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Monday, December 27, 2010

Weekly Health Update

Mental Attitude: Social Class And Depression Treatment.
Current treatments for depression don't help working-class and poor patients as much as they help middle-class patients improve their ability to function at work. Depression has a profound impact on an individual's productivity. That's particularly true for those in lower social classes and with low levels of education.
Psychological Science, Nov 2010

Health Alert: Kicking It All!
The American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout took place on November 18. Cigarette sales have declined for decades, but smokeless tobacco sales have grown 7% annually over the last four years. Using smokeless tobacco products is not a safe way to quit or safer than smoking. The use of these products just shifts the risk of cancer to the mouth, head, and neck. Use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco is the leading cause of cancers of the head and neck, which can result in partial or full removal of the lip, tongue, cheek, and portions of the throat, including the voice box. Smokeless tobacco users run the same risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and addiction as cigarette users, but an even greater risk of oral cancer.
American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, November 2010

Diet: Red Meat And Cancer Risk.
A possible link between red meat and esophageal cancer; and a link between DiMelQx and cancer in the stomach close to the esophageal opening was found. DiMelQx is a compound, a type of heterocyclic amine (HCA) found in red meat after it is cooked at high temperature. Those who eat red and processed meats have a 79% higher risk of developing esophageal cancer.
American Journal of Gastroenterology, October 2010

Exercise: Flat Abs?
Here are a few exercises and tips to help flatten your abs. Improve Your Posture. Slouch and your stomach pooches. For better posture while standing, align your ears over your shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, and knees over ankles. Keep the fronts of the shoulders open like a shirt on a hanger, instead of a shirt on a peg and draw your navel to your spine. Try the Canoe Twist. Sit upright, interlace your fingers over your stomach to create a solid grip. Exhale, and sweep the interlocked hands, arms, shoulders, and chest to the left, as if "rowing a canoe." Inhale and return to the starting position. Exhale and perform the movement to the right. Alternate for 20 repetitions.
WebMD Feature: Tips for Flat Abs

Chiropractic: Happy Backs!
This is a satisfaction survey of chiropractic care within a military hospital, from a Canadian Armed Forces Pilot Project. Chronic low back pain accounted for most presentations to the chiropractic clinic. The majority of military personnel (94.2%) and referring physicians (80.0%) expressed satisfaction with chiropractic services.
Military Medicine, June 2006

Wellness/Prevention: Tea And Your Heart.
Drinking three cups of tea per day was associated with a decrease of 11% in the incidence of myocardial infarction, or heart attack.
American Journal of Epidemiology, 2001