Tiny thyroid can be big problem when it's off kilter

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Growing up, my Sherman tank-like aunt constantly blamed her thyroid for inability to lose weight. The thyroid is a smalll, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck. It controls a number body systems.

According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, as many as 27 million Americans suffer from some type of thyroid disorders. And half of these folks don't even know what they are missing. But their bodies do. For while this little, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of our neck, weighing in at barely an ounce, seems both delicate and innocuous, when not in hormonally balanced harmony, it packs a wallop. More

July is Deadliest Month for Hospitals...

Getty Images

MEDICINE

New Docs on the Block

According to medical lore, July is the worst time to be hospitalized because that's when inexperienced med students start clinical training. But is summer really riskier for patients?More

 

Related:

Where you live determines your quality of care What to know before you schedule a surgery or fill a prescription

Mom's Unhealthy Diet May Have Long-Term Impact on Baby

MONDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Eating an unhealthy diet during pregnancy may raise your child's lifetime risk of obesity and elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels, British researchers report.

In tests on rats, a Royal Veterinary College team fed one group of females a diet of processed junk food such as donuts, muffins, cookies, chips and sweets during pregnancy and breast-feeding, while another group of females received a healthy diet of regular feed.

The researchers compared the offspring of the two groups of female rats and found those born to mothers fed a junk food diet had higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, a type of fat found in the bloodstream. Both increase the risk of heart disease.

Read More...

What can LEGALLY be in your Pet's Dog Food?

Because of the nondescript nature of the mush and nuggets in cans and bags, pet owners must extend a lot of trust to manufacturers. But the balm of blind trust and faith never turns out to be a solution for anything. For example, consider the following approved ingredients from the official AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) regulatory publications:

dehydrated garbage (you read that right)
polyethylene roughage (plastic)
hydrolyzed poultry feathers
hydrolyzed hair
hydrolyzed leather meal
some 36 chemical preservatives
peanut skins and hulls
corn cob fractions
ground corn cob
ground clam shells
poultry, cow and pig feces and litter
hundreds of chemicals
a host of antibiotic and chemotherapeutic pharmaceuticals
a variety of synthetic flavorings
adjuvants
sequestrates
stabilizers
anticaking agents MORE

Is organic food really worth the extra cost?

Courtesy of the USDA

Only growers that have been certified by an independent certifying body may carry the USDA organic seal, shown here.  Growers must refrain from using chemicals for at least three years and supply thorough documentation of their organic practices.

Chart by Lisa Watson.  Data from “New evidence confirms the nutritional superiority of plant-based organic foods,” by Charles Benbrook, et. al. The Organic Center, March 2008. CLICK ON CHART TO ENLARGE!

Studies show that organic fruits and vegetables are more likely to have higher levels of nutrients than their conventionally grown counterparts. 

Sales of organic products have skyrocketed in recent years, and it’s easy to see why.  People associate organic food with better health, local growers, lower pesticide levels, humane treatment of animals and sounder environmental practices.

But the National Organic Program, which regulates the process of growing organic food, is actually a marketing program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The government stops short of making any scientific claims that organic food is safer or more nutritious than conventional foods.  So with the price of food continuing to increase in recent months, shoppers are wondering if organics are really worth the extra cost. 

Experts confirm that organic fruits and vegetables probably are better for the environment, and they’re often a good way of ensuring you get fresh fruit.  But although a recent meta-study on organic nutrition levels showed a higher level of some vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, experts are divided on whether that translates to better health.

 

What makes it organic?    MORE

Nitrites and cancer

Similar articles Cruise control How to be healthy: Hayfever Profitable Pollutants Dark Days for Low Energy Light Bulbs

Research from China suggests that even low levels of nitrites in drinking water can cause cancer. Why is the West ignoring the evidence? asks Oliver Tickell

The possibility of a link between nitrite in drinking water and cancer was first noted in 1970. To this day the view of the western ‘scientific establishment’ remains that the effects of nitrite – and the related substance nitrate – are well understood and there’s not much for us to worry about, though it is a good idea to eat less bacon and other preserved meats.

But Chinese scientists are reaching a very different view: that nitrite in drinking water is closely linked with cancer incidence and mortality. Indeed, nitrite pollution may be responsible for up to half of all cancer deaths in developed countries – even when nitrite and nitrate levels are within legal limits.

More

How to protect yourself from drug errors

Asking questions, playing advocate can help reduce risks

MSNBC

More than 1.5 million Americans are injured every year by mistakes involving their medications. Patients can help protect themselves and their loved ones by following these steps:

• Make sure that all of your doctors know about everything you are taking.  More

Closing arguments to begin in Ala. drug price suit

MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Lawyers will begin closing arguments in the trial of the state of Alabama's lawsuit against two prescription drug companies, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline.

The lawyers for Alabama are seeking  $400 million from the drug companies. The state's attorneys argued the companies committed fraud by causing the state's Medicaid program to pay too much for prescription drugs from 1991 to 2005.

Attorneys for the drug companies say that they did not commit fraud.

The trial is the second on more than 70 lawsuits filed by the state against pharmaceutical companies.

Obesity surgery requires no knife - UPDATED

Brigham and Women's Hospital, in a first-of-its kind medical trial, has performed a weight-loss procedure that does not require any cutting, offering the possibility of a safer, less traumatic operation to help address the nation's obesity epidemic.More..

RELATED:

Weight-loss surgery becoming safer, Michigan registry shows

ENDO: Bariatric Surgery May Help Prevent Infections

Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass Surgery May Protect Against Infection And Cancer

ScienceDaily (June 17, 2008) — Another health benefit of bariatric weight-loss surgery may be a heightened immune defense against cancer and infections, a new study suggests.

"Obesity is related to a higher rate of infections and some types of cancer," said a study coauthor, Alfredo Halpern, PhD, of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. "Nevertheless, there are only a few published studies evaluating the immune function in severely obese patients and the effect of surgery-induced weight loss on these parameters."

Halpern and his co-workers therefore studied the effect of weight loss on immune function in 28 morbidly obese patients who had traditional "stomach-stapling" (Roux-en-Y) gastric bypass surgery. The 20 women and eight men lost an average of 78.5 pounds 6 months after gastric bypass. This operation permanently reduces the size of the stomach and bypasses part of the intestines, thus restricting food intake and food absorption.

Before and 6 months after the surgery, the researchers evaluated patients' blood samples for natural killer (NK) cells, which play a critical role in controlling infections and cancer. Specifically, they measured the number of NK cells and the cells' capacity to kill infected cells or tumor cells. They also looked at the production of certain cytokines, proteins that are essential to the immune response.

Although the number of NK cells did not increase with surgically induced weight loss, their activity changed, Halpern said. Before surgery, NK cells mounted a weak immune defense, but after surgery their activity increased by nearly 79 percent, representing an improvement in the effective immune response and, possibly, in the ability to fight cancer and infections.

The response of cytokines involved in NK cell activity also changed after weight loss, possibly affording higher protection against infection and cancer, the researchers found. Cytokines analyzed were interferon-gamma and interleukins 2, 12 and 18.

Prior studies have shown that bariatric surgery has many health benefits, including resolution of type 2 diabetes, improved blood pressure and lower risk of premature death. This study shows another possible benefit of the weight loss stemming from bariatric surgery.

"It may help protectagainst infections and cancer by improving the activity of certain immune cells," Halpern said.

He said the impaired NK cell function evident in extremely obese people may even explain their propensity to develop infections and cancer.

Cancers that research has linked to obesity include colon, breast, endometrial, kidney and esophageal cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The results will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP) funded this study.

Adapted from materials provided by The Endocrine Society, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.