Rumah Sakit di Indonesia Sudah Bisa Obati Kanker dengan Alat Canggih

  Alat RapidArc (dok. medgadget) Jakarta, Untuk mendapatkan pengobatan kanker dengan terapi mutakhir, biasanya pasien harus rela berobat ke luar negeri dengan biaya yang sangat mahal. Tapi kini pasien kanker tak perlu jauh-jauh ke Singapura, karena rumah sakit di Indonesia sudah punya alat radioterapi canggih Linac Rapid Arc.Sekitar 70 persen pasien yang berobat ke Singapura adalah pasien dari Indonesia. Fasilitas pengobatan yang canggih dan menjanjikan membuat pasien-pasien Indonesia rela berobat jauh hingga ke negeri singa tersebut.

Tapi untuk radioterapi dengan teknik mutakhir, pasien kanker tak perlu jauh-jauh berobat ke Singapura, karena sejak 28 April 2011 lalu, rumah sakit Indonesia sudah memiliki pesawat Linear Accelerator dengan kemampuan teknik Rapid arc.

"Pesawat Linear Accelerator dengan teknik Rapid arc atau volumetric arc therapy adalah relatif baru dan pertama di Indonesia. Alat ini baru ada satu-satunya di Indonesia, hadir di MRCCC," papar Dr. Fielda Djuita, SpRad (K) Onk, spesialis radiasi onkologi MRCCC Siloam Hospitals, saat acara seminar 'Deteksi Dini dan Teknologi Baru dalam Terapi Kanker' di MRCCC Siloam Hospitals, Jakarta, Jumat (24/6/2011).

Menurut Dr Fielda, teknik radioterapi mutakhir ini memungkinkan radiasi dengan satu putaran gantry mengelilingi tubuh pasien, sehingga memberikan banyak keuntungan bagi pasien.

Dr Fielda menyebutkan keuntungan teknik radioterapi ini antara lain:

Dosis yang diberikan lebih homogen
Dapat dibentuk sesuai organ yang diradiasi
Menghindari jaringan sehat sekitar sel tumor atau kanker
Waktu radiasi lebih singkat sehingga mencegah perubahan posisi pasien dan mengurangi efek samping
Secara radiobiologi lebih menguntungkan dan efek samping jauh lebih kecil dibandingkan teknik lainnya.

"Sekarang nggak perlu jauh-jauh ke Singapura, di Indonesia alat ini sudah ada. Harganya juga lebih murah dibandingkan ke Singapura. Dan pasien juga nggak perlu menghabiskan banyak uang untuk biaya hidup dan transportasi yang mahal di Singapura. Kita punya alat dan ahlinya disini, ngapain jauh-jauh kesana," lanjut Dr Fielda yang juga berpraktik di RS Kanker Dharmais.

Berbeda dengan teknik konvensional yang biasa dilakukan, teknik Rapid arc ini langsung menargetkan sel kanker sesuai dengan bentuknya, sehingga bisa digunakan untuk meradiasi sel kanker yang kecil dan sulit dijangkau tanpa mengenai sel sehat disekitarnya.

"Dengan harga 45 persen lebih mahal dibandingkan teknik radioterapi lainnya, teknik Rapid arc ini memberikan akurasi sampai 95,5 persen lebih besar. Dan sangat baik dilakukan untuk sel kanker dengan ukuran kecil dan sulit dijangkau," lanjut Dr Fielda.

Dr Fielda juga menyampaikan bahwa kebutuhan terapi radiasi di Indonesia sangat banyak. Menurut data Astro (2008), diperkirakan ada 151.800 pasien yang membutuhkan terapi radiasi per tahun, yang mencakup 66 persen dari seluruh pasien kanker.

Namun data tahun 2010 menyebutkan baru ada 14.553 pasien yang terlayani per tahun, yang artinya di Indonesia tidak sampai 10 persen pasien kanker yang terlayani mendapatkan terapi radiasi.

"Pasien yang butuh terapi radiasi itu banyak, kadang harus mengantre sampai 6 bulan, ya keburu kankernya menyebar kemana-mana. Jadi dengan adanya alat ini kita membantu banyak pasien kanker," jelas Dr Fielda.

Sejak mulai beroperasi sejak bulan April 2011, Dr Fielda mengatakan hingga sekarang sudah ada sekitar 35 pasien yang melakukan terapi radiasi dengan Linac arc ini, yang rata-rata adalah pasien dari luar negeri.

"Kita belum Grand Opening jadi mungkin belum banyak orang yang tahu. Tapi izin sudah ada dan kita sudah bisa beroperasi. Jadi nggak perlulah jauh-jauh ke Singapura kalau mau terapi radiasi Rapid arc, disini juga ada, biaya juga lebih murah," tutur Dr Fielda.

Alat Diagnosa Baru

Selain Linac Rapid arc, teknologi baru lainnya yang sudah ada di Indonesia adalah PET-CT (Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography). Berbeda dengan Rapid arc, PET-CT adalah alat baru untuk diagnosis dini, deteksi dan monitoring terapi kanker.

"Secara komprehensif, PET-CT dapat memberikan informasi dan diagnosa yang tepat dari kanker, deteksi dini akan terulangnya penyakit kanker dan monitoring terapi," jelas Dr Eko Purnomo, SpKN, spesialis kedokteran nuklir dari RS MRCCC.

PET-CT dapat mendeteksi secara tepat penyebaran kanker guna menentukan metode penyembuhan yang tepat untuk pasien. Keunggulan lain, gambar yang dihasilkan dapat menjelaskan seluruh sistem atau fungsi organ dalam tubuh.

"PET-CT aman digunakan dimana hasil studi mendapatkan bahwa eksposure radiasinya sama dengan X-ray CT," tutup Dr Eko

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Kembar Tapi Tak Seperti Kembar Karena Satu Kena Penyakit Kerdil

Sienna dan Sierra Bernal (dok: ABCNews)Texas, Sienna dan Sierra Bernal adalah kembar dari Texas yang memiliki rambut pirang panjang, senang belanja dan senang berakting serta menyanyi. Tapi persamaannya terhenti di situ karena salah satunya memiliki gangguan dwarfisme (bertubuh kecil). Si kembar ini punya tubuh yang berbeda jauh karena satu normal satu kerdil.

Sierra memiliki tinggi 152 cm dan berat badan 35,1 kg, sedangkan Sienna atau akrab dipanggil Sinny memiliki tubuh lebih pendek yaitu bertinggi badan 121 cm dan berat badan 12,6 kg. Kondisi ini menjadikannya satu-satunya kembar di dunia yang mana salah satunya mengalami primordial dwarfism (gangguan pertumbuhan yang membuatnya bertumbuh pendek).

Bahkan selama kehamilan, tubuh Sinny di dalam rahim begitu kecil sehingga dokter tidak mengetahui kalau kehamilan Chrissy (ibunda si kembar) adalah kembar hingga usia kehamilan 6 bulan, Chrissy pun melahirkan sebulan kemudian (usia kehamilan 7 bulan).

Saat dilahirkan berat badan Sinny hanya 0,45 kg lebih kecil dibanding Sierra, tapi ia memiliki sejumlah masalah kesehatan lainnya, yaitu sebuah lubang di jantung, adanya bagian otak yang hilang (dikenal dengan sindrom Dandy Walker) dan penyakit paru kronis. Sedangkan Sierra lahir dengan kondisi tubuh yang sehat.

Masalah kesehatan yang dimiliki oleh Sinny sejak lahir tidak memberikan petunjuk bahwa ia akan memiliki primordial dwarfism. Dan keluarga diberi diagnosis tersebut saat usia Sinny belum genap 6 tahun.

"Kami pergi ke ahli genetika dan pada saat itu lebih dari 1 dokter yang kami temui, setelah melalui beberapa tes barulah ia didiagnosis sebagai primordial dwarfism," ujar Chrissy, seperti dikutip dari FoxNews, Jumat 24/6/2011).

Seseorang yang memiliki primordial dwarfism biasanya mencapai tinggi badan maksimum sekitar usia 12 tahun, sehingga ada kemungkinan Sinny tidak bisa tumbuh lebih tinggi lagi. Selain itu kondisi ini sering disertai dengan masalah pada tulang, gigi, mata atau pencernaan.

Ketika berusia beberapa bulan jantung Sinny mulai diperbaiki, ia harus menggunakan kacamata, dan beberapa waktu kemudian ia menggunakan alat bantu dengar karena tulang-tulang di telinganya terlalu kecil. Tapi ia tetap memiliki senyum dan rasa humor yang tinggi.

Berdasarkan data dari Potentials Foundation diperkirakan orang yang memiliki primordial dwarfism di seluruh dunia kurang dari 200 orang. Saat ini ada 5 jenis primordial dwarfism.

Tapi dokter percaya bahwa tipe yang dimiliki oleh Sinny belum diidentifikasi. Ahli genetik dari Scottish Rite Hospital di Dallas, Texas sedang mempelajari gen yang dimiliki Sinny dan berharap bisa menemukan lokasi mutasi gen yang terjadi dan mengetahui jenisnya.

Sierra sendiri telah menjadi pelindung bagi adiknya, terutama jika ada orang yang berkomentar tidak mengenakkan mengenai Sinny. Kondisi ini membuat Sienna tumbuh lebih cepat dari yang seharusnya.

"Saya cukup mudah melihat siapa teman sejati saya, jika Anda tidak menyukai Sinny karena ia berbeda maka Anda tidak akan bisa mendapatkan saya juga sebagai teman," ujar Sierra.
ver/ir)

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1,5 Juta Pasien Hepatitis di Indonesia Terancam Kanker Hati

foto: ThinkstockJakarta, Hepatitis kronis kadang tidak memunculkan gejala namun bisa berkembang menjadi kanker hati yang mematikan jika tak diobati. Sementara itu, harga obatnya masih sangat mahal sehingga diperkirakan 1,5 juta pengidapnya terancam kanker hati.

Direktur Pengendalian Penyakit Menular Langsung (PPML) Kementerian Kesehatan, Dr HM Subuh, MPMM memperkirakan jumlah penderita Hepatitis B dan C di Indonesia mencapai 20 juta. Kedua jenis hepatitis tersebut paling berisiko untuk berkembang menjadi kronis.

Sekitar 50 persen dari penderita hepatisis yang disebabkan oleh Hepatitis Virus tipe B (HBV) dan C (HCV) berpotensi menjadi chronic liver disease atau penyakit hati kronis. Jika tidak diobati dengan baik, 10 persen di antaranya akan menjadi kanker hati dalam 20-35 tahun.

"Artinya 1,5 juta orang Indonesia (yang menderita hepatitis kronis) berpotensi terkena kanker hati," ungkap Dr Subuh dalam jumpa pers di Gedung Kementerian Kesehatan, Jumat (24/6/2011).

Meski sebenarnya butuh waktu lama untuk berkembang menjadi kanker, pengobatannya kadang sulit dilakukan mengingat gejalanya seringkali tidak tampak. Sementara itu, belum semua orang Indonesia menyadari pentingnya melakukan skrining hepatitis.

Namun untuk mewajibkan skrining, Dr Subuh mengatakan pemerintah butuh perencanaan yang benar-benar matang agar hasilnya efektif. Jika harga obatnya masih mahal, skrining tidak akan banyak berguna karena pasien yang terdiagnosis belum tentu bisa membeli obatnya.

"Sekali suntik interferon (obat hepatitis) paling tidak butuh Rp 2 juta, padahal paling tidak harus dilakukan rutin tiap minggu, selama 48 minggu. Banyak pasien harus jual mobil bagus hanya untuk berobat," ungkap ketua Perhimpunan Peneliti Hati Indonesia (PPHI), Dr Unggul Budihusodo, SpPD-KGEH.

Dr Unggul memperkirakan dari seluruh pasien yang terdiagnosis hepatitis, hanya sekitar 20 persen yang mampu mengakses obat semahal itu. Selebihnya hanya bisa mengandalkan obat-obat herbal, sekedar untuk memperlama perkembangan penyakitnya sebelum tidak menjadi sirosis (mengkerut).

Seperti diberitakan detikHealth sebelumnya, salah satu langkah yang tengah dirancang pemerintah untuk mengatasi mahalnya harga obat hepatitis adalah dengan compulsary license atau pengambilalihan paten. Dengan membeli paten dari perusahaan farmasi, harga obat hepatisis diharapkan bisa ditekan semurah mungkin.
up/ir)

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Demam Scarlet Merebak di Hong Kong, Anak-anak Jadi Korban

foto: ThinkstockHong Kong, Sedikitnya 2 anak di Hong Kong tewas dalam 2 bulan terakhir akibat terinfeksi demam Scarlet. Dalam beberapa bulan terakhir penyakit ini telah menjangkiti ratusan anak, hingga mencapai rekor tertinggi dibanding tahun-tahun sebelumnya.

Wabah demam Scarlet mulai heboh di Hong Kong setelah seorang gadis 7 tahun meninggal pada akhir Mei 2011. Sejak saat itu, dinas kesehatan setempat mengungkap bahwa penyakit ini telah mewabah dan ratusan anak telah terinfeksi dalam beberapa bulan terakhir.

Sepanjang tahun 2011, Harian Bangkok Post melaporkan sedikitnya 466 anak telah terinfeksi dan ini merupakan rekor tertinggi yang pernah tercatat selama ini. Sekitar 142 kasus di antaranya terjadi hanya dalam kurun 2 pekan pertama bulan Juni 2011.

Bahkan korban tewas kembali bertambah, setelah bocah laki-laki umur 5 tahun tewas pada Selasa (21/6/2011). Setelah dipastikan penyebabnya adalah demam Scarlet, sekolah TK (Taman Kanak-kanak) tempat bocah itu belajar akhirnya ditutup selama sepekan agar 400-an murid lainnya tidak tertular.

Pemerintah setempat memperingatkan, wabah kali ini tidak hanya terpusat di Hong Kong melainkan telah meluas ke wilayah lain di China. Meluasnya wilayah penyebaran diperkirakan karena adanya mutasi genetik pada bakteri Streptococcus yang memicu penyakit ini.

"Wabah kali ini telah menjadi endemik karena bakteri penyebabnya telah menyebar hingga wilayah China daratan dan Makau," ungkap Thomas Tsang, seorang dokter dari Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection seperti dikutip dari Medindia, Jumat (24/6/2011).

Di China daratan sendiri, jumlah korban yang terinfeksi diperkirakan telah mencapai 9.000 anak atau meningkat 2 kali lipat dibanding rata-rata dalam beberapa tahun terakhir. Namun menurut Dr Tsang, belum ada laporan korban tewas di China sehingga kasus di Hong Kong lebih menyita perhatian.

Demam Scarlet ditandai dengan demam tinggi, nyeri tenggorokan dan ruam merah terang di permukaan kulit yang muncul pertama kali di sekitar leher atau dada. Penyakit yang dipicu oleh racun bakteri Streptococcus ini paling banyak menyerang anak di abasah usia 10 tahun.

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Susu Cokelat Lebih Cepat Pulihkan Tubuh Usai Berolahraga

(Foto: thinkstock)Texas, Setelah selesai berolahraga seperti treadmill, seseorang biasanya mengonsumsi minuman isotonik. Tapi studi terbaru menemukan bahwa susu cokelat adalah minuman yang lebih ideal untuk memulihkan kondisi tubuh setelah berolahraga.

Dua studi terbaru yang dilakukan oleh para peneliti dari The University of Texas di Austin menunjukkan bahwa susu cokelat lebih ideal dikonsumsi untuk memulihkan kondisi tubuh seseorang setelah berolahraga.

"Atlet amatiran mendapatkan dirinya lebih baik dalam proses pemulihan fisik setelah melakukan latihan yang berat ketika ia minum susu cokelat rendah lemak," ujar ketua penelitian, Dr John Ivy, seperti dikutip dari Dailymail, Jumat (24/6/2011).

Dr Ivy menuturkan partisipan yang ikut dalam studi ini memiliki komposisi tubuh yang lebih banyak otot dan sedikit lemak, serta pemulihan fisik secara keseluruhan yang lebih baik dibanding dengan partisipan lain yang mengonsumsi minuman olahraga.

"Kami belum mengerti benar bagaimana mekanisme yang terjadi ketika seseorang mengonsumsi susu cokelat justru akan memberikan manfaat yang cukup signifikan," ujar Dr Ivy.

Dibandingkan dengan susu putih, air atau minuman olahraga, susu cokelat memiliki kandungan karbohidrat dua kali lipat dan protein yang cocok untuk mengatasi otot-otot yang lelah setelah berolahraga.

Jika seseorang mengonsumsi air putih setelah berolahraga maka hal itu hanya berfungsi menggantikan cairan tubuh yang keluar melalui keringat sehingga mencegah dehidrasi, sedangkan pada susu cokelat ia menyediakan karbohidrat ke otot yang bisa dimetabolisme.

Dalam studi ini Dr Ivy dan tim membandingkan manfaat dari mengonsumsi susu cokelat rendah lemak dengan minuman berolahraga yang dikonsumsi oleh 10 atlet sepeda serta 32 pesepeda amatir. Hasil dari penelitian ini telah dipublikasikan dalam The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
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Marriage Might Boost Colon Cancer Survival

THURSDAY, June 23 (Health News) -- Being married improves the likelihood of survival for colon cancer patients, a new study finds.

Married men and women with colon cancer were 14 percent less likely to die than other colon cancer patients, according to U.S. researchers who analyzed 127,753 patient records.

The study also found that married patients were diagnosed at earlier stages of colon cancer and sought more aggressive treatment, which echoes findings from studies of other types of cancer.

While the actual reasons for improved survival among married patients weren't pinpointed by the researchers at Penn State's College of Medicine and Brigham Young University, they suggested that informal caregiving by spouses may result in better cancer management. That extra support may result in better outcomes, according to a Brigham Young news release.

The study appears online and in an upcoming print issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about colon and rectum cancer.

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BMI, cholesterol, blood sugar: Ask TODAY your questions about health numbers

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We have updated our blog and we have some great new writers! Let us know what you think. Thanks!   I'm Depressed By Michael Edwards Published 6/23/2011 It hits me every now and then. It hits me hard. It's debilitating. I used to smoke, drink, and eat way too much and sleep all day. Now I tend to watch too much TV and procrastinate and sleep all day. I cannot get anything done when I am like this. I get angry at myself. I hate this. >> read more<<

5 Foods for the Summer Season that Cool, Nourish, and Detoxify the Body By Carrie Ciula Published 6/20/2011 The cooling qualities of watermelon make it wonderful for a quick and easy summer detox staple. Add the delicious factor into the mix, and you're sailing along with a warm weather cleansing trifecta! With positive effects on the kidney, bladder, heart, stomach, colon, and liver, watermelon works to cleanse (nearly) the entire body! >> read more<<

Self-Treating with Medicinal Mushrooms By Dr. Isaac Eliaz Published 6/20/2011 Whether you want to improve cellular health or prevent the common cold, medicinal mushrooms are available in a variety of species to help you address your health concerns. Certain types of mushrooms have the distinct ability to boost immune health and fight diseases including... >> read more<<

Tired of Feeling Bad - Steps to Regain Your Health By Allene Edwards Published 6/13/2011 Are you tired of feeling bad? Do you have a chronic physical or mental illness? Does your immune system fail you when every virus or bacteria you come in contact with decides you are a perfect host? Then do something about it! >> read more<<

Sick Society By Allene Edwards Published 6/9/2011 We live in a sick, sick society. And yes, I mean that literally as well as figuratively. We put toxins in our water through pollution and through fluoridization. We alter and process food until it doesn't resemble its original components... >> read more<<

Common Sense and Vaccination Injuries By Allene Edwards Published 6/8/2011 I met another parent whose normal, happy, healthy child received an MMR vaccination and was sucked into the vortex of autism. "One day he was normal, the next day it was lights out," said his father. "You can't tell me there is no connection between vaccinations and autism." >> read more<<

 

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Clues to Alzheimer's May Reside in Spinal Fluid

WEDNESDAY, June 22 (Health News) -- The spinal fluid of people with mild memory problems may help identify those who will later develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research.

In the study, researchers collected samples of cerebrospinal fluid from 58 people with mild memory (cognitive) impairment and analyzed the samples for concentrations of several proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease. After an average follow-up of three years, 21 people had developed Alzheimer's, 27 still had mild cognitive impairment, and 8 had reverted back to their normal cognitive health.

Two of the participants developed a type of dementia other than Alzheimer's and weren't included in the final results.

The spinal fluid of people who developed Alzheimer's disease had significantly higher levels of a protein called soluble amyloid precursor protein beta (sAPPβ) than the spinal fluid of those who didn't develop the brain disorder -- an average of 1,200 versus 932 nanograms per milliliter.

Predicting participants' risk of Alzheimer's was 80 percent accurate when three factors were combined -- sAPPβ, a person's age, and a known marker of brain cell damage called tau protein.

A protein called amyloid beta1-42 (Aβ1-42), previously considered a so-called "biomarker" for Alzheimer's, was not a predictive factor, according to the German researchers.

The study is published in the June 22 online edition of the journal Neurology. As many as 15 percent of people with mild memory problems develop Alzheimer's disease each year, the researchers said.

"These results suggest that sAPPβ as a biomarker [indicator] may be useful and superior to the established marker Aβ1-42 in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease," study author Dr. Robert Perneczky, of the Technical University Munich, said in a journal news release.

"One possible explanation is that Aβ1-42 measures events further downstream from the initial steps that lead to the production of the amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease," he explained.

Perneczky said that sAPPβ is a measure of the first critical step in the development of Alzheimer's and may "provide more accurate information on the core pathological events."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about Alzheimer's disease.

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Experts Issue Guidelines on Safe Weight Loss for Athletes

MONDAY, June 20 (Health News) -- Gymnasts, wrestlers and boxers often feel pressure to lose weight to boost performance, but the drastic methods they sometimes use -- including strictly limiting calories and intentional dehydration -- can be dangerous to their health, experts warn.

To offer guidance to athletes, coaches and parents, the National Athletic Trainers' Association has issued a new set of guidelines for safe weight loss by athletes.

They include: using body composition assessments to measure lean body mass versus fat; gradually shedding no more than 1.5 percent of body weight a week; eating a balanced diet that includes all food groups; and losing weight under the supervision of nutrition, health and weight management experts.

"In the performance sports -- gymnastics, dance, ballet -- they have this huge responsibility to not only do a performance but to look good while they are doing it. It's a unwritten rule that they have to be a certain weight, and they get a lot of pressure, not just from dance masters but from the public's expectations and themselves," said Paula Sammarone Turocy, lead author of the guidelines and chair of the department of athletic training at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. "We also see it in traditional sports -- jockeys, wrestlers, boxers. They all have weight requirements. If they don't make the weight, they don't compete."

And the pressure to shed weight cuts across all sports, she added. Many cyclists, swimmers, runners, soccer players and even football players believe that losing weight will mean they can run, swim and jump faster.

Getting down to an ideal body weight to improve performance isn't a problem in and of itself, she said. It's when athletes go to extremes that their drive can backfire. "When it's done improperly or done to extremes it does interfere with performance," she explained.

The new guidelines were to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the National Athletic Trainers' Association in New Orleans and are published in the June issue of the Journal of Athletic Training.

Ashleigh Clare-Kearney has been there. As a high school student, she was a standout gymnast, in more ways than one. She was powerful and graceful, although she was 5-foot-4 and weighed 155 pounds.

"I didn't fit the stereotypical frame, which is 4 feet, 10 inches, 110 pounds," Clare-Kearney said. "I was told, 'You need to lose weight. You will be viewed as a risk. You are not going to be able to compete in elite international competitions.' People said I wouldn't make it because of my size."

She defied their predictions. As a gymnast at Louisiana State University (LSU), she became the NCAA national champion in vault and floor, captain of the team and a NCAA Woman of the Year finalist.

Yet she couldn't deny it -- slimming down would help her performance. She'd put on weight when she got to college, and she knew that carrying less heft might allow her to vault even higher.

Working with the athletic trainers and the coaches at LSU, she got down to about 145 pounds by focusing on nutrition. "I was never going to be 110 pounds. That's not the way I'm built," she said. "What really resonated with me was the way the athletic training staff understood that. They said, 'Let's be realistic.'"

For Clare-Kearney, that included keeping a food diary, making sure to always eat breakfast, drinking water instead of sweetened beverages and eating more fruits and vegetables and less processed foods.

But not every athlete manages to handle the pressure to lose weight so well.

Before competitions, some wrestlers, jockeys and boxers intentionally dehydrate themselves by exercising in heavy clothing and restricting certain foods and fluids to lose weight quickly.

There are even anecdotal reports that elite, international athletes have their blood removed by IV prior to weigh-in. The blood is then re-infused before competition.

Among wrestlers at least, intentional dehydration may be less popular than it used to be due to changes in the rules from the high school level on up that call for urine tests to detect hydration status at weigh-in. In 2006, for example, the National Federation of State High School Associations not only adopted the hydration status rules, but also minimum body fat requirements (greater than 7 percent in boys and 12 percent in girls) in order to compete.

Not only can rapid weight loss hurt performance over the short term because athletes simply don't have the energy to perform at their best, but experts add that restricting calories can also have long-term consequences.

Over time, dietary restrictions can impact the endocrine system, hindering the growth and functioning of muscles and bones. A poor diet can also impair thyroid function, lower metabolism and hormone production and suppress the immune system.

Clare-Kearney, now a law student at Southern University Law Center of Baton Rouge and a volunteer coach for her alma mater, urges young athletes to consider the consequences of their diets.

"Food really does fuel your body. Your body can only handle so much without the proper fuel and nutrition," she said. "And there is life beyond gymnastics. We also have to keep our body healthy for life after gymnastics."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on eating disorders.

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Is your thyroid on the fritz?

Kristin Angelov was 26 when the exhaustion hit. Getting up in the morning was a superhuman effort, a struggle compounded by her suddenly dismal mood.

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"I would be in meetings at work and feel so tired and dizzy, like I was going to pass out," she says. And though the once-energetic writer stuck to a healthy diet, she packed on five pounds in two weeks. What's more, whenever she stepped out into the cold, her fingernails and toes turned a faint shade of blue. She dragged herself to her primary-care doctor, who ran a series of tests. Kristin's big problems, her M.D. told her, stemmed from a small place--the thyroid gland in her neck.
Cancer on the rise
While incidences of some cancers, including breast and cervical, have been steadily dropping (hooray!), thyroid cancer is on the rise: An estimated 45,000 new cases were diagnosed last year, and 75 percent of those were in women, according to the American Cancer Society. What's more, the majority of sufferers are much younger than the typical cancer patient.
"Twenty-one percent of women who undergo surgery for thyroid cancer at our center are under the age of 35," says endocrine surgeon Keith Heller, M.D., of New York University Langone Medical Center. The encouraging news? If you are diagnosed and treated early, the cure rate is close to 99 percent.

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Experts theorize that doctors might be discovering more cases by accident during imaging procedures such as CT scans for problems like severe migraines. Or the culprit could be the CT scans themselves--frequent radiation exposure near the neck, especially in childhood, is a thyroid-cancer risk factor (routine dental X-rays and mammograms, however, are not). The best defense is a good offense:
As a general rule, see your doctor if you have a sore throat, hoarse voice, persistent cough, or trouble swallowing for more than two weeks, or if you find a lump in your neck.
If it is cancer, surgery to remove the thyroid is the norm. "I know that sounds scary, but the operation takes just two hours, and patients are often back at work within a few days," says Heller. Believe it or not, it's relatively painless to live without a thyroid:

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Jack in the Box to stop offering toys in kids' meals

Jack in the Box, the nation's fifth-largest hamburger chain, is dropping toys to promote its meals aimed at kids and working on adding healthier menu options to its offerings for children.


A spokesman for the fast-food chain told Nation's Restaurant News: "Parents were generally not choosing Jack in the Box as a dining destination because of a toy."
Instead, the restaurant has focused its efforts on offering more nutritional options like a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough, grilled or crispy chicken strips or a hamburger, Jack in the Box spokesman Brian Luscomb said.

Despite activist groups voicing opposition to restaurants using toys to market meals that contribute to child obesity, Jack in the Box said they did not make the decision based on outside pressure.
Regardless, nutrition activists are considering Jack in the Box's move a victory.
"We definitely see this as a sign that the public climate is shifting," said Sara Deon, Value the Meal campaign director for Corporate Accountability International. "We definitely think that Jack in the Box, in taking this step, really illustrates the direction in which the rest of the industry needs to go, in order to satisfy what the public wants."
She said by taking this step, Jack in the Box has differentiated itself from industry leader McDonald's and "their blatantly predatory marketing techniques."
McDonald's did not respond to requests for an interview.
Jack in the Box has about 2,200 restaurants across the United States.

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Peanuts, milk, shellfish? 1 in 12 kids may have food allergies

As many as one in every 12 kids in the United States may have a food allergy, according to a new study that appears to confirm that the condition is more widespread â€" and perhaps more dangerous â€" than previously thought.


“Understanding how common it is and how severe it is, that’s important to note,” said Dr. Ruchi S. Gupta, lead author of a study published in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics. “It's very important that people understand that this is very real."
Eight percent of children younger than 18 suffer from allergies â€" nearly 6 million kids in the U.S. â€" and nearly 40 percent of those youngsters had suffered a severe reaction to certain foods, according to Gupta, a pediatrician and researcher at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. More than 30 percent of those children were allergic to multiple foods, the study found.
The results are based on a nationally representative sample of almost 40,000 online surveys of parents of children younger than 18. They suggest that prevalence of food allergies might be twice as high as other large recent studies have found. Although the cases were reported by the parents themselves, the questions were developed specifically for food allergies and the responses were vetted by an expert panel, Gupta said.
“If anything, our numbers are quite conservative,” said Gupta. “I think this is a good, accurate estimate.”
Peanut allergies were most common, followed by allergies to milk and to shellfish.
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Get your guy healthier — no nagging required

Statistics don’t lie: Women outlive men by roughly 7 years. And as men get older, they tend to get sicker than we do too. “Men often don’t pursue health issues at a stage when they are preventable,” says Gary Rogg, MD, an internist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.


But a woman’s savvy input can make all the difference: 78 percent of men with a spouse or significant other say that that person has an impact on their decision to go to the doctor, according to a survey commissioned by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Here’s how to maximize your influence â€" without nagging, inducing guilt, or patronizing him â€" and steer your guy toward a healthier future.

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Don't sound like a broken record
If you want to make a healthful suggestion, say it once â€" with meaning. “Being heartfelt is underrated,” says Ranella Hirsch, MD, a doctor in private practice in Boston. “When you say something repeatedly, it can seem patronizing. Be genuine with your concern, even if you fumble with the words.” He will hear you the first time and will be more likely to consider deeply what you have to say.
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Older Women With Breast Cancer Probably Won't Die From It: Study

TUESDAY, June 21 (Health News) -- Older women with breast cancer are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease and other causes than from their cancer, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 60,000 women in the United States, aged 66 and older, who were followed for at least 12 years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

By the end of the follow-up period, nearly half of the women were still alive. Those who died lived to an average age of 83 and more than two-thirds of them died from causes other than breast cancer. In fact, cardiovascular disease killed more of the women than breast cancer.

Women who were most likely to die of breast cancer included those who were diagnosed at a younger age and those with a high tumor grade or estrogen receptor-negative status.

The pattern seen among the women in the study matches the pattern for women in the general population, where cardiovascular disease is the leading killer, the researchers said.

The study appears June 21 in the journal Breast Cancer Research.

"Cancer is a big killer and is responsible for about a quarter of all deaths. However, breast cancer is not necessarily a death sentence and patients need to take care of their health to reduce their risk of dying from heart disease and other age-related diseases," study author Jennifer Patnaik, of the University of Colorado, said in a journal news release.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about breast cancer.

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Envy Scarlett's lips? Beware: Celeb parts look best on original owners

Ashlee Simpson’s nose. Natalie Portman's cheeks. Beyonce’s behind.


It seems every day I see a new patient who wants to change a part of his or her body in order to look like a celebrity.
A study by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons listed Angelina Jolie as the first choice for women and, no shock, Brad Pitt for men. Most celebrities look great â€" that’s why they’re celebrities â€" but do “regular” people go too far when they want their body to look like a favorite star?
Twenty years ago, I walked into an oral surgeon’s office with a photo of Andre Agassi. During high school my jaw had grown enormously due to a medical condition. I looked like an Asian Jay Leno. Only Jay’s jaw was smaller. The oral surgeon studied Andre’s jaw line and told me he would do his best. He broke my jaw in two places, set it back, and wired it in place. Success! I no longer looked like Jawzilla. Sadly, I don’t think you’d mistake me for Andre Agassi.
Since I went for a celebrity look â€" at least in my jaw â€" I guess I shouldn’t cringe when my patients bring in photos of celebrities to show me how they want to look. But bringing in photos of celebrities could be an indication that a prospective patient may have unrealistic expectations. That is my No. 1 reason for turning a patient down for surgery. When I presented that photo of Andre to my oral surgeon, I honestly just wanted to show him what I considered an acceptable looking chin. I might have chosen any photo â€" celebrity or civilian â€" whose chin jutted within the range of “normal.”
Unfortunately, some patients don’t desire simply to look “normal.” They really do want to look as much like their favorite celebrity as possible. This desire to look like another person could be a sign of serious psychological issues, including

body dysmorphic disorder

(BDD), a psychiatric condition in which a person looks in the mirror and sees something completely different than what others see.
To a person with BDD, a small bump on the nose appears to be the size of a melon. These troubled individuals undergo multiple plastic surgeries in misguided attempts to correct deformities that don’t exist. People who suffer from BDD sometimes define physical perfection in terms of a celebrity whose photo they bring to a plastic surgeon’s office. They’re never happy until, in their minds, they look exactly like that celeb.

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Gloves at the beach? Sunphobics lurk in the shadows

First, there’s the large-rimmed visor. Then the long-sleeved white cotton shirts and cotton workout leggings. Then there’s the 30 SPF sunscreen. And, finally, the gloves.


“I have about 100 pairs of gloves,” says Louisa Graves, a celebrity body parts model from Los Angeles who’s avoided the sun since her late teens (and as a result, refuses to reveal her age since she’s still able to model for actresses in their 20s). “They’re in my purse, my car, the drawers of my house.  Wearing gloves has been one of my top beauty secrets for maintaining flawless-looking hands.”
From Nigella Lawson’s cumbersome beach burkini to a hot new line of sun-protection gloves, extreme sun-screening is coming out of the shadows.
But is there such a thing as too much sun protection?
“I recommend reasonable sun protection, but I’m seeing people who are becoming sunphobic,” says Dr. Kenneth Beer, a dermatologist from Palm Beach, Fla. “They’re wearing full body sun armor, covering everything. I expect the parasol will be the next fashion statement.”
Karen Tom, a thirtysomething writer from Manhattan, might agree.
“I walk around with a parasol,” she says. “Even before I water the plants outside for five minutes, I spray myself down [with 60-plus sunscreen]. I avoid direct sunlight at all cost. It’s a vanity thing. It makes me nervous when I’m with my friends and they want to walk on the sunny part of the street.”

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Extra insult: Colds in summer nastier, last longer

Your beach bag is packed, your swimsuit beckons and your calendar is full of fun plans for barbecues and backyard parties. But if you’re stuck inside with a miserable cold, you’re probably wondering what the heck happened.


And to make things worse, summer colds often last longer and have a higher chance of recurring, according to Dr. Bruce Hirsch, attending physician for infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.
"The summer cold is really kind of tricky," Hirsch said, "probably because the viruses that cause it [can be] different than a winter cold. Something about it is awful and insidious."

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Why summer colds are worse
The rhino-, corona- and parainfluenza viruses that cause upper respiratory infections in winter are joined in the warmer months by a particularly nasty accomplice: enterovirus, which can cause more complicated symptoms, Hirsch said.
Enterovirus spreads by coughing and sneezing, and by the fecal-to-oral route. The virus can bring diarrhea, he said, along with sore throats, rashes and other symptoms beyond the common cold's typical headache, hacking cough, congestion and low fever.
"Winter cold viruses tend to make you feel really sick, and then you get over it," he said. "Summer colds just seem to lurk in the background ... and just go on and on and on."
Another summer-specific factor that can up the odds for colds is constant exposure to re-circulated air, which can dry out the lining of the nostrils, giving an open port to viruses. Such is the case in both air-conditioned buildings and in airplanes full of vacationing travelers, said Dr. Tamara R. Kuittinen, director of medical education in the emergency medicine department at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

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Signs Positive Pregnant Women: Not Like Meat and Coffee

Early signs of pregnancy is not just morning sickness or nausea in the morning, sometimes pregnant people also avoid certain foods or beverages. Meat most hated man pregnant, while the coffee was in the next sequence.
It is not known exactly what causes food aversion or hatred of certain foods or drinks, but scientists believe it is related to hormonal changes. Fluctuation changes in hormonal levels are very high in early pregnancy.
In contrast to abstinence for some reason such as myths or certain beliefs, food aversion is generally not based on clear grounds. Pregnant people just do not like the smell or taste, not like young people avoid for fear of miscarriage pineapple.
A study in Ethiopia puts red meat as a food that most people avoided by young women, namely 34 percent. Caffeinated beverages, especially coffee ranks next and 21 percent avoided by pregnant people.
Other foods that are not well liked among others bread wheat pregnant, who are third with 17 percent. Next is the meat sauce, a kind of meat sauce that is used to mix in the spice paste, which is favored by 12 percent of pregnant people.
The smell and taste of various foods causes uncomfortable sensations in people pregnant. Therefore, the behavior of women who suddenly do not like meat or coffee is often regarded as early signs of a young pregnant next morning sickness.
Another study published in the American Journal of Epidemology say, food aversion appears at 4-6 weeks of gestation. Quoted from Oxfordjournals, Sunday (27/03/2011), this time along with the increase in pregnancy hormone estrone-3-glucuronide and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)

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