Well, it turns out Harry Potter may indeed be saving the world, or at least shedding new light on migraines. A story in HealthDay examines how migraines are common among young people, especially (heh) Muggles (non wizards). In case you're wondering who conducted the research, it was a 17-year-old Harry Potter fan from Connecticut.

Here's a part of the story:

According to research in the new issue of the journal Headache, one in 20 Muggle children and teens suffers from migraines -- many of them, like Harry's, undiagnosed.

To raise awareness of this other evil, the American and British authors of the study decided to compare Harry's symptoms with what is known about Muggle migraines.

Hallie Thomas, a 17-year-old high school graduate from Monroe, Conn., was the senior author on the research. She is a Harry Potter fan and also a migraine sufferer.

For the study, she re-read all six Harry Potter volumes published to date, highlighting the passages where he had a headache.

Those were passed on to the study's other two authors: Dr. Fred Sheftell, director of the New England Center for Headache and president-elect of the American Headache Society, and Timothy J. Steiner, a headache specialist at Imperial College of London and chairman of the World Health Organization's Global Campaign to Reduce the Burden of Headache Worldwide.

They then tried to match the references to the description of migraine in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition or ICHD-II.

Posted by Susan Abram at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This story left my skin crawling. Imagine if all of your medical files were stored on a microchip the size of a grain of rice. Then imagine that grain of rice implanted under your skin. Doctors with the American Medical Associationsay it's not only a reality, but they even recommended it this week, even though there are some risks, like the little piece of information moving around your body and they don't know if the tiny technology will interfere with other medical devices. Here's the story:

(CHICAGO) Devices the size of a grain of rice that are implanted with a needle could give emergency room doctors quick access to the records of chronically ill patients, the nation's largest doctors group said in a report.

The association adopted a policy Monday stating that the devices can improve the "safety and efficiency of patient care" by helping to identify patients and enabling secure access to clinical information.

These radio frequency identification tags (RFIDs) are already used by Wal-Mart and other businesses to speed up their shipping systems by sending out small signals that can be scanned more easily than bar codes.

Implanting them in people "can improve the continuity and coordination of care with resulting reductions in adverse drug events and other medical errors," said the report prepared by the association's ethics committee.

Posted by Susan Abram at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Researchers from the University of South Carolina say those in their 40s and 50s can catch up to a healthy lifestyle after four years of changing bad habits.

From the American Journal of Medicine, via Reuters:

Middle-aged adults who began eating five or more fruits and vegetables every day, exercising for at least 2 1/2 hours a week, keeping weight down and not smoking decreased their risk of heart disease by 35 percent and risk of death by 40 percent in the four years after they started.

"The adopters of a healthy lifestyle basically caught up. Within four years, their mortality rate and rate of heart attacks matched the people who had been doing these behaviors all along," said Dr. Dana King at the Medical University of South Carolina, who led the research.

Posted by Susan Abram at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fresh off the wires, Veggie Bootie, those crispy crunchy green, orange and yellow sticks, is being recalled because of 51 reported cases of salmonella poisoning that may be associated with the product.

According to the story:

Georgine Hertzwig of Robert's American Gourmet in Sea Cliff, N.Y., said the company acted after the Food and Drug Administration contacted them about the illnesses in 17 states.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Hertzwig said none of the products has tested positive for salmonella, but the company acted as a precaution after the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that many of the infected people has eaten the product.

Posted by Susan Abram at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills plans to expand by 101 beds. The Los Angeles Protective League approves the expansion because according to a press release:

As a hospital that has treated 605 police officers within the last two years in its Emergency Department and Trauma Center, Providence Holy Cross is a vital health care facility in the police and fire community.

“We understand that many of [Providence’s] emergency and trauma patients are law enforcement officers and firefighters, and we believe that the expansion of the Medical Center will alleviate overcrowding and provide them, their families, as well as the rest of the community, with expanded health care options,” said Robert Baker, President of the Police Protective League’s board of directors.

A hospital spokesman writes: "Currently, Providence Holy Cross is operating at 97 percent bed capacity on an average day," as a result of hospital closures a few years back in the San Fernando Valley, including in Northridge.

Posted by Susan Abram at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A vaccine committee has adviced the US Government that all children ages 11 to 18 receive a meningitis vaccine that is now more plentiful.

The story by the Associated Press emphasizes that mass vaccinations would not take place, but doctors are should at least offer it.

From the AP:

At issue is Menactra, an $89-a-dose vaccine made by Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines subsidiary of Sanofi-Aventis Group. The government approved it in 2005. The vaccine is designed to prevent bacterial meningitis and an associated bloodstream infection. The disease is not common in the United States, but in those who get it, symptoms develop quickly and can lead to death in only a couple of days.

The bacteria is spread by coughing, sneezing and kissing, and most cases occur in previously healthy children and young adults. It can be easily spread in college dorms.

Posted by Susan Abram at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When this story first broke on Wednesday, headlines screamed that antidepressants could cause birth defects. A day later, the two big studies conducted by Boston University (with funding from GlaxoSmithKline, makers of Paxil) and the CDC say, yeah, the pills can do something, but not as much as everyone was saying, and only on a tiny population of those tested.

So here's a piece of the Associated Press Story to sort it all out:

BOSTON - Newborns face little risk of birth defects from antidepressants taken by many women early in pregnancy, say the reassuring findings of the two biggest studies of this controversial link. The research focuses on the class of drugs chosen most often for depression and anxiety, including the brands Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft.

Paxil carries a warning of possible heart defects in newborns, and experts don't expect the new research to change that. However, they find the new studies comforting for women struggling with depression.

The possibility of birth defects from antidepressants has put doctors and patients in a tricky quandary. Birth defects obviously hurt newborns, but depressed mothers who can't give proper care also endanger their babies.

"Yeah, there's a risk, but the risk overall is probably pretty small," said Dr. Susan Ramin, obstetrics chairman at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, who was familiar with the findings.

The two studies — one from the federal Centers for Disease Control and the other from Boston University — use more cases of birth defects than previous research to consider links between the abnormalities and SSRIs. The Boston University study was funded partly by the National Institutes of Health and Paxil maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC.

Together, the two studies looked at 19,471 newborns with birth defects and 9,952 without them. Then they considered what SSRIs the mothers in both groups took during the first three months of pregnancy and mapped the patterns of birth defects.

Posted by Susan Abram at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Depending on which side you're on, this could either be a life saving discovery, or a scientific moral dilemma. The Associated Press Reports this morning that scientists have found a way to create stem cells from women's unfertilized eggs. Here's a snippet of the story that I'm sure will make the rounds today.

NEW YORK - Scientists say they've created embryonic stem cells by stimulating unfertilized eggs, a significant step toward producing transplant tissue that's genetically matched to women.

The advance suggests that someday, a woman who wants a transplant to treat a condition like diabetes or a spinal cord injury could provide eggs to a lab, which in turn could create tissue that her body wouldn't reject.

Ethicists disagreed on whether the strategy would avoid the long-standing ethical objections to creating embryonic stem cells by other means.

Posted by Susan Abram at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, not really "bone chilling" per say, but researchings are finding that calcium rich foods could be better than pills when it comes to fighting off osteoporosis.

From the Associated Press:

ST. LOUIS - Most women know that calcium is critical in preventing osteoporosis, the disease of progressive bone loss and fractures that affects millions of Americans.

But which source is better — calcium-rich foods or supplements? A preliminary study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine suggests dietary calcium may be better at protecting bone health.

Though not definitive, the study found that women who get most of their daily calcium from food have healthier bones and higher bone density than women whose calcium comes mainly from supplemental tablets.

That was true even though the supplement-takers had higher average levels of calcium.

Posted by Susan Abram at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This isn't so much of a health story as it is a lifestyle one. But the New York Times has a good read this morning on how modern society affects the bonds between mothers and daughters:

There have always been close-knit mother-daughter relationships. But social, demographic and technological changes have made it more common for adult daughters to keep their mothers’ apron strings tied tighter — and for longer, say researchers who study the transition into young adulthood.

Today, it is not unusual for unmarried middle-class women in their 20s or 30s to share with their mothers the diary-worthy details of their lives, plan weekly outings with them and call the Mommy Batphone when they need backup.

The rest of the story is at nytimes.com

Posted by Susan Abram at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On the day Paris is liberated from jail, the OTHER big story making the rounds today has to do with how contracting staph infection is more common in hospitals than originally reported. I first posted this nugget on Monday, and like the disease itself, it seems to be infectious among the news media, who enjoy showing photos of big open sores on legs and bellies.

Here's what Reuter's is reporting:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A drug-resistant type of "superbug" bacteria called MRSA is more than eight times as common as believed in U.S. hospitals, putting patients at risk and posing a big hygiene problem, experts said on Tuesday.

They found that nearly 5 percent of patients -- 46 out of every 1,000 -- were infected or colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA for short.

The one-day "snapshot" look at infection suggests that 1.2 million U.S. hospital patients may be infected each year, the survey by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology or APIC found.

Most of the infections have clearly originated in the hospitals and do not, contrary to popular belief, affect mostly intensive care patients, the experts said.

"This rate is between 8 and 11 times greater than previous MRSA estimates (which were more limited in scope and used different methodologies)," the group said in its report.

The survey of 1,200 health care facilities in all 50 states found close to 8,000 patients infected with MRSA, or colonized by the bug, meaning they had it somewhere in or on their bodies but did not have symptoms.

Posted by Susan Abram at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

County health officials announced a campaign ad blitz today, targeting young gay and bisexual men, and women about sexually transmitted diseases. Cases of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorreah continue to increase among those groups.

From the Los Angeles Department of Public Health:

Last year, there were a total of 30,000 cases of chlamydia and 5,000 gonorrhea cases among women in Los Angeles County. African American and Latinas under the age of 25 represented 55 percent of those cases. If left untreated, these diseases can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pain, internal scarring and infertility

In 2006, there were 1,000 cases of syphilis among Los Angeles County gay and bisexual men -- a 365 percent increase from 2001. Sixty percent of those cases were among men with HIV.

Posted by Susan Abram at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Groups of nurses and doctors dressed in scrubs will greet movie goers all over Los Angeles and nationwide Friday at 3,000 screenings of Michael Moore's documentary, "SiCKO."

"Calling it the "Scrubs for SiCKO" campaign, organizers will recruit registered nurses and doctors to every theater in the nation where "SiCKO" opens to ensure that caregivers – in SiCKO scrubs—are in the audience," according to the California Nurses Association.

The goal is to distribute information to moviegoers to support overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system. The CNA is supporting-payer/Medicare-for-all-type legislation such as HR 676 now pending in Congress and several states.

The CNA also supports Senate Bill 840, authored by Sen. Sheila Kuehl.

Posted by Susan Abram at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seems like doctors are chatting it up more with their patients--about their own personal lives.

A study from the Archives of Internal Medicine found that among 100 primary-care doctors in the Rochester, New York, found that a third of the physicians doctors t about themselves and that there was no evidence that any of the doctors’ disclosures about themselves helped patients or established rapport.

The story, in today's New York Times, uses the following real conversation between patient and doctor:

Doctor: Is that up a little bit for you, weightwise?

Patient: It might be up a few pounds. I used to jog and I just haven’t ...

Doctor: See, ’cause I’m weighing more like 172, 173 and I’m six foot. And I’m still running. I’m doing the 5 and 10 and 15 K’s. The half marathons and ...

Patient: So, I’m 30 pounds heavier than you?

Doctor: Right now, yeah.

Read the rest of the story in the New York Times

Posted by Susan Abram at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A contradictory health study finds that echinacea does cut the chance of catching a cold by 58 percent. That's according to a new study published today in the British journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

But last year a major study funded by the National Institutes of Health published last year in the in New England Journal of Medicine found that echinacea doesn't work.

In other words, no one knows jack about jack, so just do what mom always says: bundle up, wash your hands all the time, and sneeze in your sleeve.

Posted by Susan Abram at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

National HIV Testing week kicks off today with celebrities rolling up their sleeves in an effort to encourage African Americans to be tested for the virus.

The CDC's figures are pretty grim. Of the 1.3 million Americans living HIV/AIDS, nearly 50 percent are Black. And Black Americans represent more than 54 percent of the new HIV/AIDS cases in the US.

So beginning today, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will provide HIV testing during a celebrity press conference on HIV/AIDSawareness in the Black community in front of the Screen Actors Guild’s Los Angeles headquarters.

National HIV Testing Day is officially on Wednesday and is for anyone who wants one, but Out of the Closet Thrift Stores are offering them on different days and times at the following locations:

North Hollywood
6241 Laurel Canyon Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91606
Friday and Saturday 3 – 7 p.m.

Hollywood
6210 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Daily 3 – 7 p.m.

West Hollywood OTC
8244 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046
Thursday through Monday 3 – 7 p.m.

Posted by Susan Abram at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gall bladder surgery is the most common major surgery done in the United States each year, with an estimated 500,000 surgeries annually.

So it makes sense that some doctor would come along to find an easier way to remove the darn organ without cutting you up: removing it through the mouth

The Associated Press reports that Oregon surgeon Dr. Lee Swanstrom has performed at least three gall bladder removals in which the surgical instrument is sent into the stomach through the mouth, a technique he perfected while in Brazil. Swanstrom cuts a small hole in the patient's stomach, locates the gall bladder and removes it through the mouth.

The result so far is a faster recovery time. Dr. Swanstrom plans 22 more surgeries to measure outcomes, according to the AP.

Posted by Susan Abram at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two to 4 year olds who regularly drink sugar-sweetened beverages between meals are more than twice as likely to be overweight, compared to other children.

Canadian researchers examined the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among more than 1,900 children living in Quebec, Canada, who were born in 1998. They found that almost 7 percent of the children who didn't drink sugar-sweetened beverages between meals were overweight at 4 1/2 years of age, compared to just over 15 percent of children who drank them regularly (four to six times or more per week). The study was published inside the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

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Posted by Susan Abram at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You've probably heard about staph infections increasing within prisons and jails, dialysis centers and there was a great story about staph and skid row in the LA Weekly not too long ago, but a new study looks at staph inside hospitals and nursing homes.

The study by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology found that at least 30,000 hospital patients may have the "superbug" at any given time, according to the Associated Press, which reported the story.

The dangerous, drug resistant staph germ infects patients at about 10 times the rate that some health officials had previously estimated, according to the study.

The superbug, known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, cannot be terminated by common medication, a result of society's over use of antibiotics.

Posted by Susan Abram at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Daily News' own Bob Strauss chats with documentary filmmaker Michael Moore about his upcoming release, "Sicko", in which Moore tackles America's ailing healthcare system. Moore talks about his film's early leaks onto the Internet, his approach to the subject, and his experience in Cuba. Here's a nibble:

Q: You don't do your signature stalking of any bigwigs in this one, like you previously did NRA spokesman Charlton Heston and General Motors boss Roger Smith.

A: Each time I'd go after a CEO or a congressman, the audience would grow. My $7 million box office for "Roger & Me" tripled with "Bowling for Columbine," then "Fahrenheit 9/11" made $120 million. It all went up as I went after more and more of these guys, but I started to feel that the audience was kind of living vicariously through me. Like, "Go get 'em, Mike. Go beat up on The Man! And we'll just sit here and eat popcorn."

I started thinking, y'know, we're never going to get anything done in this country if we don't all get up out of our seats and do something. So this film takes me out of the equation a bit and says to the audience, "You've got to do this."

You can read the rest at dailynews.com

Posted by Susan Abram at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In observance of the 10th annual National HIV Testing Day on Wednesday, the California Department of Health Services is encouraging individuals to get tested for the virus. Here's why:

"The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as 280,000 individuals in the United States, or 25 percent of all people living with HIV, are infected and do not even know it. In California, this translates to approximately 25,000 to 40,000 individuals who may be unaware of their infection, are not linked into care and might unknowingly transmit HIV to their partners."

For more information about AIDS or HIV testing, contact the California AIDS Hotline at (800) 367-AIDS (2437). For more information about the programs and services of CDHS and for California-specific HIV and AIDS case data, visit the CDHS/Office of AIDS Web site at www.dhs.ca.gov/AIDS.

Posted by Susan Abram at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A story this week from the Associated Press reports that a million American children, some as young as 6, go to personal trainers to shape up, according to the International Health, Raquet and Sportsclub Association.

"We are seeing children that are out of shape where their parents realize the exercise program needs to be safe and effective," Joe Moore, president of the association, tells the AP. "A personal trainer is a good way to make sure that the criteria are met."

The Boston-based group's latest figures, from 2005, show that 824,000 children between the ages of 6 and 17 use trainers — a figure that accounts for about 13 percent of all clients.

Posted by Susan Abram at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)