Monday, August 31, 2009
MONDAY, Aug. 31 (Healthcare tips) , Parents should add an eye test to their children's back-to-school list, specialist say.
Studies show that 86 percent of children start school without ever having an eye test, even though youngsters can't learn if they can't see correctly.
According to the American Optometric Association's 2009 review, which assesses the knowledge and understanding of issues interrelated to eye and visual health, 88 percent of respondents were unaware that one in four students has a visual impairment.
"Because a child's vision may change commonly, regular eye and vision care is crucial to a student's classroom success," said Dr. Michael Earley, optometrist and the AOA's vision and learning experts, in an association news release. "Unfortunately, most parents are not including eye exams as part of their child's back-to-school health check-up."
According to the survey, 58 percent of parents did not take their child for an eye test before age 3. The AOA recommends that the first eye appraisal takes place at 6 months of age, followed by comprehensive eye exams starting at age 3, and then repeat exams every two years, unless directed otherwise by an optometrist.
Prior studies have found that 60 percent of children labeled as "problem learners" may actually have undetected vision problems and are sometimes wrongly diagnosed as having attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the association noted.
Treatment is more likely to be winning if vision problems are detected and treated early, according to the news release.
In between visits to the eye doctor, parents and teachers should watch for signs of eye problems. Schedule an eye exam if you notice that your child:
Studies show that 86 percent of children start school without ever having an eye test, even though youngsters can't learn if they can't see correctly.
According to the American Optometric Association's 2009 review, which assesses the knowledge and understanding of issues interrelated to eye and visual health, 88 percent of respondents were unaware that one in four students has a visual impairment.
"Because a child's vision may change commonly, regular eye and vision care is crucial to a student's classroom success," said Dr. Michael Earley, optometrist and the AOA's vision and learning experts, in an association news release. "Unfortunately, most parents are not including eye exams as part of their child's back-to-school health check-up."
According to the survey, 58 percent of parents did not take their child for an eye test before age 3. The AOA recommends that the first eye appraisal takes place at 6 months of age, followed by comprehensive eye exams starting at age 3, and then repeat exams every two years, unless directed otherwise by an optometrist.
Prior studies have found that 60 percent of children labeled as "problem learners" may actually have undetected vision problems and are sometimes wrongly diagnosed as having attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the association noted.
Treatment is more likely to be winning if vision problems are detected and treated early, according to the news release.
In between visits to the eye doctor, parents and teachers should watch for signs of eye problems. Schedule an eye exam if you notice that your child:
- Loses their place while reading
- Avoids close work
- Has a tendency to rub their eyes
- Complains of continous headaches
- Turns or tilts their head when looking at something
- Makes frequent reversals when reading or writing
- Uses a finger to keep their place when reading
- Confuses or omits simple words when reading
- Seems to consistently execute below potential
- Struggles to finish their homework
- Squints while reading or watching television
- Experiences behavioral problems
- Holds reading material too close to their face
Labels: Eye problems, Eye testing
Thursday, August 27, 2009
THURSDAY, Aug. 27 (Health care tips) In addition to the many well-known ways that smoking cigarettes can injure a person's health, new research has found that smoking dampens the capability to taste.
In the study, researchers used electrical stimulation to examine the taste threshold of 62 Greek members. Applying an electrical current to the tongue generates a unique metallic taste. Measuring the amount of current compulsory before a person perceives this taste enables researchers to determine taste sensitivity. The 28 smokers in the study scored not as good as on this test than the 34 nonsmokers.
The researchers then used endoscopy to calculate the number and shape of a type of taste bud called fungiform papillae. They found that the smokers had flatter fungiform papillae, with a reduced blood supply.
The study was published online Aug. 20 in the journal BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders.
"Statistically significant differences between the taste thresholds of smokers and nonsmokers were notice. Differences concerning the shape and the vascularization of fungiform papillae were also observed," study leader Pavlidis Pavlos, of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and colleagues said in a news release from the journal's publisher.
"Nicotine may cause functional and morphological alterations of papillae, at least in young adults," they completed.
In the study, researchers used electrical stimulation to examine the taste threshold of 62 Greek members. Applying an electrical current to the tongue generates a unique metallic taste. Measuring the amount of current compulsory before a person perceives this taste enables researchers to determine taste sensitivity. The 28 smokers in the study scored not as good as on this test than the 34 nonsmokers.
The researchers then used endoscopy to calculate the number and shape of a type of taste bud called fungiform papillae. They found that the smokers had flatter fungiform papillae, with a reduced blood supply.
The study was published online Aug. 20 in the journal BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders.
"Statistically significant differences between the taste thresholds of smokers and nonsmokers were notice. Differences concerning the shape and the vascularization of fungiform papillae were also observed," study leader Pavlidis Pavlos, of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and colleagues said in a news release from the journal's publisher.
"Nicotine may cause functional and morphological alterations of papillae, at least in young adults," they completed.
Labels: Cigarettes, Health care tips
Monday, August 24, 2009
MONDAY, Aug. 24 When it comes to surviving cancer, separation from your spouse appears to be worse for your health than divorce or even widowhood, a new study suggests.
In contrast, being married or never married seems to improve your odds the most.
An analysis of the records of almost 3.8 million cancer patients found that married people fared the best after being diagnosed with cancer, while separated spouses were about one-third less likely to survive for a decade.
The strain of a separation seems to be key, said study author Gwen Sprehn, a neuropsychologist at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
"There may be a critical period early in the course of cancer when increases in stress have a particularly unpleasant effect on the immune system's ability to clear or suppress cancer," she said.
Researchers have known that marriage, in general, is good for a person's health, maybe because spouses provide physical and emotional support before and during illness.
The findings, which will appear online Aug. 24 in Cancer, will be published in the Nov. 1 print issue of the journal.
After researchers made statistical adjustments to account for likely errors, they found that 36.8 percent of separated people lived for 10 years after cancer diagnosis, compared to 57.5 percent of those who were married. Almost 41 percent of widowed people live for a decade, as did 45.6 percent of those who were separated and 51.7 percent of those who were never married.
The number of those separated was very small compared to the other groups, 51,857 compared to 2,184,055 who were married.
Why might separated people die earlier than the widowed?
"The difference may be that the death of a spouse is closer to a natural phase in life," Sprehn said. "Coupled with that, those who are widowed may have a stronger support system, both personally and ethnically. Separation, even if it is 'for the better,' is not an expected life event and may be preceded by a period of great conflict."
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of Ohio State University College of Medicine's Division of Health Psychology, said the study is well-done and jibes with her own research on how the most worrying break-ups affect the health of spouses.
"Many studies have now shown that stress and depression reliably enhance irritation," which can make cancer worse, she said.
The study leaves plenty of questions, however, apparently because of the limitations of the statistics the researchers used, said Hui Liu, an assistant professor of sociology at Michigan State University.
The research didn't take into account the marital history of those surveyed or some other details. "Previous research suggests that remarriages provide less health benefit than first marriages," she said. Also, studies suggest that longer marriages may have more health benefits, she noted, and the bad effects of marriages that fall apart may reduce over time.
In contrast, being married or never married seems to improve your odds the most.
An analysis of the records of almost 3.8 million cancer patients found that married people fared the best after being diagnosed with cancer, while separated spouses were about one-third less likely to survive for a decade.
The strain of a separation seems to be key, said study author Gwen Sprehn, a neuropsychologist at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
"There may be a critical period early in the course of cancer when increases in stress have a particularly unpleasant effect on the immune system's ability to clear or suppress cancer," she said.
Researchers have known that marriage, in general, is good for a person's health, maybe because spouses provide physical and emotional support before and during illness.
The findings, which will appear online Aug. 24 in Cancer, will be published in the Nov. 1 print issue of the journal.
After researchers made statistical adjustments to account for likely errors, they found that 36.8 percent of separated people lived for 10 years after cancer diagnosis, compared to 57.5 percent of those who were married. Almost 41 percent of widowed people live for a decade, as did 45.6 percent of those who were separated and 51.7 percent of those who were never married.
The number of those separated was very small compared to the other groups, 51,857 compared to 2,184,055 who were married.
Why might separated people die earlier than the widowed?
"The difference may be that the death of a spouse is closer to a natural phase in life," Sprehn said. "Coupled with that, those who are widowed may have a stronger support system, both personally and ethnically. Separation, even if it is 'for the better,' is not an expected life event and may be preceded by a period of great conflict."
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of Ohio State University College of Medicine's Division of Health Psychology, said the study is well-done and jibes with her own research on how the most worrying break-ups affect the health of spouses.
"Many studies have now shown that stress and depression reliably enhance irritation," which can make cancer worse, she said.
The study leaves plenty of questions, however, apparently because of the limitations of the statistics the researchers used, said Hui Liu, an assistant professor of sociology at Michigan State University.
The research didn't take into account the marital history of those surveyed or some other details. "Previous research suggests that remarriages provide less health benefit than first marriages," she said. Also, studies suggest that longer marriages may have more health benefits, she noted, and the bad effects of marriages that fall apart may reduce over time.
