Health Archives - Page 81 of 90

Duke Study Finds Diabetes Research Concentrates on Treatment, Not Prevention

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

A recent Duke University study has found that diabetes research primarily focuses on drug therapies as opposed to prevention, reported the Huffington Post.

In a report published in the journal Diabetologia, study authors concluded that research pertaining to diabetes prevention and therapy is insufficient.

Duke scientists examined nearly 2,500 diabetes-related trials from 2007 to 2010, of which almost 75 percent emphasized diabetes treatment and only 10 percent observed preventative measures. The majority of trials, more than 63 percent, involved a drug, whereas less than 12 percent used behavioral tests.

In addition, study authors found diabetes research tends to exclude older adults and children who stand to significantly benefit from improved disease management. Adults and seniors face the highest risk of diabetes, but the condition is also on the rise among children and youth—especially in Indian country, a finding consistent with increases in obesity among Native American youth, states a U.S. Department of Agriculture 2012 report to Congress titled, “Addressing Child Hunger and Obesity in Indian Country.”

Furthermore, many trials were completed in a short time span of two years and did not include geographically diverse diabetes patients. “The majority of diabetes-related trials include small numbers of participants, exclude those at the extremes of age, are of short duration, involve drug therapy rather than preventive or non-drug interventions and do not focus upon significant cardiovascular outcomes,” the report in Diabetologi states. “Recently registered diabetes trials may not sufficiently address important diabetes care issues or involve affected populations.”

Study researcher Dr. Jennifer Green, an associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine and a member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, said the exclusion of older adults and children from these trials means that the research can’t necessarily apply to them. “We really don’t understand how best to manage disease in these patients—particularly among patients of advanced age,” she said in the statement. “So the exclusion of them from most studies and the small number of trials that specifically enroll older individuals is problematic.”

World Health Day: What Steps Will You Take to Stay Healthy and Cancer-Free?

Exercise through sport or dancing to stay healthy. (J. Morgan Edwards Photography)

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

April 7, 2013 is World Health Day. As part of the movement to promote healthy living, what steps will you take to stay healthy and cancer-free?

The American Cancer Society has five easy suggestions that will help keep you healthier and reduce your risk of cancer at the same time.

Get off the couch and get on the treadmill. Or on the stair stepper. Or on the elliptical. Whatever the case, get active! Now that Spring is finally here, you don’t have an excuse. Grab a loved one and go for a nice evening walk outside. The American Cancer Society recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise daily for adults, so get moving!

Eating fresh produce regularly may reduce your risk of cancer.

Avoid drinking in excess. If you drink, limit alcohol to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. The American Cancer Society has found that drinking damages body tissue and increases the risk of cancer. Is the extra drink really worth the risk?

Watch your waistband. Arlene St. John Black Bird, program director for the Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (BCCEDP) at Cheyenne River Health Center in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, offers some dietary advice: “Research shows that poor diet is strongly linked to cancer. To stay healthy, limit red meat and avoid processed meat. Instead, try lean proteins like chicken or turkey. Making small changes to your diet can actually make a big difference.”

Get regular cancer screenings. If you have a family history of cancer, you should talk to your doctor about getting screened at an early age. Statistics show that early detection saves lives.

Be tobacco free. Tobacco use accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. By smoking, you’re not only putting yourself at risk—you’re also jeopardizing your loved ones. Each year, about 3,400 non-smoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing secondhand smoke. Quit today and keep yourself and your loved ones cancer-free.

Did you know that 2/3 of all cancers are preventable? That means following the American Cancer Society’s guidelines will reduce your risk of cancer and, potentially, save your life.

With statistics like that, it seems like a no-brainer: This World Health Day, commit to healthy living.

For more healthy living suggestions, contact the American Cancer Society at 1.800.227.2345 or www.cancer.org.

Business interests trump health concerns in fish consumption fight

“Our tribal leadership’s main responsibility is simply to protect our people,” said Marc Gauthier, a representative of the Upper Columbia United Tribes, before leaving the meeting. “It comes down to that basic human desire to protect your family.”

By Robert McClure
March 30, 2013

The Washington State Department of Ecology has known since the 1990s that its water-pollution limits have meant some Washingtonians regularly consume dangerous amounts of toxic chemicals in fish from local waterways.

At least twice, Ecology has been told by its overseers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fix the problem and better protect people’s health. Ecology was close to finally doing that last year — until Boeing and other business interests launched an intense lobbying campaign aimed not just at Ecology but also at the Washington Legislature and then-Gov. Christine Gregoire. That is the picture that emerges from recent interviews as well as government documents obtained by InvestigateWest under the Washington Public Records Law.

The problem lies in Ecology’s estimate of how much fish people eat. The lower the amount, the more water pollution Ecology can legally allow. So by assuming that people eat the equivalent of just one fish meal per month, Ecology is able to set less stringent pollution limits.

Meanwhile, citing the health benefits of fish, the state Department of Health advises people to eat fish twice a week, eight times as often as the official estimate of actual consumption. The state knows that some members of Indian tribes, immigrants and other fishermen consume locally caught seafood even more often than that and are therefore at greater risk of cancer, neurological damage and other maladies.

The Boeing Co. looms large in this story. In June 2012, Boeing said if Ecology went ahead with plans to make fish safer to eat, it would “cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars and severely hamper its ability to increase production in Renton and make future expansion elsewhere in the state cost prohibitive,” according to a Gregoire aide’s reconstruction of a conversation with a Boeing executive that month.

In July 2012, Ecology announced it would not go forward with a new rule to adjust the fish-eating estimate as planned. Instead the agency launched a “stakeholder process” that would delay any new rules for at least two years. Last week that process plodded on in Spokane, where state and local government officials and others spent more than three hours discussing the many contaminants that for years have prompted official state warnings against eating Washington fish too regularly.

“All we’ve seen is delay,” said Bart Mihailovich of the Spokane Riverkeeper environmental group, one of several that have refused to participate in the new series of meetings. “Why are we going back and doing what was already done?”

At the meeting in Spokane Thursday, a representative of Indian tribes called Ecology’s conduct “a betrayal” and explained that the tribes are boycotting the current process because it is unnecessary.

Ecology had at least one other false start in fixing the rules, back in the mid-1990s, an effort that petered out even before a rule change was proposed, said Melissa Gildersleeve, the Ecology manager overseeing the current stakeholder process. That followed a 1994 study by the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission that documented how the national estimate of one fish meal per month was greatly and regularly exceeded by some members of Indian tribes.

While who eats how much contaminated fish is a slippery and much-debated corner of science, few of the parties involved in the current dispute in Washington contend that the current fish-consumption rate accurately reflects the true amount eaten, especially by some groups such as members of Indian tribes, subsistence fishermen and immigrants. The figure came from a 1973-74 federal study that asked consumers to fill our “food diaries” for three days, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Read full article here

How to Dispose of Unused Medicines

Source: FDA Consumer Health Information www.fda.gov

Is your medicine cabinet filled with expired drugs or medications you no longer use? How should you dispose of them?

Most drugs can be thrown in the household trash, but consumers should take certain precautions before tossing them out, according to the Food and Drug Administra- tion (FDA). A few drugs should be flushed down the toi- let. And a growing number of community-based “take- back” programs offer another safe disposal alternative.

Guidelines for Drug Disposal

FDA worked with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to develop the first consumer guidance for proper disposal of prescription drugs. Issued by ONDCP in February 2007 and updated in October 2009, the federal guidelines are summarized here:

Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that accompanies the medication. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless this information specifically instructs you to do so.
Take advantage of community drug take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Call your city or county government’s household trash and recycling service (see blue pages in phone book) to see if a take-back program is available in your community. The Drug Enforcement Administration, working with state and local law enforcement agencies, is sponsoring National Prescription Drug Take Back Days (www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov) throughout the United States.
If no instructions are given on the drug label and no take-back program is available in your area, throw the drugs in the household trash, but first:

° Take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter. The medication will be less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to peo- ple who may intentionally go through your trash.
° Put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.
FDA’s Deputy Director of the Office of Compliance Ilisa Bernstein, Pharm.D., J.D., offers some additional tips:

Before throwing out a medicine container, scratch out all identifying information on the prescription label to make it unreadable. This will help protect your identity and the privacy of your personal health information.
Do not give medications to friends. Doctors prescribe drugs based on a person’s specific symptoms and medical history. A drug that works for you could be dangerous for someone else.
When in doubt about proper disposal, talk to your pharmacist.
Bernstein says the same disposal methods for prescription drugs could apply to over-the-counter drugs as well.

Why the Precautions?

Disposal instructions on the label are part of FDA’s “risk mitigation” strategy, says Capt. Jim Hunter, R.Ph., M.P.H., senior program manager on FDA’s Controlled Substance Staff. When a drug contains instructions to flush it down the toilet, he says, it’s because FDA, working with the manufacturer, has determined this method to be the most appropriate route of disposal that presents the least risk to safety.

Drugs such as powerful narcotic pain relievers and other controlled sub- stances carry instructions for flushing to reduce the danger of unintentional use or overdose and illegal abuse.

For example, the fentanyl patch, an adhesive patch that delivers a potent pain medicine through the skin, comes with instructions to flush used or left- over patches. Too much fentanyl can cause severe breathing problems and lead to death in babies, children, pets, and even adults, especially those who have not been prescribed the drug. “Even after a patch is used, a lot of the drug remains in the patch,” says Hunter, “so you wouldn’t want to throw something in the trash that contains a powerful and potentially dangerous narcotic that could harm others.”

Environmental Concerns

Despite the safety reasons for flushing drugs, some people are questioning the practice because of concerns about trace levels of drug residues found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in some community drinking water supplies. However, the main way drug residues enter water systems is by people taking medications and then naturally passing them through their bodies, says Raanan Bloom, Ph.D., an environmental assessment expert in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Most drugs are not completely absorbed or metabolized by the body, and enter the environment after passing through waste water treatment plants.”

A company that wants FDA to approve its drug must submit an application package to the agency. FDA requires, as part of the application package, an assessment of how the drug’s use would affect the environment. Some drug applications are excluded from the assessment requirement, says Bloom, based on previous agency actions.

“For those drugs for which environmental assessments have been required, there has been no indication of environmental effects due to

flushing,” says Bloom. In addition, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, scientists to date have found no evidence of adverse human health effects from pharmaceutical residues in the environment.

Nonetheless, FDA does not want to add drug residues into water systems unnecessarily, says Hunter. The agency reviewed its drug labels to identify products with disposal directions recommending flushing or disposal down the sink. This continuously revised listing can be found at FDA’s Web page on Disposal of Unused Medicines (www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/ Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/ EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/Safe DisposalofMedicines/ucm186187.htm).

Another environmental concern lies with inhalers used by people who have asthma or other breathing problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Traditionally, many inhalers have contained chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), a propellant that damages the protective ozone layer. The CFC inhalers are being phased out and replaced with more environ- mentally friendly inhalers.

Depending on the type of product and where you live, inhalers and aerosol products may be thrown into household trash or recyclables, or may be considered hazardous waste and require special handling. Read the handling instructions on the label, as some inhalers should not be punctured or thrown into a fire or incinerator. To ensure safe disposal, contact your local trash and recycling facility.

12 Things Doctors May Not Tell You About the Drugs They Prescribe

By Jennifer, WAKE UP! www.wakeupnow.org

When physicians prescribe medication they do so after a thorough evaluation of their patient. It is up to the patient to educate themselves on safety warnings and potential dangers associated with taking the drug.
1. Many prescription drugs including pain and anti-anxiety medications can be addictive.

2. Just because a controlled drug is legal to prescribe, doesn’t make it safer than illegal drugs.

3. A teenager’s brain continues to develop until age 24, which increases their risk of addiction 8 fold.

4. Taking a prescription drug that doesn’t belong to you is a FELONY.

5. Sharing, selling or giving someone a controlled prescription drug is a FELONY. You are seen as a drug dealer/trafficker, with a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

6. Driving a vehicle under the influence of controlled prescription drugs is legally the same as a DUI (Driving Under the Influence “of alcohol”)

7. Never adjust the dosage of a medication that was prescribed to you. Depending on the controlled substance, it can lead to withdrawal symptoms including: difficulty breathing, confusion, exhaustion, decreased heart rate, anxiety, insomnia, muscle tremors, physical dependence, and even life-threatening consequences.

8. Mixing controlled substances can be dangerous – make sure your physician is aware of all medications and herbal supplements you are taking. Your doctor may not have access to the names of medications prescribed by other physicians. Mixing controlled substances can lead to overdose and death.

9. Do not mix alcohol with controlled substances. It can cause: drowsiness, dizziness; increased risk for overdose; slowed or difficulty breathing; impaired motor control; unusual behavior; and memory problems.

10. Don’t just throw unused medicine in the trash. There are specific guidelines provided by the government on how to dispose of medication. To learn more visit:
http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm101653.htm#GuidelinesforDrugDisposal

11. Keep track of when you take all medications – this will minimize the chances of taking double doses, or missing a dose.

12. Don’t discuss what medications you are taking with anyone but your medical or mental health team, and keep the medications in a secure place at all times. Prescription drug abuse of controlled substances has become an epidemic in the United States. Often these medications are stolen from medicine cabinets and nightstands. Addicts have been known to break into homes where they suspect they can find meds, as well as assault someone who is in possession of the prescription medication they desire.

WARNING: New Synthetic Drug Called Amped

By Jennifer, WAKE UP!, www.wakeupnow.org

Ladybugs are said to bring luck, but there’s nothing lucky about a new type of synthetic drug called amped, also known as exuberance powder. Marketed as a “ladybug attractant,” people use the substance to get high much like “bath salts” or other amphetamine-like drugs.

While high, some of the side effects include:

Increased blood pressure
Increased heart rate
Paranoia
Extreme violent behavior
Hallucinations
Delusions

Law enforcement and lawmakers are playing catch-up with these synthetic products, as many of the chemicals used to make these substances are not yet outlawed.

The consumption of these substances is increasing fast. In 2011, the American Association of Poison Control Centers said there were 6,138 calls regarding exposure to bath salts, compared to 2010 when there were only 304.

For a poison emergency in the U.S. call 1-800-222-1222
American Association of Poison Control Centers.

Indigenous Peoples Call for Inclusion in Global Mercury Treaty

Source: Native News Network

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Representatives from the Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus have convened in Geneva, Switzerland to make the final push for the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations global mercury treaty.

The final, weeklong negotiating session initiated on Sunday, January 13.

The Caucus is a collaboration of Indigenous representatives from the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Island Sustainability Alliance Cook Islands Inc., International Indian Treaty Council, and the California Indian Environmental Alliance.

Methylmercury is a neurotoxin found in fish and other marine animals. Fish are one of the main sources of protein, and also serve social, cultural and spiritual purposes in many Indigenous communities. Indigenous Peoples disproportionately suffer the adverse effects of mercury contamination, yet they are not specifically mentioned in the current draft of the mercury treaty text.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to advocate on behalf of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva and look forward to engaging in meaningful dialogue with the country delegates about our priorities,”

said Jacqueline Keliiaa, Vice President of the Board of Directors for the California Indian Environmental Alliance.

“Our communities back home are continually affected by mercury exposure left over from the California gold rush. We deserve a strong treaty that is inclusive of our distinctive status as Indigenous Peoples.”

New studies show that even low-level exposure to mercury contamination over long periods of time may considerably impair health. Indigenous Peoples must be included in the text to ensure that the treaty provides appropriate protections so we can practice our cultures and life-ways without the threat of mercury in our lands, waters, foods or in the bodies of our children.

“The International Indian Treaty Council calls upon all UN agencies and UN member States to implement and follow up on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the internationally accepted minimum standard adopted by the UN General Assembly and now endorsed by all States including the US and Canada.”

“The Declaration recognizes Indigenous Peoples as “Peoples” and not “populations”, and affirms a number of inherent rights that are directly impacted by mercury contamination including rights to health, subsistence, culture and the rights affirmed in Nation to Nation Treaties,”

said Andrea Carmen, Executive Director of the International Indian Treaty Council.

The National Congress of American Indians, the oldest and largest American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the United States has also joined the effort for Indigenous inclusion.

On January 10, the National Congress of American Indians adopted a resolution calling for the United States government to propose treaty text recognizing the impacts of mercury on Indigenous Peoples.

“We are honored and pleased that the National Congress of American Indians recognizes the severe impacts that mercury has had on Native Peoples, our homelands, and our sources of sustenance,”

said Tia Oros Peters, Executive Director of the Seventh Generation Fund, a key supporter of the resolution.

The mercury treaty is amongst the first multilateral environmental treaties to be negotiated since the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of indigenous Peoples in 2007. This is a unique opportunity for the international community and the United Nations system to abide by the standards set out in the UN Declaration, including the recognition of Indigenous Peoples as “Peoples” and not “populations”, as well as the implementation of rights related to environment, health, culture, foods, amongst many others.

Safe Kids activities in Snohomish County

The following is an update of Safe Kids activities in Snohomish County.

What’s New?

New Look! Safe Kids Worldwide has a new look. In the next couple of weeks you will see our logo and branding colors change.

New Safe Kids Washington Director! Welcome Julie Alonso, Child Injury Prevention Specialist with the Department of Health. We look forward to seeing all the great things she has planned for our state.

New Role! Kristen Thorstenson is now the new Safe Kids Coordinator for Evergreen Healthcare. Kristen will be stepping down as VP of Media but continuing as our Child Passenger Safety Chair. Thank you Kristen for all your work in Snohomish County and best of luck in your new role!

Meeting Dates & Educational Presentation:

*We meet quarterly to discuss new programs, grant opportunities, budget and funding, membership, media/outreach and more. Following our meeting we will host an educational presentation & lunch—both are FREE to Safe Kids members and as well as the community. Reminders are sent out two weeks prior to the scheduled date.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

9-9:45 am — Safe Kids Meeting @ Providence Pavilion, Third Floor Conference Room

10-12:00 pm — “Sports Safety & Concussion Prevention” presented by Kelly Allen, RN, Trauma Coordinator, PRMCE

Thursday, June 20, 2013

9-9:45 am — Safe Kids Meeting @ Providence Pavilion, Third Floor Conference Room

10-12:00 pm – “Drowning Prevention & Boating Safety” presented by Rodney Rochon, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and Kim Schroeder, Fire District One

Thursday, September 26, 2013

9-9:45 am — Safe Kids Meeting @ Providence Pavilion, Third Floor Conference Room

10-12:00 pm – “Child Passenger Safety for the Provider” presented by Kristen Thorstenson, SafeKeepers, llc

Child Passenger Safety Events

May 16 @ Navy NEX, Smokey Point

July 18 @ Molina Healthcare, Everett Mall Way

September 20 @ Babies R Us, Lynnwood.

Bike/Pedestrian

National Bike to School Day Event, May 8 @ Cedar Valley Community School, Lynnwood

Drowning Prevention

Life jacket loaner cabinets are scheduled to open on Memorial Day, May 27, 2013

Sports Safety & Concussion Prevention

Join us April 18, 2013 for an in depth look at concussions, second impact syndrome and prevention. Learn how to host a concussion clinic and more.

Home Safety

Includes falls, fire/burns, poisoning, drowning and more. Last year we saw a 29% increase in window falls! Children also suffer burns that include campfire, BBQ’s and fireworks. We received an Medication Safety Grant from Safe Kids Worldwide and will be rolling out a campaign to reduce accidental poisonings. Every year, more than 67,000 children are treated in emergency departments. That’s one child every 8 minutes.

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

Please Join us in Protecting Tulalip Children from Child Sexual Abuse

The Legacy of Healing Child Advocacy Center is Hosting 3 Lunchtime Events at the Tulalip Tribes Administration Building:

Wednesday April 10^th 12-1 Room 162

Question & Answer format: Ask your Questions about Preventing & Healing from Child Abuse.

No need to sign up-Pizza provided Room 162

Wednesday April 17^th 12-2 Room 162

Stewards of Children-Free abuse prevention training. Designed for adults to learn how to prevent, recognize and react to child sexual abuse. One hour of education leave in addition to your lunch break (with supervisor approval).

Space is limited please contact RaziLeptich with questions or to register. rleptich@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov 716-4100

Lunch provided

Wednesday April 24^th 12-2 Room 162

Space is limited please contact RaziLeptich with questions or to register. rleptich@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov 716-4100

Lunch provided

More information regarding the Stewards of Children training can be found at their website:

http://www.d2l.org/site/c.4dICIJOkGcISE/b.6243681/k.86C/Child_Sexual_Abuse_Prevention_Training.htm

Doctor Touts the ‘Fast Diet’ To Prevent Diabetes

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

The “fast diet” involves eating regularly five days per week and fasting the remaining two. Adherents are supposed to consume only a quarter of their typical caloric intake, about 500 calories, for two consecutive days.

While this diet fad it taking England by storm, the concept of intermittent fasting is not new. Dr. Michael Mosley, the UK-based doctor responsible for popularizing the weight loss regimen and author of “The Fast Diet,” spent months researching findings on the practice after he was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, reported the Huffington Post. Mosley opted not to take medication to manage his cholesterol and instead to make a drastic lifestyle change.

Mosley tested the diet on himself, closely monitoring his progress, and saw quick improvements. His cholesterol and insulin resistance lowered and he shed 19 pounds of fat.

“I went into it quite skeptical because I’ve looked at diets over the years and I’ve always assumed they’re rubbish. Really seriously rubbish,” Mosley told the Huffington Post. “But the people who study in this area are really top scientists—world-class scientists who are hugely reputable in their areas. And they were all coming at it from their areas of expertise: cancer, dementia, diabetes—they were approaching it from different angles, but coming to the same conclusion. I found that very convincing.”

All fasting is not the same, Mosley clarifies, firmly debunking the theory that juice cleansing—a recent diet rage—is beneficial.

“I think juicing is a terrible idea,” he told the Huffington Post. “The biggest problem is that it removes the fiber. And the really good thing that’s in fruits and vegetables is the fiber. Fiber reduces your risk of bowel cancers — all sorts of cancers — and it also keeps you satiated and it also stabilizes your glucose levels.

If you take an apple and you eat it, you get loads of fiber in it, it fills you up. Studies show that having an apple before your meal means you’ll probably eat fewer calories in that meal. If you drink apple juice, basically, almost all the skin has been removed and all the vitamins are in the skin. A glass of juice is really just a sugar hit. And that is going to make you feel hungry, it’s going to make your insulin levels go up. It’s going to be empty calories.”