Experts Worry Breast Cancer Cases in Women Under Age 50 Are On The Rise
From USA Today—There is concern among breast cancer specialists that the number of breast cancer cases in women under age 50 is increasing. Women are recommended to begin mammography at age 40 rather than 50.
Habit Replacement May Help Reduce Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
From NBC News—Skin picking or nail biting can be alleviated by gently rubbing the fingertips, palm, or back of the arm at least twice a day. 53% of people in a study using this technique showed at least some improvement.
Diet high in Fruit, Nuts, Legumes, Fish, and Whole-Fat Dairy tied to Lower CVD And Mortality Worldwide
From Healio—4 large studies from 80 countries and 2 other studies from 62 countries showed a diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, and whole dairy foods is associated with a 6% lower risk of major cardiovascular events and an 8% lower risk of death. We are what we eat with some genetics thrown in to give us direction. This is not new information. It now has scientific proof of accuracy.
Diabetes Rates in Children, Teens Increased During Onset of Pandemic
From “Managed Healthcare Executive”—Rates of Type I diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis in children and teens, increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. A 14% rise occurred in children the first year, then rose 27% the second year.
Hearing Loss Associated with Increased Incidence of Fatigue in Older Adults
From JAMA Otolaryngology—Middle aged and older adults who had severe fatigue had a higher incidence of hearing loss, even adjusting for lifestyle factors, demographics, and comorbidities.
Kidney Stone Incidence Rising Among Kids and Teens
From NBC News—Kidney stones are occurring more often in teens, especially girls. The reason is unknown, but possibly a diet high in ultra processed foods, increased use of antibiotics early in life, and more cases of dehydration. Cases are more common in summer months.
Higher Caffeine Intake Associated with Increased Prevalence of Severe Migraine Headache
Caffeine is a known migraine trigger. It is also known to contribute to analgesic-rebound headaches. Healio reports a high daily intake of dietary caffeine is associated with an increased prevalence of severe headache/migraine in adults. This is not new info, but being reminded of caffeine’s effects helps reduce headache frequency.
After Menopause, Elevated HDL & Total Cholesterol will Increase Heart Failure
The hormonal changes women have during menopause may increase the risk of heart failure. If TC was 240 mg% or higher, and BrainNaturetlc Peptide (BNP) testing was greater than 100 pica grams, heart failure was likely to develop. On one hand, a high HDL-C is good, but on the other hand if it’s too high (>75) it may result in a heart failure. On several studies, a high HDL-C is observed to increase the risks for heart failure. Very high levels of TC and HDL-C are not as cardio-protective as was once thought.
What Medical Treatments are Effective For Reducing Pain from Diabetic Neuropathy?
Amitriptyline, duloxetine (Cymbalta), and pregabalin (Lyrica) alone, or in combination with each other, control pain adequately.
Do Customized Prefabricated Foot Orthoses Improve Pain of Flat Feet and Quality of Life Measures in Children with Flat Feet?
NO.
Most Women with Early Invasive Breast Cancer Survive.
The cumulative risk of dying from early invasive breast cancer has decreased from 14% in the 1990’s to 5% for women diagnosed between 2010 and 2015. Five years after diagnosis, mortality rates decline every five-year period. The majority had a 5-year risk of dying of under 3%. These data reassure women treated for breast cancer that they will become long term survivors. Reported in the British Medical Journal.
Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections are on the Rise. What Can Be Done?
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, chlamydia, HPV, gonorrhea, and syphilis infections are increasing in prevalence. HHS has a plan it hopes will prevent new infections, increase research, and reduce health disparities. They will expand clinical care, develop new vaccines, use point-of-care diagnostic tools, and therapeutics. The current system is not working as people get lost to follow-up if they aren’t diagnosed and treated immediately.
Sugar Substitutes Don’t Help Weight Control and May Increase Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes
“The ongoing consumption of sugar substitutes may increase risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even death”—World Health Organization. Consuming too much actual sugar is tied to obesity. The use of sugar substitutes has effectively lowered the intake of sugar, but at a price. Sugar substitutes are touted as low calorie, or no calories, but it has not been shown that long term use leads to weight loss. In fact, they have an unfavorable effect on the risk factors for chronic disease. French researchers showed artificial sweeteners increased the risk of CVD, can damage DNA and affect the development of cancers. WHO doesn’t recommend banning sugar substitutes, but they also aren’t sure if benefits outweigh the risks. A better approach is to opt for unsweetened foods and beverages, reduce intake of sugar and its substitutes in infants and small children.
References: AAFP: Family Medicine Today, 2023 July 21.
AAFP: Family Medicine Today, 2023 July 10.
AFP Clinical Answers. 2023 July;108(1):23.
Medical News in Brief. JAMA 2023 July 11;330(2):112.
News and Analysis. Sugar Substitutes…… JAMA 2023 July 3;330(1):9-10.
Custom Orthotics for rigid flat feet in children will not help for pain. Flexible flat feet that are painful, are usually helped by custom orthotics. Flexible flat feet that are not painful should be treated with custom orthotics as keeping a developing foot in a more anatomical position, thus helping to prevent future problems in adults.
I was hoping you would have a response to this.