National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

The Arc, an advocacy group working for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is a fantastic resource for families of the disabled. Online Community users can participate in online discussions. 7.2 million people in the US are disabled, and The Arc has 800 local chapters dedicated to serving them.

Watching children grow and develop is one of life's great mysteries. But what do you do if you suspect your child is not developing as they should? Developmental screening is an important aspect of caring for your growing child. Not all developmental disabilities are obvious. Unfortunately, many primary health care providers do not feel equipped to give parents the information about childhood growth and development they crave. Your family health care provider or pediatrician should check your child regularly to see that he or she is achieving developmental milestones. The CDC is a great resource for information about developmental milestones and screening. If you have any concerns at all about your child's behavior, intellectual or emotional capacity, do not hesitate to talk to a health care provider and ask for a referral for further screening.

As children enter schools, the school system offers tremendous resources for families of children who are struggling with issues, whether they be psychological, developmental or medical. A local school board official informed me last week that an "epidemic of chronic depression in adolescence" is sweeping the country. Schools are rallying to meet this problem by coming up with alternative education programs, even for children who are excellent students, and whose main disability may be crippling depression.

The worst thing to do is keep your worries to yourself. If you are concerned about your child, talk to the people who specialize in kids problems: pediatricians, counselors, and social service workers.

Thank you Smithereen11 for use of the photo.

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Thank You Dr.Stuart Henochowicz!

Once a week Grand Rounds - a carnival of health-related blogs - is hosted by a medical blogger who sifts through multiple entries from the medical blogosphere to find the best the posts to share. The posts are featured in the host's issue of Grand Rounds on their blog. This week it was hosted by Dr. Henochowicz's blog MedViews. It is organized into different yet related categories for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

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American Diabetes Alert Day

Today is the fourth Tuesday of March and if you just happen to not be in the know, then you need to get with it. This is the American Diabetes Alert Day, a day for you to take time to find out if you are at risk for diabetes.

First off find out all you would ever want to know about diabetes (and then some) here. You may be wondering if you should even be concerned about being at risk for this disease, technically no one is exempt but some are even less exempt than others. Some questions to ask yourself are - does (or did) anyone in my family have diabetes, have I ever been told I have high blood pressure, did my little bundle of joy weigh more than nine pounds at birth (ouch) or was I diabetic while "with child"? Am I Black, Latino, native American, Asian, or Pacific Islander? Am I gaining too much weight, not as physically active as I ought to be, and finally (here's the clincher)...am I getting older?

If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions then you are probably at risk for diabetes so here's your call to action. Don't wait to be told, be pro-active about your own health, call your healthcare provider and ask to be tested...the knowledge will be well worth the co-pay.

If you already know that you are diabetic then check out the American Diabetes Association for some excellent resources.

Thanks to Dr.Stuart Henochowicz for hosting Grand Rounds this week. Check it out at MedViews!

Photo courtesy of markbarkaway.

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Workplace Eye Health Safety Month

Our eyes are organs of our sensory nervous system. Visual information from the retina in the eye travels to the brain along the optic nerve. The brain mixes the images it receives from both eyes. The outer layer of the eyeball that transmits light to the retina is the cornea. It is sensitive to harsh liquids resulting in corneal abrasions. The eyeball itself is filled with watery fluid called the aqueous humor. Flying objects can penetrate the eye resulting in blindness.

Prevent Blindness America asks us to observe Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month. In the US, 2000 employees suffer eye injuries daily. Eye injuries can be prevented by the use of protective eyewear at work, at home, at school and in sports. Activities we take for granted, like hammering a nail, can result in a flying nail that penetrates the eye. Always wear protective gear when using power tools, toxic chemicals including glue, and striking tools.

Never apply pressure to or rub an injured eye. Do not attempt to remove a foreign body. Do not use tweezers or cotton swabs on the eyes. Always seek immediate medical help for any eye emergency.

For use of the photo, Steely Eyed Cox'n , thank you Bast Productions.

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A Word on Antibiotic Overuse

The data may be new, but the issue has become a perennial one: the overuse of antibiotics. Earlier this week, the University of Nebraska reported the results of two national surveys on the issue. These polls have estimated that between approximately 70 to 80 percent of physician visits for sinus infections resulted in a prescription for antibiotics.

The problem lies in the fact that these medications are designed only to attack bacteria, not viruses. Yet, it is viruses which cause the overwhelming majority of sinus infections (often referred to as a "cold" or "the flu"). So, what is the harm? The answer is a phenomenon known as bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

Resistance occurs because there are millions of “healthy” bacteria which live symbiotically within us. These bacteria help us to live normally, and we allow them the same in return. When the occasional unhealthy strain arises and causes disease, we can knock that strain out with antibiotics. Unfortunately, testing for unhealthy strains of bacteria can take days to weeks. Hence, the concept of a “magic bullet” is exceptionally attractive in acute illness, both to patient and caregiver alike.

But if we take antibiotics when unhealthy bacteria are not causing trouble, we only hurt the healthy bacteria in our bodies. Naturally, our healthy bacteria begin to fight back, and they find ways to avoid succumbing to antibiotics. It is only a matter of time before these antibiotic resistant, healthy bacteria become antibiotic resistant unhealthy bacteria. The result is a disease-causing bug that can be treated with few or no available medications. Such drug-resistant strains represent a potent danger, both to self and to others: and especially to those whose immune systems are most vulnerable.

Antibiotic resistance is not a theoretical phenomenon. Resistant strains of bacteria currently thrive in both community and hospital settings. The overuse of antibiotics is a consistent factor in the cultivation of such widespread resistance; it is also a preventable one.

What can be done to help curb antibiotic resistance? Education is crucial, but remembering to act on such knowledge is vastly more difficult and more important.

Perhaps steering clear of contributing to antibiotic resistance can be accomplished by thinking of the issue in terms of balance. We should only take medicines that help bring our bodies back into balance. If we take or prescribe medicines that do nothing to target the appropriate disease, the body can only suffer a further disruption of equilibrium.

The phenomenon of antibiotic resistance is one very important and concrete consequence to upsetting the delicate balance in our bodies.

Photo courtesy of the Nemours Foundation and KidsHealth.

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1-800-222-1222 Poison Prevention Week

The US Congress established National Poison Prevention Week in 1961 and we observe it the third week of March every year. Most poisoning victims are children. Preventing accidental poisonings by keeping toxic substances and medications sealed and out of reach is a responsibility of every adult. Many things that we take for granted, like plants, soap and shampoo, are poisonous. Dishwasher soap is particularly corrosive and can cause burns in the mouth and esophagus if consumed. Carbon monoxide poisoning from common household appliances like furnaces, water heaters and gas generators claims too many lives. Fifteen hundred US deaths are due to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning (2300 deaths are due to suicide by carbon monoxide). Ten thousand people seek medical attention for accidental exposure and recover. Chronic poisoning occurs when someone is exposed to low levels of this gas over days to months. Installing carbon monoxide alarms can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Poison Control Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-222-1222. Call this number immediately if poisoning is suspected. There are 61 Poison Centers in the US available to assist both lay people and health care professionals. Poison Control staff will ask questions, so be prepared with basic information: age and weight of the victim, what the substance is, the time of the exposure, and how much was consumed.

Congratulations to Jessica Shenoi of Tulsa Oklahoma for winning the 2006 poster contest, and thank you for use of your image.

THANKS TO MANY ALERT READERS FOR CORRECT PHONE NUMBER! SORRY FOR THE ERROR.

Find other posts by JC Jones at Healthline Connects, like:
Global Healthbeat: AIDS in India

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New Breast Cancer Drug and New Caution for Sleeping Medications

It's been a busy and quite exciting week in the world of pharmaceuticals. Actually, that may be a bit of a redundant statement because the world of pharmaceuticals is always exciting...but then again, maybe I'm just biased.

There's new hope for women with certain types of advanced metastatic breast cancer (that's breast cancer that has spread from the original site) and it's called Tykerb. Tykerb can be used in women who have received other types of drug treatments for their breast cancer; it is what is known as a new molecular entity (NME) which means it is an active ingredient that has never before been marketed in the US in any form. It works in a completely different way from the other drugs and for this reason offers new hope for those who have tried them and are no longer benefiting from them. Tykerb is to be used in combination with Xeloda, another cancer medication, as clinical trials found that this combination was much more effective than using Xeloda alone.

As with most drugs, some side effects were reported with the use of this drug. Some of the more common ones were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and hand-foot syndrome. Hand-foot syndrome is a side effect that occurs quite frequently with the use of certain chemotherapy drugs, symptoms of hand-foot syndrome include discomfort, tingling, redness, swelling and numbness in the hands and feet. A few patients who used Tykerb also experienced shortness of breath.

Hear ye, hear ye all insomniacs, there are new labeling changes coming for some drugs used to treat this disorder per a request from the FDA to the manufacturers of these drugs. The FDA wants all manufacturers of sedative-hypnotic drugs aka sleeping pills to be a bit, well a lot, firmer about some potential side effects associated with using them. In particular they want warnings about anaphylaxis, which is a severe allergic reaction to the drug and also possible severe facial swelling to be emphasized. Also, "complex sleep-related behaviors" which can include driving, making phone calls, and preparing and eating food all while asleep.

What's the reason behind this you ask? Well, once a drug hits the market the manufacturers continue to collect information about side effects, adverse reactions, etc and track and report trends in order to either update their labeling or to look good... Anyway, when big brother FDA sees something that concerns them they decide if they need to take action and if so, what specific action to take. That's what happened in this case and because there are differences in the various sleeping medications the FDA even went as far as to request that the drug manufacturers do more clinical studies to find out how often these complex sleep-related behaviors occur with their individual drugs.

Thirteen (13) medications in particular have been singled out for the revised labeling and they include Ambien and Ambien CR, Butisol, Carbrital, Dalmane, Doral, Halcion, Lunesta, Placidyl, Prosom, Restoril, Rozerem, Seconal, and Sonata. More information and Patient Medication Guides are available from your doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare provider...talk to them, they're there to help.

Photos courtesy of merfam and antian

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March is National Nutrition Month: Eat Your Fruit!

The American Dietetic Association asks us to observe National Nutrition Month. See our own Andrea Giancola's excellent blog posts about this observance:

100% Fad Free Continued

100% Fad Free: National Nutrition Month

Andrea is a Registered Dietitian and provides delicious, nutritious recipes as well as solid information without the hype.

Thank you cornfed 1975 for the photo Fruit Vendor in Barcelona.

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Watch ADDICTION on HBO Thursday March 15, 2007 9PM ET/PT

Substance abuse and addiction are projected to exceed a half trillion dollars annually in the United States due to health care expenditures, lost productivity, and crime. Given this grim picture, the National Institutes of Health, (NIH) has partnered with HBO to present a documentary, ADDICTION, to help Americans understand this problem as a chronic, treatable brain disease. The 9-part series will spotlight scientific advancements in understanding the brain and treating substance abuse. The emotional, psychological, and social costs of addiction are a public health crisis. 23.2 million Americans over the age of 12 (one in ten Americans) are afflicted. Experts estimate 10 percent receive adequate treatment.

One segment, "The Adolescent Addict," explains how the adolescent brain differs from the adult brain because it is not yet fully developed. According to National Institute of Drug Addiction (NIDA)'s Dr. Nora Volkow, adolescent brains may be more susceptible to drug abuse and addiction than adult brains. Because it is still developing, the adolescent brain may also be more resilient and may respond better to treatment. Stigmas that prevent families from looking for help outside the home will be addressed.

Three FDA-approved medications available to treat alcohol dependence, Disulfiram, Naltrexone, and acamprosate will be highlighted. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)’s Dr. Mark Willenbring will discuss these adjuncts to treatment in the film.

NIDA and NIAAA have released publications to coincide with the launch of ADDICTION. Downloadable patient education handouts include Strategies for Cutting Down, U.S. Adult Drinking Patterns, and What's a Standard Drink?

Drugs Brains and Behavior, the Science of Addiction

Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinician's Guide

The documentary is part of an HBO Addiction Project that includes a supplementary series of 13 additional short films including extended expert interviews and focusing on such subjects as family treatment and drug courts. All films will be offered March 15-18 at no charge by participating cable systems and available on numerous digital platforms including multiplex channels, podcasts, and web streams available from HBO's website. The Project is being promoted by HBO and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
I guess they aren’t covering Nicotine Addiction. Follow the Freedom from Smoking blog for more on that addiction. For more information on Jane’s Addiction, go to Jane’s Addiction.

For more of JC’s blogs, check out:

• Spring Break is Coming! Is your guy Manorexic?
• US Healthcare Costs to Double in Ten Years ($4 Trillion!
  

For other addictions check out:

• National Problem Gambling Awareness Week
• National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

Thank you Photocatcher, for use of your great photo, Addicted to Pain.

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Thanks Bertalan Mesko for Grand Rounds 3.25!

Hungarian medical student Bertalan Mesko is shape-shifting medical information and access to it. He is a successful blogger and Wikipedia administrator, he dreams of universal genetic testing for everyone. " My dream is to create a universal database of clinical genetics, genetic diseases, and conditions to help doctors around the world recognize and diagnose those disabilities much faster," he says in his Medscape interview with Grand Rounds founder, Dr. Nick Genes. This week, however, Bertalan Mesko hosts a very entertaining Grand Rounds, complete with Monty Python clips!

Thanks for featuring my post, Economic Impact of Birth Defects: Folic Acid Awareness. Make sure to check out ScienceRoll for some great reads.

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Spring Break is Coming! Is your guy Manorexic?

The BACCHUS Network™ is a university and community based network focusing on health and safety issues for young adults. With Spring Break coming soon, we are asked to observe National Collegiate Health and Wellness Week. The Washington Post shares an interesting story (doing a lot of that lately!) about Manorexia, a term coined by actor Dennis Quaid to describe his ordeal with anorexia after losing weight for his role in the film Wyatt Earp. Results of a Harvard University Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Program at McLean Hospital study indicate that males suffer from eating disorders, too.

Thanks to this important study, we now know that one-fourth of American adults who suffer from anorexia and bulimia are male, and 40% of binge eaters are men. Young boys and men are now feeling the same pressures females have felt to achieve physical perfection and most want those elusive "six pack abs". Because we tend to associate anorexia with young females, the biggest roadblock for males is getting taken seriously. Family history of eating disorders predisposes males to the problem. Eating disorders are a classic mind-body problem.

Dr. Arnold E. Anderson, author of Males with Eating Disorders and Director of the University of Iowa Eating Disorders Program reports that men tend to suffer in silence with the disorders because it is considered a women's problem. All people who have eating disorders, however, tend to have low self-esteem, anxiety, depression or other psychiatric problems. Finally, anorexia or loss of appetite is a hallmark symptom of Major Depression. If a boy or man you know shows signs of eating disorders, break the silence and help him get help.

Thanks Veronica Lola for her photo, Skinny Boy.

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Thank You, GruntDoc! For Grand Rounds 3.24

Grand Rounds is a rotating blog carnival of health related blogs. Each week, a selected blogger sifts through the medical blogosphere to find the best blog posts regarding health topics. Links to the best posts are featured in the host's issue of Grand Rounds on their blog. This week, it was hosted by GruntDoc Ramblings of an Emergency Physician in Texas.

You will find a variety of fascinating subjects. Happy Reading, and a big shout out to GruntDoc for featuring my post, US Healthcare Costs to Double in Ten Years ($4 Trillion)!

Related posts about Health Care Economics and Issues:

• Economic Impact of Birth Defects: Folic Acid Awareness
• AIDS: Why are people of color hit so hard?
• Healthy Weight Week: January 21-27
  

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Symptom Search: Healthline's New Product

Healthline just launched a Product we are all excited about, Symptom Search. I have been involved in Symptom Search since I began working here about a year ago. Working behind the scenes and trying to translate the wide world of health care knowledge into data that can be used by non-medical people has been a huge challenge. It is a big change from the immediacy of relieving suffering in an ER. In my previous work as a Nurse Case Manager, I worked behind the scenes, coordinating care for injured or ill people, but I still talked to them individually on the phone. People knew that they could call me to tell me if something I had done helped them (like getting them into a Pain Program) or if they needed something else (a new doctor, a different specialist, transportation to therapy).

For Symptom Search, we often worked late into the night and on weekends, over the holidays, with nothing but our brains and our computers. We always kept the consumer in mind: the mother worried about her sick child, the retiree in Iowa, the average working person with back pain, or the international traveler with "weird" symptoms. We were operating blind, without patients to give us feedback on whether or not this work was useful, relevant or helpful. That is why it has been so rewarding to get feedback from folks who have used the Product.

One of our favorite responses was posted to Chris Pirillo's Picks for 03/01/2007. (Pirillo is an Internet guru and pioneering blogger who has 140,000 subscribers to his blog.) One of Pirillo's subscribers responded to his recommendation for Symptom Search with the following comment:

• "You just did me a great service: I’m 72 and probably one of your oldest subscribers. I’ve not been feeling well and assumed it was just part of getting old. When I saw your health link I decided to check it out (Symptom Search). I typed in my symptoms and received a diagnosis. I called my doctor and he ordered a blood test. The prognosis is I have pernicious anemia. The doctor stated it was treatable and prescribed ferrous sulfate and vitamin C. Thank you for the wonderful and timely link."

Other users have responded to Healthline with similar stories:

• "What a relief to use Symptom Search and find the articles about Post-trauma Stress Disorder. I have been experiencing most of those symptoms over the past 10 years and always wondered about why I do/not do certain things...the articles verified things I could not put it into words. Now I understand better my feeling of vigilance. Thank you for your website...with excellent information"

• "Hi Team
  Thanks for this, symptom search is an excellent tool for me.
  Kind regards Occupational Health Nurse Thailand"

• "I was already diagnosed with Strep throat so it was wonderful to see it pop up within the top three possibilities when I put in four symptoms. I think this may help me determine whether to visit a doctor earlier rather than enduring the misery longer."

That is exactly what the product was designed to do and we all feel gratified that we have been able to help our users! We designed the Symptom Search Product with the hopes that it will help people talk to a doctor about their problems. When you are in the doctor's office, you know you only have 15 minutes to talk about your suicidal child, your mother who is leaving her keys in the front door and the car in neutral, and your personal sexual problems. It may be one of the most important and intimate encounters of your life. How do you express everything that is going on in a way that grabs your doctor's attention? We hope that Symptom Search helps you organize your thoughts about your symptoms and helps you communicate your concerns better to your health care providers. We are always interested in your feedback, good or bad, and will be continually updating the product with additional diagnoses.





Thank you, jen d. cox for the picture of her child, now healthy, born with coarctation of the aorta.

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National Problem Gambling Awareness Week

Okay, I don't know a whole lot about gambling and I'm probably one of the few people whose favorite part of Vegas was the endless all-you-can-eat buffets. The fact however is that even though most people can separate themselves from the bells, sirens, flashing lights, and game tables (especially after losing more money than was budgeted), according to the National Council on Problem Gambling about 1% of the US population meets the criteria for pathological gambling and another 2-3% are problem gamblers. Problem gambling has also been referred to as the "hidden addiction" since few outward signs are visible until it is too late.

How can you tell if you or someone you know has a gambling problem? Well, according to the NCPG some key signs include the following: spending ALL your money on gambling and letting other bills go unpaid, financing your gambling by either borrowing money, breaking the law or considering breaking the law to get money to gamble with.

This is a real problem that affects not just the individual, but their families, their communities, and society at large. Initially I thought that if neither I nor anyone I knew had this problem then it had nothing to do with me, especially since those who have the problem are somewhere far from me sitting at a game or card table, slot machine, or race track. After thinking it through though, it occurred to me that maybe there are fewer degrees of separation between me and this problem than I thought. Picture it, Jack or Jill Doe, a problem gambler, loses every dime at the race track then gets depressed and distraught about it. He/she tries to hide this misfortune from the spouse and comes up with some "creative funding sources", let's say petty theft from the local mega-mart. Well, multiply that by 10 or even 25 other people with this problem over a span of time and eventually the mega-mart starts to feel the pinch. How does the mega-mart respond? Yes...price hike...so the next time I saunter in there to buy my springtime-fresh laundry detergent and clean-rainwater fabric softener, I end up indirectly financing a bad habit.

Alright, so maybe it's a little bit over the top and I have probably stepped on a few toes now but... The silver lining to this cloud is that there's help out there, lots of literature and gambling resources at the NCPG website.

Photos courtesy of david wilmot and aprilandrandy

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National School Breakfast Week

Among the sundry pearls of wisdom passed down the ages, one treasured favorite has dubbed breakfast "the most important meal of the day." In establishing and maintaining wellness, grandmother’s advice is just as true and relevant today as it was in our younger years.

There is a simple reason that these storied words of guidance have stood the test of time: we starve our bodies during sleep, so that in the morning, our need for nutrition is that much greater. Your liver works hard overnight, continually pouring stored energy into the blood to keep your organs healthy. After eight to twelve hours of such toil, your liver needs to be fed, too!

In order to remind schools, parents and children of the importance of starting the day with a healthy meal, the School Nutrition Association established National School Breakfast Week in 1989. The week helps to emphasize nutrition plans such as the School Breakfast Program. This year, National School Breakfast Week begins on March 5th and runs through March 9th.

Each year, the School Nutrition Association puts together a theme which helps to raise awareness of the week. There is a great theme for 2007, entitled “A World of School Breakfasts.” Online literature includes links to traditional breakfast recipes from diverse countries such as Italy, China, Egypt, and Australia. Also included is intriguing information with regard to dining customs from around the world.

For the sake of our own health and for that of our children, we should find time next week to get in the habit of starting each day with a wholesome breakfast – and maybe, try something new in the process.

A World of School Breakfasts logo courtesy of the School Nutrition Association.

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