Therapist Unlimited Blog

Medical researchers has warned pregnant mothers around the world to avoid constant exposure to tetrachloroethylene (also known as perchlorethylene, PCE) since it could cause congenital birth defects.
According to a medical study of expectant women exposed to PCE in drinking water, it was discovered that an increased risk of oral clefts and neural tube defects in their children.
Ann Aschengrau, from Boston University School of Public Health, USA, worked with a team of researchers to study the prevalence of birth defects in the children of women from 8 towns in Cape Cod who had been exposed to PCE during the period 1969-1983.
Aschengrau revealed the results suggest that the risk of certain congenital anomalies is increased among the offspring of women who were exposed to PCE-contaminated drinking water around the time of conception".

Pregnant women should keep their babies safe from birth defects by avoiding constant exposure to PCE.

From the late 1960s until 1980, hundreds of miles of pipe that had been lined with a vinyl coating containing PCE were laid in the area. It wasn’t until 1980 that officials realized the danger, creating what the researchers describe as "A vast natural experiment reminiscent of John Snow’s cholera investigation in 1854 London."
Boston University investigators found that there were 61 children with congenital anomalies among the 1,658 children with some prenatal PCE exposure and 95 children with congenital anomalies among 2,999 children with no prenatal PCE exposure.
Prenatal exposure was associated with increases in the risk of oral clefts and neural tube defects (particularly anencephaly).
Speaking about these findings, Aschengrau said, "Because PCE remains a commonly used solvent and frequent contaminant of ground and drinking water supplies, it is important to understand its impact on the developing fetus."
 

If it can be avoided people should avoid breathing regularly polluted air in thier surroundings since doing so could lead you to suffer from heart disease.
According to the study made by the researchers at the University of Michican they found out that the very air we breathe can be an invisible catalyst to heart disease.
The researchers warned their study have shown that inhaling air pollution over just two hours caused a significant increase in diastolic blood pressure, the lower number on blood pressure readings.
Based on the latest medical data, nearly one in three Americans suffer from hypertension, a significant health problem that can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and other life-threatening problems.
Robert D. Brook, M.D., lead researchers and vascular medicine physician at the U-M Cardiovascular Center revealed although this increase in diastolic blood pressure may pose little health risk to healthy people, in people with underlying coronary artery disease this small increase may actually be able to a trigger heart attack or stroke.
To get the data they are looking for, eighty-three people in Ann Arbor and Toronto were utilized in testing and breathed air pollution, concentrated by a mobile air quality research facility, that was similar to what would be found in an urban environment near a roadway.

To avoid chances of suffering from heart disease better avoid constant air pollution exposure now.

Robert Bard, M.S., overall research project manager explained they looked in the participants blood vessels and then their responses before and after breathing high levels of air pollution.
The researchers revealed ozone gases, a well-known component of air pollution, were not the biggest culprit.
The researchers said small microscopic particles about a 10th of the diameter of a human hair caused the rise in blood pressure and impaired blood vessel function, tests
showed.
The blood pressure increase was rapid and occurred within two hours, while the impairment in blood vessel function occurred later but lasted as long as 24 hours.
It’s believed these fine particles deposit deep into the lungs and certain components may gain entrance to the blood stream, or cause an inflammatory response throughout the body.
There is also evidence that functions in the body’s nervous system are also disrupted.
It is said that the new research is the latest in the relatively new field of Environmental Cardiology which looks at the association between air pollution and heart disease.
Brook says that at the very least the findings support efforts to maintain current ambient air quality standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
He said there are practical ways to avoid exposure to high levels of air pollution, such as avoiding unnecessary travel or commutes and not exercising during rush hour, or near busy roadways.
He added in modern society, the burning of fossil fuels is the primary source for air pollution.
The researcher cited if air pollution levels are forecasted to be high, those with heart disease, diabetes or lung disease should avoid unnecessary outdoor activity.
 

Recent medical studies has shown that antioxidant supplements do not appear to be associated with an increased risk of melanoma.
Based on a randomized trial of antioxidants for cancer prevention it was discovered that daily supplementation with nutritionally appropriate doses of vitamins C and E, beta carotene, selenium and zinc appeared to increase the risk of melanoma in women four-fold.
The researchers said due to the fact that an estimated 48 percent to 55 percent of U.S. adults use vitamin or mineral supplements regularly, the potential harmful effects of these nutrients is alarming.
Maryam M. Asgari, M.D., M.P.H., of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, and colleagues examined the association between antioxidants and melanoma among 69,671 women and men who were participating in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study, designed to examine supplement use and cancer risk.

Those who are taking antioxidants do not have to worry since these supplements do not cause melanoma.
 

At the beginning of the study, between 2000 and 2002,participants completed a 24-page questionnaire about lifestyle factors, health history, diet, supplement use and other cancer risk factors.
Intake of multivitamins and supplements during the previous 10 years, including selenium and beta carotene, was not associated with melanoma risk in either women or men.
The researchers also examined the risk of melanoma associated with long-term use of supplemental beta carotene and selenium at doses comparable to the previous study and found no association.
Moreover, the researchers revealed consistent with the present results, case-control studies examining serologic [blood] levels of beta carotene, vitamin E and selenium did not find any association with subsequent risk of melanoma.
The researchers also said that there was no association between intake of vitamins A, C and E and melanoma risk in 162,000 women during more than 1.6 million person-years of follow-up.

Young women around the world should be careful if they wish to engage in cheerleading.
This developed after a recent research has shown that cheerleading is leading cause among young women.
Based on the data gathered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission the rates of injuries from cheerleading accidents have gone from nearly 5,000 in 1980 to close to 26,000 to 28,000 in the past few years.
Statistics taken from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research also revealed that approximately 65 to 66 percent of all female catastrophic injuries in either high school or college.
Researcher Miller Bohn revealed most of the injuries cause by cheerleading are still more the common types of things that people should think about such as muscle strains or pulls, ligament injuries, tendon injuries.
Bohn said the concern is that there are certainly a fair number of increasingly severe injuries.
Other medical experts said because of the increase in degree of difficulty in cheerleading skills, increased acrobatics and stunt activities may be increasing the risk of severity of injury.

Young women hooked on cheerleading should be careful since their sport could cause catastrophic injury for them.

It is said that catastrophic injuries seen in cheerleading involve either death, injuries that results in disability that are often related to head trauma or spine trauma.
The Doctors are also seeing more injuries that a person may not be able to recover from completely such as concussions or severe fractures.
According to the latest data, cheerleading injuries appear to be on the rise partly because of an increase in participants, but the sport has also changed significantly in the last 25 years.
It is observed that cheerleading no longer consists of athletes standing on the sidelines, rooting for a team.
The experts said to protect their children from cheerleading related injuries parents should ask questions about the coach’s experience, what type of athletes the coach has worked with and if they have experience with gymnastics stunt work.
The parents also need to know what the plan is for that cheerleading squad, what types of activities they will perform, who is supervising and where activities will be performed.

A medical expert has warned that those people suffering from age-related macular degeneration should seek immediate treatment early since failure to do could lead to blindness.
age-related macular degeneration, a disease that progressively causes vision loss.
Eye specialist and QUT researcher Dr. Beatrix Feigl revealed macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in Australia and one in three Australians will be affected to some degree by it.
Feigl said there is no cure yet for the disorder, but if it is detected early enough, steps can be taken to prevent the condition from worsening.

Early detection and cure is the proper way to deal with age-related macular degeneration which can cause blindness if not handled well.

She said it is very important to detect the condition before there is damage because you can only preserve existing eyesight.
The eye expert said general health and genetics influenced a person’s chance of developing the eye disease.
She explained smoking and a poor diet low in vitamins and omega-3 can increase the risk.
Moreover, Feigl said if you know one of your parents had age-related macular degeneration, it is worth taking extra care of your eyes.
Feigl advices to always be sure to have your eyes tested while they are still healthy.

During important celebrations such as Independence Day celebration having fireworks, display is part of the tradition around the world.
Having fireworks, display adds fire and excitement to the event, which is why it is a favorite by people worldwide.
Despite the lure and sparkle, it provide it is good to remember that fireworks display can cause eye injuries to those who are not that careful in using it.
According to the study conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) each year, fireworks are responsible for thousands of injuries to adults and children.
Many injuries affect eyesight, causing permanent damage and in some cases blinding the victims.
Based on the recent data gathered by CPSC, fireworks were involved in an estimated 9,800 injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms in 2007.
The CPSC also reported the eyes were the second most commonly injured part of the body with approximately 1,400 instances.
Of those eye injuries, one-third resulted in permanent eye damage.
While most of these injuries were contusions, lacerations and foreign bodies in the eyes the most important thing to note is that many of these injuries were preventable.

Fireworks display might be a thing of beauty but it can also offer eye injuries to users and bystanders alike.

Moreover, CPSC revealed bottle rockets and sparklers are two of the most common fireworks associated with eye injuries.
Bottle rockets can cause serious eye injuries because they are very unpredictable and tend to fly erratically which can cause injury to bystanders.
They can also break the can or bottle used to shoot them off throwing shards of glass or metal into the air. Many children enjoy sparklers; however, they also send numerous children to the emergency room. Parents may not be aware that sparklers can easily burn children since they heat up to 1800 degrees (hot enough to melt gold).
In addition, the sparks given off can damage the eye.
The individuals shooting off the fireworks are not the only ones being injured. Data from the United States Eye Injury Registry shows that bystanders are injured by fireworks 50 percent of the time.
Be safe this year by staying away from private firework use.
Protect the eyes by attending a professional display, and enjoy the spectacle in the sky.
With the possible eye, injuries it offers are you still keen on using fireworks? Well, the decision is yours.

Here is a piece of reminder to all pregnant women around the world.
According to a latest study, those women who gain weight during pregnancy caused the daughter they bore to become obese later in her life.
According to a new study by Alison Stuebe, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, the findings are especially important because of the growing epidemic of obesity in women.
Stuebe said if we can help women reach a healthy weight before they start a family, we can make a difference for two generations.
To get the information, Stuebe earlier analyzed data on mothers’ recalled weights and weight gain for more than 24,000 mother-daughter pairs.
She said the heavier a mother was before her pregnancy, the more likely her daughter was to be obese in later life.
She explained , an average-height mother who weighed 150 pounds before pregnancy was twice as likely to have a daughter who was obese at age 18 as a mother who weighed 125 pounds before pregnancy.
The medical expert said weight gain during pregnancy mattered, too both too little and too much weight gain increased a daughter’s risk of becoming obese, especially if a mother was overweight before she got pregnant.
The researcher said women should aim for a healthy weight before they get pregnant, and then gain a moderate amount.

Pregnant women should avoid gaining weight during pregnancy since it could result to obesity to their babies later in their lives.

Using the Nurses’ Health Study II, Stuebe analyzed data for more than 24,000 mother-daughter pairs. The daughters, all registered nurses, are part of the Nurses’ Health Study. They reported their weight at age 18 when they joined the study in 1989, and they reported their current weight in 2001.
In 2001, each mother was asked to recall her pre-pregnancy height and weight, her weight gain while she was pregnant with her daughter, and her daughters’ weight at birth.
Daughters whose mothers gained 15 to 19 pounds during pregnancy had the lowest risk of obesity. Compared to this group, daughters whose mothers gained more than 40 pounds while pregnant were almost twice as likely to be obese at age 18 and later in life.
Too little weight gain was also linked with a daughter’s obesity risk.
Pregnancy weight gain of less than 10 pounds was associated with a 1.5-fold increase in the odds of being obese at 18 and a 1.3-fold increase in odds of being obese in later life.
Furthermore, Stuebe hoped that through her study pregnant women around the world would strive hard not to gain weight to ensure that their daughter will not become obese in the future.

A recent study has shown that parents who are suffering from distress could cause tooth decay among their children.
Based on the research conducted by a group of scientists from The Ohio State University it was discovered that the more stressed parents are, the more likely their children were to have decay
The researchers said they also found out that apparently having one’s child’s dental decay treated actually could decrease the stress of being a parent.
Furthermore, the researchers said through their study they found out that dental professionals need to be ready not only to repair childhood decay, but also to assist families in finding the help they need to decrease the stress of life.
The parents for its part should strive hard to avoid stress in their lives so that their children would not suffer from tooth decay.

Parents need to avoid stress to avoid possible tooth decay among their children.