Leigh was the first twin to be diagnosed, at 25, with breast cancer. Weeks later, Nicola received the same news.

Studies have been done of twins and health. It’s particularly interesting if researchers find twins who grew up separately but ended up developing similar illnesses. To read more about Leigh and Nicola, you can go to the article, Identical Twins Who Got Breast Cancer At The Same Time .

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Image courtesy PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Blisstree

Identical Twins & Breast Cancer, Same Time

Being a night owl works out fine for the job I currently have. But when I worked in a traditional 9-5 office setting, it wasn’t always so. That’s not unusual, because morning people have the distinct advantage when it comes to work today. Research shows that, in terms of physical strength, morning people “remain constant throughout the day, but night owls have peak performance in the evening” because they had “maximal central nervous system drive” at about 9:00 p.m. So if you’ve ever had a burst of energy at 9:00 p.m., now you know why.

The interesting thing is that while night owls had this burst of energy, morning people didn’t. Their brains and bodies worked best at 9:00 a.m. but then went down throughout the day from there.

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

Night Owls Are a Real Thing

Rupert’s case was mild, however, and luckily the crew was able to shoot around him during filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. No production days were lost. Rupert was also able to attend the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Price on Tuesday. What a trooper!

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: Blisstree

Rupert Grint Gets Swine Flu

Why a pharmacy for women only?

The person who came up with the idea of the pharmacy, Vancouver Women’s Health Collective’s executive Caryn Duncan, is quoted in a Canada.com article as saying that many women feel threatened in a traditional pharmacy in tough neighborhoods.

There are plans to make this more than a pharmacy though - the idea is to make it a center where women may go to ask for medical help, work with support groups, and more.

Let’s see if this works.

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Image courtesy PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Blisstree

1st Women-Only Pharmacy in N.A. Opens

Accutane, otherwise known by its generic name, isotretinoin, will still be available by other drug makers, but not by HL and not under the name of Accutane. The press release issued by the pharmaceutical states that this is a business decision, due to declining profit from the drug.

When Accutane became available, it was widely used for recalcitrant acne , or acne that didn’t respond to any other treatments. The problem with Accutane, however, is that its potency makes it dangerous for certain people to take it, such as pregnant women. Doctors have also been finding an increase levels of cholesterol, liver enzymes and triglyceride, which could lead to further disease.

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Image: Hoffman-La Roche, Inc

Post from: Blisstree

Hoffmann-La Roche’s Accutane Ends

Blood clots, called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are clots that form deep in veins, most often in the legs. These clots sit along side of the vein, slowing down blood flow as the blood passes, but more dangerous - they can break off the wall and follow the blood to your heart and lungs.

When theses clots reach your lungs, they are called pulmonary emboli (plural for embolism), and these can cause death.

People at highest risk for DVTs are those who recently had surgery below the waist, who are immobile, overweight, smoke, or just had a child within the previous 6 months. Some types of medications may also increase the risk of clotting. However, a new category of people at risk has been identified over the past years and that’s people who sit still for long periods while traveling.

Any type of travel where you sit still increases your risk, but flying seems to be the highest risk activity for DVTs. It’s harder to get up and walk around on a plane, your legs are more cramped, and the air is very dry in airplanes, raising the risk of dehydration.

Signs and symptoms:

Signs that you may have a DVT - before it breaks away from the vein wall - are:

• redness in one leg, specifically in one spot
• one leg warmer than the other, specifically in one spot
• pain or tenderness in a specific area of the leg
• swelling of one leg

Signs of a pulmonary embolism include:

• sudden chest pain
• sudden cough
• shortness of breath
• rapid breathing
• rapid pulse

If you have any symptoms of DVT, you should contact your doctor immediately. If you have any symptoms of pulmonary embolism, you should seek emergency help immediately. It’s best to call for emergency help than go for it because you should stay as still as is possible.

What to do while traveling

Move your legs around as much as possible. Get up and walk around regularly and drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol, which can promote dehydration. You may want to ask your doctor if you should wear compression stockings. These are special socks that help keep even pressure on your legs, promoting good blood flow.

Here is a quick video that explains what DVT is and what to look for. Just click on the TV screen:

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Images: MorgueFile.com and iStock.com

Post from: Blisstree

Travel Season, But Watch For Blood Clots

Interestingly, countries in the European Union will be banning these medications and they have already been banned in the United Kingdom.

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Image courtesy PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Blisstree

FDA Says Darvocet, Darvon May Stay

Muscle rubs and ointments are sold on the basis that rubbing them over the sore areas help relieve the aching from overuse. Some smell very strongly, while others claim to be more discreet. These are called rubefacients , which cause local irritation and redness, as blood flow increases to the skin surface.

The study review looked at rubs that contained salicylates , a pain-killing substance. Some are available over-the-counter and others are obtained by prescription.

The researchers found 16 studies of 1,276 people total with either acute or chronic pain. According to a press release issued by the publisher Wiley-Blackwell ,

Results from four studies showed topical salicylates performed better than placebos against acute pain, but excluding lower quality studies meant the results were not statistically significant. When used for chronic conditions, salicylates performed better than placebos. However, only one in six patients with chronic pain benefited substantially from using the muscle rubs compared to one in three using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

More studies are needed to look into this type of treatment though.

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Image courtesy of PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Blisstree

Muscle Rubs for Pain Not All That Great

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned consumers not to buy or use two liquid products that have been recalled due to suspected product tampering.

The products are

• New Whey liquid products
• Hardcore Energize Bullet liquid products

The products are sold in vials that look similar to test tubes.

The suspected tampering involved a utility knife blade found in one vial of Hardcore Energize Bullet drink and another blade in one vial of New Whey liquid products. No one is known to have been hurt.

The manufacturer of both products, Protica Inc., of Whitehall, Pa., is investigating these incidents.

About the Recalled Products

New Whey liquid products are being recalled by IDS of Oviedo, Fla. The products

• were sold at various retail stores in the United States
• are packaged in 2.9-ounce clear, test-tube-like vials
• come in two flavors: New Whey Fruit Punch 25g (the affected lot is 1960), and New Whey Blue Raspberry 42g (the affected lot is 1944)

Hardcore Energize Bullet liquid products are being recalled by iSatori Technologies of Golden, Colo. The products

• were sold in the United States and Canada
• are packaged in 2.9-ounce clear, test-tube-like vials
• come in two flavors: Blue Rage (the affected lots are 1961, 1962, and 1794), and Black Rush (the affected lot is 1963)

Advice for Consumers

• Do not buy or consume New Whey or Hardcore Energize Bullet liquid products.
• Report serious side effects or product quality problems with the use of these products to FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online, by regular mail, fax or phone.
  • Online
  • Regular Mail: Use FDA postage paid form 3500 and mail to MedWatch, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787
  • Fax: 800-FDA-0178
  • Phone: 800-FDA-1088

This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Updates page , which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

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Image: Newscom.com

Post from: Blisstree

FDA Warning: Two Liquid “Energy” Products

The latest figures show that “probability of dying from the pandemic flu strain may be 1 in 10,000 cases and possibly as low as 1 in 100,000.” It’s still a dangerous disease, to be sure, but probably not as deadly as the medical world once believed.

Whenever I hear reports like this (that conflict), I basically try to take the whole of the information with a grain of salt. It seems as if with swine flu we need to take care of ourselves at the first sign of symptoms, but also enjoy our lives and not panic. (I think many of us were doing this anyways.)

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

Swine Flu Not As Dangerous As Once Thought