Life Stages With Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA and Your Diet
How to eat to curb joint inflammation, increase bone and heart health, and feel better all over.
How much can what you eat help -- or hurt -- your rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? For decades, researchers have looked into whether there is a link between food and RA. For almost as long, various diets and supplements have claimed to relieve swollen joints and morning stiffness -- or even falsely "cure" RA and "end joint pain forever."
Though many diet claims that promise relief from pain are unproven, they can lure and confuse even the savviest women with RA. Kathy Lubbers, who has had rheumatoid arthritis for more than 20 years and is a CEO at a communications firm, sums up why it's easy to fall for false claims: "When I was in excruciating pain, I'd try anything," she says.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Parents, Kids, Doctors Balk at Talk About Weight
Parents, Kids, Doctors Balk at Talk About Weight
Doctors say it's the most important thing parents can discuss with their kids. Yet both parents and kids would rather talk about anything else -- including drugs and teen sex -- than weight.
Nearly a quarter (22%) of parents are uncomfortable discussing the risks of being overweight with their kids. For parents of kids ages 8 to 12, only sex is a more uncomfortable topic.
And for the parents of teens, no other topic makes them squirm more: not sex (12% uncomfortable), smoking (6% uncomfortable), drugs (6% uncomfortable), or alcohol (5% uncomfortable). The findings come from Kelton Research surveys of 1,299 parents of kids ages 8 to 17 and of 1,078 kids ages 8 to 17, sponsored by WebMD and Sanford Health.
Doctors say it's the most important thing parents can discuss with their kids. Yet both parents and kids would rather talk about anything else -- including drugs and teen sex -- than weight.
Nearly a quarter (22%) of parents are uncomfortable discussing the risks of being overweight with their kids. For parents of kids ages 8 to 12, only sex is a more uncomfortable topic.
And for the parents of teens, no other topic makes them squirm more: not sex (12% uncomfortable), smoking (6% uncomfortable), drugs (6% uncomfortable), or alcohol (5% uncomfortable). The findings come from Kelton Research surveys of 1,299 parents of kids ages 8 to 17 and of 1,078 kids ages 8 to 17, sponsored by WebMD and Sanford Health.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Halloween trappings can trigger asthma, allergies
Halloween trappings can trigger asthma, allergies
Halloween candy may contain some obvious allergens, but there are many more unexpected allergy and asthma triggers that can pose a threat to trick-or-treaters, including dusty costumes, fog machines and makeup, according to experts from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
"When people think of Halloween-associated allergies, they focus on candy and often overlook many other potential triggers," said Dr. Myron Zitt, former ACAAI president in a news release. "By planning ahead, you can ensure not only safe treats, but also safe costumes, makeup, accessories and decorations."
The ACAAI advised parents to be on the lookout for six potential allergy and asthma triggers they may not be expecting, including:
Halloween candy may contain some obvious allergens, but there are many more unexpected allergy and asthma triggers that can pose a threat to trick-or-treaters, including dusty costumes, fog machines and makeup, according to experts from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
"When people think of Halloween-associated allergies, they focus on candy and often overlook many other potential triggers," said Dr. Myron Zitt, former ACAAI president in a news release. "By planning ahead, you can ensure not only safe treats, but also safe costumes, makeup, accessories and decorations."
The ACAAI advised parents to be on the lookout for six potential allergy and asthma triggers they may not be expecting, including:
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
10 Tips for Losing 100 Pounds
10 Tips for Losing 100 Pounds
Got a lot to lose? Consider these tips for successful weight loss.
If you've got 100 pounds or more to lose, chances are you've already been on numerous diets and exercise programs, without long-term success. So, the standard advice -- eat less, exercise more, and don't give up -- just isn't enough.
WebMD polled weight loss experts -- as well as men and women who have lost 100 pounds or more and kept it off -- to ask for their best tips for those who have lots to lose. Here’s their advice.
Got a lot to lose? Consider these tips for successful weight loss.
If you've got 100 pounds or more to lose, chances are you've already been on numerous diets and exercise programs, without long-term success. So, the standard advice -- eat less, exercise more, and don't give up -- just isn't enough.
WebMD polled weight loss experts -- as well as men and women who have lost 100 pounds or more and kept it off -- to ask for their best tips for those who have lots to lose. Here’s their advice.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Overweight kids at greater risk for high blood pressure
Overweight kids at greater risk for high blood pressure
Overweight or obese children are nearly three times as likely to have high blood pressure as kids who are a normal weight, according to a new study from the American Heart Association.
The increased risk applies to children of all ages, researchers said. Their advice: Parents and doctors should help children lose excess weight now to prevent high blood pressure from affecting them as adults.
In conducting the study, researchers followed 1,111 healthy Indiana school children, whose average age was 10, for 4.5 years. They found that when the children became overweight (having a body mass index, or BMI, at or above the 85th percentile), the amount of fat under their skin and surrounding their major organs, known as adiposity, harmed their health.
Overweight or obese children are nearly three times as likely to have high blood pressure as kids who are a normal weight, according to a new study from the American Heart Association.
The increased risk applies to children of all ages, researchers said. Their advice: Parents and doctors should help children lose excess weight now to prevent high blood pressure from affecting them as adults.
In conducting the study, researchers followed 1,111 healthy Indiana school children, whose average age was 10, for 4.5 years. They found that when the children became overweight (having a body mass index, or BMI, at or above the 85th percentile), the amount of fat under their skin and surrounding their major organs, known as adiposity, harmed their health.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Boys with autism may grow faster as babies
Boys with autism may grow faster as babies
Boys with autism tend to grow faster as babies, with differences from typically developing infants seen in their head size, height and weight, a new study says.
Researchers said the findings may offer new clues about the underlying mechanisms of autism. A larger head size probably means the children also have a larger brain.
Boys with brain and body "overgrowth" tend to have more severe autism symptoms, particularly involving social skills, than autistic children who don't grow faster than normal. So, it's also possible the overgrowth is one of the causes of autism; that it somehow makes symptoms worse or represents a subtype of autism that's marked by both accelerated growth and severe social deficits, said study author Katarzyna Chawarska, an associate professor of child psychology at the Yale University Child Study Center.
Boys with autism tend to grow faster as babies, with differences from typically developing infants seen in their head size, height and weight, a new study says.
Researchers said the findings may offer new clues about the underlying mechanisms of autism. A larger head size probably means the children also have a larger brain.
Boys with brain and body "overgrowth" tend to have more severe autism symptoms, particularly involving social skills, than autistic children who don't grow faster than normal. So, it's also possible the overgrowth is one of the causes of autism; that it somehow makes symptoms worse or represents a subtype of autism that's marked by both accelerated growth and severe social deficits, said study author Katarzyna Chawarska, an associate professor of child psychology at the Yale University Child Study Center.
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