Health Tips:America’s Fittest Cities

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HEALTH TIP: America’s Fittest Cities

1. San Francisco
2. Seattle
3. Boston
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Atlanta
6. Philadelphia
7. Chicago
8. Dallas/Fort Worth
9. New York City
10. Miami/Fort Lauderdale
11. Phoenix
12. Indianapolis

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Early pancreatic cancer detection possible

EVANSTON, Ill. — U.S. medical scientists say they have
developed a technology that is capable of detecting never-
before-seen signs of early-stage pancreatic cancer. A team of
researchers led by Northwestern University biomedical engine-
ering Professor Vadim Backman said although the new technique
has not yet proven effective in double-blind clinical trials,
it might one day help diagnose cancers of the pancreas and,
potentially, other organs at their earliest and most treatable
stages. The researchers, including a team from the NorthShore
University HealthSystem, said the new technique — called
partial wave spectroscopic microscopy — allows them to
examine cell samples taken from people who have undergone
screening for pancreatic cancer to detect signs of the disease.
Pancreatic cancer is typically diagnosed by hospital patholo-
gists who look for telltale changes to the morphology of
pancreatic cells when they examine cell biopsies under the
microscope, the scientists said. The problem is many early-
stage cancer cells appear normal. The new technique measures
nanoscopic changes to the interior architecture of cells –
changes that may signal signs of cancer even in cells that
look normal under the microscope. The research that included
graduate students Yang Liu and Hariharan Subramanian and post-
doctoral fellow Prabhakar Pradhan appears in the online
edition of the journal Optics Letters.

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Gene therapy may fight cystic fibrosis

BERKELEY, Calif. — U.S. scientists have turned a relatively
benign virus into an infectious form that, in its first gene
therapy test, cured cystic fibrosis tissue in culture. Re-
searchers from the University of California-Berkeley and the
University of Iowa said their achievement with the benign
adeno-associated virus overcomes a major problem of earlier
virus-based gene therapy for cystic fibrosis, setting the
stage for tests in advanced animal models of the disease.
“I think it is worthwhile thinking about clinical therapy at
the levels of infection we are achieving,” said UC-Berkeley
Professor David Schaffer. He said a new pig model of cystic
fibrosis developed last year by pulmonologist Professor
Joseph Zabner at the University of Iowa will provide a key
test of the virus as a carrier of a gene to replace the
mutated gene responsible for the disease. “If we are able
to show that efficient gene transfer can result in gene
therapy, if we can cure the lung disease of pigs that have
been genetically engineered to have cystic fibrosis lung
disease, we should have a real chance of curing cystic
fibrosis in humans,” Zabner said. The research appears in
the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.

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Drug may cut radiation brain function loss

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — U.S. medical scientists say they have
discovered a common blood pressure drug might help prevent
cognition loss following brain tumor radiation treatments.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center researchers
used a rat model to test as hypothesis from previous studies
that a compound similar to the anti-hypertensive drug losartan
(Cozaar and Hyzaar) can prevent brain function loss that’s
associated with radiation therapy following brain tumor treat-
ment. The scientists said their findings appear to validate
that hypothesis in rats and they are optimistic the same
theory could be applied to humans. “We need to kill cancer
cells, but also prevent or reduce treatment-related side
effects,” said Professor Mike Robbins, who led the study.
“One very interesting feature of this compound is that it has
never shown any pro-tumor effects. If anything, it appears to
have anti-tumor properties. “We’re very close to having a
compound that will protect the normal brain from cognitive
injury as a result of radiation and, at the same time, we may
very well increase the likelihood of one day curing brain
cancer patients of their tumors.” The study was recently pub-
lished in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology,
Biology, Physics.

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Mental activities reduce memory loss risk

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Reading, playing games, using a computer
or working on crafts in middle age or later reduce the risk
of memory loss, U.S. researchers recommend. The study in-
volved 197 people between the ages of 70-89 with mild cog-
nitive impairment, or diagnosed memory loss, and 1,124 people
that age with no memory problems. Both groups answered ques-
tions about their daily activities within the past year and
in middle age, when they were between ages 50 and 65. The
study found people who participated in social activities and
read magazines during middle age were about 40 percent less
likely to develop memory loss than those who did not. “This
study is exciting because it demonstrates that aging does not
need to be a passive process. By simply engaging in cognitive
exercise, you can protect against future memory loss,” Dr. -
Yonas Geda, the study author and neuropsychiatrist at Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said in a statement. “Of course,
the challenge with this type of research is that we are re-
lying on past memories of the participants, therefore, we
need to confirm these findings with additional research.”
The findings are to be presented at the American Academy of
Neurology’s 61st annual meeting in Seattle, April 25-May 2.

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More firms announce peanut-product recalls

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
says more possibly contaminated peanut products, including
snack tray items sold by 1-800-Flowers, are being recalled.
The company said it is recalling Torn Ranch- and Martha
Stewart-brand snacks containing dry roasted and honey roasted
peanuts sold as snack tray products prior to Jan. 28. The
nuts were supplied by the Peanut Corp. of America and might
be contaminated with salmonella, bacteria that can cause
serious and sometimes fatal infections. The company said
the recall doesn’t affect any 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. products
containing peanuts sold after Jan. 28. Other recent peanut
product recalls involving PCA-supplied peanuts, peanut butter
and peanut paste included:

–The Seattle Chocolate Co. Inc.: Choxie-brand dark chocolate
nut truffle meltaways sold nationwide at Target and Super-
Target stores.

–Durey Libby Edible Nuts Inc.: Durey Libby-, Snack Shack-,
Amsterdam Gourmet- and West Bank Gourmet-brand honey roasted
peanuts sold in bulk nationwide.

–Theo Chocolate Inc.: Theo-brand peanut butter “Big Daddy”
peanut confections and Theo-brand 12-piece peanut collection
boxes.

–Aspen Hills Inc.: Apple Mountain-, ABC-, Baker Jo’s-,
Gourmet- and Arizona Gold-brand pails of frozen cookie dough
sold to fund-raising groups Sept. 23-Dec. 13.

–Grandpa Dons LLC: Grandpa’s Oven-brand Santa Fe snack mix.
The FDA said major brands of peanut butter sold in jars are
not affected by the recalls.

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Stretch 2009 Out with Yoga
By: Lara Endreszl

A few days after purchasing my plane ticket to Hawaii for
next summer, I joined a local fitness center offering a deal
at only a month for unlimited workout privileges. It
sounded like a good idea a few weeks ago before the Christmas
cookies and the many feasts took over my appetite. I doubt I
am alone in my thought process because with 2009 being ushered
in, top resolutions year after year seem to be losing weight,
ridding stress from your life, and getting in shape.

While yoga may still be incredibly popular in American culture,
I have dabbled in Pilates but have not tried enough yoga
practice to inspire or motivate myself into more. With my
only experience of yoga being a few years ago inside a
commercialized fitness center elbow to elbow with men and
women, I was unable to see the instructor who darted back and
forth between the corners of the room barking out positions
from her headset. Unfortunately, I have not been back to yoga
but recently found a Bikram yoga place—also known as “Hot
Yoga,” a sect that involves practicing stretches of yoga done
in a room with the temperature at 105 degrees with 40 percent
humidity—near my home and have resolved to make yoga one of
my New Year’s resolutions for 2009.

Yoga has been a trend for decades but it has been practiced
in ancient cultures for centuries. The philosophy behind the
method is that the spirit, mind, and body are all one and
cannot be treated individually. This simple principal of yoga
is traditionally part of Ayurvedic Indian medicine and the
same idea is mimicked in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
As yoga gets further in-depth, there are more complex ideas
to think about as part of a meditation of the body mind and
soul.

In terms of a New Year’s resolution, physical exertion is
determined by how much energy you put out in order to get
it back. Yoga isn’t considered a cardio workout like the
treadmill and it’s not bulking up your muscles like free
weights, but because the entire body (including the all-
important muscle inside the head) is working together to
focus, balance and breathe to attain a higher inner peace.

A lot of people may find this type of workout extraneous or
unnecessary because they workout to build up a sweat, to
release stress, or exert energy in order to slim, tone, or
bulk. However, yoga acts as a medicinal strengthening power,
able to help your muscles stay long and lean and cleanse your
body from the inside out. A yoga routine can increase your
flexibility by using multiple positions that stretch and form
most of the joints in your body. Yoga also lubricates those
joints and muscles helping to secure them from pain and injury,
keeping the body working in harmony. As part of its healing
powers, yoga is recommended for those recovering from illness
or surgeries because it is possibly the only activity that
stimulates and massages the glands and all of the internal
organs of the body.

When used as a detoxification agent, the practice of yoga
can provide better blood circulation which helps to cleanse
toxins and other unwanted particles out of your body, which
in turn pumps up your energy, increases your awareness and
alertness, and keeps you clean from the inside out providing
general health.

For those who may still be apprehensive, yoga may seem
trendy now, but this specific workout trend has lasted for
a reason. Exercising your mind, soul, and body in one hour
or less can transform your whole lifestyle and create a new
appreciation for spirituality as well as the pressures of a
healthy body. Since the results of yoga have proven and
continued strongly throughout many cultures, it might be the
year to give it a try.  If enlightenment, a great body, and
a better outlook for 2009 are what you’re looking for, make
room in your busy schedule for a little bit of yoga and by
2010, you may just have to find a different set of resolutions.

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