Monthly Archives: August 2014

Challenge raises funds, awareness

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge class of 2016It’s hard to ignore the outpouring (pun intended) of generosity toward ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in recent weeks. As individuals and groups take the ice bucket challenge and donate in support of the cause, many are left wondering if the social media hype has been worth it.
According to a press release from the ALS Association, the organization has received $88.5 million as of Tuesday, August 26, compared to $2.6 million last year. Nearly, 1.9 million new donors have chosen to support the cause.
Another aspect of the success of this social media blitz is the awareness raised. As parents help their children dump buckets of ice water on their heads and vice versa, the hope is that they are also using the time to educate their children about the debilitating disease.
View a fun and educational version of the ice bucket challenge by SIU medical students here.

ALS Quick Facts:

  • ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
  • ALS most commonly affects people aged 40-70.
  • It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
  • The death of the motor neurons causes the brain to lose control of muscle movement.st
  • The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons eventually leads to death.
  • Patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

For more about the ALS Association’s efforts: alsa.org

-rb

Can a chili pepper component help ease cancer-related hearing loss?

Cumpa08In the war on cancer, numerous medicines are helping millions fight the battle.
While these medicines are great at killing tumors, they also come with side effects. Many know that chemotherapy can cause nausea, fatigue and hair loss. What you may not know is that chemotherapy drugs (especially one called Cisplatin) can also damage the inner ear, causing permanent hearing loss.
Dr. Leonard Rybak, professor emeritus of surgery in the SIU Division of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and SIUC distinguished scholar, has worked for decades on this topic. His research has identified several different pathways that can be targeted to decrease cisplatin-induced hearing loss and retain its ability to kill tumors.
In previous years, Dr. Rybak studied several antioxidants and found that in animal models, antioxidants protect against cisplatin-induced hearing loss and kidney damage. However, some experts are concerned that the antioxidants may interfere with cisplatin’s effectiveness as a cancer treatment.
Dr. Rybak recently received a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue his studies.
With this new funding, Dr. Rybak’s laboratory is investigating potentially safer alternatives, such as capsaicin, a component of hot chili peppers. Dr. Rybak believes this component can reduce hearing loss and kidney damage if given prior to or after a dose of cisplatin.
The study will determine the smallest doses of capsaicin possible that will prevent hearing loss yet still allow cisplatin to be effective in the treatment of tumors. The results of the research may lead to cancer treatment with fewer negative side effects, like hearing loss and kidney damage.
The importance of these findings underscores the use of readily available natural products in the prevention of toxic effects of chemotherapy. These findings could easily be translated to humans for clinical use in the near future.

-kc

5 Tips for Healthier School Lunches

5 tips to a healthier lunch box 5 tips to a healthier lunch box

As the kids return to the classroom this fall, some parents face the challenge of packing lunches are easy to prepare, healthy and  won’t get traded in the school cafeteria.
SIU registered dietitian Sara Lopinski recommends these five tips for a healthier lunch in a box:
1.Stay away from the pre-packaged processed foods that are high in trans fat. Trans fats are typically found in larger amounts in cookies, snack crackers and cheese puffs, and they have been linked to heart disease and diabetes.
2. Pack reduced fat or baked crackers or chips, mini muffins or homemade trail mix.
3. Pack fruit in every lunch. Pineapple chunks, apples and grapes can easily be packed into small zip baggies or containers ahead of time for quick packing. Try mixing fruits together, like apple slices and cherries. 100% fruit leather is one alternative to fresh fruit.
4. Choose other nutritious foods that are easy to pack:

  • frozen yogurt tubes
  • cheese
  • raisins
  • slices of grilled chicken
  • baby carrots
  • nuts

5. Remember safe storage. The Centers for Disease Control reports that about 76 million Americans suffer food borne illness every year, and young children especially are at high-risk. Pack lunches so meat and milk foods stay cold until lunchtime: Use insulated lunch bags with freezer packs or pack a frozen water bottle next to foods that must be kept cold.
Lunch in a box can be healthy too!
What’s your favorite food to put in your student’s lunch?

-sl

Going kookoo for coconut oil? Don’t do it!

Half Coconut and Flower on Bamboo Mat --- Image by © Royalty-Free/CorbisSo you consider yourself a well-educated, forward-thinking, health-minded person, and as such, you are definitely on board with the greatest addition to your pantry: coconut oil. After all, according to internet claims, Pinterest and the advice of your well-meaning neighbor, coconut oil will cure thyroid disease, obesity, cancer and heart disease, right!?
Well, maybe not…The medical evidence about the benefits of coconut oil is not totally convincing since most of the claims developed from personal stories rather than actual medical evidence, according to SIU registered dietitian Cindy Yergler.
Let’s check the facts.
Coconut oil is a highly saturated fat. Because it is a plants product, it does not contain cholesterol (cholesterol only comes from animal products; think animals with legs). For this reason, some researches do believe coconut oil could be better than butter and trans fats like margarine or solid shortening, but these claims are still being studied. The bottom line: saturated fats, like coconut oil, are not as healthy as liquid vegetable oils, and any type of fat needs to be eaten in limited amounts.
For your best health outcomes, Yergler recommends switching completely from saturated fats to unsaturated fats like olive, soybean, canola or corn oil for your added fat. This does not mean fill your deep fat fryer with peanut oil! It means roast vegetables with small amounts of olive oil, make a vegetable stir fry with measured amounts of peanut or canola oil, use olive oil for bread dipping instead of slathering it with butter or margarine and use cooking oil sprays with non-stick cooking surfaces or grills to prepare delicious meats, poultry and fish. Limit the total amount of fat of any kind that you are eating. At 120 or more calories per tablespoon, fat-laden calories add up fast and too much fat of any kind is not a good thing for our bodies, not even health fats or coconut oil.
-cy, rb

Join us – SIU Family Health Fair

PubAffIt’s National Community Health Center Week, and SIU Center for Family Medicine is holding a family fun health fair. Take a break from the fair and come visit us; the public is welcome to attend!
Date: Wednesday, August 13
Time: 3-5:30 pm
Location: East of the clinic on the corner of Carpenter and Fifth Streets in Springfield
The event will feature free activities, including games for kids, door prizes, snacks and water.
Various booths will provide information about health insurance, healthy lifestyles, and various diseases and conditions. Other social service agencies will be at the fair to educate community members about their services. Screenings for blood pressure, diabetes and BMI will be offered.
About Community Health Centers
Community health centers have been in existence throughout the US for more than 45 years and serve 22 million people nationwide. They are increasingly becoming the trusted provider of choice for many families, whether they are insured or not.
“Health Center Week is a great opportunity for us to make our community aware of the importance of primary health care for everyone,” said family medicine physician Dr. Janet Albers. “When people have a place to go for regular care, they use it and stay healthier. We are here to serve anyone in need of a medical home.”
Evidence shows that patients choose health centers because they are convenient, affordable and PubAffoffer a range of services from a team of caring professionals. They have demonstrated success by:
•    Reducing income and ethnic health disparities nationwide, even in the poorest and most challenged neighborhoods
•    Reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and unnecessary visits to the emergency room
•    Generating a system of preventative medicine that patients use regularly to stay healthy, thus saving lives
•    Producing $24 billion in annual health system savings nationwide

-rb

The toll of depression

Our thoughts are with the family of legendary comedian Robin Williams. Depression is a serious medical illness affecting more than 14 million American adults every year, but the condition is treatable and help is available.
Businessman Thinking on StepsSuicide is linked with people who have a history of depression or other mental illness or have been hospitalized for psychiatric problems. Unemployment and increased stressors such as isolation, a change in marital status or loss of a loved one often intensify the depression.
According to SIU psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Bennett, suicide or threatened suicide is considered a psychiatric emergency and always should be taken seriously. “Often people with suicidal ideas are reluctant to seek treatment because of the stigma involved in having a mental illness in this culture,” Dr. Bennett says. “Family members will not do a disservice to someone who is stating they want to commit suicide by bringing them to an emergency room if they are concerned enough about the presence of suicidal thoughts, or if the person has past history of suicide attempts.”
Dr. Bennett recommends anyone with suicidal thoughts, severe depression or other psychiatric symptoms be seen by their primary care physician or a mental health counselor, who may refer them to a psychiatrist for further evaluation and treatment.
For about 30 percent of people suffering from moderate depression, medication doesn’t work. For them, a promising new therapy has the potential to reduce or eliminate their symptoms: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). This non-invasive, non-systemic treatment uses focused, electromagnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain. To read more about how this therapy is helping patients handle severe depression. http://www.siumed.edu/pubs/aspects/W10/s3.pdf
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255; operators are available 24/7.

Fair eating

Thursday’s parade to kick-off to the Illinois State Fair is likely to instigate ten days of unhealthy eating habits for thousands of fairgoers. According to SIU registered dietitian Sara Lopinski, the food offerings at these events can pose a challenge to the health conscious food consumer. fair food 2
Consider several typical fair foods and their calorie content:
•    jumbo corn dog = 375 calories
•    funnel cakes with cinnamon and sugar topping = 790 calories
•    cheesecake on a stick = 655 calories
•    chocolate malt = 690 calories
Lopinski suggests several strategies to survive the fair-going experience without causing bodily harm. First, think about the purpose of your visit to the fair.  If it is just for the food, then you will probably overeat. If you decide to combine “sight-seeing” with some exercise and food, then you will do better.   An additional suggestion is to get some exercise while checking out the food offerings at the fair, so you can plan your selections first instead of sampling at each vendor. Limit yourself to one higher calorie food and balance it with the choice of one healthier food.
An additional helpful strategy is to eat a healthy, high fiber snack before attending the festival to take the edge off your appetite. Lopinski says that you may eat less when feeling full versus hungry.  Another method to manage the “jungle’” of high fat and high calorie food choices is to share a portion of one of these foods with your fellow fairgoers.  Often a small portion of one of these foods can be quite satisfying with a reduced number of calories and fat.
-rb, sl

 

Baby basics: the breast is best

breastfeeding2From a freshly decorated room to new toys and clothing, new parents always want to give their babies the best. When it comes to nutrition, physicians agree that the best first food for babies is breast milk.
Breast-fed babies are healthier and have fewer infections and early illnesses, according to Erin Paris, SIU registered dietitian and lactation consultant. “Breast-fed babies are less likely to have gastro-intestinal illnesses, upper respiratory infections, multiple sclerosis, diabetes or heart disease.” Studies also show that babies who are breast-fed have higher IQs.
Not only is breastfeeding beneficial for the baby, it also has important benefits for the mother, including
•    Decreasing the risk for ovarian and breast cancer
•    Decreasing the risk for developing osteoporosis
•    Aiding in a faster return to pre-pregnancy weight
•    Helping to deter post-partum depression

Baby Using Computer“The basic standards are four to six months of exclusive breastfeeding,” Paris says. “Then at four months of age, some pediatricians do recommend that you can introduce some table foods such as rice cereals or baby cereals. Then continuing to breastfeed through that first year of life is recommended until the baby has tripled their weight.”
New mothers can learn more about breast-feeding by talking with their family physician or obstetrician.  Most hospitals have a lactation counselor or offer breast feeding classes to help new mothers.
August is National Breastfeeding Month. To learn more: usbreastfeeding.org