From:    Donna.
To:      All                                    Msg #18, Jun-26-93 09:18PM
Subject: Health Tidbits

All of these items were culled from the April 1993 of _Vitality_ magazine.
Where _Vitality_ gave a source for its information, that source is mentioned
after the item.


American women visit the doctor about 100 million times a year; men make only
about 25 million visits.  That's one reason prostate cancer, a major killer of
men, is diagnosed too late for effective treatment 70% of the time.
                        -- _Muscle & Fitness_

Can the breast-cancer drug tamoxifen also help _prevent_ the disease?  A new
study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute is exploring such a
possibility.  The study involves 16,000 women with risk factors.
                        -- _McCall's_

The chances of having a baby with Down's syndrome increase as a woman ages.
Even so, 75% of babies born with the condition have mothers under age 35.
                        _Babies with Down's Syndrome: A New Parents Guide_
                        Woodbine House, 1986

Older women can benefit from aggressive breast-cancer treatment.  In one
study, women age 70 and older responded well to aggressive chemotherapy, with
no worse side effects than those experienced by younger women.
                        -- _Journal of the American Medical Assn._
[be watching for excerpts from "The Politics of Breast Cancer", soon as I get
it typed.]

Some tranquilizers and antibiotics (ampicillin and tetracycline) can reduce
the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.  Check with your pharmacist for
possible drug interactions.

One study found that regular workouts decreased the number of migraine
headaches suffered by women.

On breast cancer early detection: A mammogram will show the presence of cells
in the very early, curable stages, when a tumor still can't be felt manually
by self-exam or a physician.

By detecting cervical cancer before it spreads, Pap tests have helped reduce
the number of deaths from this disease in the United States by 50%.  Rates
worldwide have dropped dramatically, as well.

What most influences a mother to breast-feed her baby?  When making such a
decision, a woman usually gives the most consideration to the attitude of her
spouse; the medical and emotional benefits are less important.
                        -- Research by Gary Freed, M.D.,
                                a pediatrician at the Univ. of N.
                                Carolina, Chapel Hill

If you get your calcium in small doses, you'll absorbe twice as much.
Recommended: Take four small doses of calcium supplements throughout the day,
rather than one big dose in the morning.
                        _Fort Worth Star-Telegram_

Increasing evidence suggests that a magnesium deficiency can cause sudden
heart failure.  Good sources of the nutrient: 1/2 cup of soy flour has 155
mg.; 1/4 cup dried soybeans, 138 mg.; 1/4 cup dried black-eyed peas, 98 mg.;
and 1/4 cup cashews, 94 mg.
                        _New Body_
[I include this item because magnesium deficiency has also been linked to pre-
menstrual tension.]

Husbands of women who embark on low-fat eating programs start eating better
themselves.  One study found that when married women lowered their daily fat
intake from 40% to 26%, the husbands cut their fat intake to 33%.
                        -- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Ctr,
                           Seattle, WA

New studies indicate that taking one to six aspirins a week can reduce the
risk of a first heart attack by 30% in women and 44% in men. [...] Long-term
daily use of aspirin can sometimes lead to ulcers and anemia or such serious
side effects as gastrointestinal bleeding, stomach upsets and ringing in the
ears.
        The following people shouldn't take aspirin: pregnant or lactating
women; people with aspirin allergies, ulcers, gout or stomach bleeding;
children under 16 with fever, chicken pox or flu; and patients taking
anticoagulents.
        Individuals should discuss aspirin use with a physician before taking
aspirini daily.
                        _The Wellness Encyclopedia_
                        University of California, Berkeley
                        Houghton Mifflin Co., 1991

Multiple births are on the rise.  Between 1972 and 1989, the rate at which
women gave birth to three or more babies went up 91%.  The increased use of
fertility drugs is the primary reason for this development.
                        -- The National Center for Health Statistics
                           Hyattsville, MD

To get relief from indigestion, pregnant women should use antacids with
calcium as the main ingredient (Tums or Rolaids) or tablets with aluminum and
magnesium (Maalox and Mylanta).
                        -- _American Woman_

Lips can get dry and cracked during a long labor, so expectant mothers should
take lip balm or petroleum jelly into the labor room.
                        -- _Your Pregnancy_
                           Ronald Caplan, M.D., with Betty Rothbart
                           William Morrow and Co., 1992

Marriage may lengthen your life.  One study found that married men and women
between ages 45 and 54 die at half the rate of those people who live with a
significant other but are not married.
                        -- University of California, Los Angeles

Low iron levels may protect against heart disease and cancer.  The National
Research Council recently lowered its RDA of iron for women from 18 to 15 mg.
                        -- Randall Lauffer, M.D.
                           Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Using fat injections to enlarge breasts is still an experimental procedure
with risks.  The fat can harden into tissue that can hide breast cancer in a
mammogram.  Or the body can absorb the fat.
                        -- The American Society for Aethetic
                                Plastic Surgery
                           Long Beach, CA

Women who tend to suffer migraine headaches during their menstrual periods
should talk to their physicians about: 1. Taking 50 mg. of vitamin B6 every
day during their cycle. 2. Adding 400 units of vitamin E to their diets,
starting three days before their cycle and continuing two days after their
period stops.
                        -- The New England Center for Headache
                           Stamford, CT

--- ConfMail V4.00
 * Origin: Home of the new WO/MEN echo  (1:114/113.11)