SportsGeezer

Prostate Cancer Testing May Do More Harm Than Good

The debate rages on, but evidence that the widely-used PSA test for prostate cancer screening leads to unnecessary and quality-of-life diminishing treatments continues to emerge. The latest study, conducted by doctors at Dartmouth and the University of Connecticut, analyzed data on prostate cancer collected by the National Cancer Institute and population data from the U.S. Census. WebMD reports that from 1986 to 2005, PSA testing resulted in the diagnosis of about 1.3 million prostate cancers that would never otherwise have been detected, and that more than 1 million of these patients were treated with surgery or radiation,which often leaves patients impotent and/or incontinent. WebMD reports that over that time, deaths from prostate cancer declined. And so, taking a conservative approach, the researchers assumed that PSA detection of early prostate cancers -- and not improvements in treatment -- was responsible for the entire drop in prostate cancer deaths. In that case, the researchers found, PSA testing would have saved about 56,500 lives. But some 943,500 men would have been "overdiagnosed."

WebMD also reports that Martin Sanda, MD, director of the prostate cancer center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, studied 342 men who deferred treatment for at least one year after prostate cancer diagnosis.Half the men remained untreated for nearly eight years; the other half eventually opted for treatment an average four years after diagnosis. These men were compared with men who chose immediate treatment after diagnosis. The envelope please: Among those who held off on treatment, 98 percent survived. With immediate treatment, the rate of survival was 99 percent.

Read more from WebMD.

Asparagus Spears Hangover Pain

Geezer's preferred method for curbing the pain of hangovers--don't drink so much last night-- is often difficult to apply, so new recommendations are welcome. Now comes the suggestion from researchers at the Institute of Medical Science and Jeju National University in South Korea that asparagus may ease hangovers and protect liver cells against the toxins in alcohol. HealthDay reports that scientists at the school have been studying the effects of the amino acids and minerals in asparagus extract on human and rat liver cells in the lab. The researchers found the extract, found in greater quantities in asparagus leaves than in shoots, reduced the toxicity of alcohol in individual cells. Worth a try.

Read more in HealthDay.

Kudzu Root May Lower Blood Pressure

Kudzu, the irrepressible vine whose name is synonymous with unwanted houseguests, could save our lives, or at least a few of our organs. The Los Angeles Times reports on research conducted at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, whose results suggest that kudzu can help regulate blood pressure, glucose metabolism and cholesterol levels. Scientists at the schools gave half of a rat population kudzu root extract and the other half got none. After two months, the rats that had the kudzu diet showed significantly lowered arterial pressure. Doubtful? Read an abstract from the study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The authors of the study wrote that their efforts "suggest that polyphenols in kudzu root may provide a nonpharmacological complement to traditional approaches for treating hypertension."

Read more in the L.A. Times.

Research Suggests that Fatter = Dumber

No one ever said life was fair. Or politically correct. And few neurologists ever said much of anything that the rest of us could understand, let alone dispute. Now, however, U.S. News & World Report directs our attention to research conducted at UCLA, where neurologists studied the relationship of obesity and brain size. The scientists looked at brain images of 94 people in their 70s who had participated in an earlier study looking at cardiovascular  health and cognition. The subjects were followed for five years, and any volunteers who developed cognitive symptoms were excluded from the study. When the dust cleared, researchers found this unpleasant news: when compared to normal-weight people, clinically obese people had 8 percent less brain tissue, while overweight people had 4 percent less brain tissue. Yikes! How did that happen?  The magazine quotes Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, explaining why he is not surprised. "The body is completely linked," says Roslin. "We are what we eat and we eat too much. An obese, sedentary person is going to have a breakdown of every organ system, and that includes a greater chance of impotence and infertility and other things that people don't generally think are directly related to obesity."

Read more in U.S. News & World Report.

American Heart Association Slaps Limits on Sugar

 For the first time, the American Heart Association has given us specific numbers for the calories of sugar that we should consume daily. Women, the AHA says, should limit their consumption to 100 calories, and men are allowed 150 calories. How much is that? Not so much. As the Wall Street Journal points out, a 12-ounce can of cola contains about 130 calories. The Journal reports that data gathered during a national nutrition survey between 2001 and 2004 suggest that Americans consume on average 355 calories, or more than 22 teaspoons, of sugar a day. Why the new rules? The AHA is reportedly doing its part to reduce the incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The Journal reports that a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the medical costs associated with treating obesity-related conditions may have reached $147 billion last year, up from $74 billion a decade ago.Read more in the Wall Street Journal.

High Blood Pressure Takes Toll on Memory

Why is it so hard to remember to take meds for high blood pressure? Research conducted at the University of Alabama in Birmingham may offer some clues. Bloomberg reports that neurologists at the school, who looked at data for blood pressure and brain function from 19,836 people, found that each 10-point increase in diastolic blood pressure increased the odds of cognitive difficulties by 7 percent. Yikes! Geezer can't remember when he last read such alarming news.

Read an abstract from the journal Neurology here.

Read more from Bloomberg here.

 

 

Sunscreen of Bug Repellent? Which Comes First?

The L.A.Times' People's Pharmacy columnists answer this great mystery of summer just as it draws to a close: which should one apply first, sunscreeen or insect repellent? And the answer is: sunscreen.

But wait, there's more. The People's Pharmacy points out that the CDC advises not to use combination products containing repellents and sunscreens: "DEET-containing insect repellents may decrease the effectiveness of sunscreens, and sunscreens may increase absorption of DEET through the skin."

Read more in the L.A. Times.

Among NYT Marathoner's Voices, A Prostate Cancer Victim

The New York Times' intriguing "Runners' Voices" series of slide shows with audio offers many an inspiring tale. Geezer likes the story of Alan Schappe, who believes that his fitness, developed in when he was in his late 40s, speeded his recovery from prostate cancer. Listen to Schappe's story on this page.

Broken Arm? Go With Ibuprofen

What's the best medicine for relief of pain from broken bones? One recent study suggests that ibuprofen is the way to go, at least when the other choice is acetaminophen with codeine. HealthDay reports on a review of 336 children who were treated for arm fractures and prescribed either ibuprofen or acetaminophen with codeine for their pain once they were home.The researchers found no difference in the number of cases of pain treatment failure, but those who were given ibuprofen reported higher satisfaction than those given acetaminophen with codeine, and they had fewer had adverse effects -- 29.5 percent vs. 50.9 percent. Wait, there's more.  Nearly 90 percent of those who took ibuprofen said they would prefer the same treatment for future fractures, compared with 72 percent of those who took acetaminophen with codeine.
Read more in HealthDay.

Is It Cool for (Much) Older Athletes to Take Performance Enhancers?

If a 65-year-old amateur athlete pops some steroids, should we cut him or her some slack? On the other hand, is there a 65-year-old athlete who doesn't take steroids in one form or another? The New York Times poses these two questions and a few more, in this astonishing story about older, OK elderly, athletes. Meet a 95-year-old who competes in a 400 meter run.
More in the New York Times.