|
Hopkins News for You
This is a monthly service for our friends and patients around the world from Johns Hopkins International. To receive monthly reports via e-mail, please send e-mail to patientnewsletter@jhmi.edu.
July 2002
1. A Simpler Procedure to Cement the Spine
2. Good News About Oral Contraceptives
1. Secrets of the Centenarians
2. Healthy Sports: Golf and Tennis Get High Marks
1. A Simpler Procedure to Cement the Spine
A procedure to relieve pain caused by tumors, compression fractures or other spinal damage is now easier and safer thanks to a team of interventional radiologists led by Kieran Murphy, M.D. Read the entire story at http://www.jhintl.net/JHI/English/Doctors/ProceduretoCementtheSpine.asp
2. Good News About Oral Contraceptives
Forty years after oral contraceptives were introduced in the United States, a study of 10,000 women reverses the long held notion that birth control pills increase a woman's risk for breast cancer. Breast cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say these new results confirm that taking birth control pills, even for a long time, does not appear to increase a woman's risk for breast cancer and reduces their risk for endometrial and ovarian cancers.
"Women using oral contraceptives should be reassured from this study, as it confirms that birth control pills do not increase a woman's risk of getting breast cancer," says study author Kathy Helzlsouer, M.D., M.H.S.
1. Secrets of the Centenarians
What are the secrets to living to 100 years or older? Here are observations from the Okinawan Centenarian Study, which focused on 600 centenarians and people in their 70s, 80s and 90s from Okinawa (Source: Hopkins Health After 50):
* Each day, the typical Okinawan eats 7 servings of vegetables and fruits, 7 servings of whole grains (brown rice, noodles), and 2 servings of soy (beans, tofu, miso). Fish and small amounts of meat and dairy are also included. Only 24% of daily calories come from fat.
* Physical activity is part of everyday life and includes walking or riding a bicycle. This type of exercise lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, prevents diabetes and obesity, and builds bone and muscle. Activities such as Tai chi reduce blood pressure, improve hand strength in the elderly, and reduce the risk of falling.
* Most Okinawans who consume alcohol, do so moderately (1 or 2 drinks a day). Moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a modest reduction in the risk of heart disease and stroke, although doctors do not recommend that people take up drinking to gain these benefits due to the risks of addiction and the dangers of excessive consumption.
* Elderly Okinawans generally have a positive view of life, perceiving the glass as half full rather than half empty. In personality tests, they score high in self-confidence and low in stress and tension categories. High levels of stress have been linked to heart disease and depression.
* An Okinawan proverb says that "One cannot live in this world without the support of others." Okinawans stay connected through cultural institutions that promote social interaction and intellectual stimulation. Many studies have found that people with lots of social connections live longer than those without ties to family, friends, or colleagues.
2. Sports for Health
Two Johns Hopkins studies show the benefits of long-term sports activity, and golfing and tennis get high marks in delaying heart disease.
|
