Although many women who suffer from hot flashes due to menopause or breast cancer surgery and chemotherapy would like to find effective alternative therapies to reduce their discomfort, a study conducted at the Mayo Clinic and presented at the current meeting of the American College of Clinical Oncology reported that flaxseed is not an effective replacement for estrogen therapy. During the study, which was undertaken due to anecdotal evidence that flaxseed might reduce hot flashes, nearly 200 women were given either a daily flaxseed bar or a placebo for six weeks. Reductions in the number of hot flashes experienced by each group were about the same. Both groups also experienced side effects, probably due to the fiber in the flaxseed bar and in the placebo bar.
The study is reported in the “Consumer Health News” section of the Health Day Web site at http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=653616.
News
Flaxseed shown to be no more effective than placebo in controlling hot flashes
Flu Shots Now Recommended Throughout Childhood
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has made the recommendation that all children through age 18 get vaccinated against the flu. The new recommendations would apply to all children except those under 6 months and those with serious egg allergies. Previously, it had been recommended that children from 6 months through age 5 receive a vaccination. The recommendation is expected to be adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Football and C-Spine Injuries
In the wake of the extremely serious cervical spine injury sustained by Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett in a game against the Denver Broncos earlier this month, coaches and trainers are reinforcing their emphasis on techniques to reduce head & neck injuries in football. Here in South Texas, where football is a way of life beginning at a very young age, health information professionals can help by providing players, coaches, trainers and parents with current and authoritative materials on the risks and the best practices for preventing injury. Here are some suggestions:
- Heads Up: Reducing the Risk of Head and Neck Injuries in Football is a 15-minute video from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, which can be viewed online or downloaded for offline viewing (free), or ordered on DVD from NATA ($10).
- “Mass Times Acceleration Equals Force” is one of a number of helpful articles from the Prevention Library at the Brain Injury Resource Foundation.
- For a scholarly review of the issue: “Catastrophic Cervical Spine Injuries in High School and College Football Players” is a review of 196 incidents over 13 academic years that appeared in the August 2006 American Journal of Sports Medicine. [UTHSCSA link] [non-UTHSCSA link]
- This recent NPR story looks at the claim by some trainers that more extensive and consistent neck-strengthening exercises would help to prevent this type of injury.
Please add additional resource suggestions in the comments section.
Free self-defense classes for women
The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office is offering a series of free self-defense classes for women, according to an article in Friday’s The Monitor. The classes, which will meet on Tuesday evenings at the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s
Academy on Cibolo Road in Edinburg will teach protective stances and striking techniques, as well as how to escape from attackers.
Guerra: Texas Can Do Better
In today’s Express-News Dr. Fernando Guerra, director of health for the Metropolitan Health District, calls for expanding health insurance coverage in the state:
“While I believe there are many areas where Texas needs to improve, it all has to start with health insurance. Having 30 percent of adults without health insurance is a terrible stressor on our health-care system in the best of times, let alone in a crisis. To that end, Texans should support any health reform that will ensure that we all have affordable access to essential health care services. Without it, we’ll always be behind, struggling under the weight of a population that is sicker than it needs to be.”
H1N1 Vaccine Arriving in SA, South Texas
This morning the San Antonio Express News and Valley Morning Star are reporting the arrival of H1N1 vaccines. The initial quantities are less than anticipated.
Halloween Candy Buy-Back
Here’s an interesting public health idea that I hadn’t come across before. Last week, on the day after Halloween, Driscoll Children’s Hospital’s Orthodontics Department in Corpus Christi held a Halloween Candy Buy-Back. The organizers paid kids $2 per pound (with a 5-pound limit) to hand over their candy. Dr Deji Fashemo BDS MPH explains, “We can’t do anything orthodontically unless kids have strong healthy teeth and good gums,” and says he hopes the event will educate youngsters on the bad things candy can do to teeth, and encourage them to moderate their candy-eating and especially stay away from sticky, hard candies and taffy-like candies.
A little websearching suggests that Halloween Candy Buy-Back events like this are now happening all over the country, including one group of dentists across the US and Canada who bought back candy for $1 a pound and then sent it off to overseas soldiers. Regardless of the direct effect of such an event on kids’ candy intake, it certainly seems like an interesting and effective way to promote awareness and discussion about the effects of candy on dental health!
Health Lotería #11: La estrella
Well, after a bit of an unplanned break, we’re back again with the Health Lotería. This week we feature “la estrella” [the star] — because here in South Texas it’s nearly time for a very important annual event: Operation Lone Star.
This year, 2008, marks the tenth year for this cooperative program of the Texas Armed Forces, the Health and Human Services Commission, and many other volunteers. Over the course of two weeks — from July 28 to August 8 — the program will offer medical and dental services and health information, totally free of charge, to the entire community at eight sites in seven counties across South Texas.
This HHSC press release and this article from the Rio Grande Guardian explain Operation Lone Star, but the most important questions are: Where and when? Here are the important details, and if you click on the links, you will find maps for the service locations:
Clinics open from July 28 to August 1:
Brownsville: Raul A Besteiro Middle School, 6280 Southmost Road
Mission/La Joya: Cesar Chavez Middle School, Expressway 83 and Showers Road
Raymondville: Raymondville High School, One Bearkat Lane
San Juan: PSJA High School, 805 W. Ridge Road
Clinics open from August 4 to August 8:
Laredo: United South High School, 4001 Avenida Los Presidentes
Rio Grande City: Fort Ringgold Middle School, Fort Ringgold Campus
Zapata: Zapata Middle School, 17th Avenue and Carla Street
Clinic open from August 6 to August 8:
Hebbronville: Hebbronville Middle School, 910 N. Willhelma
This is a great opportunity and a very important program — please help spread the word!
Health Lotería #12: La garza
This week on the Health Lotería, “llegaron los picos largos de la feria de San Juan…” ["here comes long-bill from the fair of St John..."] — that’s right, it’s la garza [the heron]! And the heron brings along the health topic of clean drinking water.
For an introduction, we recommend the Environmetal Protection Agency website titled “Drinking water and health: what you need to know.” Also, the page on “Drinking Water” in medlineplus.gov is very full of information and important links.
Of course, a natural disaster — like Hurricane Dolly that affected the Valley this past week — can quickly change the stability of the drinking water system. According to this news which came out yesterday around 5pm, there are various parts of the Valley where health officials are currently recommending that residents boil their water before drinking it, to prevent the spread of possible water-born illnesses as a result of flooding and other problems in the wake of the hurricane:
- North Alamo Water Supply Corporation (Includes parts of Donna, Weslaco, Elsa, Edcouch y La Blanca)
- La Villa
- Laguna Madre Water Supply (includes South Padre Island, Military Highway WSC, only those served by Las Rusias Plant)
- Sebastian Municipal Utility District
- Lyford
- Primera
- Port Mansfield
- Santa Rosa
If you live in one of those areas or know someone who does, it’s important to verify with the authorities (the water service provider) that your water is safe to drink; if not, you should boil it for at least a minute before drinking it.
Health Professionals Called to Volunteer in Haiti
Partners in Health, co- founded by Paul Farmer, is an organization dedicated to bringing quality health care to poor citizens of the world. They have responded to the crisis in Haiti, gathering information about ground conditions and responding to the area’s most pressing medical and health needs. They are seeking surgeons, nurses, and medical personnel to volunteer in the relief effort. If you are a health professional that would like to contribute, please send an email to volunteer@pih.org with information on your credentials, language capabilities (Haitian Creole or French desired), availability, and contact information. For updated information on the Partners in Health relief effort in Haiti, please visit their website.
