Health Tips:Fish Oil Is A Healthy Source Of Good Fat

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Greetings…

There are so many myths going around about colds and flu that
many people find it difficult to understand and treat these
two common ailments. Like many people still believe that you
should feed a cold and starve a fever. Fact is this is a very
old and untrue saying and something you will NEVER hear from your
doctor. The best thing you should do is drink lots and lots of
liquids - water, fruits juices, and soups.

Myth: You are more likely to catch a cold in the winter.

Fact: Common colds have nothing to do with cold weather, most
viruses that cause colds and flu survive better when humidity
is low, which is the case in autumn and winter. Cold weather
also promotes drying of the nasal membranes, making them more
vulnerable to infections.

Myth: Flying on an airplane will increase your risk of catching
a cold or the flu.

Fact: Sorry frequent flyers, but riding in a plane does increase
your risk of catching a cold.

Enjoy today’s issue…

Be Well,
Kris

HEALTH TIP: Fish Oil is a healthy source of good fat

As most people know, fish oil is a healthy source of fat. A
recent study suggests that it may also reduce fatty
substances found in the blood of those with type 2 diabetes.

The study, which studied over 40 adults taking a supplement
with 4 grams of fish oil over 8 weeks, proved that it
lowered levels of traicylglycerol, a fatty substance that
contributes to heart disease.

They also found that levels of HDL, good cholesterol, rose
with those who took fish oil.

The study was reported in the Diabetes Care magazine and
reported that those taking fish oil supplements showed LDL
and HDL feel by almost 1%. That might not be a lot, but for
diabetics, reducing the amount of fat in the blood by any
amount is helpful.

While taking fish oil supplements is helpful, eating fatty
fish like salmon and mackerel is the natural way to get
plenty of fish oils.

Surgery Checklist Reduced Deaths And Complications

An international pilot program that introduced a Surgical
Patient Safety Checklist in eight hospitals in eight cities
around the world resulted in nearly one third significantly
fewer deaths and complications among a diverse adult patient
population undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

The findings were written up as an academic paper in the 14
January online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine,
NEJM by the pilot program researchers who are part of the
World Health Organization (WHO) Safe Surgery Saves Lives
Study Group.

In their background information the authors described how
surgical complications are common and often preventable, and
suggested that a simple checklist might help improve
communication among surgical team members and consistency of
care, in much the same way as the pre-flight checks that
pilots perform.

Around 234 million surgical operations take place globally
every year, wrote the authors, explaining that studies done
in industrialized countries showed that 3 to 16 per cent of
inpatient surgeries have major complications and inpatient
deaths at around surgery time occur at a rate of 0.4 to 0.8
per cent. They said surgical teams around the world were
also inconsistent in their approach to pre- and post-surgery
care, and give the example that despite strong evidence to
support the use of antibiotics within one hour before
incision to stop possible wound infections this does not
always happen.

The 19-item checklist contained a series of points that the
surgical team went through and confirmed they had completed
them. For example, at three critical points during a surgical
procedure (before anesthesia, just before incision, and
before the patient leaves the operating room), a member of
the team would verbally confirm that each step of infection
control, anesthesia safety and other important considerations
(such as confirming the site is marked at the start, or the
right number of sponges and instruments are on the table at
the the end and therefore none has been left inside the
patient).

New mouse model found for allergy

CHICAGO, — Researchers in Chicago say they have developed
a new way to get mice to mimic symptoms of humans having an
allergic reaction to peanuts. Peanut allergies affect many
people, particularly young children, so finding an animal
model that mimics a severe reaction will help scientists
develop better treatment strategies, said Paul Bryce, who
led the mouse model team at the Feinberg School of Medicine
at Northwestern University. For reasons not clearly under-
stood, the prevalence of food allergies in children in-
creased by 18 percent between 1997 and 2007, with the most
common allergies linked to milk, eggs, shellfish, peanuts,
tree nuts, wheat and soy, Bryce said. Mice are not normally
allergic to peanuts so Bryce’s team fed mice a mix of whole
peanut extract and a toxin from the bacteria Staphylococcus
aureus to simulate an allergic reaction. The results were
considerably more effective than those seen with previous
animal models, which failed to mimic many features of food
allergy, the University said in a release Tuesday.

CDC links peanut butter to outbreak

ATLANTA, — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion said preliminary evidence suggests peanut butter may
be the source of a Salmonella outbreak. As of Monday, 410
people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella
Typhimurium have been reported from 43 states. The infection
may have contributed to three deaths, the report said. Peanut
Corp. of America, which makes peanut butter for bulk distri-
bution to institutions, food service industries and private
label food companies, recalled peanut butter produced in its
Blakely, Ga., processing facility this week after the Minne-
sota Department of Agriculture Laboratory found Salmonella
Typhimurium in an open 5-pound container of King Nut brand
creamy peanut butter. The peanut butter is also sold under
the brand name Parnell’s Pride. The Food and Drug Administ-
ration said common brands of peanut butter sold in grocery
stores do not appear to be associated with the outbreak.

No evidence yet of Singulair suicide risk

WASHINGTON, — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said
a safety review has yet to find conclusive evidence of any
link between certain asthma drugs and suicide. The agency
last March announced that it was reviewing data that raised
concerns about a possible association between the use of
Singulair and behavior/mood changes, suicide, suicidal
thinking and suicidal behavior. The FDA has urged both
healthcare professionals and patients to report side effects
from the use of drugs Singulair, Accolate, Zyflo, and Zyflo
CR to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.
The review was initiated by post-marketing reports of neuro-
psychiatric events associated with montelukast, zafirlukast
and zileuton being reported to FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting
System. The FDA said most of the reports of neuropsychiatric
events are associated with montelukast — marketed as Singu-
lair — currently the most commonly prescribed drug that
acts through the leukotriene pathway.
Vapo Rub not recommended for infants

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., — A U.S. study suggests the popular
cold treatment Vicks Vapo Rub may create respiratory prob-
lems for infants and small children. The study by Wake
Forest University Baptist Medical Center, published in the
journal Chest, found the menthol compound may stimulate
mucus production and airway inflammation, which can have
severe effects on infants or young children because of the
small size of their airways. “The ingredients in Vicks can
be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to
protect the airway,” Dr. Bruce K. Rubin, a professor in the
department of pediatrics at Brenner Children’s Hospital,
part of Wake Forest Baptist. “Infants and young children
have airways that are much narrower than those of adults, so
any increase in mucus or inflammation can narrow them more
severely.” The report said Rubin’s findings support current
labeling of the Procter and Gamble product, which indicates
Vicks product should not be used on children under 2 years
of age.

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