Even as new study suggests possible link to heart disease

"With scientists at odds about the risks of a chemical found in plastic baby bottles, metal cans and other food packaging, the government gave consumers some tips on how to reduce their exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) even as it said the substance is safe," wrote Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Lindsey Tanner.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee met as a major study linked bisphenol A to possible risks of heart disease and diabetes. The scientific debate could drag on for years.

"Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it's safe, so we're not recommending any change in habits," said Laura Tarantino, head of the FDA's office of food additive safety. But she acknowledged, "there are a number of things people can do to lower their exposure."

For example, consumers can avoid plastic containers imprinted with the recycling number '7,' as many of those contain BPA. Or, Tarantino said, they can avoid warming food in such containers, as heat helps to release the chemical."

Confused? You're not alone. Read the whole story.

A weapon against Alaska's dark winter days?

The Narco New Bulletin, of all publications, which reports on "the drug war and democracy from Latin America," has broken the astonishing news that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, had a private tanning bed installed in the governor's mansion.

It may be in your toilet paper

It's virtually impossible to avoid the ubiquitous chemical compound bisphenol A (BPA), which is associated with a risk of heart disease, diabetes and liver problems in adults, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Worldwide production has reached about 7 billion pounds a year, and traces of BPA have been found in the urine of 93 percent of more than 2,500 Americans sampled. It has also turned up in human blood and breast milk.

Where is it all coming from?

BPA is used in thousands of consumer products to make everything from shatterproof polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and eyeglass lenses to DVDs. The chemical, a hormone disruptor, can leach out of products with regular use, but especially when they're heated.

Earlier this month, government scientists warned that BPA was linked to health and developmental problems in fetuses, infants and children. They suggested limiting exposure to the chemical until more is known about the health and environmental effects. (A Danish study showed the BPA in toilet paper was "an important source of xenoestrogen emissions to wastewater.")

That's a tall order. You can start small by microwaving food in glass, rather than plastic, and looking for BPA-free food containers.

Also watch for these 10 other less commonly known sources:

That's what James Harlan wanted to know after he noticed a lack of men at support group meetings.

"Harlan, the father of 20-year-old Jason (at left) who has been diagnosed with autism, remembered battling feelings of shame, drifting away from long-time friends when they began telling tales of their boys catching touchdown passes and going on first date.

"How was I supposed to chime in on that?" Harlan said. "I could say Jason learned how to tie his shoes. But they'd ask, 'what? Isn't he 16?'"

So Harlan started his own support group called "Just for Men." Each month, about a dozen fathers come together and swap stories in the basement of a Bellwood Library," wrote Chicago Tribune reporter Rex Huppke.

Read the whole story.

Tribune photo by Alex Garcia.

No food for more than a month

An Evanston teenager's record-setting 34-day religious fast required both discipline and devotion, according to leaders of an ancient Indian religion.

But if you're tempted to try this as a weight loss technique--she dropped 33 pounds--the truth about fasting or calorie restriction is far less glamorous.

Here's what happens to your body when you starve yourself, according to the "You" guys, Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, authors of "You on a Diet.

From tampons and sports bras to labioplasty, Health magazine has come up with an intriguing list of the best and worst moments in women's health.

Gardasil, the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, made the "best" list, even though researchers are questioning whether it's worth the high cost or even effective against the human papillomavirus.

Missing from the "worst" list was any reference to the invention of feminine hygiene spray in the 1960s, which is detailed in the last chapter of Kathering Ashenburg's book "The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $24)

And hormone replacement therapy, which was routinely used to treat menopausal symptoms until a 2002 study unearthed its risks, wasn't included either, perhaps because estrogen treatment is still considered the "gold standard" to treat the discomfort associated with menopause.

Here's more from the article by Stephanie Dolgoff. What's missing?

Exercise in disguise

I knew motherhood would change my life, but sabotage my workouts? I never dreamed it could happen.

It did. My plan was to exercise in the morning before everyone woke up. But when that was a bust—I was way too sleep deprived to pull off a 4 a.m. workout—I had to radically revise my definition of "exercise" to balance fitness, family and a full-time office job.

Before having children, a workout meant a long bike ride or run, a trip to the gym or a yoga class.

Now the bar is considerably lower: a workout is any movement I get during the day. I run next to my son as he pedals his little two-wheeler down the sidewalk. I weight lift by carrying groceries or lifting a 25-pound child out of a car-seat. I lunge to pick up toys or wipe spills.

I'm not in marathon shape right now, but I do have something more relevant to my daily life: functional fitness. After all, training your body to handle real-life situations is one of the main benefits of exercise, regardless of your life stage.

Here are a few of the ways I've managed to cram exercise into a busy day during the last four years:

The perils of overtreatment

"Two studies call into question whether many people with arthritis are needlessly undergoing one of the most common operations in America: arthroscopic knee surgery, wrote Linda B. Johnson of the Associated Press.

One finds that surgery is no better than medication and physical therapy for relieving the pain and stiffness of moderate or severe arthritis. The other reveals that tears in knee cartilage — which often prompt such surgeries — are very common without causing symptoms.

And nine other things you may not know about the debilitating condition.

1. Migraines are not headaches. They're a "neurological illness" caused by an abnormality in brain chemistry. Headaches are a symptom of a migraine.
2. The anti-wrinkle injection Botox, which is made from the toxin that causes botulism, may help relieve migraine headaches, according to preliminary studies by the drug maker, Allergan.
3. Research shows that complementary and alternative medical treatments--including biofeedback, ice massage, yoga and acupuncture--can help.
4. Migraines affect up to 15 percent of the population; at least 15 million Americans have "migraine disease" and don't realize it.
5. Chocolate, stress, alcohol, lack of sleep, hormonal fluctuations and even certain cheeses can trigger--but not cause--an attack.
6. Sex triggers migraines in some people. For others, it can stave off an attack which might be why migraineurs generally have a higher sex drive than those who don't.
7. Supplementing with magnesium can help prevent migraines and can make them less painful.
8. The "anti-migraine cocktail" consists of 400 milligrams magnesium, 1 gram taurine, 100 milligrams coenzyeme Q10, 100 micrograms huperzine A and 10 milligrams vinpocetine (a herbal extract). Take it twice a day, says Larry McCleary, author of "The Brain Trust Program."
9. You're not alone. Sigmund Freud, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant, Charles Dawrin, Frederic Chopin, Claude Monet and George Seurat all suffered from migraines. Today's celebrities with "migraine brains" include Troy Aikman, Serena Williams, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Ben Affleck, Marcia Cross, Loretta Lynn and Carly Simon.
10. Caffeine can be the cheapest, easiest, most available drug to treat migraines.

(Sources include: "The Migraine Brain" by Carolyn Bernstein and Elaine McArdle, "The Brain Trust Program by Larry McCleary.)

What else can we learn from the Amish?

"Maybe you can blame being fat on your genes," wrote Associated Press medical writer Lindsay Tanner. "But there's a way to overcome that family history—just get three to four hours of moderate activity a day.

Sound pretty daunting?

Not for the Amish of Lancaster County, Pa., who were the focus of a new study on a common genetic variation that makes people more likely to gain weight. It turns out the variant's effects can be blocked with physical activity—lots of it.

If you're over 65, drugs can make you trip in unexpected ways: Taking four or more medications increases the risk of falling down. But which medications are most troublesome?

Look for medicines that have a sedating effect, as well as drugs that impact gait and balance, including popular antidepressants (Celexa, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Prozac), seizure medications, and painkillers, say researchers from the University of North Carolina.

The drugs all work by depressing the central nervous system, which can make patients less alert and slower to react, said Stefanie Ferreri, a clinical professor at the UNC’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries in adults 65 and older. An estimated 20 percent of the older adults who fall fracture their hips and end up dying, a growing public health concern as the population ages, said Ferreri.

Other drugs to watch out for:

Acupuncture for athletes

Runners interested in using acupuncture and other Chinese medical approaches to help prevent injuries and improve times before the upcoming Chicago marathon can learn more at a free clinic at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago (NOHC), 4501 N. Winchester in Chicago.

A new survey showed 28 percent of California doctors discussed nutrition with patients.

This sounds suspiciously high given the lack of formal nutritional education doctors receive in medical school. The first medical textbook addressing the role of food and nutrients in disease management should help, but it's not available until January.

One doctor I recently interviewed, psychiatrist and neuroscientist David Servan-Schreiber, told me he could recite his nutritional training in about 20 seconds.

"It's a loss less than, maybe, the average reader of Elle Magazine knows and certainly less than Prevention Magazine offers," said Servan-Schreiber, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the author of "Anti-Cancer: A new way of life" (Viking, $25.95).

Here's what he said he learned:

Meds can be a brain drain

Consider supplements if you're on medications that can sap the brain of nutrients, some experts say.

Common cholesterol-lowering statin drugs such as Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor or Mevacor deplete one of the brain's critical antioxidant protectors called coenzyme Q10 and put memory at risk, said neurologist Larry McCleary, author of "The Brain Trust Program."

Some antidepressant and tranquilizing medications and diabetes medications also reduce your level of CoQ10.

Other drugs can affect B vitamins, a critical brain nutrient.

These include aspirin, diruetics used for high blood pressure, stomach acid blockers such as Nexium and Prilosec, estrogen-containing birth control and hormone-replacement pills, osteoporosis drugs and the Parkinson's disease drug Sinemet.

Most of us give little thought to the organ we use every moment of our life. See for yourself: Take a sample of a 20-question quiz found in "Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life” (Bloomsbury, $24.95) by neuroscientists Sam Wang and Sandra Aamodt.   

1. When are your last brain cells born?
(a) Before birth
(b) At age 6
(c) Between ages 18 and 23
(d) In old age

Medications cited for potential safety problems

Eli Lilly & Co.'s antidepressant Cymbalta and AstraZeneca PLC's antipsychotic Seroquel are among 20 drugs cited by U.S. regulators in their first quarterly list of medicines under investigation for potential safety problems," the Associated Press reported.

The list, posted Friday on the Food and Drug Administration's Web site, is a bare-bones compilation naming 20 medications and the potential issue for each, part of a government effort to better inform doctors and patients.

It provides no indication of how widespread or serious the problems might be, leading some consumer advocates to question its usefulness, and prompting industry worries that skittish patients might stop taking a useful medication if they see it listed.

At least five of the drugs on the list had problems that already have been publicized. These included the blood thinner heparin, recalled earlier this year, and immune-suppressing medications being studied for a link to cancer in youngsters.

Here's the rest of the AP story.

A new book to help cancer-proof your life

If you're really ready to Stand Up to Cancer, as more than 50 celebrities, athletes and musicians will be urging tonight on a commercial-free, three-network telethon, try adopting David Servan-Schreiber's "anti-cancer lifestyle."

Servan-Schreiber, who will also be appearing on the unprecedented television event, was a young and ambitious neuroscientist when he was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 31. Anti cancer: A New Way of Life" (Viking, $24.95), is an important, evidenced-based health guide for those who are diagnosed with cancer or who want to prevent it.

After going through surgery and chemo, he asked his oncologist for advice. When he got none--at least lung cancer patients are told not to smoke--he took it upon himself to research the body's innate healing abilities.

His experience is detailed in his new book.

"I tried to write the book I wish I'd read and that I wish I had with me when I walked the journey," said Servan-Schreiber, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and co-founder of the Center for Integrative Medicine.

"It helps people sort through what's useful, what's not, what's grounded in science and specific actions you can take."

His premise--that every human being has cancer cells--requires a new mindset in the fight against cancer.

Little changes can make a big difference, writes brain cancer survivor David Servan-Schreiber (left) in "Anticancer, a New Way of Life."

Here's how he suggests you stand up to cancer, whether you've been diagnosed or you want to prevent it.

Protect yourself
Avoid the following common household products

• Perchloroethylene/Tetrachloro-ethylene, found in dry cleaning—air garments out for several hours before wearing
• Cleaning products such as liquid detergents, disinfectants, and toilet bowl sanitizers that contain alkylphenols (nonoxynol, octoxynol, nonylphenol, actylphenol)
• Deodorants and antiperspirants containing aluminum
• Cosmetics, shampoo, lotions, gels, hair color, nail polish, perfumes, and sunscreen containing estrogens or placental products, or those with parabens or phthalates
• Chemical household pesticides and insecticides
• Heating foods or liquids in plastic containers made with PVCs, polystyrene, or Styrofoam
• Preparing food in scratched Teflon® pans

Improve your diet

• Eat grass-fed organic animal products: meat, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs
• Reduce your intake of sugar, white flour, products containing omega-6s (sunflower oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, margarines, hydrogenated fats, non-organic animal fats
• Increase your omega-3 intake (fish, and grass or linseed-fed animal products)
• Increase your intake of anticancer products (turmeric, green tea, soy, fruits, vegetables)
• Filter tap water: use a carbon filter or an inverse osmosis filter, or drink mineral water or spring water

Add some activity

• Practice 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day
• Expose yourself to sunlight for 20 minutes each day
• Practice a method of relaxation and self-centering (yoga, cardiac coherence, meditation, qigong, tai chi)

From: Anticancer: A New Way of Life.

"I used to think the brain was my most important organ. But then I thought: Wait a minute, who's telling me that?"—comedian Emo Philips

You've lost your keys, your creativity and your edgy wit. Have you really become the dullest tool in the shed? Or is your brain simply out of shape?

Chances are, your noodle just needs a little workout to help reverse the distressing effects of modern life. When you feed your brain junk food, it gets sluggish. Toxins make the brain age faster. And in adults, stress hormones—not marijuana or beer—kill the brain’s memory center.

"Just as your muscles go flabby without exercise, so do your brain cells," writes neurologist David Perlmutter, author of "The Better Brain Book" (Riverhead, $24.95). Losing memory, creativity, focus and alertness, he says, are all signs that “brain cells need some toning up."

Fortunately, until brain cells actually perish, we can stage an intervention. Although brain-training software is a booming industry, here are five other—and in most cases better—ways to properly care for this delicate and powerful organ.

Despite the recent hand-wringing over rising measles cases in unvaccinated children, most U.S. parents are vaccinating and the rates are nearing record levels, according to a new survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Childhood immunization rates show at least 90 percent coverage for all but one of the individual vaccines in the recommended series for young children, said the CDC's 2007 National Immunization Survey (NIS). In fact, less than 1 percent of children received no vaccines by age 19 months to 35 months.