Lack of Sleep Increases Kids' Risk of Obesity

Lack of sleep leads to fatter kids. Just one more good reason to get the rugrats to bed early. Researchers have found that every additional hour of sleep your third grader gets per night reduces his chances of being obese in sixth grade by 40%. The less sleep children got, the greater their chances of becoming obese. For third graders, sleeping at least nine hours and 45 minutes per night significantly decreased their risk of future obesity. The longer they slept, the more they lowered their risk.

While sleep is only one factor contributing to obesity risk, researchers believe it is a significant one. Experts offer some tips to help promote good sleep habits in elementary school children:

• Consistency. Since the biological clock resets every morning, it's important to have a consistent wake-up time and a consistent bedtime.


• Weekends. Be flexible but avoid letting children stay up too late on the weekends.


• Over-scheduling. Limit activities that crowd out sleep. For example, one sport per season or no late evening activities.


• Temperature. People sleep best in a cool bedroom.


• Caffeine. Limit or eliminate chocolate or caffeinated soda which can keep children away if eaten after lunchtime.


• Electronics. Ban TVs, cell phones, computer games, etc. from the bedroom where they provide ready distractions from sleep.


• Wind down. Spend the last 30 minutes before bed quietly chatting with your child, reading or listening to soothing music to cue the body to relax.

You might try these sleep tips yourself. They'll help anyone get a good night's sleep, not just children.

Pedometers Motivate Walkers

If, like me, Thanksgiving has left you with an uncomfortable overstuffed feeling, it's time to get walking. Walking is a great way to lose weight, increase flexibility and lower blood pressure. If you want to get the maximum benefit from your walking program, clip on a pedometer.

Researchers have found that pedometers encourage people to walk more. In a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, people who used a pedometer for 18 weeks walked an average of 7 additional miles weekly and lost 0.4 points off their body mass index. For an average man (5 ft. 6 in./195 pounds), that's equivalent to losing 2.5 pounds.

Here are a few tips for getting started with a pedometer:

• Start simple. Fancy models record calories burned, include FM radios, etc. but all most people need is a step counter.
• A piezo-electric pedometer has an internal crystal that allows it to work correctly even when tipped sideways over a bulging belly. Spring-lever models may not work well if not held perpendicular.
• Check your pedometer's accuracy by pacing off 20 steps and checking the readout. If it's off by more than a step or two, slide it along your waistband and try again. Some pedometers will work better in one position on your body than another.
• Beware of freebies which can be off 25% or more.
• Solid clips with a strap prevent damage and loss.
• Look for good pedometers online and at running stores. Expect to pay about $20.

Super Staph Germ Can Be a Killer

A super staph germ that is resistant to current antibiotics has plagued hospitals, nursing homes and other multi-resident care facilities for some time. But a new, more aggressive strain has been responsible for thousands of recent illnesses. My uncle contracted an antibiotic-resistant staph infection while undergoing chemotherapy treatments at a Cincinnati hospital. Over the summer, there were news reports of an outbreak of the super germ at an East Coast day care center. This fall, several cases were traced to a Midwest high school locker room.

"An estimated 90,000 people in the United states fall ill each year from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA," said a recent article by Associated Press reporter Randolph Schmid. "It is not clear how many die from the infection. One estimate put the number at more than 18,000, which would be slightly higher than U.S. deaths from AIDS."

Attacking people with reduced immune systems, the super staph germ undermines the body's defense mechanisms by causing germ-fighting cells to explode, thus eliminating the body's main defense against infection. While antibiotic-resistant staph germs are generally found in health-care environments, the highly aggressive new strain is cropping up in communal settings like schools, assisted living facilities and day care centers. Called community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA, the new strain of super staph can cause severe infection and even death in otherwise healthy people. Recently, CA-MRSA caused the death of a 17-year-old Virginia high school student.

For years, Americans have overused antibiotics. Part of the problem is that patients have demanded and doctors have prescribed antibiotics for many illnesses for which they are not effective. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics, but that hasn't stopped us from asking our doctors for a prescription when we have a bad cold. Even when antibiotics are called for, Americans demand to start with the most powerful drug available. Children with chronic earaches or chronic bronchitis can find themselves immune to low-dose antibiotics by the time they reach high school.

It's the development of super germs like CA-MRSA that have finally caught the attention of the medical community and the public. Most physicians these days are circumspect about antibiotic use and prescribe low-dose drugs whenever possible. As a society, it's in our best interests to prevent the overuse of antibiotics and protect our disease-fighting drug arsenal. Otherwise, the next vicious super bug could run rampant through America and we will be powerless to stop it.

New Drug Reduces Fracture Risk

Breaking your hip increases your risk of suffering another fracture. A once-a-year injection of a new drug could substantially reduce that fracture risk for the 300,000 Americans who break a hip each year.

In a 5-year international study, 2,100 hip fracture patients were given an annual 15-minute infusion of either the osteoporosis drug Reclast or a placebo. During the 5-year monitoring period, those who received the drug were 35% less likely to break another bone.

At $1,000 a dose, Reclast certainly isn't cheap, but it could be a bargain compared to the cost of treatment, care and rehabilitation for a major fracture. For many seniors, a broken hip requires a month or more of care in a nursing home rehabilitation center. Some never fully recover from a broken hip and lose their mobility. By reducing fracture risk, the new treatment could allow more seniors to continue living healthy, active lives in their own homes.

Study results are "very, very good in terms of both fracture reduction and effects on bone density," said Dr. Stephen Honig, director of New York University Hospital's Osteoporosis Center. Sponsored by drug company Novartis which makes Reclast, the study was led by Dr. Kenneth Lyles of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.

Published in the November 1, 2007, New England Journal of Medicine, the study did not address safety issues for Reclast, which the FDA approved for osteoporosis use in August. The FDA has announced plans to review Reclast and other osteoporosis drugs, including Actonel, Boniva and Fosamax, for a possible link to irregular heartbeat.

Free Memory Screenings Available Tomorrow

Of the many problems and diseases that can afflict us as we age, Alzheimer's disease -- the loss of memory and mental acuity -- is most feared by older Americans. Despite those fears, the overwhelming majority of people with memory concerns have never discussed their problems with their doctor. That's the finding of a recent survey conducted by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.

Tomorrow, November 13, on National Memory Screening Day, sites throughout the country will offer free, confidential memory screenings in concert with the Alzheimer's Foundation. The annual event was initiated five years ago to raise public awareness about Alzheimer's Disease.

Last year 21,000 people participated in the free, confidential memory screenings at more than 700 health care sites across the country. Click here for more information and to locate a free screening site near you.

If you have questions or concern about memory loss, I urge you to attend a free, confidential memory screening tomorrow. There are many new treatments and techniques available now that can help and delay memory loss, but researchers say the earlier you start the better. Don't delay any longer. Do this for yourself and your loved ones.

Know When to Call the Doctor

Everyone gets aches and pains or feels ill from time to time. Many people don't like to go to the doctor so they'll just wait it out -- and often your body will heal itself. But there are times when waiting to call your doctor is the worst thing you can do.

Here are some tips from physicians on how to tell when home care isn't working and it's time to call your doctor:

• If you have a fever of 101 degrees that isn't better by morning, call your doctor. Long or high fevers can harm the brain. Even low-grade fevers, if they persist, can indicate infection or pneumonia.
• If you are ill or have a wound that isn't getting better, or that gets worse after a couple of days, call your doctor. Not healing can indicate infection, undiagnosed diabetes or skin cancer.
• If you are short of breath or wheezing, particularly if it's a new condition, call your doctor. If you're struggling to breathe, call 911 immediately. Breathing problems can signal a heart attack, panic attack, pneumonia and other serious problems.
• If you become hoarse for no reason, particularly if you're a smoker, call your doctor. And until you get a diagnosis, stay away from alcohol, coffee and soft drinks which will only make things worse.
• If you have an incapacitating headache and you're not prone to migraines, call your doctor. Dizziness, nausea, vomiting or pain in one spot can signal a stroke, brain tumor or onset of a migraine problem.
• If you have an earache that is so painful you can't hold your head up, call your doctor. Earaches are often symptoms of more serious problems. They can also be caused by foreign objects like insects or water in your ears.
• If you have face pain, call your doctor. It may be a sinus infection that requires antibiotics or it can be the sign of a stroke.
• If you have pain in a muscle, joint or bone that doesn't respond to heat and ice or is too painful to use, call your doctor. You may have broken a bone or have a severe strain or sprain.

When it comes to your health, there's no reason to play the hero. It's much better to call your doctor's office and talk to the nurse about your symptoms than suffer in silence while you let a little problem grow into a big one. Use common sense, but be smart. If you're not sure about something, or if you're a little worried about a symptom, make the call. Better safe than sorry!

How to Reverse Muscle Loss

Beginning in the 30s, the average person loses 1% of their muscle tissue annually, or about 5 pounds every 10 years. With loss of muscle mass, we lose physical strength. Neglect this aspect of your health and by old age your body will weak and feeble. Aside from hormone injections, the only proven way to reverse this loss and regain muscle is through resistance weight training.

Nobody's suggesting you take off for the gym and start pumping iron. SuperSlow resistance training provides a very safe and extremely effective method of weight training for seniors. Developed by Ken Hutchins in 1982 to help osteoporosis sufferers, the training was originally targeted to older women who have less physical and particularly less upper body strength.

SuperSlow is a slow-motion, high-intensity strength training that involves fewer repetitions with heavier weights at a much slower pace than typical strength training. The idea is to fully and safely fatigue specific muscles to trigger muscle growth. SuperSlow builds muscles faster with less risk of injury and soreness than any other method, practitioners say.

Training with a certified SuperSlow trainer is recommended. However, if a SuperSlow gym isn't located near you, you might try talking to the trainer at your local gym or rec center about implementing the concept in your regular routine. For more information, click here to visit the SuperSlow website.

Brain Games Ward Off Dementia

Brain health is the big new thing in senior health. People are living longer and they want to retain their full mental capacity as they age. Studies have found that there's a certain amount of truth to the adage "use it or lose it." Activities that force you to think quickly or switch from one type of brain activity to another (from reading to drawing, for example) appear to help ward off dementia.

Tuned into the fact that boomers are aging, game companies are starting to market brain games aimed at the growing senior market. Nintendo has come out with Brain Age which provides a changing series of activities that promote rapid calculation and rapid reading. Other game makers are jumping on the band wagon. On the internet you'll find lots of mind-bending sites to keep your brain active.

Here are some things you can do to keep your brain healthy and happy:

• Get out and exercise. Aerobic exercise pumps up your heart rate and sends more blood and oxygen to your brain.


• Lose those extra pounds. Obese middle-agers are twice as likely to develop dementia. High blood pressure and high cholesterol also increase your risk of dementia.


• Eat more brain food. Foods rich in antioxidants cleanse the brain of free radicals which can eat away at neuron connections. Add leafy veggies like spinach, broccoli and cauliflower to your diet. Don't forget antioxidant-rich fruits like blueberries, strawberries and cranberries. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like trout and salmon also fight brain decay.


• Get on the computer. Brain specialists have developed brain training programs to give your neurons a good workout. Sold mostly to retirement communities but available to individuals, Posit Science offers BrainFitness for $395. A bit more affordable, MindFit can be downloaded from http://www.cognifit.com/ for $129.


• Play video games. Time to join the grandkids in front of the video screen and get your game on. Nintendo offers Brain Age and Mattel sells Radica Brain Games.


• Play online. Crank up the computer and visit an online brain gym for some cerebral exercise. Some good websites to try: BrainBuilder.com, Braingle.com, Eons.com, HappyNeuron.com and MyBrainTrainer.com.