health
        

We're all getting conditioned to go online to Wikipedia to find quick information. But we're also constantly warned that it's not policed and it's not always accurate.

Well, some researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia found that the info is rarely wrong.

And that's good news. The bad news is that they found it's hard for people to understand because it's not written in plain English.

Researchers lead by Dr. Yaacov Lawrence, assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, compared Wikipedia's cancer information with  information found on the patient-oriented section of the National Cancer Institute's Physician Data Query, a peer-reviewed cancer database.

"There are a vast number of websites where patients can obtain cancer information," Lawrence said in a statement. "The purpose of this study was to answer one question: Is the cancer information on Wikipedia correct? Reassuringly, we found that errors were extremely rare on Wikipedia. But the way information was presented on PDQ is more patient-friendly."

The researchers looked at information on 10 cancer types on both websites. The found less than two percent of the information either site was wrong. Both sites had about the same depth of coverage. Both glossed over controversial aspects of care. But the PDQ site was more readable -- it was geared toward a 9th grader while the Wikipedia was written more for a college student, the researchers said.

They plan to bring in some cancer patients to test their findings. In the meantime, if you want online cancer information, you have a choice. Anyone use either of these sites?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cancer
        

Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin came to Baltimore Wednesday to throw her support behind an new exercise initiative called Exercise is Medcine.

The public should begin to hear more about the program, sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine. It aims to get all health care providers on board with assessing patients' level of exercise and making recommendations.

The idea -- proven in study after study -- is that exercise is good preventative medicine. And with level of heart disease and diabetes rising in adults and, alarmingly, in children, something needs to be done on the front end, Benjamin told a meeting of sport medicine professionals.

Since 1980, the number of obese adults has doubled and the number of obese children has tripled, she said. The numbers are worse among some groups, such as African Americans.

She said families, communities and professionals have to find ways to make exercise fun again, rather than work. There needs to be a commitment for more parks, trails, pools and other places around the country (a tall order considering Baltimore's, and the nation's, financial crisis.)

"Kids used to play outside because it was fun," she said. "We used to the disco because dancing was fun. Not because someone said we needed 30 minutes of exercise a day."

Benjamin, who was joined by John Colmers, secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, then took a stroll through the Inner Harbor to illustrate how easy exercise can be. It was a Code Orange, or highly unhealthy air day, but still.

So, do you get 30 minutes a day, five days a week? Ideas on making it fun?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Diet and exercise
        

Today is the second annual National Running Day, sponsored by some of the nation's largest running groups.

There are several local events on the books -- in Timonium, Clarksville, Annapolis and Bel Air -- and they are all scheduled for after work. But you don't have to participate in an official event. You can get out there on your own.

If you're just starting out, the organization has some tips: It's okay to walk, first of all. Other tips include starting slow and following a plan. And buy quality gear.

The idea is that running is healthy, accessible and easy.

More than 39.5 million people around the country have run at least once, according to the American Sports Data 2007 Superstudy of Sports Participation. Some 11.7 million run more than 100 days/year.

Some 9.2 million people finished road races in 2008, according to Running USA, up 4 percent from 2007.

Of course, it's really hot out this week, so you may want to wait to start up a program if you haven't already.

If you do run, try and go early, before the extreme heat of the day. Stay hydrated -- the day before, during and after. Make that cool water that absorbs better. Dump some over your head to cool off.

Also, wear light clothing made of synthetics, such as Under Armour, not cotton. And slow it down and take walk breaks. Stop if you're dizzy or your skin feels cool. Perhaps  take a friend with you so you can keep an eye on each other.

There are local runinng/training groups that will help you get ready for races or just get in shape. They range from local running clubs, such as the Annapolis Striders  to store-based running groups with coaches, such as those organized by Charm City Run and Falls Road Running Store. Here's a big list of running clubs in the state.

Baltimore Sun file photo of Baltimore Marathon/Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Diet and exercise
        

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has come out with a study that says U.S. brands of cigarettes have higher levels of cancer causing chemicals than foreign made ones.

CDC researchers took samples from the mouths of smokers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Their findings were reported in the June issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomakers and Prevention.

The results centered around nitrosamines, the major carcinogens in tobacco. And the study was the first ever to compare the cancer causing agent in people from different countries.

"We know that cigarettes from around the world vary in their ingredients and the way they are produced," said Dr. Jim Pirkle, deputy director for science at CDC's National Center for Envirnmental Health, Division of Laboratory Sciences, in a statement. "All of these cigarettes contain harmful levelsof carcinogens, but these finding show that amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines differ from country to country, and U.S. brands are the highest in the study."

The researchers said U.S. brands had an "American blend" of tobacco with higher nitrosamine levels. The other countries used "bright" tobacco, lighter in color and clue-cured. If the American makers switched blending and curing practices they could reduce exposure to one type of carcinogen, though not necessarily make the cigarettes safer.

So, does this matter to you? If you smoke, how loyal are you to your brand?

AFP/Getty photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cancer
        

Heading to the beach or just going for a walk in the sunshine? Think all you need to do is check the SPF on your sunscreen?

The Environmental Working Group has come out with its latest version of its sunscreen offenders list. These are the sunscreens that contain ingredients that can be harmful to your health or don't work as promised.

The non-profit group looked at 500 beach and sports sunscreens and, in the end, recommend only 8 percent. Some offered a "false sense of security" from sunscreens with an SPF of 50 or higher, and others contained oxybenzone, which the group says is linked to cancer and reproductive problems, or vitamin A, which has recently been linked to accelerated development of skin tumors and lesions. 

The group said wearing a hat and shirt in the sun should be "your first line of defense," then using one of their recommended sunscreens. None of the top picks were familiar brands, such as Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat and Neutrogena.

The guide is here. You can look at all the products and why they are good or bad, and search for your product. Some top brands were Badger, California Baby and Loving Naturals and Soleo Organics.  

There's also a list of tips. The highlights: choose lotions over sprays and powders, choose SPF 30+ over SPF 50+ and pick zinc or titanium dioxide over oxybenzone.

Your brand turn out to be good or bad? Will you switch?

AP photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Consumer health