Health News

REPORTING POINT 07/10
HEALTH NEWS
“Live healthy...Live well”
Dedicated to providing pertinent information on health, fitness, and nutrition to foster a culture of wellness among Southwest Airlines flight crews and their families.
by Larry Kline

RINGING IN YOUR EARS? - the major cause of permanent disability for soldiers returning from the Middle East is partial deafness and a constant ringing in the ears - tinnitus. Loud noise is a major cause of tinnitus.
Tinnitus is phantom noise nobody else hears. For some people it never goes away; for others it is temporary or intermittent.
Tinnitus arises from a malfunction in the ear, the auditory nerve (which transmits sound signals), or the brain. It is also most always accompanied by hearing loss, which is usually age-related and/or caused by repeated exposure to loud noises. It may also be triggered or worsened by other conditions, including Meniere's disease (an inner-ear disorder), ear wax buildup, infection, hypertension, diabetes, or a head or neck injury. Aspirin, certain beta-blockers (hypertension drugs), antidepressants, and antibiotics can bring it on or make it worse. It is an occupational hazard; working in any environment with loud noises increases risk.
If you are among the 12 million people seeking medical advice for tinnitus annually, you will probably be referred to an ear, nose, and throat specialist (an otolaryngologist) and an audiologist, who will test your hearing. Sometimes the ringing can be silenced by treating an underlying condition - e.g., by curing an ear infection, removing earl wax, or switching medications. Most people, though, simply have to find some way to live with it.
MANAGING TINNITUS - some may work better for you than others:
-Mask the noise by increasing background sounds - turn on a radio, television, or fan. For tinnitus that keeps you awake, use a bedside audio unit or sound machine.
-In-ear masking devices produce "white noise" that can reduce or eliminate the perception of tinnitus. Even after the device is removed, the effect may last hours or even a few days.
-Tinnitus retraining therapy uses an ear device that emits low-volume noise but does not completely mask the tinnitus. This is combined with psychological counseling. The therapy can take up to two years and is costly (and usually not covered by insurance).
-A hearing aid may help increase the sounds you want to hear and drown out those you don't. Some hearing aids also have built-in sound generators.
-There are no medications approved specifically for tinnitus, but anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, and other medications sometimes help combat the emotional stress.
-Some people find they are helped by reducing sodium, giving up caffeine or alcohol, or exercising regularly. Quitting smoking may also help.
-To prevent tinnitus or keep it from getting worse, avoid exposure to loud noises. Wear hearing protection (earplugs or ear muffs) at sporting events and loud concerts and while blow-drying your hair, mowing the lawn, traveling by air, and using power tools, If you use audio headphones, don't blast the volume or wear them for long periods of time.

NEW TREATMENTS:
There is no cure for tinnitus, but some new ideas have generated publicity:
-A treatment called "transcranial magnetic stimulation" involves sending an electric current through the brain. Preliminary research has been encouraging and some clinical trials are underway.
-A device called Oasis, made by Neuromonics, customizes sound according to what the tinnitus patient can actually hear and mixes it with music. A treatment cycle takes six months and should be combined with psychological counseling. Some audiologists have called it an improvement over older "masking" therapies. The device and the treatment are very expensive and must be administered by audiologists and physicians. Insurance may not cover it. It has been cleared by the FDA only as a safe medical device, not as an effective treatment.
Marketed "cures" for tinnitus including ginkgo biloba, B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, magnets, hypnosis, and acupuncture have shown not to be effective.
FOR MORE HELP:
Contact the American Tinnitus Association (800-634-8978; www.ata.org) to find tinnitus specialists and support groups near you. Other sources of information include the American Academy of Otolaryngology (703-836-4444; www.entnet.org). University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/09.

BREAST CANCER DRUG WITHOUT SIDE EFFECTS - a common osteoporosis drug, raloxifene, reduces breast cancer risk by 38 percent in women at high risk for the disease, without causing the serious side effects of similar drugs.
Both raloxifene and another drug, tamoxifen, are approved to prevent breast cancer in women at high risk. Few women take them for prevention, however, because of concerns about side effects.
Tamoxifen reduces breast cancer by 50 percent, but can also cause hot flashes and other symptoms. About half of breast cancer patients, who often take the drug to prevent a relapse, stop the drug early because of the side effects. The only thing that reduces the risk as much is a bilateral mastectomy.
Tamoxifen also doubles the risk of endometrial cancer, from about one in 1,000 women to about two in 1,000, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Given these concerns, no more than 5 percent of high-risk women today consider taking the drug to reduce breast-cancer risk.
A recent study shows that raloxifene does not substantially increase the risk of endometrial cancer.
A typical American woman has about a 12 percent chance of getting breast cancer in her lifetime. That risk rises to about 18 percent for a woman whose mother or sister has had the disease, and to 30 percent for a woman with a breast lesion called atypical hyperplasia.

WHICH DRUG TO TAKE

Younger women may choose tamoxifen; it prevents more cancers and has not been shown to cause endometrial cancer before menopause. It is also probably the best choice for postmenopausal women without a uterus.
Postmenopausal women may opt for raloxifene. It is safe and still offers a lot of protection. USA Today 4/20/10, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

THE “SKINNY” ON POTATO SKINS – ounce for ounce, the potato skin is the most nutritious part of the potato, with fiber (2 grams per ounce), plus iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin C, B vitamins, and other nutrients and phytochemicals.
Wash potatoes well and pare away any green areas, gouge out any sprouts, and trim visible blemishes. If the potato is green below the skin, has gone soft, or is excessively cracked, bruised, or sprouted, discard the potato.
The green tinge on a potato is chlorophyll, which forms when the potato is exposed to light. Chlorophyll is harmless but indicates that solanine and another glycoalkaloid called chaconine may be present in increased amounts, mostly in the skin. Potatoes develop these toxins as a defense against fungi, insects, and animals. Potatoes that are bruised or otherwise damaged or rotten may also have elevated solanine and chaconine, even if they are not green. Potato sprouts contain the most of these chemicals.
In large amounts glycoalkaloids can cause stomach pain, vomiting, headaches, fever, rapid heart rate, confusion – even coma and death on rare occasions. Potatoes with elevated levels of this toxin have a bitter taste and should not be eaten. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 3/10.

OMEGA-3S AND POLYPS – an omega-3 fat found in fish oil reduces the risk of precancerous intestinal polyps in people who have a genetic predisposition to get polyps and colon cancer.
Researchers randomly assigned test subjects with familial adenomatous polyposis to take either two grams a day of EPA (eicosapentenoic acid) or a placebo for six months.
The patients all had their colons removed years earlier, so the study looked at rectal polyps. The EPA was formulated as a free fatty acid so it would be absorbed quickly in the small intestine.
After six months, the patients who took EPA had 22 percent fewer polyps than the placebo takers, and the polyps they had were 30 percent smaller.
It is too early to know if EPA would lower the risk of colon polyps in people who do not have familial adenomatous polyposis, but the study offers further evidence that fish oils may lower the risk of colon cancer. Nutrition Action Healthletter 5/10.

DIET AFFECTS TOOTH AND GUM HEALTH – what you eat and drink is a big factor in the health of your teeth and gums. Your mouth naturally teems with bacteria. The ones in dental plaque (a film on the teeth containing bacteria) are the chief element in producing tooth decay, gingivitis, and periodontal disease.
Tooth decay, known as dental caries, is classified as an infectious disease. Tooth enamel is constantly losing and regaining minerals. Your own saliva, which contains minerals and other chemicals, promotes remineralization. Sugars (any kind – white or brown, honey, molasses, and fructose) are changed into acids in the mouth, producing an environment in which bacteria demineralize or erode the teeth permanently. Tooth decay is uncommon among those who eat no sugar.
Your diet affects your teeth and gums by supplying the nutrients the body, including the teeth, need. But most importantly, food affects what happens in the mouth before food is swallowed. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 3/10.