DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I don’t remember you ever discussing high-fructose corn syrup and condensed corn syrup. Almost every product includes these ingredients. Please let us know the dangers and why the government allows it. — T.L.    ANSWER: Fructose is the sugar found in fruits. Table sugar is sucrose, a combination of fructose and glucose. up to the 1980s, sucrose was the universal sweetener. In the 1980s, a process was discovered that turned cornstarch into corn syrup and then into fructose. Fructose was then combined with glucose to produce a sugar product with the terrible name of high-fructose corn syrup. It’s very similar to sucrose, table sugar. High-fructose corn syrup consists of 45 percent glucose and 55 percent fructose. Table sugar is 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose.     High-fructose corn syrup is as sweet as and cheaper than table sugar, the sugar that comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. Those are powerful motivations for manufacturers to use it in commercial products like soft drinks, baked goods, energy bars and many candies.    So why all the fuss? People have increased their consumption of high-fructose corn syrup foods and drinks to such an extent that they have become a main source of their calorie intake. some feel it is the reason that the obesity epidemic has struck North America. like other sugars, it has a high glycemic index, meaning that it produces high spikes in blood sugar, which may lead to problems like diabetes. Excessive amounts cause fat accumulation in the liver.    One 12-ounce can of most soft drinks has the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories — a large sugar load and a large calorie load. The average American drinks 36 gallons of soft drinks in a year. It contributes to the girth expansion of Americans, but it’s not the only factor. Blaming high-fructose corn syrup for all the ills of people is too extreme. All the same, it does add to the obesity surge, and it does have all the negatives that ordinary table sugar has, like dental decay and empty calories — calories without any other nutrients. The government allows it because, in moderation, it’s not a danger to health.    I can’t find any information on “condensed” corn syrup, and believe me I have looked hard.    DEAR DR. DONOHUE: A gentleman wrote to you about needing a prostate biopsy because his PSA was high. I went through the same experience. My PSA climbed, and my doctor suggested a biopsy. One was done, and everything was fine. later, after looking on the Internet, I came across an item by a doctor who said men should not have a PSA test for 72 hours after an ejaculation. I checked the dates of my tests and found that my wife and I had had intercourse prior to those tests. now I wait 72 hours before the test, and my results have come back normal. do you think my doctor will be upset if I take this paper from the Internet to him? He thinks this had nothing to do with my PSA elevation. — W.S.    ANSWER: The doctor will be glad you brought him your reference from the Internet. that doctor-author is a recognized authority on prostate cancer.     “PSA” stands for “prostate-specific antigen,” a blood test used to screen for prostate cancer. It’s far from a perfect test. It can be high when no cancer is present, and it can be low when cancer isn’t present. Nevertheless, it is the only prostate cancer lab test we have.     Prostate enlargement and prostate inflammation also raise the PSA.    DEAR DR. DONOHUE: will you explain a ganglion cyst? why do they occur? where do they go when they disappear? I was about to have surgery on mine, and it just disappeared. — D.B.    ANSWER: A ganglion is a soft lump filled with semisolid protein material. It’s attached to the lining of a joint or the covering of a tendon. The back of the wrist is the place where most ganglions appear. many produce no symptoms. some are painful or interfere with motion. No one knows what causes them. Equally mysterious is why some disappear. The body absorbs the gelatinous material. be thankful; your body did you a favor.

    * * *Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from rbmamall.com.

    (c) 2011 North America Syndicate inc.    All Rights Reserved

Sobering linkages between fat consumption and strokes, soft drinks and cancer, belly fat and dementia.

Fatty Foods, Bad for Your Heart, may be Worse for Your Brain

One very good reason to check the ingredients on packaged goods, and especially baked goods, is to spot and avoid those that are subtle fat bombs, such as crackers, cookies and fried anything. the reason: according to a report from the University of North Carolina, based on a study of 87,230 participants, women who ate the most fat each day — 95 grams or so — were 44 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than those who ate the least — around 25 grams. In the case of trans fat consumption, the difference was 30 percent.

Unfortunately, federal health stats show that middle-aged American women eat an average of around 66 grams of fat daily, putting them closer to the high end than the low. a good place to start avoiding packaged “stealth” fat is by snacking on nuts or fruit instead of that typical candy bar (15 grams fat) or 2-ounce bag of cheese doodles (20 grams).

And that goes double for that mound around your midriff. Based on a study of 1,500 women by the Sahgrenska Academy in Sweden, which was recently published in Neurology, not only do middle-aged women who carry a roll of fat around their waist run a greater risk of dying prematurely from stroke or heart attack, but even if they survive to the age of 70, they are more than twice as likely to develop dementia than their more slender peers. the telltale measurement: you are broader around the waist than around the hips. if that applies to you, it may be time to consider a weight loss program — while you can still think straight.

The Hard Reality of Soft Drinks

A study conducted by the University of Minnesota that followed over 60,000 people for 14 years found that those who consumed two or more sugary soft drinks each week run an 87 percent higher risk of getting pancreatic cancer, a particularly virulent form. You should note that those in the study live in Singapore, where soda drinkers also tend to be smokers and red meat eaters, habits also associated with the disease. even so, considering that a control group of subjects who primarily drank fruit juice and not sodas ran no increased cancer risk, and that the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is just 5 percent, the case for switching from colas to O.J. seems fairly strong.

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Study finds genes drive caffeine cravings

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 8 (UPI) — Genetics may explain why some people consume large amounts of caffeine in beverages such as coffee, tea, and soda and food such as chocolate, a U.S. study says.

Researchers say they’ve discovered two gene variations that influence the metabolism of caffeine in the body and are associated with how much caffeine people consume, WebMD reported Thursday.

Both genes are possessed by all people, but a study of more than 47,000 middle-aged Americans of European descent found people with the highest-consumption variant for either gene consumed about 40 milligrams more caffeine — about the equivalent of half a cup of coffee or one can of soda — per day than people with the lowest-consumption gene varieties.

“There are hundreds of genes known for specific medical conditions — for dietary consumption we know very little,” study co-author Dr. Neil Caporaso of the National Cancer Institute told the BBC.

“Now, for the first time, we know specific genes that influence the amount of caffeine that individuals consume,” he said.

This genetic knowledge could be used “to advance caffeine research and potentially identify subgroups, defined by genotype, of the population most susceptible to the effects of caffeine,” said study co-author Dr. Marilyn C. Cornelis of the Harvard School of Public Health.

“More research on the precise function of these variants is needed, however, and there are likely more ‘caffeine genes’ to be identified.”

Discoverer of hepatitis B virus dies at 85

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif., April 8 (UPI) — Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, who identified the hepatitis B virus and helped develop a vaccine to fight it, saving millions of lives, has died, his family said.

Blumberg, who was 85, died of an apparent heart attack in Moffett Field, Calif., shortly after giving a keynote speech at a NASA conference at the Ames Research Center Tuesday, the New York Times reported.

Blumberg won a Nobel Prize for his virology and epidemiology work that began in the 1960s at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

His work led to the discovery of the hepatitis B virus in 1967 and the development in 1969, with research colleague Dr. Irving Millman, of the hepatitis B vaccine.

Blumberg shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1976 with D. Carleton Gajdusek for work on the origins and spread of infectious viral diseases.

In 1999 in what he called his second career, Blumberg became the founding director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute and its effort to search for micro-organisms in space.

Blumberg, who lived in Philadelphia, is survived by his wife, Jean, two sons, two daughters and nine grandchildren.

Young people suffer gadget ‘withdrawal’

COLLEGE PARK, Md., April 8 (UPI) — Young people deprived of gadgets and technology report feeling withdrawal symptoms similar to those felt by addicts, a U.S. study says.

A University of Maryland survey of college students at campuses worldwide found four in five students admitted to significant mental and physical distress when forced to spend an entire day without modern technology such as mobile phones, laptops and television as well as social networking activities such as Facebook and Twitter.

The researchers said a “clear majority” of almost 1,000 university students interviewed in 10 countries including Britain, America and China were unable to voluntarily do without their gadgets for 24 hours, the Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

Research leader Susan Moeller said technology has changed students’ relationships.

“Technology provides the social network for young people today and they have spent their entire lives being ‘plugged in,’” she said.

Students reported doing without was like going “cold turkey,” she said.

“Students talked about how scary it was, how addicted they were,” Moeller said.

Study: Empathy may be hard-wired in apes

ATLANTA, April 8 (UPI) — a notable lack of aggression in a species of apes may be due to hard-wired brain structure that makes them mellower than other primates, a U.S. study says.

The discovery was made in bonobos, sometimes called pygmy chimpanzees, which are closely related to chimps but are strikingly less aggressive, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

“They are the only ape in our family that does not kill,” said Brian Hare, an assistant professor who studies chimpanzees and bonobos at Duke University but was not involved in the study.

In contrast, male chimpanzees have been witnessed killing infants sired by other males and will often also stalk and kill outsider chimps.

Bonobos react to stress in a much more laid-back manner, Hare said, by sharing, playing and engaging in lots of sex.

“It’s not like they never have antagonistic interactions,” Hare said. “But it’s a joke compared to what you see in chimpanzees.”

James Rilling of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, part of Emory University in Atlanta, studied detailed brain images of chimps and bonobos.

Bonobo brains, in comparison to chimp brains, displayed bigger, more developed regions thought to be vital for feeling empathy, perceiving distress in others and feeling anxiety, Rilling said.

One of those regions, the right anterior insula, is involved in generating empathy. People who have suffered damage to this region notably lack the ability to perceive how others are feeling, Rilling said.

I grew up next door to my grandmother and for hours, she would keep my sisters and I hostage to talk to us about recipes. I’d watch her do all of the preparations for major dishes, like tamales or menudo and she always scolded us for not getting the right ingredients or measurements. oh abuelita! The desire to keep her memory alive made me think about those sweet adolescent years. Suddenly, I remembered the recipes, taquitos, arroz, chile reyenos, were all about consumption and not a single one on PREVENTION. Of all the things my grandma talked to us about, there was never one conversation on things like sex or cervical cancer.

January was cervical cancer awareness month, but it shouldn’t be the only time we talk about it. The fact that any woman who has ever had sex can get HPV (human papillomavirus) is a reason to talk about cervical cancer with your amigas, comadres, moms, sisters, and abuelitas.  It is important to note that while not all HPV infections lead to cervical cancer (in fact, most don’t!), the possibility is there and we must discuss these links.  so pongansen las pilas, prevention needs to be part of the conversation about cervical cancer.

Did your mom or abuelita ever throw a dicho at you growing up? – mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo (the devil knows more for being old than for being devil), meaning that experience means more than just a position. we know through other women’s experiences that cervical cancer can be detrimental to one’s life. Por ejemplo, approximately 4,000 women die of cervical cancer annually with Latina deaths at a proportion nearly 40% higher than that of non-Hispanic White women. What’s more striking, 80-85% of cervical cancer deaths could have been prevented. But when we talk about health, often, we don’t talk about cervical cancer, and when we do, it’s too late and the cancer has spread to lower portions of the vagina or other parts of the body. That’s why we need to talk about prevention.

To start the screening guidelines say Pap smears should start when a woman turns age 21 or after first sexual intercourse. But what is it about Latinas that make us more susceptible to cervical cancer than women of other racial/ethnic groups? Cervical cancer prevention has traditionally relied on pap smears and HPV tests for early detection and treatment.

A pap smear does not identify HPV directly, but rather can look for symptoms of HPV. Once symptoms are discovered, an HPV test will determine exactly which type of HPV is present. Therefore, women must have regular pap tests to look for symptoms of HPV and, once symptoms are found an HPV test can be performed to find out if she has a high-risk strain, which can lead to cervical cancer.

What’s striking about Latinas, is that often we forgo these exams due to limited access to adequate healthcare and barriers associated with cost, health insurance, embarrassment, and lack of knowledge about cervical cancer. this is why prevention and conversation on this issue can make a world of difference for Latinas. NPR recently ran this story about this challenge in the Latina community.

That’s why the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) kicked off a series of events in January to spread the message that through education and appropriate care, cervical cancer can be entirely prevented.

On January 6th we partnered with Tamika and Friends, a national organization dedicated to raising awareness of cervical cancer and its link to HPV, to host a House Party of FiVe (HPV). The purpose of the HPV Party was to raise awareness of cervical cancer among Latinas and African American women. Similar to having a cafecito with your girlfriends or comadres, women gathered at the NLIRH office in DC to chat about cervical cancer. while we know that it’s never ideal to talk about cervical cancer, the HPV Party provided a safe environment to learn from and share stories about cervical cancer and experiences about what women did when they got the news that their pap-test result was abnormal. Learn more about the parties in this news story.

We also joined efforts with Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and Tamika and Friends on January 26th to talk about cervical cancer with a group of union workers, advocates and students. this time, the discussion was more on understanding the HPV vaccine, which is a series of three shots to protect against the types of HPV (strains 16 and 18) that is responsible for 70% of cervical cancer cases. The event took place at American Federation of Teachers and women played games on sexual behaviors to define high risk and low risk attitudes and behaviors of HPV.

Remember that it’s important to put your health first, arm yourself with a good support system, and educate yourself about the things that impact your body! Cuidate. Armate. Educate. It’s never too late to get the word out to the women in your life – girlfriends, hay que cuidarnos, lo merecemos!

By Rebecca Medina, Policy Analyst

Anyone who has experienced a kidney stone episode can identify precisely how crippling this disorder might be. The stabbing as well as blasting cramps that go with a serious kidney stone strike can bring any person practically to the knees. Trouble begins appearing when a tiny part of kidney stones, medically called as renal calculus, ruptures and falls downward to the urethra. This very small piece of stone partially or completely obstructs the passageway of urine and results in this sort of critical pain.

So exactly what are Kidney stones symptoms and signal of a kidney stone attack? It’s difficult to be precise, considering the fact that different people undergo distinct mixture of these kidney stone symptoms.

The most common kidney stones symptoms are based on Medical history as well as sex. Even though most of kidney stone sufferers are men, women are just as likely to develop kidney problems. A family record of kidney problems can drastically enhance your probability of acquiring kidney stones symptoms. Improving upon your consumption of non-sugared, non-caffeine fluid as well as avoiding higher than average dairy products intake at night can benefit to a degree for no reason get significantly dried out. never withhold urination for an longer time period.

A dull pain sensation beginning in the lower back of the abdomen, flanks, groin or in the genitalia or pelvis is amongst other kidney stones symptoms. The amount of soreness could be cramping in nature or continuously forthcoming and going in waves. some victims sense a certain tension in the kidney area, almost like the urine was seeking to get past a congestion. you can even feel a ‘squirting’ feeling internally, while fluids attempt to get past the congestion.

General flu-like signs and symptoms like nausea and also vomiting, fever, confusion tend to be a natural part of kidney stones symptoms. most victims encounter an over-all feeling of confusion and fatigue, fever, chills, body pain and diarrhoea or bowel problems. The way of thinking could become cloudier.

Another of the kidney stones symptoms is signs of blood in the urine. any trace of blood in the urine, or the urine in an abnormal color like deep orange and cloudy and foul smell, is trigger for alarm. The protein appearing in the urine and also coagulation of protein by the bacterial enzymes give cloudy appearance to the urine.

If these types of kidney stones symptoms prevail it is important to appeal speedy medical attention as well as quick hospitalization. Kidney stones symptoms are incredibly much noticeable but it is often better to consult your medical professional the instant you notice any one of these signs and symptoms.

There are usually certain measures a person can take to minimize the occurence of kidney stone assaults. an enduring improvement in lifestyle and diet may help. Protection could be the true key to steering clear of kidney stone attacks.

Are you looking for kidney stones remedy? Check out 101 website about kidney stones symptoms